Pack 401 is a dedicated member of the Helotes comminuty and is commited to helping culitvate young minds though activities, mentorship, and teamwork all while having fun! Some Scouting history…
• At the age of 53, Robert Baden-Powell formed the Boy Scouts movement in England in 1908.
• After receiving help from a Boy Scout in England, W.D. Boyce, an American, was instrumental in forming the Boy
Scouts of America (BSA) in 1910.
• The first Boy Scout patrol was formed in San Antonio on October 7, 1910.
• Arthur Eldred of New York received the first Eagle Scout award in 1912 and only a few weeks later he helped save a fellow scout from drowning and was awarded the Honors Medal.
• On May 24, 1912 The Alamo Council, Boy Scouts of America was formed.
• Boys’ Life became the official BSA publication in 1912.
• Boy Scouts served as crowd control at the 1913 inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson.
• The first Scout Sunday was celebrated in 1914.
• In 1929 the name Alamo Area Council, Incorporated, Boy Scouts of America was officially recorded by the State of Texas.
• BSA allowed young boys to register in “Cubbing” around 1930. (Previous to this year scouting was limited to boys over the age of 12.)
• Women could register as Den Mothers in 1936. Before this time only men could hold BSA leader positions.
• The first Soapbox Derby was held in 1937.
• On January 8, 1941 the Chief Scout of the World, Robert Baden-Powell, died at the age of 83.
• Packs helped the war effort by selling War Bonds & War Stamps in 1943.
• During the 1940’s Cub Scouts advanced through the ranks of Bobcat (all new members), Wolf (age 9), Bear (age 10), Lion (age 11) and on to Boy Scout (age 12). Dens were run by older scouts called Boy Scout Den Chiefs.
• The first Blue & Gold banquet was introduced in 1943. The banquet commemorates the “birthday” of scouting, as it was founded in the month of February. Banquets are held throughout the US during this month.
• In 1945 “Cubbing” was changed to “Cub Scouting”.
• The US post office sold the first Boy Scout stamp for 3 cents in 1950.
• The first Pinewood Derby was held in 1953 in California.
• In 1961, Pack 401 was formed and chartered by the Lions Club of Helotes and they held meetings at the Lions building. There were 16 boys registered. Charley Davis was the first Cubmaster. There were 3 adult male committee members and 4 Den Mothers.
• In 1962, Helotes Elementary Parent Teacher Association became the chartered organization sponsoring Pack 401 and they held meetings at the school. There were 28 scouts registered.
• The cost to register a scout with an area BSA council in 1963 was only 50 cents/year--today the cost is $15/year. Boys’ Life cost $1.50/year—today it is $12/year.
• In 1967 the Lion rank was discontinued for the Webelos rank.
• Women could register as Cubmasters in 1976.
• Helotes Hill Methodist Church became the new chartered organizational sponsor of Pack 401 in 1979. The Pack now had 20 adult leaders and 37 registered Cub Scouts.
• Tiger Cubs (first graders) are introduced to BSA in 1982.
• In 1986 the Webelos program expanded to two years to include fourth-grade and fifth-grade boys.
• In the year 2000, BSA’s 100 millionth youth was registered.
• As of February 2010, Pack 401 has 39 registered cub scouts and 9 adults. The Pack is chartered by Helotes Hills United Methodist Church. There are more than 28 million Scouts, youth and adults, boys and girls, in 160 countries.
