Scouting in Mississippi 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)
In 1909, Dr. Cran, the Local Episcopal Minister, and Mr. C.H. Hamilton organized Troop 19 in Brookhaven, Mississippi. In 1910, the unit was officially recognized by the local scout office in Vicksburg. Troop 19 became Troop 119 after the Andrew Jackson Council was formed. It was sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church until 1938/39 when it was then sponsored by "The Men's Bible Class" First United Methodist church where it has remained. The Troop has been continuously chartered since 1910 and is as old as the incorporated Boy Scouts of America.[citation needed]
In 1912, one year after the Boy Scout movement came from England to the United States, George F. Maynard, Sr. founded the first troop in Tupelo — Troop 1. Scout units were soon founded in other cities such as Picayune, Corinth and Oxford.[citation needed]
The Chickasaw Council serves Scouts in Tennessee and Arkansas, as well as Mississippi. The Delta Area Council of west Mississippi and their Koi Hatachie lodge 345, Order of the Arrow, merged into Chickasaw Council in the early 1990s.
The Choctaw Area Council serves youth in east Mississippi and west Alabama, with the council office located in Meridian, Mississippi. The Choctaw Area Council camp is Camp Binachi, and the council's name refers to the Choctaw nation.
Pushmataha Area Council serves Calhoun, Chickasaw, Monroe, Webster, Oktibbeha, Clay, Lowndes, Winston, Choctaw and Noxubee counties in north Mississippi. Camp Seminole is the Pushmataha Area Council camp. Pushmataha Area Council merged and is now part of Natchez Trace Council.
The Southeast Louisiana Council serves Scouting in Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemine, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles, Saint James, Saint Tammany, and Terrebonne Parishes in Louisiana. The 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) camp property known as Salmen Scout Reservation is located in Kiln, Mississippi.
The Yocona Area Council of northeast Mississippi is headquartered in Tupelo. It serves Alcorn, Tishomingo, Prentiss, Itawamba, Lee, Pontotoc, Tippah, Union, Benton, Marshall, Lafayette, and Yalobusha counties. The Chicksa Lodge serves local Arrowmen. Yocona Area Council merged and is now part of Natchez Trace Council.
