Northern Star Council is a Boy Scout Council headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The council was formerly the Viking Council and Indianhead Council until the two councils merged on July 1, 2005. The council serves communities across central Minnesota and western Wisconsin, encompassing 25 counties.
History
The Viking Council was founded on October 15, 1910, as the Minneapolis Council. In 1952, the name was changed to Viking Council. At the time of the merger with Indianhead Council, the geography of the Viking Council spanned from Minneapolis to the South Dakota border. Other camps from the Viking Council included Stearns Scout Camp in Fair Haven Township, Minnesota and Rum River Scout Camp in Anoka, Minnesota. A history of patches used by the Viking Council and Minneapolis Council is available at the Viking Council Patch Archive.
The Indianhead Council was founded on October 1, 1910, as the St. Paul Council. In 1954, the name was changed to Indianhead Council. The Indianhead Council was headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and included Ramsey, Dakota County, and Washington Counties in Minnesota, and four counties Wisconsin. Its name came from the shape of the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, which is said to resemble that of the head of an Indian. Facilities included an office building in Saint Paul, Tomahawk Scout Camp near Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Phillipo Scout Camp near Cannon Falls, Minnesota, Fred C. Andersen Scout Camp near Hudson, Wisconsin, and Kiwanis Scout Camp near Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota.
A flowchart of the history of these councils is depicted below:
Organization
Northern Star Council is divided into districts to better administer Scouting within geographic, specialty and cultural communities.
Geographic
Neighboring councils
The following councils neighbor Northern Star Council.
Camps
Northern Star Council is currently home to eight camps.
Tomahawk Scout Camp
Tomahawk Scout Camp is located near Rice Lake, Wisconsin. It sits on the shores of Long Lake, on which the camp owns several miles of shoreline. The camp encompasses approximately , and is the largest camp operated by Northern Star Council.
Tomahawk is made up of four sub-camps: Chippewa, Sioux, White Pine, and Arrow of Light.
History
Tomahawk began with Indianhead Council purchasing of land on February 14, 1953, from businessman Aksel Nielsen.
Many Point Scout Camp
Many Point Scout Camp is a Boy Scout summer camp located along Many Point Lake on the White Earth Indian Reservation near the township of Ponsford in Becker County, Minnesota. The camp is currently the second largest Scout camp operated by the Northern Star Council, is composed of approximately , and borders the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. Many Point is further divided into six sub-camps which serve troops, Venturing crews and families.
History
The first occupants of Many Point Lake and its surroundings were Native Americans of the Ojibwa tribe, who gave the lake its name for its many peninsulas. In the 19th century, the lake and woods which surrounded it were occupied by French fur traders and loggers, who harvested the abundant natural resources.
Many Point Scout Camp was founded in 1946 by Wint Hartman, the first camping director for the camp, and Boots Hanson, the first camp ranger. Wint's initial idea for the camp was that Scouts would come with their troops and be guided by principles such as leave no trace. This was a new idea for the BSA, as up until this time Scouts went to camp by themselves, and camps were much more para-military. Many Point Scout Camp was the first BSA camp to accommodate troops instead of just individual Scouts.
During the winter of 1946–1947, Boots Hanson lived alone on land purchased from the Many Point Gun and Rod club, what is today the Buckskin sub-camp. He spent the winter readying the land for Scouts. In the spring, when Wint Hartman drove up from the cities wondering if camp would be ready, he saw a red lantern hanging in Hanson's window, a sign that camp was ready. To this day, a red lantern is one of the symbols for Many Point. During the summer, lit red lanterns are hung outside of each sub-camp's lodge, as a sign that the camp is there for the Scouts. In the winter, red lanterns are placed in the windows of the rangers' homes.
As time went on and more land was obtained, new sub-camps were opened and additions were made to the camp. Today it is made up of a main administration area, three program camps for troop camping, a high adventure base, a camp with no staff or program for troops who wish to run their own program, as well as a camp for families.