BOY SCOUTS

BOY SCOUTS. The Boy Scout program was formally introduced to Scout-age boys in Dubuque as part of a month-long visit from H. Laurence Eddy, the National Field Scout Commissioner. Eddy spoke to the PARK LIFE boys at Audubon School on August 16, 1911. The next day, he spoke to boys and parents at FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST.

Although the first annual Report to Congress(from the BSA for the year 1910) did not list Dubuque as one of the cities that had Scouting organized, a troop of Scouts was organized at SUMMIT CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST by mid-1911 according to an article in the Telegraph-Herald on July 30, 1911.

One of the boys of this troop was Milt Blosch who joined in 1922 as a 12-year-old. (2) In 1997, he was honored for his 75-year involvement with scouting with a pin from the national organization. At the time, Blosch was one of only 84 people in the country to have had that many years in the organization. Charles Agard was the Scoutmaster of the troop that met at Summit in 1911. The troop was formed and disbanded several times. It was the first troop chartered in 1917 when the Dubuque Council was officially chartered with the National Office.

Efforts that led to a permanent Boy Scout council began with an organizational meeting on October 10, 1916. An estimated fifty influential businessmen attended the meeting including James Harold WALLIS; Professor L. Q. Martin from DUBUQUE HIGH SCHOOL; Charles Agard; E. T. Baer; William Buettell]; M. D. Cooney; W. F. Griner; Peter Kiesel KARBERG; W. G. Martin; S. Frank MURRAY; Bernard A. RUEGNITZ; Allan Kane, president of the DUBUQUE TRADES AND LABOR CONGRESS; and [[CONLEY, Joseph A. Sr.|Joseph A. CONLEY, Sr., editor of the LABOR LEADER (THE).

Bacon arrived in Dubuque on November 9, 1916 with the plans necessary to organize a permanent council. Professor L. Q. Martin served as the chairman of the local organizing committee. The local committee of a few dozen men, under the leadership of Bacon and Martin, began their promotional efforts.

On January 17, 1917, members of the temporary Boy Scout council adopted a constitution and by-laws. Officers of the new Dubuque Council included:

                      * N. C. Gindorff, President
                      * L. Q. Martin, Vice President
                      * A. C. Buettell, Vice President
                      * S. F. Murray, Vice President
                      * E. H. Willing, Secretary
                      * M. D. Cooper, Treasurer

The Dubuque Council was formally chartered with the BSA in 1917. It did not formally become the Northeast Iowa Council until 1935 when boundaries were adjusted. (1)

As WORLD WAR I raged in Europe, one of the parental concerns was whether their sons involvement in scouting would make them more likely to be called up for military service. Every reassurance was given that Boy Scouts had nothing to do with the military. This did not, however, mean that with parental permission, Scouts could not reflect the work done in Europe by carrying messages in the city or volunteer for first aid work. (2) With enthusiasm, Walter Gunn, the first Council staff member, organized troop after troop so that by 1919 Dubuque had 525 registered Scouts. (3) Gunn, according to an article in the Telegraph-Herald on April 23, 1920, had earned his Eagle Scout badge. (4)

Detailed articles appeared in the newspaper outlining what would be gained by membership in scouting. Fields of emphasis included bird watching, art, "automobiling," firemanship and rescue work, civics, and manual training. (5) Lynn Osborn and Arthur Francis completed their Eagle Scout requirements hours before leaving for the first World Scout Jamboree in London. (6)

In the early 1920s the camp committee of the local scout council chose Hay Island for the location of a camping site. Located on the eastern shores of the Mississippi River eight miles below its junction with the Wisconsin River, the area was near the small town of Wyalusing. Hay Island contained an estimated 640 acres of sandy soil connected to the Wisconsin mainland by a narrow isthmus. Sandy beaches along the edges of the island allowed for swimming. Rich in history of Native Americans, the area was once an important trading post. In 1921, 125 boys including 75 scouts and several boys sponsored by the Rotary Club of Dubuque visited the site from August 14 to September 5th. (7)

In 1928 there were eleven active troops: SUMMIT CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (Troop 1), WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (Troop 4), ST. PATRICK'S CATHOLIC CHURCH (Troop 6), FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (Troop 7), YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (Y.M.C.A.) (Troop 12), IMMANUEL CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST (Troop (3), THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (Troop 9), HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH (Troop 20), ST. LUKE'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (Troop 5), ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH (Troop 8), WASHINGTON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (Troop 19), UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE (Troop 15), ST. MARY'S ORPHAN HOME (TROOP 11), NATIVITY CHURCH (Troop 10), and FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, (Troop 13). (8)

News such as this in addition to national scouting news was featured throughout the 1920s in a "Boy Scout's Section" of the Telegraph Herald.

In 1928 with a financial debt lingering from the year before, Harold H. Baker, the new scout executive locally, and A. C. Buettell, the head of the Boy Scout Council Finance Committee and chairman of the Budget Fund Campaign took an appeal to the city. Their efforts were focused on raising $6,500. (10) Plans were made for establishing a permanent scout camp with permanent shelter and equipment. (11)

A lasting memorial to John Burton's name was created in 1929, when Camp John Burton was dedicated as a Scout Camp. The land for this purpose, some 26 acres, was given by James Harold Wallis and John Rider Wallis, both grandsons of John Burton, whose daughter, Mary Burton, had married John William Wallis. (12) A reminder of that first camp was a large cabin called Elliott Lodge, named for Dick Elliott, a long time Scouter. Originally used as a summer camp until 1941, it retained its original rustic nature with no electricity or running water while other sites in the camp were updated. Many Scouts remembered it fondly because of its "ancient" nature. (13) Due to safety concerns, local volunteers constructed a new cabin to replace the 100-year-old cabin. Neumeister Lodge, named in recognition of former Troop 94 Scoutmaster Jim Neumeister, was first available in 2020.

The ruins of Burton's furnace in Durango. Photo courtesy: Andrea Wallis Aven

      The smelting furnace was located just 
      south of the present [in 1973] red 
      bridge at Durango-immediately behind 
      the stone structure was a very steep 
      hill. 
      
      As a young boy my great uncle, Jos. 
      Herod, showed me the remains of a stone 
      flume or chimney built on the hill side 
      and connected with the chimney of the 
      smelter - an ingenious way of increasing 
      the draft to carry the smoke and fumes 
      without building a high vertical chimney. (14)

In 1920 financial security came to scouting when it became part of the Community Chest collection.

Program from the second annual Boy Scout Circus in 1932

In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former Scout, asked Scouts across the United States to participate in relief work. Scouts and their leaders gathered at the STRAND THEATER on February 10, 1934 to hear the president's message broadcast from the White House. (15)

St. Mary's Orphanage for many years had a Cub Scout Pack and a Boy Scout troop consisting of boys living at the orphanage. They were active at council events. Photo courtesy: Paul Lewis

A committee from the ELKS CLUB met with the District Scout board to establish a Cub Scout organization for boys 9-11 years of age. The first Cub Scout pack, chartered by the DUBUQUE BOYS' CLUB was formed in 1929. (16) The goal for the first years was establishing two "packs" with forty members. Meetings were held in the home of a "den mother" with the assistance of an older scout serving as a den leader. (17)

In 1942 area Scouts joined their group nationwide in distributing millions of copies of the booklet "What You Should Know About Wartime Price Control." It was estimated that 9,000 copies were distributed within the city of Dubuque. The Scouts were chosen for this responsibility due to their response to other wartime activities including the collection of waste paper, test mobilizations, messenger work, and aid at nurses' stations. (18) Plans were also announced for an Emergency Service Corps of Dubuque Boy Scouts. Qualifications included being a First Class Scout, parental permission, at least 18 years of age, holding merit badges, and pass oral and written qualification tests. Participants were involved in first aid, rescue work, construction and supervision of sanitary equipment, erection of shelters, and entertainment for refugees. Boys not old enough for the Corps could serve as orderlies, messengers, and assistants to leaders. (19)

In 1945 Dubuque scouts were again asked to collect paper. If they were successful in collecting 1,000 pounds of newspaper per boy during March and April, they were promised "General Eisenhower Medals." Working with the Scouts were members of the DUBUQUE BOYS' CLUB. Once the paper was sold, the funds were divided equally between the two groups. (20)

Dubuque Scouts in November 1946 were asked by the War Department to be part of "Operation Roger." To find the names of all discharged army air force veterans, the Boy Scouts were asked to distribute postal cards to restaurants, drug stores, clubs and department stores for the veterans to fill out and mail. The city of Dubuque received 1,500 of these cards. During the same month, Scouts distributed a digest of the city's traffic laws by leaving them on parked cards or dropping them through open car windows. (21)

In 1949 Boy Scouts of America began holding Klondike derbies based on the heritage of the Klondike Gold Rush. In 2011 to continue the tradition, a Klondike Derby was held at SWISS VALLEY NATURE PRESERVE featuring such events as shelter construction, fire building, snowshoes, and ice rescue. (22)

File:Bsposters.png

This 1950 photo has Dubuque Scouts putting up posters around the city to encourage residents to contribute to the Community Chest campaign. Photo courtesy: Andrea Wallis Aven

The civic responsibility of Scouts was again shown in 1952 when an estimated 500 March of Dimes posters were distributed to downtown merchants. (23)

In 1956 the Northeast Iowa Council of the Boy Scouts of America serving fifty troops involving the Iowa counties of Dubuque, Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware and East Dubuque, Illinois, made the decision to sell the Wiegand property given to it years before. The Weigands had hoped that the land would be left in its natural state, but at the time of the gift the Council stated it would not accept the gift if there were restricts on its use. The Scouts were not organized to hold property and did not have the funds to develop it. No restrictions were contained in the deed. With the feeling that the Wiegands had intended to help the scouting program and had not meant to restrict that help to only the local area, the Northeast Iowa Council sold the property. The proceeds were set aside as the 'Wiegand Camp Fund' to acquire and improve or to improve an already acquired tract of land for a permanent camp. (24)

Adventure Island boat. Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald

Beginning around 1952 the Northeast Council operated Adventure Island, the nation's only full-scale summer camp on an island, in the MISSISSIPPI RIVER near Guttenberg. To reach the camp, the Scouts had "The Magic Carpet," a 26-foot long all steel boat constructed. Originally used to carry construction supplies to build the camp, the boat was soon carrying up to thirty passengers. Licensed by the U. S. Coast Guard, the boat carried the number 45L189. (25)

While satisfactory for older campers, it did not meet the needs of younger campers. There were issues of cost, insects, transportation and worried parents due to its location. In 1956 Clifton Klaus granted the Northeast Council a 25-year lease to 137 acres of land west of Colesburg. Camp C. S. (for Sophia, his wife) Klaus was opened in 1956. Assistance came from the JOHN DEERE DUBUQUE WORKS which furnished the men and machinery needed to build a lake and A.Y.MCDONALD MANUFACTURING COMPANY which installed the water system. (26) A donation by David S. HARTIG, Sr., a long-time advocate, led to a the creation of a beach at the lake. (27) By its seventh season, Camp C. S. Klaus was available for fall, winter and spring camping. (28)

In 1960 the Junior Chamber of Commerce and Scoutmaster Don Hesseling and two assistants organized Troop 67 exclusively for the handicapped. It was the first troop of its kind in the Northeast Iowa Council. (29)

Scouts displayed their talents to the public in Scouting in Action fairs during the 1950s. (30) Scout-O-Ramas, held at the fairgrounds, were first used in the 1960s to showcase the activities of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. (31) In 1980, officials at the national level found the Northeast Iowa Council to be the second strongest in the nation. (32)

The famed merit badge system evolved with changing times growing to an estimated 125 in fifty years. (33) During the 2014 calendar year, thirty-four Scouts of the Northeast Iowa Council earned the rank of Eagle, the highest rank a Scout can earn. (34) Continuing a tradition over 56 years, the Order of the Arrow and the Northeast Iowa Council hosted the Mothers' Day Pancake Breakfast at EAGLE POINT PARK. (35)

On April 19, 2018 officials of the Boy Scouts of America Northeast Iowa Council announced the election of Deb Siegworth as the organization's first female council president. She would lead all operations and serve as chairwomen at council, executive board and executive committee meetings. Her appointment coincided with other recent changes including the decision in October to admit girls into Cub Scouts and the creation of a parallel program for older girls. Siegworth had served as the council's vice-president of operations and the president of membership. (36)

On January 23, 2020 Anna B. Hudak, a former member of Venturing, a co-ed Boy Scouts of America program open to teens and young adults and years working as a district executive, program director, development director, and national director of STEM Scouts in Dallas, Texas was offered the position of scout executive and CEO of the Northeast Iowa Council. The region for which she would be responsible served 2,000 youth in Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware, and Dubuque counties in Iowa and Jo Daviess County in Illinois. Hudak would be the first woman to hold the position. (37) She served until May 2022 when she departed to accept a position in the Longhorn Council. (38)

In 2020 the Northeast Iowa Council was tied for #1 out of 270 in the national in terms of overall metric points scored. (39)

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Source:

1. Lewis, Paul, email, August, 2022

2. "Boy Scout Troops Being Organized," Telegraph Herald, June 17, 1917, p. 25

3. "Scout Executive Inspects Troops," Telegraph Herald, April 6, 1921, p. 3

4. Lewis, Paul

5. "Here's Why Dubuque Boys "Rave" About Scout Work," Telegraph Herald, June 13, 1920, p. 10

6. Lewis

7. "Wyalusing, Once a A Gathering Center of Redmen, Chosen," Telegraph-Herald, August 14, 1921, p. 11

8. "Eleven Troops of Scouts Active Now," Telegraph Herald, April 22, 1928, p. 22

9. Wallis, John Rider. Platt Smith 1813-1882 A Brief Biography; Notes From the Bonson Diary 1840-1854; Rambles Thru Linwood, History in a Graveyard, 1973

10. "Scout Movement on New Basis Here," Telegraph Herald, April 22, 1928, p. 22

11. "Loizeaux is Head of Scout Council," Telegraph Herald, April 22, 1928, p. 22

12. Wallis

13. Kruse, John, "90-Year-Old Boy Scout Cabin to be Torn Down," Telegraph Herald, April 6, 2019, p. 5A

14. Wallis

15. "President Roosevelt Will Ask Scouts to Perform Relief Service," Telegraph Herald and Times-Journal, February 4, 1934, p. 2

16. Lewis, Paul

17. "Younger Boy Scouts Will Get Program," Telegraph Herald, March 24, 1935 p. 3

18. Local Scouts Distributing OPA Booklet," Telegraph Herald, July 9, 1942, p. 7

19. "Corps in City," Telegraph Herald, January 6, 1942, p. 26

20. "Boys to Again Collect Paper," Telegraph Herald, April 25, 1945, p. 5

21. "Scouts Help in Finding Airmen," Telegraph Herald, November 25, 1946, p. 4

22. "Boy Scouts Aid in Polio Fight," Telegraph Herald, January 15, 1932, p. 14

23. "Boy Scout Troop 14 Attends Klondike Derby," Telegraph Herald, March 4 1911, p. 36

24. Scouts Explain McGregor Sale," Telegraph Herald, November 3, 1948, p. 6

25. "'Magic Carpet' in Successful Trial Run," Telegraph-Herald, June 22, 1952, p. 5

26. Beasley, Bob. "Lake to be Built, Camping Areas to be Prepared for Boys by July 8," Telegraph Herald, April 29, 1956, p. 16

27. Stevens, Dave, "Scouts Open New Camp Near Colesburg," Telegraph Herald, July 8, 1956, p. 15

28. Lawrence, Bob, "Dubuqueland Scouts Rough It in Camp Klaus 'Wilderness,' Telegraph Herald, July 24, 1963, p. 28

29. "Form Special Scout Troop for Physically Handicapped," Telegraph Herald, March 27, 1960, p. 28

30. "Scouts Exhibit Skills at Fair," Telegraph Herald, May 19, 1952, p. 5

31. "Colorful Setting for Scout-O-Rama," Telegraph Herald, May 9, 1965, p. 3

32. Hanson, Kris," Scouting Must Broaden Appeal to Attract Youth, Director Says," Telegraph Herald, June 20, 1980, p. 16

33. Jacobson, Ben, "Prepared," Telegraph Herald, March 22, 2020, p. 2A

34. "Thirty-Four Northeast Iowa Scouts Make Eagle," Telegraph Herald, February 28, 2015, p. 27

35. Hogstrom, Erik,"Scouts Turn Tables on Moms, Serve Breakfast," Telegraph Herald, May 12, 1914 p. 1

36. Goldstein, Bennet, "Boy Scouts Council Picks 1st Female President," Telegraph Herald, April 20, 2018, p. 3A

37. Mehl, Annie, "1st Woman Set to Lead Local Boy Scouts," Telegraph Herald, January 24, 2020, p. 1A

38. Lewis, Paul

39. Jacobson

Special appreciation to Paul Lewis and Andrea Wallis Aven.