Boy Scouts Turns 100

The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

The celebration has included national events, a postage stamp, a commemorative coin produced by the U.S. Mint and a float in the Tournament of Roses Parade.



W.D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on Feb. 8, 1910. Edgar Robinson and Lee Hanmer were interested in the Boy Scout movement, and they convinced Boyce to turn the program over to the YMCA in April 1910. In January 1911, James West took the movement over from Robinson. West became the first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts.

While Boyce started the Boy Scouts in the United States, his idea for scouting came from England. Boyce learned of the Scouting movement when he visited London in 1909. Two years earlier, British Gen. Robert Baden-Powell founded the Scouting movement in England based largely on other men’s ideas and similar organizations.

In addition to founding the Scout movement, Baden-Powell wrote several military books that were also read by boys.

He wrote “Scouting for Boys,” which was based on his earlier books. Baden-Powell tested the ideas in his book on a camping trip with the local Boys’ Brigade and sons of his friends. This trip took place on Brownsea Island in August 1907; it is often considered the beginning of Scouting.

The Boy Scouts have seen a number of other key events since the organization was founded. The first Eagle Scout was Arthur R. Eldred in 1912. In 1913, the Boy Scouts began registering members. The annual fee to join was $.25.

The Cub Scout program began in 1930, and the Webelos program was added to Cub Scouting in 1954. Ninety years after the organization started, the Boy Scouts registered its 100 millionth member.