History of Cherokee Area Council (Written for the Council's 95th anniversary in 1995)
In 1907, just ten years after Bartlesville was founded and the same year Oklahoma became a state, the Boy Scout program began in England with an experimental camp on Brownsea Island, off the southern coast. In 1909, less than two years after the founding by Baden-Powell, a priest who was familiar with the Scouting program came to Pawhuska, Oklahoma and founded the first documented fully uniformed Boy Scout troop in America. The local Bartlesville paper recorded a visit by this troop to Johnstone Park in 1911, noting that they hiked from Pawhuska to Bartlesville to show the Scouting program to the local youth.  In 1912, Troop 1 was founded at First Christian Church, becoming the first Boy Scout Troop in Bartlesville. One of the members of this troop was Ed McClintock, whose father was the first Council President.  The early adult leaders for this troop included some key people in the community life as was noted in the Bartlesville paper:  Several Scout organizations were brought together by the organization of the first Boy Scout council here, December 10, 1913. W. R. Stitch was the first Scout commissioner. Dr. R. E. Pryor was president of the council. L. A. Rowland and B.H. May were Vice-Presidents. H. C. Moore was treasurer and L. C. Pollock secretary. These officers, with F. W. Wenner and George McDonnell made up the executive committee. The first Scout court of honor included H.H. McClintock, Mayor C. A. Lamm, J. T. Shipman, R. L. Beatie and Frank Phillips. Other members of the Scout council were J. L. Overlees, Dr. J. C. Dunn, J. J. Shea, W. J. Donohue, George C. Priestley and J. C. Shafer. The first council camp was held in June of 1913 at Sand Creek falls, which today is still active as a council camp.  Camp McClintock was named in honor of the first president of the Bartlesville council, H. H. McClintock, who served in that capacity for 17 years. This record has only been topped once, by Philip R. Phillips who served in the capacity of Council President for 20 years. [ Top ] The Scouting program was a program whose time had come, and between 1910 and 1920, ten troops formed as follows (troops originally were numbered in order in each council, which at the time was a city council): Troop 1 * First Christian Church Troop 6  Church of God Sunday School (active today through the American Legion) Troop 2 *   First Methodist Church Troop 7  Episcopal Church Troop 3 *  First Presbyterian Church Troop 8  "Colored Troop" with Scoutmaster William Allen  (remained active into the 1950s) Troop 4  Epworth Methodist Church Troop 9 Troop 5 * St. John Catholic Church Troop 10 Sea Scout Ship (the only Sea Scout unit in Oklahoma at the time) *active today It is encouraging to see that black Americans were included here, as well as American Indians, since this was unusual for that time and place. This growth of interest in Scouting during the 1910's caused the local Scouting Committee to consider becoming a formal first class council, which meant that they had progressed to the point of hiring a professional Scouter. The Bartlesville Council was formed in 1920 and George G. Watson was asked to be the first council executive. Not only had Scouting grown in Bartlesville, it had grown throughout the world.  Baden-Powell decided to have a World Jamboree gathering of Scouts in England in 1920. The son of the Bartlesville Morning Examiner newspaper owner, Malcolm W. ("Pete") Welty attended as one of 350 Scouts representing the United States.  He had helped his mother operate the newspaper during World War I while his father and brothers were overseas, and had acquired writing skills unusual for his age.  He kept a diary of the Jamboree, which has been published recently in book form and is available through the Bartlesville Scout office. This book records his friendship with another Scout in Troop 1, Philip R. Phillips and their adventures as cowboys as Uncle Waite's Hawkeye Ranch in northeastern New Mexico, which later became Philmont Scout Ranch. [ Top ] H.A. "Pop" Brewer was originally a Scout in Illinois. As an adult in the YMCA program, he came to Bartlesville in 1921, and started a troop at the First Baptist Church, becoming the first Scoutmaster of the troop. He continued active in supporting Scouting in the area. After his wife's death in 1948, he became the Ranger at Camp McClintock and served there until he retired at age 82.  In honor of his great service to Scouting in this council, the Pop Brewer Campfire Ring was created at Camp Cherokee, a council camp near Grove, Oklahoma. Rank advancement was not stressed strongly in the initial program, and it was not until 1923 that the council had its first Eagle Scout, Keith Whiting, who was a member of Troop 1 in Bartlesville. The council name changed from the Bartlesville council to the Cherokee Council in 1925 and was changed to Cherokee Area Council in 1936 as various city and area councils were merged together. As growth of the program continued, some of the chartering organizations such as First Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church, formed two troops so that they could meet on different nights of the week. An area that was popular for camping in the 1910s and 1920s was Circle Mountain. In the 1910's, Scouts hiked out to the area and camped in tents or under the ledges around the base of the mountain. The local paper recorded on January 7, 1923, that "several members of troop No. 1 went to Circle Mountain last Monday and began the construction of a log cabin.  Considerable interest is being taken by the Scouts in this work.  Members of this troop expect to hike to Circle Mountain each Saturday morning until the cabin is completed. The Scout Executive reports that a good start was made Monday.  Eighteen trees were cut down, trimmed and dragged to the site of the cabin." Sea Scouting was a part of the program in England from the initial experimental camp at Brownsea Island in 1907. In Bartlesville, it made its debut in the 1920's with the establishment of the SSS Legionnaire, the name of the "ship" that the Scouts invented. Every Sea Scout unit had their ship, whether it was real or imaginary, and there weren't any real ships around Bartlesville at the time. It may have seemed strange to many that a land-locked state was one of the early areas with a Sea Scout program. In January 1940, the ship's name was changed to the SSS Woolaroc. Scouts learned about operating a ship and the skills necessary for seamen. They frequently took trips to practice their skills on various ships. The 1930's saw an incredible growth in the Scouting program, with a ten-fold increase in the number of Scouts active in the area. A major part of the growth was due to the introduction of Cub Scouting, which permitted younger boys to participate in the program. In 1932, the First Christian Church built a rock Cub Scout building at Camp McClintock, which is possibly the oldest surviving Cub Scout structure in the state. During the Depression, the program had a rough time financially.  Boy Scouting in Oklahoma and the surrounding states survived this period due to the contributions of an early Bartlesville Scouter, Frank Phillips.  He made several grants of $100,000 to the Scouting program in these states to help support the Scout Executives, many of whom were working without pay in some councils.   He realized the value of the Boy Scout program, and encouraged leadership from people in the corporation by giving employees time off with pay to participate in the program.   He initiated matching grants to the program.  His corporate model remains one of the most advanced in its support of programs such as these.  [ Top ] Waite Phillips, who learned the oil business while working in Bartlesville under his older brothers Frank and L.E., also provided great support for Scouting in 1938 with the donation of a large part of his ranch and a $50,000 contribution to set up a headquarters at what became the Philmont Scout Ranch.  Philmont has continued to give to Scouting, as thousands of Scouts and adult leaders go through the program each year. While at Philmont as a Scout, John Westfall, a current Bartlesville resident, composed the Philmont hymn. The first event of the local Order of the Arrow, a Scouting service organization, was held in February, 1946, at Camp McClintock. This organization started in 1915, and provides support for the camping aspect of the B.S.A.  In the Cherokee Area Council, it provides strong support for the various council camps by helping to upgrade the facilities and promoting staffing camps.  With the start of the World War II, Scouting took on another aspect, as Scouts worked to support "duty to country," and many young men joined the B.S.A. to get training and help support the war effort through various projects.  Another program in Scouting made its debut during this era, called the Air Scouts. Bartlesville had an active Air Scout program. A small plane was used for the training, and Scouts flew to various places in neighboring states as a part of their Air Scouting program. While Air Scouts are still active today, there are none in our council. In the 1950's, a strategic decision was made to upgrade our council camping facilities, and Camp Cherokee was purchased through the funding of Philip R. Phillips and L.E. Phillips, Jr., as a memorial for their father L.E. Phillips. This camp is located on Grand Lake, and provides for aquatics opportunities second to none. With the existing Camp McClintock, there is a camp on each side of the council geographic area. Bartlesville Troop 27 was chartered by the Washington County Association of Retarded Citizens. This troop has brought Scouting to an enthusiastic group that had not been previously served. The troop currently has more than one Scout at Eagle Rank. Each Scout is allowed to achieve at his own level. A difference from the usual program is that the upper age limit has been removed so that members have a longer time to achieve their goals. [ Top ] The Scouting program locally was helped in 1967 by Philip R. Phillips with his donation of funds to build the Cherokee Area Council Scout Office on the corner of Dewey and Adams Boulevard. This building facilitates the operation of the Scouting program throughout northeast Oklahoma, and provides offices for the administrative personnel. It also houses the Scout Shop, which provides uniforms, equipment and related items for Scouts in this area including southeastern Kansas.   Lone Scouting was formed in 1915 by William D. Boyce for rural boys who did not have access to the Boy Scouts. This organization merged with B.S.A. in 1924. Lone Scouting brings the Scouting program to boys who are not close to a unit and operate without the aid of a troop. The Cherokee Area Council has a few Lone Scouts active in the area today.  In 1975, the Lone Scouts of America held a meeting in Bartlesville to consider current and historical objectives. Louis Whitehair of Bartlesville was a Lone Scout and hosted this gathering.  His Lone Scout memorabilia is currently on display at the Pawkuska Museum. In May of 1977, Camp Cherokee was host to a dedication ceremony of a new building, the Order of the Arrow Visitor's Center. This was built by contributions of OA members and again the friendly assistance of Phil Phillips. The center also became home to the Scout Museum, with memorabilia from the 1910's to the present displayed in cases along the walls. Phil Phillips also donated funds for other buildings at the camp including the Ranger home, swimming pool, and the chapel. Since the 1980's, the Scouting program in the Cherokee Area Council has seen continuous growth for a total of 95 consecutive months. The program is continuing to offer one of the best training programs for youth in morals, ethics, and self-sufficiency, at a time when support for these types of activities has declined in most institutions.  Surveys show that there is a disproportionately high percentage of Scouters in Congress and in offices of leadership in our country. This is reflected in Bartlesville, where many of the leaders are also Scouters who are currently involved in adult leadership of local troops.  Phillips Petroleum Company has continued to be a strong supporter of the Scouting program, including every level of the program locally.  James Tarr, a member of Bartlesville Troop 1 in the 1930's and Assistant Scoutmaster of the troop, served in the prestigious capacity of Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America from 1979 until 1985. [ Top ] The Scouting program of today has evolved over the last 87 years to serve urban and rural youth. The council supports the National and World Jamborees and sends contingents to the various high adventure camps.  Bartlesville youth have been participating in these Jamborees, from the first World Jamboree in 1920 and first National Jamboree in 1937 to the present day. The council has seen a steady growth during the 1990's, and their historical "family values" orientation has come into vogue again. With the expansion of the Explorer Scout program as a co-educational program for youth fourteen and over, all youth can participate in the Scouting adventure. Another addition to Scouting in Bartlesville was the introduction of the Learning For Life program in 1993. This program is used to bring values oriented curriculum into the schools, which is based on Scouting principles. It includes information from kindergarten through the 12th grade for both boys and girls. The focus is on values for the lower grades, personal strengths for mid-high, and resumes and career exposure for the upper grades. In 1995, the Cherokee Area Council celebrated it's 75th Anniversary with a number of events.  Bartlesville can be proud of the role that it has played in the development of the Boy Scouts of America. Contributions by the various people from Bartlesville have helped shape the B.S.A. program in a significant way.  The following is a listing of the active (as of 1995) Bartlesville Scouting units (with five of the units still active that were formed over seventy-five years ago):  Cub Scout Packs Pack 3 Fisrt Presbyterian Pack 32 First Wesleyan Church Pack 108 Hoover PTO Pack 5 St. John Catholic Church Pack 43 LDS Church Pack 110 LDS Church Pack 8 Salvation Army Pack 82 Westside Community Center Pack 114 Oak Park United Methodist Church Pack 11 Kane Elementary School Pack 101 LDS Church Pack 121 East Cross United Methodist Church Pack 15 Ranch Heights Elementary School (Limestone Lions) Pack 104 Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church Pack 150 Wayside Elementary School (Limestone Lions) [ Top ] Boy Scout Troops Troop 1 First Christian Church Troop 12 Tuxedo Lions Troop 101 LDS Church Troop 2 First United Methodist Church Troop 23 Disciples Christian Church Troop 104 Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church Troop 3 First Presbyterian Church Troop 27 ARC Workshop Troop 110 LDS Church Troop 5 St. John Catholic Church Troop 32 First Wesleyan Church Troop 114 Oak Park Methodist Church Troop 6 American Legion Troop 82 Bartlesville Boy's Club Troop 111 LDS Church Troop 11 First Baptist Church Explorer Posts Post 3 High Adventure  First Presbyterian Church Post 44 Music Post 317 Computers Post 7 Science Post 104 High Adventure Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church Post 558 Social Services Post 14 Youth Court Post 110 High Adventure LDS Church Post 650  Middle Ages Post 43 SPCA Post 117 Law Enforcement Post 911 Medical