How was scouting introduced to the US?

Answer 1

Boy Scouts of America was founded by William D. Boyce after being helped by a scout while lost in the fog of London.

Source See Official BSA Publication (see Related Links)

Answer 2

Officially William Boyce incorporated the BSA in February of 1910 after encountering English Scouts and meeting with Lord Baden-Powell. There were earlier scouting organizations in the US dating back to the late 1800's. They largely folded into the BSA.

Answer 3

Scouting started as the right program at the right time. As people moved from rural to urban settings, there were concerns that youth were losing their self-reliance. There were several programs that set out to improve physical and mental health. Scouting provided a framework of non-formal education designed to promote citizenship, morality, physical fitness and mental strength. It did so in a unique environment of boy leadership with an outdoor theme.

- Macleod, David L. (1983). Building Character in the American Boy: The Boy Scouts, YMCA and Their Forerunners, 1870-1920. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-09400-6.[linked]

Answer 4

In early 1908 Lord Robert Baden-Powell published his manual for operating a "Boy Scout" unit, "Scouting for Boys." It was extremely popular (and ended up being the 4th best-seller in history). On the basis of that book, numerous Boy Scout troops were formed in the U.S. and Canada in 1908 without any higher-level organization. The Canadian Boy Scout Association was formed by the end of 1908. More such units were formed in the U.S. 1909, and some registered with the British Boy Scout Association. By 1910, several competing Boy Scouting organizations had appeared. One, The Boy Scouts of America, Inc., won the struggle for primacy and eventually established exclusive right to use "Scouts" in the U.S. Many preexisting Scout troops became Boy Scouts of America Troops when The Boy Scouts of America appeared in their communities, generally in an east to west pattern. For example, B.S.A. appeared in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912 (finding 99 troops already in business) and in Orange County, California, in 1916.

Answer 5

"In 1909, Chicago publisher W. D. Boyce was visiting London where he encountered a boy who came to be known as the Unknown Scout. Boyce was lost on a foggy street when the Scout came to his aid, guiding him to his destination. The boy then refused Boyce's tip, explaining that he was a Boy Scout and was merely doing his daily good turn. Soon thereafter, Boyce met with General Baden-Powell, who was Chief Scout at the time, to learn more about his scouting program. After his return to the U.S. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910."

In short : W.D. Boyce started the BSA.

Answer 6

In 1909 an American businessman named William Boyce was visiting London. He was lost but was assisted by a young man now known as "the unknown scout". When he tried to pay the boy he was told that he could not take his money because he was a scout and he was sworn to do a good turn daily.

Boyce inquired about these scouts and soon met with Lord Baden-Powell, who had founded scouting a few years earlier in England. Boyce was impressed with the idea and brought it back to the U.S., founding the BSA in 1910.

Answer 7

British General Robert Baden-Powell started Boy Scouts in England in 1907, and in 1909, a man named W. D. Boyce was walking through London. It was foggy, and he got lost. A Boy Scout came up and asked if he could help. He led Mr. Boyce to his destination, and turned down Boyce's offer of money. Mr. Boyce was so impress that on February 8 of 1910, he started the BSA. No one knows who the Scout from London is, and it will probably never be known, which is why he is called the Unknown Scout

Answer 8

There were a few Scouting programs started in the US as early as 1909 based on Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys. W. D. Boyce was an American newspaper man and entrepreneur. According to legend, he was lost on a foggy street in London when an unknown Scout came to his aid, guiding him back to his destination. The boy then refused Boyce's tip, explaining that he was merely doing his duty as a Boy Scout. Upon Boyce's request, the unknown Scout gave him the address of the Scout headquarters, where Boyce, went on his own and picked up information about the group. Boyce gained permission from Baden-Powell to use Scouting for Boys in the development of a US Scouting program. He incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.