History

An Amazing Historical Honor for Everett

by Nola Harrison

Everett has the distinction of having the oldest continuous Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi.  As such, it holds the honor of the name Troop 1.

Everett was a booming town in the early 1900s and one man, C.G. Sheldon, had a vision for the young men of the fledgling city.  The principles of Boy Scouting were ones that he wanted to instill in the future generation—those of being Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.

He started with a group of twelve eager boys in February 1914.  Soon the enthusiasm grew and by 1926, there were an additional 25 troops in the area. Historian William Whitfield wrote in 1926 “The self-training which these boys are receiving in good citizenship and helpfulness has become recognized as one of the powerful factors making for the future welfare of the county.”

Over the years, Troop 1 has continued to produce leaders of our community.  They range from presidents of companies, civic leaders, business owners [to] executives.  They lead charitable organizations, such as Housing Hope, donate monies to help others, and are vital in actively leading the next generation.

Today Troop 1 still holds strong, with a core group of loyal scouts meeting weekly at “The Scout Shack”, an old World War II building that had originally been a military bunkhouse....  Current Scoutmaster Wade Wessels continues to encourage in these scouts the same values that Scoutmaster C.G. Sheldon held for the scouts of 1914.



A brief history of Scouting.



A timeline of significant events in Scouting's history.