Scouting in Rhode Island
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'''Scouting in Rhode Island''' 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.
==Early history (1910-1950)==
[[Image:RIBS.jpg|thumb|Rhode Island Boy Scouts badge]]
Narragansett Council #546, [[Boy Scouts of America]] has existed since the early 1900s. The '''Rhode Island Boy Scouts''' (RIBS) was a rival organization to the [[Boy Scouts of America]] (BSA) until its merger with BSA. The RIBS still exists as a [[trustee]] organization.
RIBS was founded as a volunteer association on [[September 6]], [[1910]]. RIBS was chartered as a State corporation on April 13th, 1911. Between 1910 and 1917 RIBS managed the majority of [[Rhode Island]] and BSA managed [[Blackstone Valley]], [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] and [[Woonsocket, Rhode Island|Woonsocket]]. In 1917 RIBS merged with the BSA with the BSA granting all members of RIBS back service.
RIBS kept its corporate identity after the merger allowing it to continue receiving bequests, funds, and properties, creating the RIBS trustee organization. The trustee organization exists today and owns most of the properties and camps operated by the Narragansett Council. This excludes [[Camp Cachalot]] which the Council owns outright as a result of a merger with the former [[Scouting in Massachusetts|Moby Dick Council]].
In 1910 the First Providence Troop was organized in Washington Park, Providence, RI. On October 24 1910 the troop was formally recognized by Scout headquarters. Troop meetings were held at the Broad Street School. The first Scoutmaster was Herbert R. Dean, a retired Army general. The first charter listed sixty-four boys.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0105/a-90an.html
| title = 90 Years Old and Counting
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| author = Robert Peterson
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| year = 2001
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| publisher = Boy Scouts of America
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==Scouting in Rhode Island today==
The '''Narragansett Council''' of the [[Boy Scouts of America]], serves all of the state of [[Rhode Island]] and some of [[Massachusetts]] and [[Connecticut]]. Its several camps include [[Camp Yawgoog]] and [[Camp Cachalot]]. The present council was formed as the result of a 2001 merger between the [[Moby Dick Council]] and the Narragansett Council.
===Districts===
Narragansett Council is split into the following districts:
* Cachalot District ''(covers only Massachusetts)''
*:The '''Cachalot District''' is a subdivision of the [[Narragansett Council]] of the [[Boy Scouts of America]].
*:Cachalot Council, named after the [[sperm whale]] (''Physeter macrocephalus''), existed until 1972. It was headquartered in [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]] and served that city and the surrounding communities. Smaller councils began to be consolidated, which led to Cachalot Council merging with the Massasoit Council (see [[Massasoit District]]) to form the [[Moby Dick Council]]. In this new council, the two former councils became districts. Moby Dick Council maintained the *:Cachalot Council's office in [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]]. Massasoit's Camp Noquochoke was sold, and Cachalot's [[Camp Cachalot]] remained with the new council.
*:Cachalot Council's Agawam Lodge 509, [[Order of the Arrow]], merged with Massasoit's Noquochoke Lodge 124 and became Neemat Lodge 124.
*:In 2001, Moby Dick Council merged with Rhode Island's [[Narragansett Council]]. The new council kept the Massasoit and Cachalot district designations, and also continues to operate Camp Cachalot.
** [[Camp Cachalot]]
* Massasoit District ''(covers primarily Massachusetts)'' {{main|Massasoit District}}
* Netop District - covers all of [[Providence, Rhode Island]] and the surrounding metropolitan area.
* Pokanoket District - covers [[Barrington, Rhode Island]] and [[Bristol, Rhode Island]]
* Quequatuck District is a subdivision of the [[Narragansett Council]] of the [[Boy Scouts of America]]. The Quequatuck District serves the following communities:
*:[[Ashaway, Rhode Island]], [[Block Island, Rhode Island]], [[Bradford, Rhode Island]], [[Chariho, Rhode Island]], [[Charlestown, Rhode Island]], [[Davisville, Rhode Island]], [[Exeter, Rhode Island]], [[Hope Valley, Rhode Island]], [[Hopkinton, Rhode Island]], [[Jamestown, Rhode Island]], [[Kingston, Rhode Island]], [[Matunuck, Rhode Island]], [[Misquamicut|Misquamicut, Rhode Island]], [[Narragansett, Rhode Island]], [[North Kingstown, Rhode Island]], [[Pawcatuck, Connecticut]] (the only Connecticut troop in the Narragansett council), [[Peacedale, Rhode Island]], [[Quidnessett, Rhode Island]], [[Richmond, Rhode Island]], [[Saunderstown, Rhode Island]], [[South Kingstown, Rhode Island]], [[Wakefield, Rhode Island]], [[West Kingston, Rhode Island]], [[Westerly, Rhode Island]], and [[Wickford, Rhode Island]]
* The Shawomet District - Covers the West Bay Section (Kent County, Rhode Island). Formerly known as the West Shore District.
* Thunder Valley District - Formerly Thundermist District and Blackstone Valley District before a merger in 2005. The district covers much of northern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
** [[Woonsocket]]
===Girl Scouting in Rhode Island===
There is one Girl Scout council office in Rhode Island.
==See also==
{{portal|Scouting|Scout logo2.svg}}
* [[Roy Williams (Scouting)]]
* [[Camp Yawgoog]]
==External links==
* [http://www.narragansettbsa.org/ Narragansett Council], Boy Scouts of America
* [http://www.gsri.org Girl Scouts of Rhode Island]
==References==
* [http://www.narragansettbsa.org/volunteers/council/docs/History%20of%20the%20Council.pdf History of the Council (PDF) on Narragansett Council (Boy Scouts) webpage]
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[[Category:Scouting in the United States|Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Youth organizations based in Rhode Island]]