| Special Collections Home :: Manuscript :: MSS 35 | |
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Introduction
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Teton Peaks Scout Material |
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Agency History
| The International Boy Scouts
were founded by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, a military hero from the Boer
War in South Africa. When Baden-Powell found that many English boys were
reading his manual on survival and stalking, he decided to rewrite the
manual as a nonmilitary nature guide. He took a group of boys on the
first scout camp in 1906. The organization came to the United States
through Ernest Thompson Seton, Daniel Carter Beard, and William D. Boyce.
They formed the Boy Scouts of America in 1909.
The Teton Peaks Council was formed in March of 1925 with Harold S. Alford as the first commissioner. The Council consisted of troops in the Idaho counties of Custer, Butte, Lemhi, Fremont, Madison, Jefferson, Bonneville, Bingham, and Teton Counties as well as Teton County in Wyoming. In 1939, the council formed the Treasure Mountain Scout Camp. The scouting program has flourished in the Upper Snake River Valley because of its intimate relationship with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1992, The Teton Peaks Council and the Tendoy Council combined to form the Grand Teton Council which now consists of 1,707 units and boasts a membership of 22,811 members. |
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Scope and Content
| This collection is an amalgam of various donated materials from members of the Teton Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The collection contains manuals, documents, minutes, programs, and realia. The collection is filled with prominent names in the scouting program such as Vernon L. Strong, the first Eagle Scout in the Teton Council, and Oscar Kirkham, an early music teacher at Ricks College. Many scout themed songs in the collection were written by Oscar Kirkham. Also included is a collection of early scout handbooks beginning in 1910. Of special interest are materials donated by Wendell and Bertha Gillette. These include memorabilia from the 1951 Scout Jamboree at Valley Forge. The Teton Peaks Council Collection exemplifies the evolution of the scout program in recent years. It also pays tribute to the many leaders and boys that have participated in scouts for the last seventy-five years. | |
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Inventory
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