Scouting in Kansas has a long history, from the 1910s[citation needed] to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Mrs. Fern E. Sears was the organizer of the first Kansas City, Kansas council of Girl Scouts and author of a book on Christian symbols, "Let Me Speak". She trained Girl Scout leaders and established troops in Kansas City, Kansas in 1948 when the area qualified for a council, called the Santa Fe Trail council. Mrs. Sears was named first president, and was an honorary life president at the time of her death on August 24, 1959.[1]
Heart of America Council serves Scouts in Missouri and Kansas.
Jayhawk Area Council
In 1928 the Topeka Council took over 39 counties across northern Kansas and became the Jayhawk Area Council.
Bison District
Pony Express District
Sojadi District
Sunflower District
Camps
The Jayhawk Area Council operates the 340 acre Falley Scout Reservation, which is divided into Camp Jayhawk (Scouts BSA Summer Camp) and Camp Delaware (Cub Scout Programs).
The Pony Express Council is based in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and also serves Scouts in Kansas.
Quivira Council
Quivira Council serves youth in south central Kansas, with headquarters in Wichita. Kansa Lodge #198, Order of the Arrow serves local Arrowmen. They currently operate two camps: Camp Kanza (Cub Scouts and Webelos), which provides the name for their Lodge; and Quivira Scout Ranch (Scouts BSA and Venturers), at which they host their largest summer camp program each summer, and offer Black Jack Trail, an introduction to backpacking, twice a year.
Santa Fe Trail Council includes nineteen counties in southwestern Kansas, with headquarters in Garden City.[3]
Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch
The Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch (SPSR) is located near Walsenburg, Colorado and borders the Spanish Peaks Wilderness. It is a local council camp of the Santa Fe Trail Council based out of Garden City. The camp gives program geared toward outdoor education such as wilderness backpacking, climbing, and outdoor skills.
Spanish Peaks Staff Association
Spanish Peaks Staff Association (SPSA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting current, former, and honorary staffers of Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch (SPSR). The organization was formed by like-minded staff alumni committed to the continued support of SPSR and the love of outdoor education for youth. Although the Spanish Peaks Staff Association is not an alumni association the members have all worked with this Scout camp and are dedicated toward outdoor education for youth.
Purpose
The Spanish Peaks Staff Association, although still in their infant stages, has adapted the purposes of:
(a) Demonstrating support for Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch and its continued value in the future.
(b) Providing vision and leadership for Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch.
(c) Raising volunteer and financial support for Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch improvement endeavors.
(d) Establishing an endowment that will guarantee the future stability of the SPSR independently of Santa Fe Trail Council operations.
(e) Establishing an endowment that insures continued funding of a full-time ranger at Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch.
(f) Providing a forum for past, present, and future staffers to gather, share ideas, and stay in contact.
Structure
The Spanish Peaks Staff Association (SPSA) is independent of the Santa Fe Trail Council and Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch. They are, however, dedicated to the youth of southwest Kansas and promotion of outdoor education. The organization was chartered in 2006 as a response to a struggling economy and the Santa Fe Trail Council's Board deficit. The lack of the council's ability to secure funds for operating expenses led to SPSA's motivation and primary goal of securing funds separate of the council.
Buffalo Range District
Cimarron District
High Plains District
Girl Scouting in Kansas
Map of Girl Scout Councils in Kansas
There are three Girl Scout councils in Kansas.
Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland
The Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland serves more than 16,000 girls and nearly 5,000 adult volunteers in 80 counties in Kansas.
It was formed by the merger of six councils in 2008:
Camp Four Winds near Leon, Kansas. It has a 13-acre (53,000 m2) lake.
Camp Double E is 8.3 acres (34,000 m2) northwest of Emporia, Kansas
Girl Scouts Missouri Heartland
Girl Scouts of Missouri Heartland is mostly based in Missouri but serves girls in southeastern Kansas (Bourbon, Cherokee, and Crawford counties) and northeastern Oklahoma. See Scouting in Missouri for more information.
Camp Timberlake was 72 acres (290,000 m2) near Stilwell, Kansas, but was sold to private owners in the mid-2010s. It is still used as a scouting camp by reservation with the new owners.
Tongawood Program center is 80 acres (320,000 m2) near Tonganoxie, Kansas
