Scouting in New Mexico


Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch.

Early history (1910–1950)

On May 11, 1941, the Boy Scouts of America honored Major Frederick Russell Burnham on his eightieth birthday, at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. Burnham had only recently returned from Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge which he had dedicated with the Boy Scouts in Arizona after a long campaign to save the Desert Bighorn Sheep.
In 1918, the Albuquerque Council was founded. It changed its name to the Bemalillo County Council in 1926. The council changed its name again in 1927 to the Rio Grand Area Council. In 1934, the Rio Grande Area Council became the Northern New Mexico Council.
In 1920, the Carlsbad Council and the Roswell Council were founded. They merged in 1924 to become the Pecos Valley Council. In 1925, the Pecos Valley Council became the Eastern New Mexico Council.
In 1927, the Gila Grande Council was formed, merging with the El Paso Area Council in 1930.
In 1927, the Kit Carson Council was formed, merging with the Rio Grande Council in 1929.

Recent history (1950–1990)

In 1955, the Northern New Mexico Council became the Kit Carson Council. The council changed its name in 1976 to the Great Southwest Area Council, and again in 1982 to the Great Southwest Council.

Scouting in New Mexico today

There are five Boy Scouts of America local councils in New Mexico.

Conquistador Council

Located in southeast New Mexico, the Conquistador Council office is in Roswell, New Mexico.

Organization

The Kwahadi Lodge #78 of the Order of the Arrow serves local Arrowmen.

Grand Canyon Council

Grand Canyon Council serves Scouts in Arizona and New Mexico.

Great Southwest Council

The Great Southwest Council is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and provides Scouting to youth in northern New Mexico, northeast Arizona, Utah south of the Colorado River, and the Durango and Mesa Verde areas of Colorado.

Organization

The Great Southwest Council's summer camp program is based at the Gorham Scout Ranch, located near Chimayo, New Mexico northwest of Pojoaque, New Mexico.
Great Southwest Council is home to Cimarron, New Mexico's Philmont Scout Ranch, the oldest of the national high-adventure bases operated by the Boy Scouts of America.
Although the Mesa Verde District of the Great Southwest Council includes San Juan County, Colorado, the council no longer owns or operate the Cascade Scout Camp located in the San Juan National Forest, north of Durango, Colorado, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

South Plains Council

South Plains Council serves Scouts in Texas and New Mexico.

Yucca Council

Yucca Council serves Scouts in Texas and New Mexico.

Girl Scouting in New Mexico

Three Girl Scout Councils serve New Mexico.

Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine Council

Most of this district is in Arizona but as the Navajo Nation straddles the border the portion of it in northwestern New Mexico is also included in this district.

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails serves some 5,000 girls in 23 counties in northern and central New Mexico. It was formed in November 2007 by the merger of the two previous councils of Sangre de Cristo and Chaparral.

Camps

Formed from the May 1, 2009 merger of Zia, Permian Basin and Rio Grande Councils. Serving Southern New Mexico & West Texas.

Organization

Service Centers in New Mexico
The Scouting Museum of New Mexico, run by Dennis Downing at 400 South First Street in Raton, New Mexico, is open daily from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm from June through August, and by appointment from September through May. Privately owned at a private facility, displays include Wood Badge, Philmont, Order of the Arrow, National Jamboree, international Scouting, Scout books and magazines, videos, reference library, and also rotates loaned exhibits, in the summers only. Admission is free.