The history of Scouting actually goes back to the turn of the century and a British Army officer, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell. Baden-Powel, who was stationed in India at the time, found that his men did not know the basic first aid or the elementary means of survival in the outdoors. They couldn't follow a trail or tell directions, recognize danger signs, or find food or water. Baden-Powell, who had earned a reputation as a courageous soldier and able army scout, felt a need to teach his men resourcefulness, adaptability, and the qualities of leadership demanded by frontier conditions, so he wrote a small handbook called Aids to Scouting.

Scouting Begins on Brownsea Island

Baden-Powell had the vision to see some new possibilities, and he decided to test his ideas on boys. In August 1907, he gathered together 20 boys from all parts of England. Some were from exclusive schools an others were from the slums, the shops, and the farms. He took them to Brownsea Island, in a sheltered bay off England's southern coast. There, along the shore, they set up a makeshift campsite which would be their home for the next 12 history-making days.

The boys had a great time! They divided into patrols and played games, went on hikes, and learned stalking and pioneering. They learned to cook outdoors without utensils and in the evenings, in the magic of the campfire, they were spellbound by Baden-Powell's stories of his army adventures.

The next year Baden-Powell published his book Scouting for Boys, which revealed a warm understanding of boys and what they like to do. He had no idea that this book would set in motion a movement that would affect the boyhood of the entire world. The same year, more than 10,000 Boy Scouts attended a rally held at the Crystal Palace. This was living proof of how quickly Scouting was establishing itself. Two years later, the membership had tripled.

Scouting Comes to the United States

In 1909, a Chicago businessman and publisher, William D Boyce, was lost in a London Fog. As he groped his way through the fog, a boy appeared and offered to take him to his destination. When they arrived, Boyce reached in his pocket for a shilling tip. But the boy stopped him by courteously explaining that he was a Scout and could not accept payment for a Good Turn.

Intrigued, the publisher questioned the boy and learned more about Scouting. The boy took him to Baden-Powell's office, and once there, disappeared into the fog. No one knows what happened to him. The unknown Scout was never heard from again, but he will never be forgotten.

As Boyce interviewed Baden-Powell, he became captured by the dream. When he boarded the transatlantic steamer for home, he had a suitcase filled with information and ideas. And so, on February 8, 1910, Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America.

The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America as incorporated February 8, 1910, and chartered by Congress in June 1916, is to provide for boys and young adults an effective educational program designed to:

• build desirable qualities of character
• to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship
• and to develop personal fitness.

Since 1930 the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting.

How Cub Scouting Started

In America, millions of Cub Scout-age boys and their families were clamoring for a program of their own. As early as 1920, at the first national training conference for Scout executives, the needs of the younger boys were discussed. However, the Boy Scouts of America felt is wise to postpone any action until there was more objective evidence.

By 1929, the new Cubbing program (it wasn't called Cub Scouting until several years later) was taking shape. It was introduced as a demonstration project in a limited number of communities. Its structure was similar to today's Cub Scouting, except that dens were led by Boy Scout den chiefs. The plan included a neighborhood mother's committee to encourage Cubs and den chiefs.

By 1930, Cub Scouting was formally launched, with 5,102 boys registered at the end of of that first year. By 1933 the time had come to promote Cub Scouting throughout the country as a part of Scouting.