Orange Troop No. 1 at Camp Riley (1916-1917)

[rayezell_2000]

Over the past few months I've posted essays about regional Scouting history and have gotten away from historical accounts of Orange Troop No. 1. I am taking this opportunity to return to Orange Troop No. 1 material, focusing on two long term encampments outside of the Town of Orange, Virginia in the two years following the Troop's formation in 1915.

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[TAHAWK]

California Peace Scout Troop 43 first had camping, by patrils, in October, 1908 on private property in orange County, California.

[Saltface]

13 hours ago, TAHAWK said:

California Peace Scout Troop 43 first had camping, by patrils, in October, 1908 on private property in orange County, California.

I thought every troop that predates ~1920 calls itself Troop 1.  

[TAHAWK]

1 hour ago, Saltface said:

I thought every troop that predates ~1920 calls itself Troop 1.  

The troop no longer exists.  

When BSA arrived for good in Orange County, California, in 1926, my troop was offered "Troop 1" but declined.  It had its cheers, song and dark green silk flag proclaiming it's birth date and number. (made by a mom who embroidered it with "Semper Paratus" and the UK fleur-de-lis)  As "The best troop in all the land is Troop 43," a numeral 1 was trivial.  It irritated Troop 1 no end that every Scout Saturday, Troop 43 stood at the right of the line in the Santa Ana College bowl as senior troop.

The oldest, but not the original Scout troop, in what is now Lake Erie Council is Troop 22, founded in 1908 at the Huff Avenue Presbyterian Church.  Troop 22 went out of charter briefly  in 1940 when every commissioned Scouter was in the same Guard unit nationalized by the Government - right at recharter time.  A few weeks later, new Scouters had volunteered.  Per the contemporary newspapers, there were 99 troops waiting when BSA arrived in the Cleveland, Ohio area in 1912,  to establish the "Cleveland District" of BSA, five then claiming "Troop 1" status. A select committee of notables had to sort it out.  Several different churches sponsored 22, which is now chartered to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights.  Oddly, the Scouts of Old 22 also think their troop is best.  ☺️

I am surprised that troops would give up their historic number for a "1."

[The Latin Scot]

I believe that Troop 1 here in today's Orange County Council is found in Huntington Beach, along with their historic and charming Scout Lodge. They were established in 1920, along with the creation of our Council which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year. I haven't heard anything about any other, earlier, troops. 

[TAHAWK]

BSA does seem to have arrived again in Orange County in 1920,  The Santa Ana Register for November 4, 1920 solicited men as Scoutmasters for "Santa Ana Council" and mentions Scout Executive  Elmer E. Heidt, often said to be the first Scout Executive in Orange County.  Beyond that, things get vague,

This article confirms that, as in many other areas, Scouting did not wait for BSA to arrive:
"Noted local historian Phil Brigandi will discuss the history of Scouting in Orange County at the Orange County Historical Society's meeting this Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. He will also be available after the talk to sell and sign his excellent new book, On My Honor, A Century of Scouting in Orange County. Scouts (past and present) and the general public are welcome at no charge.
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The photo above shows Boy Scouts from Yorba Linda Troop 99 in about 1918. The photo below shows several Scouts from Orange County's first troop, Anaheim Troop 1, on an outing to Hewes Park in El Modena in about 1911. The Scout standing next to his bike in the center is future Anaheim mayor Charlie Pearson."

AND

"The first attempt to provide some sort of county-wide organization and support for local troops was in 1912, when the Santa Ana Council was formed with help from the YMCA. It lasted less than a year, and Scouting faded until World War I was over."

I rely on the Troop 43 Log Book for the early history of that troop.  But that was long ago.  

The present "Orange County Council" has claims founding in 1920 and 1921.  It was founded in 1972 by the merger of two councils - Orange Empire and Northern Orange 

BSA has never had much interest in Scouting's past, especially the competing and pre-BSA past: the American Boy Scouts (later "United States Boy Scouts" and then "American Cadets"), Michigan Forest Scouts, LifeSaving Scouts, Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts (1909), YMMIA Scouts, YMCA Scouts, Polish National Alliance Scouts, New England Boy Scouts, Knights of King Arthur, Knights of the Holy Grail, National Scouts of America, and Rhode Island Boy Scouts, to name just some.  Some troops chartered with the Scouts in the UK, such as Barre, VT, Troop 1 in 1909.  BSA would later describe the hundreds of troops founded other than through BSA as not "officially chartered" before their chartering with BSA, even if chartered by Baden-Powell's "Scouts."