On My Honor: A History of Boy Scouting
Scouting in the Kansas City area is a story of over 80 years of service, achievement, and adventure. Kansas City’s first scout council was formed in 1910, shortly after Chicago publisher William Boyce brought the scouting idea to the United States from England. As in many U.S. cities, the YMCA was instrumental in bringing scouting to area youth. In an age of rapid modernization and change, scouting offered young boys an opportunity to learn about their natural surroundings and how to become model citizens. During the fall of 1910, 15 troops organized a reported 1800 Boy Scouts in the Kansas City area.
The Kansas City council quickly distinguished itself by holding the first indoor Scout Rally in 1912 at the Old Convention Hall. This showcase of Scout skill and craft — the first known of its kind — involved 500 boys and 18 scout troops. The Scout “Round-Up” became an annual event in Kansas City for many years and served as a model for other councils.
The 1930s ushered in new leadership and changes that continue to shape the movement today. H. Roe Bartle was appointed Kansas City Scout Executive in 1928. His enthusiastic leadership attracted large numbers of youth to the Scouting movement, while his creative and somewhat mysterious Tribe of Mic-O-Say enhanced the camping program for experienced Scouts. Based on Native American lore, Bartle devised a program to develop a Scout’s courage, friendship, and honor that would earn him the Tribe’s highly-coveted Eagle claw. Bartle and subsequent Scout leaders have expanded and revised the Mic-O-Say traditions to accommodate growth, and the changing needs and interests of generations of local Boy Scouts.
Today, Kansas City Scouts, under the Heart of America Council, continue the leadership tradition of its early pioneers. The 51,000-strong Heart of America Council, continue the leadership tradition of its early pioneers. The 51,000-strong Heart of America Council remains a national leader, particularly in the area of camping and Eagle Scout awards. The Council recently awarded 700 Eagle Scout badges, twice the national average. Scouts in Johnson County are members of the Santa Fe Trail District, which ranks third in the nation with over 12,000 registered Scouts.
--ALBUM vol. 12, no. 1 (winter 1999)