A little Oklahoma Scouting history
In 1907, while Oklahoma was becoming the 46th state, Robert Baden-Powell was organizing the Boy Scouts in Great Britain.
Two years later, according to The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture online at www.okhistory.org/publications/ encyclopediaonline.php, a British import, The Rev. John Mitchell, formed the state’s first Boy Scout troop in Pawhuska under the British charter.
In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated and by 1931 “Oklahoma had approximately 600 Boy Scout troops including 23 African American troops and one Hispanic troop...”
On Oct. 10, 1932, an item in The Oklahoman announced that the “First Boy Scout Mounted Troop Is Organized.”
Boy scouts who have a sea scout unit and a lot of land troops in Oklahoma City, have added a mounted troop to their list, with formation of such a group in Nichols Hills with N. D. Woods as scoutmaster.
There are 15 boys in the organization, which meets every Tuesday night. A clubhouse for the youngsters will be built next week.
The mounted scouts are the first of their kind in the city and probably the state, Jack J. Keith, scout executive said. With cavalry mounts and horses in private stables available at Nichols Hills, the lads will spend several hours weekly receiving instruction in riding after arrangements are completed by John Coyle and Murray Gibbons, members of the troop committee.
When the boys become proficient in cavalry formations, it is planned to have them ride in parades and on other such occasions where they may display this branch of scouting.
Eight days later, on Oct. 18, 1932, this article appeared in The Oklahoman to set the record straight:
Boys from fashionable homes in restricted Nichols Hills are just 20 years too late to have the “first” mounted boy scout troop in the city, according to Leonard H. Houghton, life insurance company secretary.
Way back in 1912 when there weren’t so many pretentious homes in the city and Seventh street and Hudson avenue was on the edge of a wilderness of blackjack trees north of the city, Houghton and others pioneered the way with a mounted patrol.
The “Ram Patrol,” as the group was known, existed several years, until the boys out grew their uniforms and turned elsewhere to occupy their leisure time.
The name was derived from the fact W. T. Hales, capitalist, gave them a “man-killing” goat. Houghton said the chief diversion of the boy scouts from the mounted standpoint, was to get on their horses, release the goat, and lasso it every time the unfortunate animal came within range.
Most of the boys who were members of the Ram patrol still live in Oklahoma City. Ledru Guthrie was patrol leader, a job which was passed around for all the boys were eager to be head horseman. Others in the troop of mounted scouts were Herbert Swartz, Jim McCormack, Frank Lupe, Roy Fisher, Keene C. Burwell, Glenn C. Coates and Joe Huckins III, alternate member of the eight-boy patrol.
The boys owned their ponies and unlike the modern youngsters who are riding on English saddles, had typical western cowboy saddles and wore lots of leather. In fact, cowboy uniform was preferred over the scout uniform, Houghton said.
More than 100 years later, Scouting still flourishes in Oklahoma, with programs for boys ages 7 to 20. The Boy Scouts also allow girls 14-20 to participate in the Venturing, Exploring and Sea Scouts programs.