Scouting in Michigan

Scouting in Michigan has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

Merritt Lamb was the 13th Eagle Scout in the nation, and the first person in Michigan to receive the Bronze Cross for Lifesaving.

[3] In 1929, a group of 8 Eagle Scouts including Gerald R. Ford participate in the first Mackinac Island Honor Guard.

In 1933, the National Order of the Arrow Lodge Meeting was held at the Owasippe Scout Camps outside Whitehall, Michigan.

Starting in 1929, a select group of eight Eagle Scouts from across the state, including young Gerald Ford, to serve as honor guards in Fort Mackinac.

In 1934, as a Civilian Conservation Corps project, Scout Barracks were built just outside the fort walls.

Scouts raise and lower twenty-six flags on the island, serve as guides, and complete volunteer service projects during their stay.

The Mackinac Island Statue of Liberty replica was dedicated in 1950 by the Boy Scouts of America.

International Girl Scouts of the USA gatherings named Senior Roundups were held every three years from 1956 until 1965.

The 1986 National Order of the Arrow Conference was held at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

The 2006 and 2012 National Order of the Arrow conferences (NOACs) were held at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

8,003 Arrowmen from around the country came by plane, train, and bus to participate in the Order's 2006 NOAC; Over 600 people from the state of Michigan were present during the 5 day event.

Due to a population decline in the 2000s, with a corresponding loss in youth members, the Boy Scouts of America decided that Michigan's councils should consolidate to help save costs and raise membership.

Camps: Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana serves girls in Berrien and Cass counties.

Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this dividing serves girls in the Upper Peninsula.