Daniel Carter Beard: Youth Groups


Figure 1.--Here we see Daniel Carter Beard in a publicity photo with two Boy Scouts. The caption read, "Famous pioneer tells 'em how: 'Dan Beard' 80 year-old National Scout Commissioner, in his trophy filled room at Suffern, N.Y. , telling two New York Boy Sciuts of the great pioneers of days gone by who were tge forerunners of the oresent day Scouts. The Scout organization celebrate their 21st birthday this February." The photograph was taken in Suffern, N.Y., January 22, 1931.

Daniel Carter Beard became interested in work with boys. He was a strong proponent of youth groups, especially those that got the boys involved in healthy outdoor activities and promoted patriotism. His focus was on pioneers and pioneering, incontrast to his colleague and rival Ernest Thompson Seaton. He was involved in several different youth groups. The most important was the Boy Scouts. He was given the title of National Scout Commissioner. Bear was full of ideas and his destinctive look made him an important public face of Scouting. He had less interest in the building the organization--the Boy Scout Association.

The Society of the Sons of Daniel Boone

Beard founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905 even before Lord Baden Powell founded the English Boy Scouts. He desired to keep alive the spirit of the pioneers. His group was formerly called "The Society of the Sons of Daniel Boone". This group grew to become the largest pre-Scout boy's club in America. It developed into "The Boy Pioneers" in 1905. His writings on the group appeared in Recreation magazine for which he was an Editor. The boys were encouraged to keep an old unloaded gun as part of their fort. A fort was a brandh of the club. The forts would keep records of their good deeds in protecting forests and wildlife by cutting notches in their gun stocks. The boys chanted: "Cut a notch, cut a notch, cut a notch soon, for we are the Sons of Daniel Boone." The Pioneers were eventually merged into the Boy Scouts of America

Boy Scouts

Beard played an important part in the early American Boy Scout movement. He was a recognized woodsman, illustrator, and naturalist and thus was a valuable contributor to the fledgling movement. Beard was in many ways the pioneering spirit of the BSA. Although he was 60 years old when the BSA was founded, he quickly embraced the Scouting movement. He merged his own Sons of Daniel Boone with the BSA. The Scouts that knew him called him "Uncle Dan". He stood out from the crowd due to his snow-white moustache and goatee and buckskins that he wore. He was appointed the BSA's first National Commissioner and Chairman of the Court of Honor. He received the only gold Eagle badge ever awarded and the Roosevelt gold medal for distinguished service

Camp Fire

Beard's sister Lina was a founder of the Camp Fire Girls. He became the president of the Camp Fire Club.






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Created: 2:03 AM 9/18/2008
Last updated: 2:03 AM 9/18/2008