Scouting in New Mexico has had a rich and colorful history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to the Philmont Scout Ranch

Philmont Scout Ranch

Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...

.

Early history (1910–1950)

On May 11, 1941, the Boy Scouts of America honored Major Frederick Russell Burnham

Frederick Russell Burnham

Frederick Russell Burnham, DSO was an American scout and world traveling adventurer known for his service to the British Army in colonial Africa and for teaching woodcraft to Robert Baden-Powell, thus becoming one of the inspirations for the founding of the international Scouting Movement.Burnham...

 on his eightieth birthday, at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. Burnham had only recently returned from Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge

The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona in the United States. The refuge, established in 1939 to protect Desert Bighorn Sheep, is located along of the U.S.-Mexico border, and covers 860,010 acres — larger than the land area of the state...

 which he had dedicated with the Boy Scouts in Arizona

Scouting in Arizona

Scouting in Arizona 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.-The founding of the Boy Scouts in Arizona:...

 after a long campaign to save the Desert Bighorn Sheep

Desert Bighorn Sheep

The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States and in the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson...

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Scouting in New Mexico today

There are five Boy Scouts of America local councils in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

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Conquistador Council

Located in southeast New Mexico, the Conquistador Council office is in Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...

. The Kwahadi Lodge #78 of the Order of the Arrow serves local Arrowmen.

• Chisum Trail District
• El Llano Grande District
• Oil Patch District
• Rio Hondo District

Grand Canyon Council

Grand Canyon Council serves Scouts in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 and New Mexico.

Great Southwest Council

The Great Southwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...

, and provides Scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

 to youth in northern New Mexico, northeast Arizona, Utah south of the Colorado River, and the Durango and Mesa Verde areas of Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

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Great Southwest Council is home to Cimarron, New Mexico

Cimarron, New Mexico

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 917 people, 382 households, and 255 families residing in the village. The population density was 479.5 people per square mile . There were 449 housing units at an average density of 234.8 per square mile...

's Philmont Scout Ranch, the oldest of the national high-adventure bases operated by the Boy Scouts of America

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

.

The Great Southwest Council's summer camp program is based at the Gorham Scout Ranch, located near Chimayo, New Mexico

Chimayo, New Mexico

Chimayo is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties in the U.S. state of New Mexico; the community's name is more correctly pronounced and spelled Chimayó, a name that derives from a Tewa name for a local landmark, the hill of Tsi Mayoh...

 northwest of Pojoaque, New Mexico

Pojoaque, New Mexico

Pojoaque is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,261 at the 2000 census. Pojoaque and Pojoaque Pueblo are neighboring communities...

.

Although the Mesa Verde District of the Great Southwest Council includes San Juan County, Colorado

San Juan County, Colorado

San Juan County is the least populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county name is the Spanish language name for “Saint John”, the name Spanish explorers gave to a river and the mountain range in the area. The county population was 558 at U.S. Census 2000...

, the council no longer owns or operate the Cascade Scout Camp located in the San Juan National Forest

San Juan National Forest

The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in Archuleta, Conjeos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties in western Colorado. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande...

, north of Durango, Colorado

Durango, Colorado

The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...

, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

• Anasazi District
• El Valle Manzano District
• Encantado District
• Mesa Verde District
• Northern New Mexico District
• Sandia District
• Santa Fe District
• Zuni Mountain District

South Plains Council

South Plains Council serves Scouts in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 and New Mexico.

Yucca Council

Yucca Council serves Scouts in Texas and New Mexico.

Girl Scouting in New Mexico

Three Girl Scout Councils serve New Mexico.

Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine Council

See Scouting in Arizona

Scouting in Arizona

Scouting in Arizona 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.-The founding of the Boy Scouts in Arizona:...

. Serves, in northwestern New Mexico, girls in the Navajo Nation

Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...

.

Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 

Website: http://www.girlscoutsaz.org

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails

Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails serves some 5,000 girls in 23 counties in northern and central New Mexico.

It was formed in November 2007 by the merger of the two previous councils of Sangre de Cristo and Chaparral.

Headquarters: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...

Website: http://www.nmgirlscouts.org/

Camps

• Camp Elliott Barker located near Angel Fire, NM
• Rancho del Chaparral located in the Jemez Mountains

Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest – Southern New Mexico & West Texas

Formed from the May 1, 2009 merger of Zia, Permian Basin and Rio Grande Councils.

Headquarters: El Paso, TX

Website:

Service Centers in New Mexico

• Deming, NM
• Artesia, NM
• Las Cruces, NM
• Silver City, NM

Camps in New Mexico

• Camp Pioneer

Scouting museums in New Mexico

The Scouting Museum of New Mexico, run by Dennis Downing at 400 South First Street in Raton, New Mexico

Raton, New Mexico

Raton is a city in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city is located just south of Raton Pass.-Name:...

, is open daily from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm from June through August, and by appointment from September through May. Privately owned at a private facility, displays include Wood Badge

Wood Badge

Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...

, Philmont, Order of the Arrow

Order of the Arrow

The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America . It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the...

, National Jamboree, international Scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

, Scout books and magazines, videos, reference library, and also rotates loaned exhibits, in the summers only. Admission is free.

External links

• http://www.conquistador-bsa.org
• http://www.gswcbsa.org