Scouting in Connecticut
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Scouting in Connecticut has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. While having only eight counties, Connecticut has had 40 Boy Scout Councils over the course of its history. In 1922, there were 17 separate Boy Scout Councils operating in Connecticut, today there are only four. The Girl Scouts over its rich history as had at least 53 Girl Scout Councils in Connecticut, today they have five. Plans are in process to merge the current five Girl Scout Councils into one new council. The new council will be called Girl Scout Council of Connecticut and will assume operation on October 1, 2007.[1]
This is an older version of the article. It has since been subdivided into the following sections:
Please copy any contributions to both versions for the time being
Scouting in Connecticut (Disambiguation)
Boy Scouts in Connecticut
* Boy Scout Councils in Connecticut
* Boy Scout Camps in Connecticut
* Order of the Arrow in Connecticut
Girl Scouts in Connecticut
Boy Scouts
The small state of Connecticut has had its fair share of Boy Scouts of America councils since 1910 with a total of forty. Today the youth of Connecticut are proudly served by five Boy Scouts of America councils. Four councils (Connecticut Rivers, Connecticut Yankee, Greenwich, and Housatonic) are located within the state of Connecticut. The fifth, Narragansett Council in Rhode Island serves the youth in the community of Pawcatuck, Connecticut.
Connecticut Rivers Council is the largest of the four Connecticut based councils. It serves the youth in 127 communities, covering six and a half of the eight counties in Connecticut and Fishers Island, New York. Connecticut Yankee Council serves 37 communities which covers half of New Haven county and most of Fairfield counties. Housatonic Council serves 5 communities in the Naugatuck Valley region. Greenwich Council serves 1 Connecticut community, as well as several New York communities and is among the smallest councils in the United States.
These councils serve more than 61,700 boys, young men and young women in all facets of the scouting program. They are lead by a volunteer group numbering well over 15,000 men and women. 627 young men were awarded their Eagle Badge in 2005.
In 2005 they gave the citizens of Connecticut well over 750,000 community service hours, ranging from eagle projects, to Scouting for Food to participating in the National Good Turn for America initiative.
The four Connecticut councils operate over 4,000 acres (16 km²) of camp grounds which served over 8,700 boys and girls in scouting, as well as several more thousands of non-scouts that use scout camps throughout the year.
Boy Scout Councils of Connecticut, past and present
Alfred W. Dater Council
Alfred W. Dater Council #078, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The council came about from a name change of Stamford Council in 1938. Alfred W. Dater served as the first president of the Stamford Council until his death in 1937. On December 2, 1938, in honor of his 22 years of service to Stamford Council, the council was renamed in his honor: Alfred W. Dater Council.
The council grew through the 1940’s and in 1947 John Sherman Hoyt donated 18 acres of land in Norwalk, Connecticut for use for short term camping. The camp was named Five Mile River Camp.
As Scouting was celebrating its 40th anniversary in February 1950, the council celebrated with the paying its last mortgage payment on Camp Toquam. The council reported that it was serving 3,269 boys and adults and plans to build their own Scout headquarters in Glenbrook section of Stamford, Connecticut. The building was sponsored by the Union Memorial Church and financed by donations from the Lions Club and by selling a portion of the Five Mile River Camp.
The purchase of the Williams Training Center in the late 1950s was made possible by the selling of the remaining portion of Five Mile River Camp. The Ponus Lodge #521 of the Order of the Arrow was established in 1956. The council celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1967 with 2,620 registered scouts.
In 1971 the council reported 3000 registered scouts and plans were being developed for the merger of the council in 1972. The Boy Scout councils of Alfred W. Dater, Mauwehu and Pomperaug voted to consolidate their operations into a new council. In 1972 the council ceased operations and the new council, Fairfield County Council began its history.[2]
Bridgeport Council
Bridgeport Council #065, headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Founded in 1915 and changed its name to Pomperaug Council in 1936.
Bristol Area Council
Bristol Area Council #066, headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut. Founded in 1918 and operated until it merged with Keemosabee Council to form Nathan Hale Council in 1967.
Central Connecticut Council
Central Connecticut Council #071, headquartered in Meriden, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Meriden Council in 1929. The council ceased to operate in 1978, when it was absorbed by Quinnipiac Council.
Central Fairfield Council
Central Fairfield Council #075, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Norwalk Council in 1933.
Charter Oak Council
Charter Oak Council #070, headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Hartford Council in 1933. In 1972, the council ceased to exist when it merged with four other councils (Mattatuck, Middlesex County, Nathan Hale, and Tunxis) to form Long Rivers Council.
Connecticut Rivers Council #066 of the Boy Scouts of America, headquarters located in East Hartford, Connecticut. The present council was formed as the result of the merger between the Indian Trails Council of Norwich, Connecticut and Long Rivers Council of Hartford, Connecticut. It is the largest council in the state with a youth membership of over 35,000 and a volunteer base of over 10,000 adults.
The council's camps include the June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford, Camp Mattatuck in Plymouth, Camp Workcoeman in New Hartford and the Mark Greer Scout Reservation (aka Camp Tadma) in Bozrah. See Boy Scout Camps in Connecticut, past and present below for more information on the individual camps.
The council's Order of the Arrow Lodge is the Tschitani Lodge #10. See Order of the Arrow Lodges in Connecticut, past and present for more information.
Connecticut Rivers Council is divided into the following districts:
- Hockanum River District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Andover, Bolton, East Hartford, Ellington, Glastonbury, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, South Windsor, Tolland, and Vernon
- Mad River District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Beacon Falls, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oakville, Plymouth, Prospect, Terryville, Thomaston, Waterbury, Watertown, and Wolcott
- Mark Twain District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Avon, Bristol, Farmington,Hartford, Newington, Plainville, Rocky Hill, Unionville, West Hartford, Wethersfield
- Matianuck District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities:Bloomfield, Broad Brook, Canton, Collinsville, East Granby, East Windsor, Enfield, Granby, Hartland, Simsbury, Somers, Suffield, Weatogue, Windsor, and Windsor Locks
- Mattabesett Trail District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities:Berlin, Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Higganum, Kensington, Killingworth, Middlefield, Middletown, Moodus, New Britain, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook
- Mohegan District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Fishers Island NY, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Jewett City, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville, Mystic, New London, Niantic, North Stonington, Norwich, Oakdale, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Taftville, Uncasville, Voluntown, and Waterford
- Nipmuck District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Danielson, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Mansfield, Moosup, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Quinebaug, Scotland, Stafford, Stafford Springs, Sterling, Storrs, Thompson, Willimantic, Willington, Windham, and Woodstock
- Northwest Hills District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Bantam, Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Burlington, Canaan, Colebrook, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Lakeville, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Southbury, Torrington, Warren, Washington, Winchester, Winsted, and Woodbury
- Scoutreach Division
Connecticut Yankee Council
Connecticut Yankee Council #072 of the Boy Scouts of America, its headquarters is located in Milford, Connecticut. The present council was formed as the result of a 1998 merger between Quinnipiac Council and Fairfield County Council.
Connecticut Yankee Council presently operates four camps, Camp Sequassen, New Hartford, Deer Lake Scout Reservation, Killingworth, Hoyt Scout Reservation, Redding, and Wah Wah Taysee, Hamden. See Boy Scout Camps in Connecticut, past and present below for more information on the individual camps.
Owaneco Lodge 313 is the Order of the Arrow lodge that serves this council. See Order of the Arrow Lodges in Connecticut, past and present below for more information.
Connecticut Yankee Council is divided into the following districts:
- Lighthouse District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: New Haven, East Haven, Branford, North Branford, Guilford, and Madison.
- Pomperaug District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Westport, Weston, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Trumbull, Bridgeport, and Stratford.
*Powahay District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It is led by a core team of volunteers and a professional Scouting executive and served 1,843 young people in 58 Scouting units in 2006. Powahay's current Senior District Executive is Tony Vogl. The Powahay District website is www.powahay.ctyankee.org. The Powahay District serves the following communities: Stamford, New Canaan, Darien, Wilton, and Norwalk.
- Scatacook District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Sherman, New Fairfield, Brookfield, Danbury, Bethel, Newtown, Ridgefield, and Redding
- Sleeping Giant District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and serves the following communities: Southington, Meriden, Wallingford, North Haven, and Hamden
- Wepawaug Valley District: is a subdivision of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves the following communities: Bethany, Woodbridge, Orange, Milford, and West Haven
Derby Council
Derby Council #069, headquartered in Derby, Connecticut. the first scout troop, Troop 1, was formed in Derby, CT in 1911. Derby Council was formed in 1918 as a Second Class Council. The council changed its name to Housatonic Council in 1923 when it became a First Class Council.
Eastern Connecticut Council
Eastern Connecticut Council #076, headquartered in Norwich, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of North New London Council in 1929. The council ceased operations when it merged with Pequot Council to create the Indian Trails Council in 1971.
Fairfield County Council
Fairfield County Council #068, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut was created in 1972 with the merger of three councils: Mauwehu, Pomperaug and Alfred W. Dater. The council ceased operations when it merged with Quinnipiac Council to form Connecticut Yankee Council in 1998.
Greenwich Council
Greenwich Council #067, Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1922 and is headquarters reside in Greenwich.
It owns and operates the Ernest Thompson Seton Scout Reservation.
Achewon Netopalis #427 is their Order of the Arrow lodge.
The Lodge Chief's (from present to first): S.Cusumano, M. Sabia, W. Druschell, J. Magnusson, M. Holko, J. O'Brien, D. Pankosky, J. Fasone, B. Landie, M. Neilson, B. Sohhigan, G. Brion, TJ. Greco, J. Osternsen, J. Lowe, R. Lilienthal, R. Lopez, S. Lilenthal, D. Havelka, T. Reiss, T. Lerner, B. Bernier, D. Rennie, P. Benoit, J. Heavey, C. Byrd, P.Pipal, P. Bonparte, G. Bliss, R. Underwood, J. Scheuritzel, C. Croncan, A. Smalley, R. Reilly, R. Urban, C. Talar, J. Crawford, P. Benning, D. Howe, C. McDonald, B. Morgan, L.Walz
The council serves the following communities: Bellehaven, New York, Byram, New York, Cos Cob, Connecticut, East Portchester, New York, Glenville, New York, Greenwich, Connecticut, Mianus, Connecticut, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, Pemberwick, Connecticut, Riverside, Connecticut and Rockridge, Connecticut
Hartford Council
Hartford Council #070, headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1915 and changed its name to Charter Oak Council in 1933.
Housatonic Council
Housatonic Council #069, headquarters located in Derby, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Derby Council in 1923. At its annual meeting January 25, 1923 and the council voted to organize as a first class council to have jurisdiction over Scouting in Ansonia, Shelton and Seymour in addition to Derby. The territory was extended to include Oxford at a later date.
It owns and operates Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation in Goshen, Connecticut.
Paugassett Lodge #553, of the Order of the Arrow, serves this council.
Housatonic Council's geographic area includes's the following Lower Naugatuck Valley Towns: The council serves the following communities: Derby, Ansonia, Seymour, Shelton, and Oxford
Indian Trails Council
Indian Trails Council #073, headquartered in Norwich, Connecticut, was formed with the merger of the Pequot Council and the Eastern Connecticut Council in October 1971. The council owned several camps during its existence: Camp Wakenah (sold in 2004), Cochegan Rock (sold in 2006 to the Mohegan Tribe), Camp Quinebaug (sold in 1965), and June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation. The council's Order of the Arrow Lodge was the Sassacus Lodge #10. The Districts were Quinebaug, Natchaug, Mohegan, and Pequot. On January 1, 1995 the Indian Trails Council (Norwich) merged with the Long Rivers Council (Hartford) to form the Connecticut Rivers Council #66 (East Hartford).
Scout Executives of ITC J. Lawrence Deveau (1971-1975) Anthony Booth (1976-1984) Lawrence V. Pegg (1985-1995)
Keemosahbee Council
Keemosahbee Council #073, headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of New Britain Council in 1953. In 1967 the council ceased to exist when it merged with the Bristol Council to form the Nathan Hale Council.
Long Rivers Council
Long Rivers Council #066, headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. The council was formed in 1972 with the merger of five councils (Charter Oak, Mattatuck, Middlesex County, Nathan Hale, and Tunxis). The council then merged with Indian Trails Council in 1995 to create the Connecticut Rivers Council.
Manchester Township Council
Manchester Township Council #068, headquartered in Manchester, Connecticut. Founded in 1917, the council ceased operations in 1925.
Mattatuck Council
Mattatuck Council #080, headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Waterbury Council in 1935. In 1935 the council absorbed Naugatuck Council. In 1972, the council ceased to exist when it merged with four other councils (Charter Oak, Middlesex County, Nathan Hale, and Tunxis) to form Long Rivers Council.
Mauwehu Council
Mauwehu Council #075, headquartered in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Mid Fairfield Council in 1952. The council ceased operations when it merged with two other councils to create Fairfield County Council in 1972.
Meriden Council
Meriden Council #071, headquartered in Meriden, Connecticut. Founded in 1915 and changed its name to Central Connecticut Council in 1929.
Mid Fairfield Council
Mid Fairfield Council #075, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Central Fairfield Council in 1935.
Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council #674, headquartered in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 and ceased its operation when the council merged with four other councils (Charter Oak, Mattatuck, Nathan Hale and Tunxis) to form Long Rivers Council in 1972.
Nathan Hale Council
Nathan Hale Council #072, headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut. The council came about from a merger of Bristol Council and Keemosahbee Council in 1967. The council ceased operations when it merged with four other councils (Charter Oak, Mattatuck, Middlesex County, and Tunxis) to form Long Rivers Council in 1972.
Naugatuck Council
Naugatuck Council #072, headquartered in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Founded in 1917, the council ceased operations when it was absorbed with Waterbury Council to form the Mattatuck Council in 1935.
New Britain Council
New Britain Council #073, headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1916 and changed its name to Keemosahbee Council in 1953.
New Haven Council
New Haven Council #074, headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. With the Scouting movement starting in 1910, the New Haven Register reported on August 21, 1910 that the Lion and the Arrow Patrols were forming. New Haven Mayor Frank Rice, City Librarian Willis Stetson and Judge Albert McClellan Matthewson strongly supported the scouting movement and in 1912 founded the New Haven Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1913 the council was reorganized as a Second Class Council. Two years later, in 1915, the council was incorporated as a First Class Council and hired Gilbert N. Jerome as the first Scout Executive. In 1929 the council changed its name to Southern New Haven County Council.¹
New London Council
New London Council #077, headquartered in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1918 and the name was changed to South New London County in 1923. In 1929 the name was changed back to New London Council and remained until a name change in 1935 to Pequot Council.
North New London Council
North New London Council #076, headquartered in Norwich, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Norwich Council in 1922 and changed its name again to Eastern Connecticut Council in 1929
Northern Litchfield Council
Northern Litchfield Council #079, headquartered in Torrington, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Torrington Council in 1929. In 1947 the council name was changed to Tunxis.
Norwalk Council
Norwalk Council #075, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Founded in 1917 and changed its name to Central Fairfield Counicl in 1933.
Norwich Council
Norwich Council #076, headquartered in Norwich, Connecticut. Founded in 1917 and changed its name to North New London Council in 1922.
Pequot Council
Pequot Council #077, headquartered in New London, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change to New London Council in 1935. The council ceased its operations on October 1, 1971 with its merger with Eastern Connecticut Council to form Indian Trails Council.
Pomperaug Council
Pomperaug Council #065, headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Bridgeport Council in 1936. The council ceased operations when it merged with two other councils to create Fairfield County Council in 1972.
Quinnipiac Council
Quinnipiac Council #074, headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut until 1961 when it moved to Hamden, CT. Council came about from a name change of Southern New Haven County Council in 1935. The name Quinnipiac comes from the Indian tribe which occupied the area.
Originally formed in 1912 as the New Haven Council of the Boy Scouts of America, its headquarters was located in New Haven, Connecticut. After years of growth and expanding outside the boundaries of New Haven, the council name was changed to Southern New Haven County Council in 1929. In 1935 the council name was changed to Quinnipiac Council. The council absorbed the Central Connecticut Council in 1978. In 1997 the council voted to merge with Fairfield County Council. After 75 years in existence, the council ceased its operation on January 1, 1998 and became part of the Connecticut Yankee Council.
The council is most notable for its operation, which was a model for the rest of country. In 1943, Elbert K. Fretwell, Chief Scout Executive of the BSA described Quinnipiac Council as an example to councils all over America for the high quality of the scouting program being provided. Camp Sequassen was rated a double A camp. In 1962 the council hosted the first of many successful International Camporees. On July 4, 1962, scouts from 14 countries assembled at Camp Sequassen.[3]
Scout Camp: During its existence, the Quinnipiac Council owned the follow camps: Camp Sequassen, New Hartford, Connecticut, Deer Lake Scout Reservation, Killingworth, Connecticut, Old Settlers Scout Reservation, Milford, Connecticut, Wah Wah Tayysee Scout Reservation, Hamden, Connecticut
Order of the Arrow: This council was served by Arcoon Lodge #369 of the Order of the Arrow.
South New London County Council
South New London County Council #077, headquartered in New London, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change to New London Council in 1923. In 1929 the council name was changed back to New London Council.
Southern New Haven County Council
Southern New Haven County Council #074, headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of the New Haven Council in 1929. The change was to represent the geography of the council. Though a county system of government was not used in Connecticut, the name was used to represent the geography of the council. In 1935 the council name was changed to Quinnipiac Council.¹
Stamford Council
Stamford Council #078, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. An article in the Stamford Advocate, 1941 Tercentenary Edition, stated that on March 22, 1912 the city's first Boy Scout Troop was being formed at the St. John's Episcopal Church, Troop 5.[4] By 1918, unofficial Wolf Cub packs appeared in Stamford.
As with most early Boy Scout Councils, they usually formed after local organizations started organizing scout troops. Local citizens meet on March 23, 1917 to discuss Scouting in both Stamford, Connecticut and Darien, Connecticut. In June, their application to the Boy Scouts of America was accepted and the Stamford Council was born.
The council opened its first camp on property in Long Ridge during the summer of 1920. In 1922, the council camp, now named Camp Toquam was located in Hunting Ridge on Holly's Pond and moved two years later moved to property in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The council became incorporated on March 6, 1924.
During 1926 and 1927, plans were developed to buy property for a larger camp ground. Camp Toquam opened its 1928 season on the Shores of Dog Pond in Goshen, Connecticut. In 1937, Alfred W. Dater died. Dater was council president from the first day and was instrumental in the organization of Boy Scouts in Stamford, Connecticut. On December 2, 1938, the Stamford Council was renamed in his honor as the Alfred W. Dater Council.[5]
Torrington Council
Torrington Council #079, headquartered in Torrington, Connecticut. Founded in 1918 and changed its name to Northern Litchfield Council in 1929.
Tunxis Council
Tunxis Council #079, headquartered in Torrington, Connecticut. Council came about from a name change of Northern Litchfield Council in 1947. In 1972, the council ceased to exist when it merged with four other councils (Charter Oak, Mattatuck, Middlesex COunty, and Nathan Hale) to form Long Rivers Council.
Waterbury Council
Waterbury Council #080, headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1915 and ceased to exist when it merged with the Naugatuck Council to form the Mattatuck Council in 1935.
Boy Scout Camps in Connecticut, past and present
Becker Memorial Scout Reservation
See Camp Cochegan
Camp Akela - June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation
Camp Akela is located on the June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford. This camp is home to the Akela Cub Day Camp and the Connecticut Rivers Council National Youth Leader Training. The camp consists of the Perreguax Activity Center, Mordavsky Pavillion, Knowlton Field, Goss Brook, and the Harvard H. Ellis Reservation Director's House and several patrol campsites.
Camp Apache – Lake of Isles Scout Reservation
The Lake of Isles Scout Reservation (LOISR) was developed by the Charter Oak Council and had its first summer camp season in 1960, the Jubilee Year of the Boy Scouts of America. Alan Tucker, the Charter Oak Council Executive, was the driving force behind the development of LOISR, and was its first Reservation Director. The plan was to develop four camps on the 1100-plus acres that surrounded Lake of Isles, located in North Stonington, Ledyard, and Preston townships. In 1960, Camps Apache and Pequot had been the only ones built. A third camp, Camp Cherokee, opened in 1970. This camp was designated an "Explorer Base" (although the Boy Scouting program was the only program that really used the Camp, as the Exploring program underwent drastic changes by the early 70s), and featured patrol cooking with a central commissary. The fourth camp never got beyond the planning stage.
Camp Apache had the largest capacity of the three camps, serving as many as 400 scouts a week at its height in the late 60s and early 70s. It had a large dining hall, and the huge Reservation chapel. It also was closest to the Reservation entrance, on the western shores of Lake of Isles. The Reservation family housing (on "Knob Hill") and the Reservation Health Lodge were also located in Camp Apache.
The Charter Oak Council merged with four other councils in 1972 to form Long Rivers Council. By the mid-70s, with a declining Boy Scout-age demographic nationally and declining Boy Scout membership in general due to the expanding list of organizations for adolescent boys, Long Rivers Council was faced with shutting down a number of their camps to the summer camping experience. Their plan for LOISR was to close Camp Pequot for two years and run Camp Apache for two years, then switch the status of the camps for the following two years. They expected this to reduce the impact of a summer camp season and spread out the wear and tear. So in 1975 and 1976, Camp Pequot was placed in "conservation status", and Camps Apache and Cherokee ran during those two summers. In 1977, Camp Apache was placed in conservation status, and Camp Pequot was reopened. However, for 1979, Long Rivers Council management changed its plan, and decided to keep Camps Pequot and Cherokee open permanently. Camp Apache would never again open as a Boy Scout Camp. It was occasionally rented by other groups, and Scouts would continue to use Camp Apache for short-term Camporees and other district events. However, the Reservation itself was not within the geographic boundary of Long Rivers Council, making other council camps closer to the council membership. Thus, Camp Apache was never used as much as it could have been.
With the construction of the Mashantucket Pequot casino in 1991-1992, the natural beauty and surroundings had been destroyed enough to make Long Rivers Council consider selling the property to the Indian tribe, and this was done in 1992. The Mashantucket nation has since converted the land into a golf course.
Camp Aquila
Located in Sherman CT Owned by Fairfield County Council Home of Tankiteke OA lodge
Camp Ashford - June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation
Eastern Connecticut Council sold Camp Quinebaug, in 1963, to purchase 1,200 acres property with a 25 acre lake in Ashford, Connecticut. The camp was named Camp Ashford and was officially opened on June 28, 1964. After two years of operations, the name was changed to June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation after a donation on behalf of the late June Norcross Webster, of the Norcross Greeting Card company. A land donation was also made by the Brand Trust. Camp Ashford is the semi-official name of the Resident Camp.
Camp Browne
Camp Cherokee – Lake of Isles Scout Reservation
The Lake of Isles Scout Reservation (LOISR) was developed by the Charter Oak Council and had its first summer camp season in 1960, the Jubilee Year of the Boy Scouts of America. Alan Tucker, the Charter Oak Council Executive, was the driving force behind the development of LOISR, and was its first Reservation Director. The plan was to develop four camps on the 1100-plus acres that surrounded Lake of Isles, located in North Stonington, Ledyard, and Preston townships of rural southeastern Connecticut. For the first summer camp season in 1960, Camps Pequot and Apache had been the only ones built. Camp Cherokee opened in 1970. This camp was designated an "Explorer Base" at first, and featured patrol cooking with a central commissary. The fourth camp never got beyond the planning stage.
The designation as an Explorer Base quickly disappeared, as Exploring became more vocationally-oriented in the early 1970s, especially in Connecticut with its Police Explorer Posts. Camp Cherokee was the only camp opened on the eastern shores of Lake of Isles. Lake of Isles itself was formed by damming a small stream whose name is lost to the ages. The original channel ran through the Camp Cherokee waterfront, making the drop-off between the non-swimmers' area and the beginners' area huge. At Camp Cherokee, campsites were further subdivided into patrol sites. Each patrol site had a shepherders stove and wall tents on wooden platforms with bunks and mattresses provided. Scouts would have to make the trek to the commissary three times a day to pick up food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then cook it themselves. This was the logical camp in the Council to hold Youth Leader Training, whether it was called JLTC, TLD, or TLTC, as it had the patrol cooking arrangements. There were six troop sites throughout all of Camp Cherokee's history: Sassafrass Hill, Timbertrails, Haven, Wilderness, Tunxis, and Pyquag. Camp Cherokee had all the usual program features for Scouting: A nature area, a waterfront, a place to practice scoutcraft, a rifle range, and an archery range. The lower part of the camp, along the Lake of Isles shoreline, included the campsite Tunxis, the nature area, and the waterfront. It was a steep climb up to the rest of the camp, which included the trading post/camp office and commissary and the other five campsites. Some needed amenities were provided at the Reservation level, such as a health lodge and lodging for families of married staff.
The Charter Oak Council merged with four other councils in 1972 to form Long Rivers Council. By the mid-70s, with a declining Boy Scout-age demographic nationally and declining Boy Scout membership in general due to the expanding list of organizations for adolescent boys, Long Rivers Council was faced with shutting down a number of their camps to the summer camping experience. In 1975 and 1976, Camp Pequot was placed in "conservation status", and Camps Cherokee and Apache ran during those two summers. After 1977, Camp Apache was placed in conservation status, and Camp Pequot was reopened. Camp Cherokee was open the same weeks as the other camps from 1970 until 1978, which allowed some friendly competition between camps on opposite sides of the lake, from softball games to a tug of war. Most popular was a battle between "war canoes", where two 12-plus person canoes, representing each camp, headed out on the lake, determined to swamp each other by splashing water into the opponents' canoe. Another favorite thing to do was to out-shout the other camp during campwide campfires on Sunday evening and Friday evening.
In 1979 and 1980, with continuing declining attendance, Camp Cherokee was open for only three weeks, followed by Camp Pequot for the next three weeks. This allowed the same staff to be hired for both camps. By 1981, Camp Cherokee's patrol cooking operation was moved to Camp Pequot, as an option for troops who preferred this. Thus, despite being the most modern facility on the Reservation, Camp Cherokee was closed for good as a Boy Scout summer camp.
With the construction of the Mashantucket Pequot casino in 1991-1992, the natural beauty and surroundings had been destroyed enough to make Long Rivers Council consider selling the property to the Indian tribe, and this was done in 1992. The Mashantucket nation has since converted the land into a golf course.
Camp Cochegan
Camp Cochegan, also known as Cochegan Rock and Becker Memorial Scout Reservation, was a 92 acres camp that was donated to the Pequot Council in 1963 by the Frank family. The reservation has also been operated by the Indian Trails Council and most recently by the Connecticut Rivers Council. Cochegan Rock is the largest boulder in New England, 54 feet long, 50 feet high and 58 feet wide, and weighs 7,000 tons.
The property has been transferred to the Mohegan tribe, in exchange for a $1,000,000 contribution to the council’s Capital Campaign.. Tribal officials consider the rock an important piece of their heritage. 350 years ago, chief Uncas, who founded the Mohegan tribe and made peace with the colonists, may have held tribal councils there.
Camp Cochipianee
The camp was founded in the 1928 by the Bristol Area Council. It was sold after Council mergers in 1972 which merged the New Britain Area Council and the Bristol Area Councils into what was then called Nathan Hale Council. The new council changed the name of New Britain's Camp Keemosabee into Camp Nahaco.
1n 1980? a program pavillion at Camp Nahaco was enclosed and insulated. This winter shelter was dedicated in the name of Camp Cochipianee. It shares the parade field with another winter shelter named after the former Camp Keemosabee.
Camp Frontier
Camp Hammond Mill
Camp Heinzman
Camp Irving
Was located in Shelton, CT in the Birchbank area along the Housatonic River. It is no longer in existence.
Camp Keemosahbee
Camp Keemosahbee strattles the Eastford/Woodstock line on Crystal Lake. It was operated by the Keemosahbee Council since 1916, which served the New Britain area, until the council merged to become the Nathan Hale Council in 1972. It operated under the Keemosahbee name until it was renamed Nahaco to reflect the new council (Nathan Hale Council). The three combinations of the camp's name and council are represented in the main dining hall as enlarged wooden versions of the camp patches. Other amenities, such as the camp's chapel and one of 3 winter shelter, reflect its original Keemosabee name. The camp distinguished itself from others in Connecticut by using permanent Klondike style shelters in lieu of the more common canvas platform tents.
After a series of council mergers the camp came into the ownership of the Connecticut Rivers Council, which hosted a Junior Leader Training Camp and a water sports merit badge camp at the site, until it was sold in 2003 to the towns of Eastford and Woodstock. The towns have permanently preserved 120 acres of the camp's sparsely delevoped woodlands for hiking and camping, while maintaining the remaining land along Crystal lake (including the camp center, sports field, dining hall and other camp buildings) for rental, picnicking, and sports use. The Camp Nahaco Commission, which operates the camp on behalf of the two towns, also hosts a day camp program for area children.
According to the town of Eastford website, the commission is dedicated to maintaining Camp "Nahaco and its facilities" and "preserving the natural beauty [that] Camp Nahaco affords".
Also see Woodstock Conservation Commission for further information about the camp's preservation and Eastford Recreation Page for policy information on use of Nahaco's facilities.
Camp Kiehtan
Camp Mattatuck
Camp Mattatuck is located in Plymouth, Connecticut. Mattatuck Council, Boy Scouts of America purchased 170 acres in 1938 and the camp opened in 1939. The original 170 acres included wooded areas, open fields and Lake Kenosha. The first campsites were built overlooking the lake on the west. Additional properties were purchased to comprise the 500 acre camp today.
The camp is used to host their Cub Scout Day Camp and their resident Boy Scout camp and serves about 1,000 boy scouts and 500 cub scouts each summer. Six cabins on the camp grounds allow for winter camping.
Camp Mauwehu
Camp Morris Buck
Camp Nahaco
The camp was founded in the 1916, as Camp Keemosabee, by the New Britain Area Council. Located on Weeks Road on the banks of Crystal Pond, in both Eastford and Woodstock, Connecticut, the 134 acre camp was the scout camp for four different councils over its long history: originally New Britain Area Council, then Nathan Hale Council, Long Rivers Council, and finally Connecticut Rivers Council. A feature most remebered of the camp is its lagoon, separated from the rest of Crystal Pond by the Causeway (bridge) and the points of the Scout Law painted on the steps at the beach that lead to the swimming area.
The merge of two former councils (the New Britain Area Council and the Bristol Area Council) into the Nathan Hale Council in 1968 come up with the amalgomy of Camp NAthan HAle COuncil - NA-HA-CO : NAHACO. The entrance gate truss pattern spells out NAHACO. By 1972 the Nathan Hale Council became Nathan Hale District, but the camp still enjoyed keeping the name Nahaco in the newly formed Long Rivers Council.
A program pavillion was soon converted to a winter shelter that bears the name of Keemosabee. In 1981, another program pavillion, that shares the parade field with the Keemosabe Shelter, was converted to a winter shelter and named in honor of Camp Cochipianee, which had been sold by the new large, 13-district, Long Rivers Council. In the 1990s, when the Highland District's fundraising put a lot of time and money into Nahaco, with improvements of updating the Dining Hall kitchen with all new stainless steel, the 3rd, and final, program activity pavillion was converted to a winter shelter, thusly named the Highland Shelter. The deteriorated camp office was razed at that time as well.
Nahaco saw its last year as a full summer camp facility in 1977. Although several Specialty Camp weeks were run at the camp since 1977, it never regained its fulltime summer camp use. It always was a favorite place for winter camping up until the mid 2000's.
A referendum vote was held by the towns of Woodstock and Eastford to approved the purchase Camp Nahaco from Connecticut Rivers Council. The referendum, held on October 16, 2002, approved the plan and on March 3, 2003 the camp became town property. The two towns shared in the $560,000.00 purchase price. Today, 120 acres are now permanently protected from development and the scout still have use of the property.
Please see Camp Keemosabee (a previous name) for additional information.
Camp Pequot – Lake of Isles Scout Reservation
The Lake of Isles Scout Reservation (LOISR) was developed by the Charter Oak Council and had its first summer camp season in 1960, the Jubilee Year of the Boy Scouts of America. Alan Tucker, the Charter Oak Council Executive, was the driving force behind the development of LOISR, and was its first Reservation Director. The plan was to develop four camps on the 1100-plus acres that surrounded Lake of Isles, located in North Stonington, Ledyard, and Preston townships of rural southeastern Connecticut. For 1960, Camps Pequot and Apache had been the only ones built. A third camp, Camp Cherokee, opened in 1970. This camp was designated an "Explorer Base" (although the Boy Scouting program was the only program that really used the Camp, as the Exploring program underwent drastic changes by the early 70s), and featured patrol cooking with a central commissary. The fourth camp never got beyond the planning stage.
Camp Pequot was the southernmost camp on the Reservation. It was mainly flat along the shoreline with a rapid rise of hills on the western side of the camp. It had a dining hall which served as many as 350 Scouts a week during the camp's heyday in the late 60s and early 70s. It was slightly smaller than Camp Apache, but not by much. The camp had an outdoor basketball court -- rather unusual for most camps. The camp had eight summer campsites originally. Down on the flat, it included Buccaneers, Aquanauts, Mohegan, Woodsmen, and Rocky Trails. The "higher elevation" campsites included Stockade, Bailey Hill, and Hickory Hill. Later, Blueberry Hill was developed. Even later, the staff's central campsite, near the dining hall, was converted to a campsite called Braves, and the staff lodging was dispersed so that they lived near their program areas. The Braves campsite was mainly used for boys who wanted to come to camp, but no adult leader from their troop could. The camp staff would "provide" the adult leadership, and thus the campsite was for what was known as the "provisional" troop.
The Charter Oak Council merged with four other councils in 1972 to form Long Rivers Council. By the mid-70s, with a declining Boy Scout-age demographic nationally and declining Boy Scout membership in general due to the expanding list of organizations for adolescent boys, Long Rivers Council was faced with shutting down a number of their camps to the summer camping experience. For instance, Camp Nahaco closed to regular summer camping after 1977 (although it would occasionally be open for long term camping with specialty themes, such as "Enviro-Camp"). Camp Tadma was closed in 1977, but in a couple of years re-opened as a long-term Webelos Camp. The plan for LOISR was to close Camp Pequot for two years and run Camp Apache for two years, then switch the status of the camps for the following two years. They expected this to reduce the impact of a summer camp season on the land by spreading out the wear and tear. So in 1975 and 1976, Camp Pequot was placed in "conservation status", and Camps Apache and Cherokee ran during those two summers. In 1977, Camp Apache was placed in conservation status, and Camp Pequot was reopened. However, for 1979, Long Rivers Council management changed its plan, and decided to keep Camps Pequot and Cherokee open permanently. By 1981, Camp Cherokee's patrol cooking operation was moved to Camp Pequot, as an option for troops who preferred this. Thus, while still a reservation of multiple camps, by the twenty-second year of operation of LOISR, only Camp Pequot remained as a summer camp.
The summer camp season also shortened as time went on. In the 1960s, both Pequot and Apache opened for eight weeks of summer camp use. By the mid-70s, it was down to six weeks for Camp Apache. By the late seventies, Camp Pequot was only open for summer camping three weeks out of the summer. With the closure of Camp Cherokee after the 1980 season, Camp Pequot's season expanded back to five weeks.
With the construction of the Mashantucket Pequot casino in 1991-1992, the natural beauty and surroundings had been destroyed enough to make Long Rivers Council consider selling the property to the Indian tribe, and this was done in 1992. The Mashantucket nation has since converted the land into a golf course.
Camp Pershing
Camp Pioneer
Camp Pomperaug
A Scout camp located in Union, Connecticut. Currently (2006) owned by the Connecticut Yankee Council leased to the Ct Burn Foundation as a summer camp for children with severe burns. This camp had a long history, first, as boy scout camp located on Lake Zoar part of the Housatonic River system. If you do a search for "Camp Pomperaug" you will find that Boy Scout Troop 64 has a very nice site dedicated to its history.
Camp Quinebaug
This camp was operated by the Eastern Connecticut Council from 1943-1963. It was sold and the operation was moved to the much larger June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation in 1964.
Camp Rivendell
Camp Scoutland
Camp Sepunkum
Camp Sequassen
Camp Sequassen is located at 791 West Hill Road in New Hartford, Connecticut. It is a Boy Scout camp that is mainly active during the summer. Troops from around Connecticut and neighboring states stay at Camp Sequassen for a week. While staying at Sequassen, scouts are able to work on rank requirements and take Merit Badge classes while being instructed by well trained staff members.
All three meals are served each day at the English Dining Hall near Clark Field. Here, the scouts are served breakfast at 8:00, lunch at 12:30, and dinner at 6:00. At open program from 3-5 and 7-8 or in between classes, scouts can stop at various fun and enjoyable places.
One of these places is the Trading Post. The Trading Post is a small scouting store operated by Sequassen staff. It is well known for the candy sold there but also offers other merchandise such as Sequassen frisbees, shirts, hats, and patches. At the waterfront, scouts can go swimming or take boats such as canoes, kayaks, and row boats out into West Hill Pond. Also, Platt Field, located in North Sequassen is where scouts can participate in rifle shooting and archery. Very close to Platt Field, shotgun shooting is available for older scouts near Scout Craft. There is also a handicrafts center near the waterfront where scouts can do woodcarving, paintings, and metalwork. One, of course, cannot forget the enthusiam for environmental education taught at the Nature Center, "Eco" located in Cohen Lodge. Scouts taking at Eco enjoy creative, fun and educational programs such as catching insects at the "Bug Wall" and learning about glaciation in "Tasty Geology".
While staying at Sequassen absolutely no one is allowed to cross over West Hill Road to get from one half of camp to the other, instead all scouts, staff, and adult leaders use the Godfrey-Morris tunnel that goes under West Hill Road. None of the staff members tolerate horse play and it is encouraged that everybody takes a shower at one point during the week at the shower house located near Clark Field.
The Camp Sequassen staff is enthusiastic, friendly, and well trained to help keep scouts safe and help with advancement. Camp Sequassen would not be what it is with out them.
Camp Tadma
This beautiful 340 acre camp is located in Bozrah, Connecticut and was established in 1947 by the Middlesex County Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It was the chief summer camp for Boy Scouts from this small council from 1947 until a 5-council merger in 1972. By the mid-1960s, the Camp Tadma property also became known as Mark Greer Scout Reservation.
The new council, called Long Rivers Council, used this camp as a Boy Scout summer camp. By the mid-1970s, Boy Scout-aged populations were in decline, and Long Rivers Council closed the summer camp operation there after the 1976 camp season. The primary reason was the small number of campers that could attend each week. There were five campsites available: Pioneer, Mohegan, Kiehtan, Tantaquidgeon, and Uncas. The dining hall was also a small operation, and could not have fit much more than 120 scouts. During its last year of camp operations in 1976, the Tadma kitchen was run by Joe Grillo, who would go onto become the famous PGA caddy "Gypsy" Joe Grillo.
The council attempted to make the camp a high adventure base in 1977 and 1978, but demand was not there. It ran a pilot cub scout day camp during the summer of 1977. In 1979, Long Rivers Council reopened summer camping at Camp Tadma for Webelos. Its program was one of 5 camps in the nation that was used to create the Cub Scout Camping Program in 1984. With the Long Rivers-Indian Trails Council merger in the 1990s, Camp Tadma retained this summer camp program.
Camp Tadma currently operates over the summer as a Cub Scout (Webelos) resident camp, while offering weekend camping to Boy Scout troops over the fall, winter and spring. Immediately west is the Wakenah Cub Scout Day Camp.
The Camp Tadma portion of the property radiates from central parade field, which is ringed by the camp office, nurses cabin, trading post. The newly renovated dining hall sits immediately north up a small hill. Most summer sites are located north of the dining hall along the dirt road from the parade field. The dirt road splits west to the back entrance and rangers station, and east to the BB and Archery ranges at the northern tip of the pond. East of the parade field is the Council Ring, where evening campfires are held with an impressive view of Tadma Pond. The newly expanded waterfront is located south of the parade field, along a dirt road somewhat inland of the pond. The road bends along the dam at the pond's southern end, where it passes the scenic A-frame chapel, and heads into the undeveloped eastern shore of Tadma pond, popular for backpacking campouts.
In 2004, Camp Wakenah's day camp program was moved from Camp Wakenah into the Mark Greer Reservation and shares Tadma Pond with the resident camp. Tadma's Camp Director holds the task of the Mark Greer Reservation Director.
Also see Camp Wakenah
Camp Terramuggus
Camp Tippecan
Camp Toquam
Camp Wakenah
Camp Wakenah is the Boy Scouts of America's second oldest camp (however the source of this claim is questioned). It was founded in around 1917 on Gardner Lake in Salem, Connecticut. The property was sold in the 1930s to buy the second Camp Wakenah at a different location on Gardner Lake which consisted of 34 acres.
In 1971 the Pequot Council (New London) merged with the Eastern Connecticut Council (Norwich) into the Indian Trails Council which had its office in New London. 1972 was the last Resident Camp season for Camp Wakenah, Its resident operation was moved to the larger June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford. Dispite the loss of the resident program, Wakenah was still used by troops for weekend camping and district events. The location was also used for a four week cub scout day camp program. Connecticut Rivers Council sold the property in 2004. Some in the area resented the sale for private use after the council had originally planned to sell the property to the town of Salem for $500,000.00. A bidding war resulted in the final $1,000,000.00 selling price.
The day camp program was moved to Camp Wakenah's new site in the Mark Greer Scout Reservation in Bozrah. The new site is located west of Camp Tadma on the common property, separated by the parking lot. Its parade field is near the top of the pine covered hill to the right of the property's main entrance. The parade field sits in a clearing that was originally made as a campsite. It was expanded to make room for a BB and Archery range for the day camp. Camp Wakenah "III" also makes use of a newly constructed modular home that serves as its administrative building and the existing Tadma Fort.
Camp Workcoeman
Camp Workcoeman is located in the foot hills of the Berkshires, the 500 acres (2 km²) camp calls New Hartford, Connecticut its home. The camp was founded in 1924 and is one of the oldest scout camps in the United States. The camp borders West Hill Pond, what the New Hartford Town Website calls the clearest lake in Connecticut.
Deer Lake Scout Reservation
Is located on Deer Lake, Connecticut
Ernest Thompson Seton Scout Reservation
Edmund D. Strang Scout Reservation
Located is Goshem CT. Owned by Housatonic Council. Formerly Housatonic Scout Reservation. Home of the Paugassett Lodge.
Frederick Sprague Barbour Scout Reservation
The 106 acre camp located in Norfolk, Connecticut is suitable for wilderness camping.
Five Mile River Camp
Housatonic Scout Reservation
Located is Goshen CT. Owned by Housatonic Council. Renamed Edmund D Strang Scout Reservation. Home of the Paugassett Lodge 553, Order of The Arrow.
John Sherman Hoyt Scout Reservation and Training Center
John Sherman Hoyt Scout Reservation and Training Center is located in Redding, Connecticut. The reservation was donated to the Alfred W. Dater Council by Alice B. Sanford in 1966. The 174 acres of wooded property is located in a rural area of Connecticut on the western end of the Connecticut Yankee Council.
The reservation is named after John Sherman Hoyt of Darien, Connecticut. Hoyt was a wealthy industrialist and dedicated Scouter. Hoyt was involved with the scouting movement since 1910 has one of its founders, National Council Vice President for Finance, a member of the National Council Executive Board and Advisory Board. Hoyt had donated 18 acres of land in 1947 to the Alfred W. Dater Council, which became the Five Mile River Camp.
The first building built at the new camp was a training cabin, which was dedicated to General Arthur Carter.
The reservation has been operated by three different councils. Alfred W., Dater Council merged to form Fairfield County Council in 1972 and merged again in 1998 to form the present Connecticut Yankee Council.
June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation
The camp is located in the scenic New England Town of Ashford, Connecticut. Originally opened as Camp Ashford on June 28, 1964, today the reservation occupies 1,200 acres of land and a 30 acre lake named Goss Pond. The camp is located on the farm once owned by Lt. Col. Thomas Knowlton, hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill and a commander in the Continental Army. The reservation has two camps; Camp Akela and the Resident Camp.
Camp Akela is a Cub Scout Day Camp, headquartered in the Perregaux center located in the eastern edge of the Scout reservation. The council's National Youth Leader Training sessions are also held at the Perregaux Center. The Resident Camp is unofficially called Camp Ashford. Both camps serve approximately 1, 500 Scouts each summer season.
The reservation has been operated by three different councils: Eastern Connecticut Council (Norwich CT) 1964-1971, Indian Trails Council (Norwich CT) 1971-1995 and Connecticut Rivers Council (East Hartford CT) 1995 to present.
Volunteer Group: The Friends of Webster
Lake of Isles Scout Reservation
The Lake of Isles Scout Reservation (LOISR) was developed by the Charter Oak Council and had its first summer camp season in 1960, the Jubilee Year of the Boy Scouts of America. Alan Tucker, the Charter Oak Council Executive, was the driving force behind the development of LOISR, and was its first Reservation Director. The plan was to develop four camps on the 1100-plus acres that surrounded Lake of Isles, located in North Stonington, Ledyard, and Preston townships of rural southeastern Connecticut. For 1960, Camps Pequot and Apache had been the only ones built. A third camp, Camp Cherokee, opened in 1970. This camp was designated an "Explorer Base" (although the Boy Scouting program was the only program that really used the Camp, as the Exploring program underwent drastic changes by the early 70s), and featured patrol cooking with a central commissary. The fourth camp never got beyond the planning stage.
Camp Pequot was the southernmost camp on the Reservation. It was mainly flat along the shoreline with a rapid rise of hills on the western side of the camp. It had a dining hall which served as many as 350 Scouts a week during the camp's heyday in the late 60s and early 70s. It was slightly smaller than Camp Apache, but not by much. The camp had an outdoor basketball court -- rather unusual for most camps. The camp had eight summer campsites originally. Down on the flat, it included Buccaneers, Aquanauts, Mohegan, Woodsmen, and Rocky Trails. The "higher elevation" campsites included Stockade, Bailey Hill, and Hickory Hill. Later, Blueberry Hill was developed. Even later, the staff's central campsite, near the dining hall, was converted to a campsite called Braves, and the staff lodging was dispersed so that they lived near their program areas. The Braves campsite was mainly used for boys who wanted to come to camp, but no adult leader from their troop could. The camp staff would "provide" the adult leadership, and thus the campsite was for what was known as the "provisional" troop.
The Charter Oak Council merged with four other councils in 1972 to form Long Rivers Council. By the mid-70s, with a declining Boy Scout-age demographic nationally and declining Boy Scout membership in general due to the expanding list of organizations for adolescent boys, Long Rivers Council was faced with shutting down a number of their camps to the summer camping experience. For instance, Camp Nahaco closed to regular summer camping after 1977 (although it would occasionally be open for long term camping with specialty themes, such as "Enviro-Camp"). Camp Tadma was closed in 1977, but in a couple of years re-opened as a long-term Webelos Camp. The plan for LOISR was to close Camp Pequot for two years and run Camp Apache for two years, then switch the status of the camps for the following two years. They expected this to reduce the impact of a summer camp season on the land by spreading out the wear and tear. So in 1975 and 1976, Camp Pequot was placed in "conservation status", and Camps Apache and Cherokee ran during those two summers. In 1977, Camp Apache was placed in conservation status, and Camp Pequot was reopened. However, for 1979, Long Rivers Council management changed its plan, and decided to keep Camps Pequot and Cherokee open permanently. By 1981, Camp Cherokee's patrol cooking operation was moved to Camp Pequot, as an option for troops who preferred this. Thus, while still a reservation of multiple camps, by the twenty-second year of operation of LOISR, only Camp Pequot remained as a summer camp.
The summer camp season also shortened as time went on. In the 1960s, both Pequot and Apache opened for eight weeks of summer camp use. By the mid-70s, it was down to six weeks for Camp Apache. By the late seventies, Camp Pequot was only open for summer camping three weeks out of the summer. With the closure of Camp Cherokee after the 1980 season, Camp Pequot's season expanded back to five weeks.
With the construction of the Mashantucket Pequot casino in 1991-1992, the natural beauty and surroundings had been destroyed enough to make Long Rivers Council consider selling the property to the Indian tribe, and this was done in 1992. The Mashantucket nation has since converted the land into a golf course.
Mark Greer Scout Reservation
The Mark Greer Scout Reservation is located in Bozrah and is currently operated by Connecticut Rivers Council. It is home to Camp Tadma, a Cub Scout summer resident camp and is also the newest home to Camp Wakenah, a cub scout day camp previously located on Gardner Lake in Salem. The reservation was known almost exclusively as Camp Tadma until the sale of the Camp Wakenah property in Salem, Connecticut in 2004 and its operations moved the western edge of the Bozrah property.
See Camp Tadma and Camp Wakenah for details.
Old Settlers Scout Reservation
In 1955 Mrs. William J. Garland sold 110 acres of land in Milford, Connecticut to Quinnipiac Council. The camp was used for short term camping and Cub Scout day camp.
Tuccio Scout Camp
Wah Wah Taysee Scout Reservation
Wah Wah Taysee is located in the Mt. Carmel section of Hamden, adjacent to Sleeping Giant State Park. The camp occupies 16 acres and has a small pond. The camp was donated to the Quinnipiac Council and is now part of the Connecticut Yankee Council since the merger in 1998.
White Mountain Camp
Order of the Arrow Lodges in Connecticut, past and present
Achewon Netopalis Lodge
Achewon Netopalis Lodge #427 is the OA lodge for the Greenwich Council. Their name translates to “Spiritual Warrior” (Algonquin). Their lodge totem is a green witch. The lodge was founded in 1949 and it is still in existence. In 1977, the lodge was the recipient of the E. Urner Goodman Award for their effectiveness in promoting and increasing Scout camping in their council.
Arcoon Lodge
Arcoon Lodge #369 was the OA lodge for Quinnipiac Council. Lodge was formerly known as Chi Sigma, when it changed its name in 1953. The name translates to “raccoon” (Algonquin). Their totem was a raccoon with a feather.
During the 1940s, the Boy Scouts of America began encouraging local scout council to switch from their separate honor groups to Order of the Arrow Lodges. During the 1947 camp season, the membership of Chi Sigma voted to install an Order of the Arrow Lodge. The name Chi Sigma was retained rather than an Indian name in honor of Sam Bogan, founder of the earlier organization.
Final approval was obtained from the National Order of the Arrow and the Quinnipiac Council Board of Directors and the Lodge was assigned Number 369 and the name Chi Sigma Lodge on November 19, 1947. On Monday evening, December 29, a formal installation of the lodge was held at the Council offices.
Eager to learn more about what the Order of the Arrow was and how it could better serve the scouts of the council, lodge leadership attended an area meeting at Camp Collier in New Hampshire in 1951. Brothers from area lodges were exchanging patches with their lodge totems on them. A committee was formed in 1951 to look for an appropriate symbol for the new lodge. Many animals of the north eastern woods were considered for a totem. A selection committee finally came up with the suggestion that the raccoon be used. All agreed as the pesky raccoon was a friend to all campers at Camp Sequassen - being a frequent visitor to camp sites and food boxes. Having chosen an appropriate animal as a totem for the lodge, the committee turned to finding a new name - symbolic of Indian background of the Order of the Arrow. After careful research the word “Arcoon”, an Algonquian Indian (Arkoon) word for raccoon was recommended. The committee liked the name and felt it was suitable for the lodge. The committee voted to accept both new name for the lodge and the raccoon as its totem. A contest was set up for a patch design that would best represent the new totem. With the lodge having a new name and totem, application was made to the National Order of the Arrow Secretary for a name change. Final approval was received in late 1951. Chi Sigma Lodge was officially renamed Arcoon Lodge #369.
In 1977, Quinnipiac Council absorbed the operations of Central Connecticut Council. Their lodge, Wangunks Lodge #274 was also absorbed in the operations of Arcoon Lodge #369 and became a chapter.
Arcoon Lodge received numerous awards and recognition for its dance team during its history. The lodge received National Standard Lodge status numerous times, as well as garnering the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in 1978. Many Lodge Offices went on to serve on Section Committees and Section Offices.
In 1998, Quinnipiac Council and Fairfield County Council voted to merge the two councils to create the Connecticut Yankee Council. Arcoon Lodge #369 was merged with Tankiteke Lodge #313 to form Owaneco Lodge #313 of the Connecticut Yankee Council in 1999.
Chi Sigma Lodge
Chi Sigma Lodge #369 was the original OA lodge for Quinnipiac Council. Chi Sigma started in the Quinnipiac Council in 1934 has a scout Camp Honor Society. There was never a totem developed for the lodge. When the Boy Scouts of America began encouraging local councils to switch from their honor societies to the Order of the Arrow, the membership voted to organize had Chi Sigma Lodge in 1947. The lodge was assigned the number 369. In 1951 the lodge changed its name to Arcoon.
Chief Pomperaug Lodge
Chief Pomperaug Lodge #408 was the OA lodge for the Pomperaug Council. Their name comes from Chief Pomperaug of the Pootatuck Indian. Their lodge totem is a panther.. The lodge was founded in 1949 and ceased operations when it merged with Mauwehu #389 and Ponus #521 to form Tankiteke Lodge #313 in 1972.
Eluwak Lodge
Eluwak Lodge #59 was the OA lodge of Long Rivers Council. Their name translates to “most powerful one” (Lenape). Their totem is five rivers merging. The lodge was created in 1973 from the merger of Kiehtan #59, Mattatuck #217, Wihungen #234, Tunxis #491, and Wipanquoak #558. The lodge ceased its operation in 1995 with its merger with Sassacus #10 to form Tschitani #10.
Keemosahbee Lodge
Keemosahbee Lodge #234 was the OA lodge for the New Britain Council (1943-1953) until the council changed its name to Keemosahbee Council. The totem is a winged teal. The lodge was founded in 1943 and ceased operations when it merged with Woapalane #471 to form Wihungen #234
Kiehtan Lodge
Kiehtan Lodge #59 was the OA lodge of Middlesex County Council. Their name translates to “spirit of the southwest” (Natick). Their totem is of a Native American feeding a beaver. The lodge was founded in 1931 as Wahquimacut, but disbanded for a number of years before rechartering in 1957 as Kiehtan. In 1973 the lodge merged with Mattatuck #217, Wihungen #234, Tunxis #491, and Wipanquoak #558 to form Eluwak #59.
Mauwehu Lodge
Mauwehu Lodge #389 was the OA lodge for the Mauwehu Council. Their name comes from a chief of a local Indian tride. Their totem was the gray wolf. The lodge was founded in 1948 and ceased its operations when it merged with Chief Pomperaug #408 and Ponus #521 to form Tankiteke Lodge #313 in 1972.
Mattatuck Lodge
Mattatuck Lodge #217 was the OA lodge for Mattatuck Council. Their name translate to “land of few trees” (Algonquin). The lodge totem is an arrowhead with crossed arrows. The lodge was founded in 1942 and ceased operations in 1973 with the merger of Kiehtan #59, Wihungen #234, Tunxis #491, and Wipunquoak #558 to form Eluwak #59.
Owaneco Lodge
Owaneco Lodge #313 is the OA lodge for the Connecticut Yankee Council. The name comes from a chief’s name of the Mohegan Tribe. The lodge totem is Owaneco. The lodge was formed with the merger of Arcoon #369 and Tankiteke #313 in 1999.
Members from the two former Council Lodges (Tankiteke 313 and Arcoon 369) formed a lodge steering committee to discuss the merger between the two Lodges. After 5 meeting, spanning from February 1998 to September 1998, all details regarding basic structure, committee responsibilities, name of the lodge, bylaws and first lodge event were discussed and finalized.
On Sunday October 4, 1998, the first meeting of the memberships of Owaneco Lodge 313 occurred. The lodge membership approved the Lodge Name, Number, Bylaws and the first group of Lodge Officers were elected. During the lodge’s first year the Executive Committee worked to mold the new Lodge program. Several changes were made to combine the traditions of Tankiteke and Arcoon and adapt a new Lodge program. 1998 also saw Ockenuck Chapter re-named itself to the Arcoon Chapter.
During 1999 Owaneco Lodge achieved Honor Lodge status for the first time in its short history.
The 2003 Section NE-2C Conclave was held at Camp Sequassen and hosted by Owaneco Lodge.
The Quinnipiac Dancers, which started out as the Wulihan Chapter Dance Team in the Arcoon Lodge, celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2004. Over the 30 years, the dance team has garnered dozens of awards
Paugassett Lodge
Paugassett Lodge #553, is the OA lodge for the Housatonic Council. Their name translates to “Muddy Pond” (Algonquin). Their lodge totem in an Iroquois dance mask. The lodge was founded in 1961 and it is still in existence. In 2000, the lodge was the recipient of the E. Urner Goodman Award for their effectiveness in promoting and increasing Scout camping in their council.
Ponus Lodge
Ponus Lodge #521 was the OA lodge for the Alfred W. Dater Council. Their name comes from the chief of the Rippowam Tribe. Their lodge totem is an "false face" Iroquois mask in the image of "Hoba Mako" (rough spelling). The lodge was founded in 1956 and ceased its operations when it merged with Chief Pomperaug #408 and Mauwehu #389 to form Tankiteke Lodge #313 in 1972.
Samson Occum Lodge
Samson Occum Lodge #388 was the OA lodge for the Pequot Council. Their name comes from Sanson Occum a Mohegan Indian and an ordained Presbyterian minister. Their totem is a profile of a Mohegan Indian with a single feather.
Sassacus Lodge
Sassacus Lodge #10 was the OA lodge of the Indian Trails Council. Their name comes from Sassacus who was a Pequot Chieftain. Their totem is a war club. The lodge was created by the merger of Uncas #297 and Samson Occum #388 in 1971. The lodge received its first charter under its new name on January 1, 1972 and ceased operation in 1995 when it merged with Eluwak #59 to form Tschitani #10. In the fall of 1995 a joint lodge conclave with Eluwak #59 was held at June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford. This was the last event that Sassacus Lodge #10 held. On September 17, 1995, the membership of both lodges voted in a new lodge name, totem, by-laws and slate of officers.
Tankiteke Lodge
Tankiteke Lodge #313 was the OA lodge of Fairfield County Council. Their name translates to “those of slight stature”. Their lodge totem is a hoop of the universe. The lodge was created 1973 with the merger of Chief Pomperaug Lodge #408, Mauwehu Lodge #389 and Ponus Lodge #521. In July 1972 the three lodges meet to discuss merger plans. After several months of discussion, the three lodges held a tri-lodge dinner in December 1972. The membership voted on a new name, lodge totem, new lodge by-laws and it’s first set of lodge officers. The new lodge was chartered in January 1973.
There were originally five chapters, corresponding to the six council districts: Owenoke (Stamford district); Pequot (Nutmeg District); Saganaw (Sachem and Oronoque districts) Sasqua (Sasqua district) and Scatacook (Scatacook district). In 1980 Sasqua and Owenoke chapters were merged to form Powahay chapter.
A dance team was formed in the Owenoke chapter and performed for local scouting units, local lodges and appeared on local television report. The group won several competitions at yearly section conclaves.
The lodge was also very active on the local sections, having their members elected to section officer positions. The can boast that one of its members was elected Northeast Region chief of the Order of the Arrow.
The lodge ceased to operate when it merged with Arcoon Lodge #369 to form Owaneco Lodge #313 in 1999.
Tschitani Lodge
Tschitani Lodge #10 is the OA lodge for the Connecticut Rivers Council. Their name translates to “stronger” (Lenape). Their totem is of two Native Americans shooting arrows. The lodge was created with the merger of Sassacus #10 and Eluwak #59 in 1995 and it is still in existence.
In 1995 the Long Rivers Council and the Indian Trails Council merged to form the Connecticut Rivers Council # 66. A joint meeting between Eluwak Lodge #59 and Sassacus Lodge #10 was held at Camp Tadma in the spring of 1995.
In the fall of 1995 a joint lodge conclave was held, hosted by Sassacus Lodge #10, at June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford. On September 17, 1995 the membership voted on their by-laws, chose the name Tschitani for the new lodge and a slate of officers were elected. An Official Charter was given to the Tschitani Lodge on January 1, 1996.
In the spring of 1996 and again in 2001, Tschitani Lodge#10 hosted the Section NE-1B Conclave at Camp June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation. The theme for the weekend was "The Journey Starts from Within". 2003 saw a slight change in the by-laws to allow the election of two lodge vice chiefs and changed election proceduares.
At the 2005 National Order of the Arrow Conference, Tschitani Lodge #10 received the 2004 and 2006 NOAC Spirit Award and the ceremonial team received Honor Medals. The lodge received the National Quality Lodge award in 1997 and 2002. In 2005 the lodge was the recipient of the National OA Service Grant, the first lodge in the state.
Tunxis Lodge
Tunxis Lodge #491 was the OA lodge for the Tunxis Council. Their name translates to “little river” (Algonquin). Their lodge totem is a thunderbird. The lodge was founded in 1953 and ceased operations when it merged in 1973 with Kiehtan #59, Mattatuck #217, Wihungen #234, and Wipunquoak #558 to form Eluwak #59.
Uncas Lodge
Uncas Lodge #297 was the OA lodge for the Eastern Connecticut Council. Their name comes from the son of Chigachgook. Their totem is a fox. The lodge ceased its operation with its merger with Samson Occum #338 to form Sassacus Lodge #10.
Wahquimacut Lodge
Wahquimacut Lodge #59 was the OA lodge for Middlesex County Council. Their lodge totem was a pine tree. The lodge was founded in 1931 but disbanded for a number of years before rechartering in 1957 as Kiehtan #59.
Wangunks Lodge
Wangunks Lodge #274 was the OA lodge for the Central Connecticut Council. Their name translates to ‘bend in the river” (Algonquin). Their lodge totem is an American eagle. The lodge was absorbed into Arcoon Lodge #369 in 1978.
Wihungen Lodge
Wihungen Lodge #234 was the OA lodge for the Nathan Hale Council. Their name translates to “to sacrifice”. The lodge totem is a Grand Union flag. The lodge was created from the merger of Keemosahbee #234 and Woapalane #471 in 1968. The lodge ceased its operation in 1973 with its merger of Kiehtan #59, Mattatuck #217, Tunxis #491, and Wipunquoak #558 to from Eluwak #59.
Wipunquoak Lodge
Wipunquoak Lodge #558 was the OA lodge for the Charter Oak Council. Their name translates to “white oak” (Lenape). Their lodge totem is the Charter Oak. The lodge was founded in 1964 and ceased operation when it merged with Kiethan #59, Mattatuck #217, Wihungen #234, and Tunxis #491 to form Eluwak #59 in 1973.
Woapalane Lodge
Woapalane Lodge #471 was the OA lodge for Bristol Council. Their name translates to “bald eagle” which is also their lodge totem. The lodge was founded in 1952 and ceased operations in 1967 when it merged with Keemosahbee #234 to form Wihungen #234.
Girl Scouts
The state of Connecticut has had its share of Girl Scouts of the USA councils since 1912. There were 53 councils that have served the state. Today the youth of Connecticut are proudly served by five councils though they will be merging into one council sometime in 2007.
Girl Scout, Connecticut Trails Council is the largest of the five councils, in both membership and towns it serves. The council serves the young women in 107 communities with a membership base of 28,739 girls and 10,061 adult volunteers. Ranking by membership, Connecticut Valley Girl Scout Council is the second largest council in Connecticut serving 18 communities with a youth membership of over 10,000 and over 4,000 adult volunteers. Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut ranks next with over 9,200 youth members and 5,400 adult volunteers serving 15 communities. Girl Scouts of Housatonic Council serves 7 communities with over 5,000 youth members and 1,900 volunteers. Girl Scout Council of Northwestern Connecticut is the smallest council, in relationship to membership, with 1,700 scouts and 800 adult volunteers. The council covers 22 communities.
Connecticut Valley Girl Scout Council
Connecticut Valley Girl Scout Council is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut and serves 18 towns and cities around the capital area.
Bloomfield, Bolton, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Glastonbury, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, WestHartford, Wethersfield, Windsor, and Windsor Locks
Girl Scout Council of Northwestern Connecticut
Girl Scout Council of Northwestern Connecticut is headquartered in Torrington, Connecticut and serves 22 towns and cities in Litchfield County.
Barkhamsted, Bridgewater, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Sherman, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester.
Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut
Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut of the Girl Scouts of America, headquartered in Wilton, Connecticut serves fifteen Fairfield County towns and cities. The council was created when the Aspetuck Council merged with the Girl Scout Councils of Fairfield County. The Greenwich Council joined the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut in 1963.
Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Greennwich, New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.
The Council owns and operates four camps: Camp Aspetuck in Weston, Camp Rocky Craig in Stamford, Camp Candlewood in New Fairfield, and Camp Francis in Kent.
Girl Scout, Connecticut Trails Council
Girl Scouts, Connecticut Trails Council is headquartered in North Haven, Connecticut. It serves the majority of the state. The council was formed when Blue Trails Council, Derby Shelton Council, Eastern Connecticut Council, Laurel Trails Council, New London Area Council and Middlesex Council merged in 1964 under the name Connecticut Trails Council of Girl Scouts. In 1994 the council changed its name to Girl Scouts, Connecticut Trails Council. In 1995 the council grew when the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Girl Scouts joined.
Andover, Ansonia, Ashford, Avon, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethlehem, Bozrah, Branford, Bristol, Brooklyn, Burlington, Canterbury, Canton, Chaplin, Cheshire, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Cromwell, Deep River, Derby, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Haven, East Lyme, Eastford, Essex, Farmington, Franklin, Granby, Griswold, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Hamden, Hampton, Hartland, Hebron, Ivoryton, Killingly, Killingworth, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Madison, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, Meriden, Middlebury, Middlefield, Middletown, Montville, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Haven, New London, North Branford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Orange, Oxford, Plainfield, Plainville, Plymouth, Pomfret, Portland, Prospect, Putnam, Salem, Scotland, Seymour, Shelton, Sherman, Simsbury, Somers, Southbury, Southington, Sprague, Stafford Springs, Sterling, Stonington, Thomaston, Thompson, Tolland, Union, Voluntown, Wallingford, Waterbury, Waterford, Watertown, Westbrook, West Haven, Willimantic, Willington, Windham, Wolcott, Woodbridge, Woodbury, and Woodstock.
Girl Scouts of Housatonic Council
Girl Scouts of Housatonic Council of the Girl Scouts of America is headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut and serves the youth of seven towns and cities. The council owns two camps. Camp Iwakta, located in Norfolk, Connecticut, is available for troop camping on a year-round basis. Camp Katoya, located in Milford, Connecticut is the site of summer day camp program and is used in other months for troop (short term) camping activities.
Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull.
Former Girl Scout Councils of Connecticut
- Ansonia Council of Girl Scouts
- Aspetuck Area Girl Scout Council
- Blue Trails Council of Girl Scouts
- Bridgeport Girl Scout Council
- Bristol Girl Scouts
- Central Litchfield County Girl Scout Council
- Cheshire Council of Girl Scouts
- Connecticut Trails Council of Girl Scouts
- Connecticut Yankee Council of Girl Scouts
- Danbury Area Council of Girl Scouts
- Derby-Shelton Girl Scout Council
- Enfield Community Committee Girl Scout Council
- Girl Scout Council of Eastern Connecticut
- Girl Scout Council of the Fortynightly Club of Madison Conn
- Girl Scout Council of Fairfield County
- Girl Scout Council of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls
- Glastonbury Girl Scout Council
- Greater Hartford Girl Scouts
- Guilford Girl Scout Council
- Greenwich Council of Girl Scouts
- Hartford Girl Scout Council
- Laurel Trail Council of Girl Scouts
- Manchester Girl Scouts
- Meriden Girl Scout Council
- Middletown and Portland Girl Scout Council
- Middletown Girl Scout Council
- Milford Council of Girl Scouts
- New Britain Council of Girl Scouts
- New Haven Council of Girl Scouts
- New London Council of Girl Scouts
- Norwalk Girl Scout Association
- Norwich Girl Scout Council
- Old Saybrook Girl Scout Council
- Ridgefield Girl Scout Council
- Stafford Springs Girl SScout Community Committee
- Stamford Area Association of Girl Scouts
- Stonington Connecticut Girl Scout Council
- Thompsville Community Committee of Girl Scouts
- Torrington-Litchfield Girl Scout Council
- Upper Middlesex Area Council
- Wallingford Girl Scout Council
- Waterbury Area Council of Girl Scouts
- Waterbury Council of Girl Scouts
- Watertown Council of Girl Scouts
- Westport Girl Scouts
- Willimantic Council of Girl Scouts
- Wilton Connecticut Girl Scouts
- Winsted Area Girl Scouts
Girl Scout Camps in Connecticut
Camp Aspetuck
Camp Aspetuck is located on 16 acres of wooded land in Weston, Connecticut. Founded in 1939 on 12 arces, a gift from Gustav Pfeiffer to Aspetuck Council. In 1950 the council purchased 4 additional acres. Since 1947, a summer day camp has been running almost continuously, just missing two seasons (1972 and 1973). Camp Aspetuck, contains two swimming pools, a wetland nature trail, an outdoor cooking shelter, two program shelters, A-frames and platform tents for 3-season camping, and Conway Cabin for year-round camping and program use. The camp presently belongs to the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut and is still in operations.[6]
Camp Candlewood
Camp Candlewood is located on the shores of Lake Candlewood in New Fairfield, Connecticut. The 90 acre property was purchased in 1959 by the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut. The newly formed council was eager to obtain a camp area that provided a waterfront. Lake Candlewood was created in 1932 by the Connecticut Light and Power Company as a power reservoir. The council brought in the Girl Scout National Camp Consultants and it was decided to develop both a Day Camp and a Resident Camp at the site.
Because the council had lost its day camp program at Camp Fairlee to a housing development in Danbury, Connecticut, it was decided to develop the site for a new day camp program. A road to the beach was bulldozed and the Candleberry Shelter was built prior to the opening of Day Camp in 1960.
In 1961 the Development Committee started on the Resident Camp. The first building was the Shelter (Yar-Sloop), and in 1962 Seniors camped in Roundup tents at what is now known as "Quite a Hill!" 1963 saw the infirmary built. It served as staff house, infirmary, and kitchen for supplies. Sailboats were purchased and the first boating docks were put in. In 1964 saw additional buildings built; the Catamaran Shelter, Administration building (the Bridge), and showers. The Galley was added in 1965 and the Boathouse followed in 1968.[7]
Camp Francis
Camp Francis is located in Kent, Connecticut and is one of the oldest Girl Scout Camps in the country. Purchased around 1922 from Eli C. Barnum, the camp sits upon 265 “spectacular acres” near the Blue Heron Pond.
The property has vast trails, streams and brooks, a waterfall, and Blue Heron Pond for swimming and boating. The camp was used for summer resident camp but recently it has been used only for primitive camping.
Camp Laurel
Camp Laurel is part of Connecticut Trails Council. It is located in Lebanon, Connecticut, and is the only camp in council with a sleep-away option. It is also the only camp in council to have a barnyard and stable, both of which are maintained by campers under the supervision of counselors and program directors.
The barnyard and stable are seasonal, and so the animals are boarded elsewhere during the winter months.
Camp Rocky Craig
Camp Rock Craig is located in Stamford, Connecticut. In 1963 the Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut began a search for camp that was closer to Stamford and the towns they serve. 26 acres of land was purchased in 1964 in Stamford, Connecticut and a shelter was immediately built on the property. In 1965 a summer camp was opened. The council camping committee had requested funding to have the meadow drained with final approval being received in 1973. Bulldozers began clearing and dredging the land and with the help of volunteer Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and adults the meadow was completed. The property has rocks for climbing as well as trails, ponds and other camp related facilities and is still in used today.[8]
Yankee Trails Outdoor Program Center
Other camps
Current and former camps include:
- Camp An-Se-Ox
- Camp Carlson
- Camp Clutter Valley
- Camp Iwakta
- Camp Katoya
- Camp Maria Pratt
- Camp Merri Wood
- Camp Murray
- Camp Pattagansett
- Camp Rolawila - Was operated by the New Haven Girl Scout Council and was located at Silver Sands in East Haven, Connecticut (1927)
- Camp Timber Trails
See also
External links
- Boy Scouts of America
- June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation
- Girl Scouts of the United States of America
- Connecticut Rivers Council BSA
- Connecticut Valley Girl Scout Council GSUSA
- Connecticut Yankee Council BSA
- Girl Scouts, Connecticut Trails Council GSUSA
- Girl Scout Council of Northwestern Connecticut GSUSA
- Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut GSUSA
- Girl Scout of Housatonic Council GSUSA
- Greenwich Council BSA
- Housatonic Council BSA
- Scouting History in Connecticut
- Boy Scout Troop 3 Derby, Connecticut
- Cub Scout Pack 17 of Wilton, Connecticut
- Camp Workcoeman
- Troop 23-Burlington
References
- "Alfred W. Dater Council History".
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(help) - "BSA Councils serving Connecticut".
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(help) - "Images of Red and White Boy Scout Council patchs in Connecticut".
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(help) - "Boy Scout Council History in Connecticut".
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(help) - Bogan, Samuel D. (1966) No Larger Fields: The History of a Boy Scout Council 1910-1963, Library of Congress catalog number 66-29992
- Quirk, Edward J. (1976) Arcoon Lodge History: Silver Anniversary 1951-1976
- Reis, Mitch (2005)The History of the Connecticut Rivers Council BSA 1910 - 2005
- ^ http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-girlscout0430.artapr30,0,46183.story?coll=hc-headlines-local
- ^ http://www.stamfordhistory.org/rg5.htm
- ^ Bogan, Samuel (1966). No Larger Fields: a history fo a Boy Scout Council 1910-1963.
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(help) - ^ http://www.stamfordhistory.org/rg5.htm
- ^ http://www.stamfordhistory.org/rg5.htm
- ^ http://www.gscswct.org/summercamps.htm
- ^ http://www.gscswct.org/summercamps.htm
- ^ http://www.gscswct.org/summercamps.htm