Scouting in Arkansas has a long history, from 1913 to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Since the roof and the original shutters and windows were replaced in 1953, the Hut is precluded from being listed on the National Register under Criterion C. However, it is listed under Criterion A as a "property that made a contribution to the major pattern of American history".
[4] The Boy Scout Hut was constructed from 1938 to 1939 as a National Youth Administration (NYA) project.
It is an example of the typical type of buildings constructed by the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and NYA during the Great Depression.
[4] Aubrey Williams, Executive Director of the National Youth Administration, stated in a press release on 24 September 1937: City Recreation Departments, children's agencies, YMCA's, YWCA's, Settlement Houses, institutions for the blind, public schools, orphanages, hospitals for handicapped and crippled children, Boy's clubs, Boy Scouts, community centers and churches were reported as cooperating agencies in supervising the students and providing facilities for increased recreational programs to all young people in the community.
The Caddo Area Council serves youth in ten counties in southwest Arkansas and northeast Texas.
It was founded on February 22, 1916, to oversee the many Boy Scout troops already present in Memphis, Tennessee.
The De Soto Area Council serves youth in eleven counties in southeastern Arkansas.
The lodge's headquarters is located in El Dorado and was founded in 1948, the same year the Order of the Arrow became officially integrated into the national camping program of the Boy Scouts of America.
These mergers enlarged the Quapaw Area Council from seventeen counties to thirty-nine.
The Natural State Council will be officially formed on December 1, 2023. https://www.quapawbsa.org/merger The council serves over 18,000 youth and 3,600 adults in thirty-nine counties divided into nine districts, and approximately 100 boys become Eagle Scouts each year.
[8] Currently the Quapaw Area Council owns and operates the Gus Blass Scout Reservation,[12] west of Damascus.
This early facility was limited, so between 1930 and 1931, fifty-five additional acres were purchased, and a mess hall was constructed.
The numbers of scouts attending camp increased, which led to overuse of the facilities.
[16] The Westark Area Council currently serves over 6,500 youth in seventeen counties in northwestern Arkansas.
[18] The Council Scout Service Center is located at 1401 Old Greenwood Road, Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72901 and was built in 1963.
[18] In 2003, the council began a Youth Diversion Program that provides an alternative to the formal court proceedings for first-time offenders and gives a second chance to those young adults who are willing to accept responsibility and move forward.
It now has five chapters: Butterfield Trail, Magazine Mountain, Ozark, Razorback and Cornerstone.
It is located south of Harrison, and is the only Boy Scout Camp situated within a National Park.
Camp ORR High Adventure Base located in Jasper Ar off of the Buffalo National River.
It is now a National Historic District as the only surviving Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed Girl Scout camp.