Girl Scout Records in UNLV Libraries, by Angela Moor

Girl Scouts at Camp Foxtail, Nevada, 1994. Frontier Girl Scouts Records, 1944-1999. MS-00421. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

March is Women's History Month—a perfect time to recognize Girl Scouts, an organization for young women dedicated to making the world a better place.  National Girl Scout Day is also in March— it's celebrated March 12 to commemorate the first Girl Scout Troop meeting, which was held in Georgia on that day in 1912. Troops selling cookies aren’t the only presence of Girl Scouts on campus—UNLV Libraries Special Collections holds over 40 feet of Frontier Girl Scouts Records, documenting the history of girl scouting in Southern Nevada from 1944 to 1999. The majority of the records and photographs are from the 1990s and illustrate the experiences of local young women in the organization.

Girl Scouts canoeing, 1994. Frontier Girl Scouts Records, 1944-1999. MS-00421. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Girl scouting in Southern Nevada began in the 1930s.  Boulder City, Henderson, and Las Vegas all had troops by the 1940s.  In 1950 the Frontier Area Girl Scouts Council incorporated.  They revised their name slightly, calling themselves the Frontier Girl Scouts Council (FGSC) in 1976.  The FGSC acquired land near Lee Canyon for a camp in 1949.  Local community groups helped build cabins and other structures at the site, and Camp Foxtail went into full operation in 1954.  Later the FGSC also developed Camp Calico campground in the Red Rock Recreation Area.

Girl Scouts in uniform, 1994. Frontier Girl Scouts Records, 1944-1999. MS-00421. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Frontier Girl Scout Records held at UNLV Libraries Special Collections include meeting minutes, agendas, and financial records of the FGSC and provide a detailed history of the infrastructure and development of the organization.  Other materials offer a look at the way that girls experienced scouting in the 1990s.  Program planning materials and evaluations show what kind of events the FGSC sponsored.  The organization’s interest in the environment and nature is evident in the records.  The FGSC organized a Wider Opportunity in 1993 titled “Our Vanishing Desert” and educated scouts from across the nation about important environmental issues.  Other nature-oriented FGSC events included Earth Day celebrations, learning about nature and animals, and canoeing.

Frontier Girl Scout Council Nature Friends badge, undated. Frontier Girl Scouts Records, 1944-1999. MS-00421. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Girl Scouts provide an excellent opportunity for girls to develop leadership skills, build friendships, and experience new activities.  These records shows how the Frontier Girl Scouts Council of the Las Vegas area developed into an important part of the local community during the second half of the twentieth century.

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