The Start
The Boy Scouts of America has enjoyed a long and successful history in the San Diego area. When Miss Kate Sessions, the horticulturalist, was planting seedlings in the early 1900's, Americans were getting their first look at Scouting.
Word was spreading about a unique and special program for boys that mixed camping with strong ethical values and patriotism. In 1910, local citizens, excited by this new Scouting program, organized and founded San Diego's first troop!
By 1920, San Diego's Boy Scout membership had risen to several hundred youth. That year, the Santa Fe Railroad invited the Scout Council to establish its first headquarters and camp in the Pan-American Exposition "Indian Village" at Balboa Park. The Council called the Indian Village home until the 1940's, when headquarters moved to the Orpheum Building to make way for World War II military training facilities.
The Return to
Balboa Park
By 1920, San Diego's Boy Scout membership had risen to several hundred youth. That year, the Santa Fe Railroad invited the Scout Council to establish its first headquarters and camp in the Pan-American Exposition "Indian Village" at Balboa Park. The Council called the Indian Village home until the 1940's, when headquarters moved to the Orpheum Building to make way for World War II military training facilities.
In 1948, the Boy Scouts returned to Balboa Park, where 15 acres were set aside for "Camp Balboa." The Boy Scouts have operated and maintained Camp Balboa for 76 years, providing year-round outdoor opportunities for youth groups in our community and training facilities for volunteer leaders.
Today!
Today, the San Diego-Imperial Council is fulfilling the vision of our founders. Encompassing San Diego and Imperial Counties (over 7,500 square miles), serving over 6,000 youth in 350 units, supported by over 4,000 registered and trained adult volunteers. Scouting programs reach from the desert and farms of Imperial Valley to the beaches of San Diego County. After a century, the San Diego - Imperial Council is still making a difference in the lives of San Diego's youth. Today's Scouts are Tomorrow's Leaders
