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The HISTORY of Arbuckle Area Council Boy Scouts of America

The History of Arbuckle Area Council

The Congress of the United States of America granted the charter to the Boy Scouts of America on June 15, 1916 with the signature of President Woodrow Wilson. Small scout troops in southeastern Oklahoma were formed and existed on and off for years prior to the development of a great scouting movement.

In 1918, the Ardmore Council, BSA had a membership of 67 scouts in three troops. R.F. Beid was the Scout Executive and attended training at the Raccoon Mountain Conference at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In 1920, a high school teacher named D.T. Bradshaw headed a Boy Scout Troop in Ada, Oklahoma. The troop had 22 members, including Drew and Bennie Page; Joe Hargis; Dick Simpson, Jr; Henry and William Roach; Glen and Dean Spencer; J.M. and Browall Coffman; Carmen Hargis; and Bill and Claude Smith.

By June of 1920, area citizens in Ada launched a drive for $6,000 to support the scouting movement. Civic clubs, ministers, and schools backed the movement. The Ada News headlined it with a Page 1 top story and advertisers pitched in to help. The result was the formation of the Pontotoc Council, BSA on July 8, 1920 with Orel Busby, president; L.M. King, Robert Wimbish and M.F. Manville, vice presidents; M.R. Chilcutt, treasurer and P.A. Norris, national committeeman. Tom Steed, who would later serve in the U. S. Congress, was writing an article about scouting for the Ada News. Harry Miller was recruited as the first Scout Executive for the Pontotoc Council, BSA. Miller was a 1903 graduate of the Princeton School of Theology and a strong advocate of youth development. The scouts built a lodge near Wintersmith Lake in Ada and by October, 1920 had grown in membership to nearly 500 boys. The first Eagle Scouts from Pontotoc Council, BSA were Richard Walker Simpson and Drew Page.

In 1922, the Garvin and McClain County Council was organized with W.A. Wilcoxson as the Scout Executive. When Wilcoxson resigned in March of 1925, the counties were transferred to the Ardmore City Council and they renamed the council to Red River Council which served Murray, Garvin, McClain and Carter counties. In 1930, the name was changed to the Chickasaw Council, BSA.

The Arbuckle Area Council, BSA was formed in 1945 when the Chickasaw Council, BSA and the Pontotoc Council, BSA merged. Scouters in the old Pontotoc Council, BSA wanted to name their district after their esteemed leader, Harry Miller, and the new Arbuckle Area Council, BSA formed into an administrative unit of three districts which are the Chickasaw District, the Harry Miller District, and the Washita District--each of which still exists as an active District in the organizational structure of the Arbuckle Area Council, BSA. The Arbuckle Area Council, BSA currently serves nearly 2,900 youth with over 1,000 adult volunteers. The Earl Q. Gray Scout Center was built in 1983 in Ardmore, Oklahoma and serves as the Arbuckle Area Council Office. The Ada Service Center Office was opened in 199__. The Arbuckle Area Council, BSA continues to serve youth in a nine county area which includes Pontotoc, Murray, Johnston, Garvin, Coal, Atoka, Carter, Love and Marshall counties.

Arbuckle Area Council CSP History

The first Arbuckle Area Council Shoulder Patch (commonly referred to as a CSP) was the T-1 which was made in 19___. The design of the first CSP was taken from the Oklahoma State Flag which honors more than 60 Native American groups and their ancestors. An Osage Warrior battle shield made of buffalo hide is the symbol for the Oklahoma State Flag and the first Arbuckle Area Council CSP. The battle shield is decorated with Eagle feathers and two symbols of peace. The peace symbols are an olive branch and the calumet, which is more commonly known as the peace pipe. The crosses on the shield are Native American signs for stars which represent high ideals. The blue background on both the Oklahoma State Flag and the Arbuckle Area Council CSP represents a flag carried by Choctaw soldiers during the Civil War.

For a list of Arbuckle Area Council Presidents, please click here.

For a list of Arbuckle Area Council Silver Beavers, please click here.

For a list of Arbuckle Area Council James E. West Fellows, please click here.

Click here for a glimpse of Camp Simpson history.

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Arbuckle Area Council, B.S.A. is a participating member agency of United Way.

Copyright 2008, Arbuckle Area Council, BSA. All rights reserved. ‘Boy Scouts’ and other BOY SCOUTS of AMERICA Trademarks are registered trademarks of the Boy Scouts of America and are used herein pursuant to license. The material and/or graphics on this site is intended for informational purposes only, and to support the activities of local affiliates of the Arbuckle Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Any other use of any information, including the names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses listed herein is expressly prohibited.

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