Our History
Over 100 years of preparing young people to be leaders
History of Scouting in the Twin Cities Area
In February of 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was founded in Washington, D.C. Only a few months later, two separate groups met to establish Boy Scout councils in Minnesota: one in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul.
After an experimental Scout Camp organized by the St. Paul YMCA during the summer of 1910, the Y's camping director held a planning meeting in September (delayed until the State Fair was concluded) and the St. Paul Council was formally organized on October 1, 1910. The luncheon meeting was keynoted by British businessman C. F. Proctor, who happened to be a friend of our first St. Paul council president, Jesse Gregg. Proctor was actively engaged with Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scout movement in England.
That evening, Proctor spoke to Minneapolis businessmen who agreed to meet and organize the Hennepin Council on October 15, 1910. St. Paul served as the headquarters of the Northwest Organizer of the BSA for several months in 1911.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid supporter of the Scouting movement and Honorary President of the National Council, spoke at the council's first general meeting in 1911. Sir Robert Baden-Powell presented a lecture to the Twin Cities Scouting community at the Minneapolis Auditorium in early 1912. Other early visiting dignitaries included Ernest Thompson Seton, James E. West, Admiral Byrd, and President Taft.
Over the next ninety years, both councils expanded in territory and membership, including merging with two smaller councils. By 1960, the St. Paul Council had increased in size nine times, acquiring counties east of St. Paul into western Wisconsin. In 1954, the council chose a new name to better reflect all of its membership: the Indianhead Council. During the same period, the Hennepin Council expanded westward to the South Dakota border and changed its name to the Viking Council.
The Birth of Northern Star Council
On July 1, 2005, the Viking and Indianhead Councils merged to form today's Northern Star Council, one of the largest in the country. The council includes communities reaching from the North Dakota border on the west to the communities of Ellsworth and Roberts, Wisconsin, on the east. The council's headquarters is at their Base Camp facility in Fort Snelling, MN with additional Scout Shops in the northern and western suburbs.
In 2010, the council began its year-long Centennial celebration which included special events (Adventure Base 100 and StarCamp), placement of six McKenzie Boy Scout bronze statues in council communities, publication of a centennial history book, and participation in the BSA's Centennial Jamboree at Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia. The centennial year culminated with the 100th Annual Meeting/Anniversary and Grand Opening/Dedication of Base Camp on October 1-2.
Centennial History Book
“Honor Bright: A Century of Scouting in Northern Star Council” chronicles the council's first century and features full-color pages filled with remarkable local Scouting photos, stories, and images. It received three awards and has been a popular gift for Eagle Scout Courts of Honor and volunteer leader recognitions. Copies are available at both Scout Service Centers, online, and at various retail locations including Barnes and Noble, Red Balloon Bookshop, The North Star Scouting Museum and the Minnesota History Museum Gift Shop.
History of Scouting In North-Eastern MinnesotA
In April of 1918, a council was organized with 200 Scouts and eight troops, initially named the Duluth Council. Clarence W. Hadden, who served as the Assistant Scout Executive in Minneapolis, became the Duluth Council's first Scout Executive in September of 1918. In 1928, the Duluth Council would become the North Star Council with the addition of Pine, Kanabec, Carlton, Cook, and Lake Counties to its territory.
Another Scout Executive would enter the picture in 1936, hailing from Saint Anthony Park, near Saint Paul. Harry Bartelt would accomplish where many had tried and failed in 1947—putting the Scout Oath to music. “On My Honor” would go down in history as one of the most well-known Scout songs in the world. He wrote it sitting at his piano in Duluth. He served the North Star Council for twenty years.
Over the next fifty years, the North Star Council would undergo two additional name changes as they merged with other territories, finally ending with the name of Voyageurs Area Council in 1994.
In 2024, Northern Star Scouting assumed responsibility for a five-county territory from the Voyageur’s Area Council that includes Pine, Carlton, Saint Louis, Lake, and Cook counties, bringing its history full-circle as it merges with . Scouters from the metro founded the initial territory, and now they’ve merged once more, offering a chance to strengthen Scouting in the metro and north country alike.