Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Sacramento Boy Scouts Troop 1 records
- Dates:
- 1917-2006
- Abstract:
- Founded in 1916, Troop 1 of the Sacramento Boy Scouts of America has prepared hundreds of Sacramento youths through outdoor activities, leadership training and community service. This collection is comprised of records of the local organization dating from around the time of its incorporation to the present.
- Extent:
- 1 Linear Feet (1 Archival Box) and .5 Terabytes
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Sacramento Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 records, MC 50, Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection is comprised of the records of Sacramento Boy Scouts Troop 1 dating from around the time of its incorporation to the present. It includes administrative records, troop anniversary program materials; scripts and programs from investiture ceremonies; records and ephemera from Camp Pollock and Camp Cody; issues of the troop newsletter, Spigot; news clippings profiling Troop 1 members and activities; film reels with club activities from 1932 to 2006; and 7,606 digital files comprised of images and oral histories covering decades of troop history.
- Biographical / historical:
-
In March 1916, a group of boys at First Methodist Church at 21st and J Streets in Sacramento applied to the newly-formed national Boy Scouts of America to form the area's first incorporated scouting unit – Troop 1. W. George Spilman served as the group's scoutmaster and First Methodist Church sponsored the group. In October 1920, the Sacramento Council formed to govern and support troops in the area. The Council later expanded to encompass most of Northern California and was renamed Golden Empire Council in 1937.
The 1930s was a period of great growth for Troop 1 in Sacramento. Wesley Hetherington, who served as Scoutmaster from 1932 to 1938, was instrumental in developing the troop and in 1937 oversaw the construction of Camp Cody, the troop's private encampment in the Sierras near Echo Summit. When a new lodge was dedicated at Camp Cody in 1960, it bore his name. Camp Cody's first director was Robert McCurry of McCurry Foto Co. in Sacramento. Both Robert and his brother, Harold McCurry, were scouts under Hetherington and eventually went on to earn the distinction of Distinguished Eagle Scout in 1976, the first brothers to do so. Also in the 1930s, the Troop 1 Mother's Club began hosting dinners, cake sales and shows to raise funds for scout camps and activities.
Following a period of rapid growth, Troop 1 experienced declining membership into the late-1940s and 1950s. In 1946, Ben Ali Temple of the Shrine took over sponsorship, and soon after, the group temporarily moved its meeting location. In the 1956, Troop 1 celebrated its 40th anniversary with an alumni reunion featuring hundreds of former scouts and almost all previous scoutmasters. The troop would host similar celebrations every ten years in the decades to come. Around 1958, the troop started an Explorer Post catering to older scouts. Under the leadership of George Morrow in the early 1960s, Troop 1 began to grow again. Morrow was awarded the Outstanding Eagle Award at the troop's centennial celebration in 2016. By then, the troop had claimed more than 1,700 boys as members, 416 of whom earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- Copyright 2018
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2018-02-20 12:57:32 -0800 .
Access and use
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Sacramento Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 records, MC 50, Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
828 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 264-2976