History of Girl Scouts
Juliette Gordon Low spent several years searching for something useful to do with her life. Her search ended in 1911, when she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement. Afterwards, she channeled all her considerable energies into the fledgling movement.
Less than a year later, she returned to the United States and made her historic telephone call to a friend (a distant cousin), saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" On March 12, 1912, Juliette Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member. The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts the following year.
In developing the Girl Scout movement in the United States, Juliette brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She encouraged girls to prepare not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional women—in the arts, sciences and business—and for active citizenship outside the home. Girl Scouting welcomed disabled girls at a time when they were excluded from many other activities. This idea seemed quite natural to Juliette, who never let deafness, back problems or cancer keep her from full participation in life.
Today, Girl Scouts of the USA has a membership of nearly four million girls and adults, a significant growth from its modest beginnings nearly a century ago. In fact, more than 50 million women in the U.S. today are Girl Scout alumnae. We invite you to learn about our robust organization and its rich history. From our willingness to tackle important societal issues, to our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness—Girl Scouts is dedicated to every girl, everywhere.
For more information about Girl Scouts of the USA, click here 
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For more information about the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, click here .
History of Girl Scouts of Central Texas
Just ten years after Girl Scouting was introduced in the United States by Juliette Low in Savannah, GA, troops began forming in Austin. In November, 1922, Austin Girl Scout Troop #1 registered 16 members with the National headquarters.
In May of 1926, Austin troops were granted their first council charter and were organized as the Austin Girl Scout Council. In 1936, the first African American Girl Scout troop west of the Mississippi was formed in the Austin based council. The Austin Council underwent several name and location changes but eventually became the Girl Scouts-Lone Star Council with its main office in north Austin.
In 1937, shortly following the formation of the Austin Council, the San Angelo Council was chartered. It was later renamed the Frontier Girl Scout Council as more communities were added. By 1960 the council had grown to include many outlying areas and was renamed the El Camino Council.
Girl Scouting continued to grow in Texas as the North Central Texas Area Council formed in 1947 with 900 registered girls. In 1962, the Bryan-College Station Area Council joined the North Central Texas Area Council to form the Bluebonnet Council.
Meanwhile Girl Scouting was taking hold in the western part of Central Texas. The Heart of Texas Girl Scout Area Council took their first meeting minutes in 1949, even before their official incorporation. As of 1949, the council was serving over 2,000 girls. Finally, under executive director Nell Cox, the Heart of Texas Girl Scout Area Council was incorporated in 1951 to serve 15 counties.
Meeting space and camp grounds are important to Girl Scouting. For nearly 70 years the councils of Central Texas have been working hard to ensure that Girl Scouts have the space they need to be, well, girls. Among the council’s 31 properties, we boast three residential camps.
- Camp Texlake, 455 acres on Lake Travis assigned to the Lone Star Council by the Lower Colorado River Authority, was dedicated on July 17, 1949. That summer nearly 400 girls attended camp.
- Camp Wood Lake, located on the shores of Lake Brownwood, was first established in 1955. On June 10, 1956 the camp was officially dedicated.
- Camp Kachina, 248 acres on beautiful Lake Belton, was purchased in 1957. The camp was officially dedicated in 1960, the same year it first welcomed summer campers.
Today these four councils, Bluebonnet, El Camino, Heart of Texas and Lone Star, and all of their properties make up Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX). Headquartered out of the Kodosky Program Center in Austin, Texas, the council serves more than 20,000 girls and 12,000 adult volunteers in 46 counties.
