The Wolf Point herald., 1920-02-26
HOW BOY SCOUTS
GOT START HERE
YOUNG BUTTE WOMAN, FRESH
FROM VASSAR, ORGANIZED
FIRST MONTANA TROOP
Three Boys, Members of Sunday
School Glass, Asked Her to Help
Them Organize, and First Troop
Started With IL Members; Was
Lady Scoutmaster.''

Parents all over Montana are
interested in the boy scout move
ment, but not many Montanans
are aware that the first steps to-
wards bringing about the start of
the organization in this state were
made by Mrs. Charles ". Blake.
daughter of Rev. E. j. GroeneYeId,
one OF the pioneer pastors of the
city of Butte. Because of the cred
| it due to her efforts, Mrs. Blake
was a central figure in the func-
tions during the recent ce1ebra-
tions of boy scout week through
out Montana. Chief James E.
West publicly thanked and con-
graduated her for the aid she has
given the organization.
In June, 1910, Beth Groeneveld
returned from her graduation at Vas
sar, and among the new activities in
the younger set that she entered into
was to each Sunday school class
of three boys. About that time the
daily papers were filled with news
Of the Boy Scout movement in New
York and other eastern cities, and
as a natural result was the clamor
Of the three boys to organize a
like body in Butte. Miss Beth was
quite equal to the occasion, and so
the first Boy Scout troop to be or
ganized in the state of Montana was
the one directed by Miss Greene
weld and included boys from II
years Of age and older, of all de-
nominations and from all churchess
Met in Cottage.
The meetings held each Thursday
in 1910 were in the small cottage
next to the church on West Broad
way, and many and often were the
good times that the boys of Butte
were offered under their '1ady
scout master"
However, Mrs. Blake, because of
her sex, could not become a scout
and thus her father, the
Rev. Mr.. Groeneyeld, because of his
close association and help to the
boys, was given the first Boy Scout
masters certificate to be awarded to
any one in Montana or Butte. This
was dated Dec. II, 1910.
cit is certainly interesting to
.hink that those boys that I start |
I'd out with are all grown up now,
and many of them married" said |
Mrs. Blake, after she had met Mr.. /
West and they had talked over the
great movement that was celebrated |
Ill over the world. 1--WE used to |
lave such jolly times, and of course
he boys were all seriousness at
lines too. In June, 1911, the boys
,ut on a really clever play at the
club that was originally
written by them, and the proceeds
nore than paid for their suits.
When they were attired in these
eW outfits they sort of took new
ot long until the troop had increas-
d to over 100 boys.
Hikes Were the Rage.
I'VE used to go on 15-mile hikes
D Browns gulch once week, and
rhen we got there the boys would
lake regular 'mulligan' and it
asted as good as any elaborate
ever did. Then they
-ould run off TO the opposite hills,
erhaps mile apart, and go through
leir signaling from the peaks of
le mountains.
Besides that DR.. Campbell gave
lem a thorough course in first aid,
nd several lawyers alternated in
wing them interesting parliament
.ry drills at the weekly meetings,
rs. Blake said.
The boys called themselves the
Butte PATROL" and their leader was
aymond Dugdale, while the corpor- c
was Kenneth Buchanan. The list '
the original Scouts of Montana; Y
aymond Dugdale, Kenneth Buch- S
ian, William McPhail, Albert Hau s
'ick, Neil Wilson, Jack Olson, Har- U
Kinney, Tom Moore, Edward e
ampbell, Earl Smith, Jack Schapps, u