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© 2005 - 2007, BSA Troop 1131
July Birthdays Mrs. Caruso - 10th James C. - 12th Mrs. Clark - 14th Mr. Traicoff - 17th Mr. M. Caruso - 26th
No Name Newsletters September - 2007 December - 2007
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History of ScoutingThe Boy Scout movement was founded by British Lord Robert Baden-Powell. Scouting's first manual was both written and illustrated by Baden-Powell in 1908. Baden-Powell was a war hero because of his conduct at Mafeking, a strategic holding action during the South African war with the Dutch Boers in 1899. The early American troops took their cues from Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys because there was no semblance of a national movement in the United States. The YMCA men who started most of the early troops saw Boy Scouting merely as a promising adjunct to their programs for boys. Millionaire Chicago publisher William Dickson Boyce became involved in Scouting in 1909. He was visiting London in August of that year. One afternoon, the city was enshrouded in pea-soup fog. Boyce lost his bearings in the murk and was approached by a boy of about 12 carrying a lantern who offered to guide him to the address he was seeking. When Boyce produced a shilling, the boy replied, "No, sir, I am a scout. Scouts do not accept tips for Good Turns." The Unknown Scout took Boyce to British Scout headquarters. From that moment forward, Boyce's interest in Scouting grew. Boyce came home determined to start Boy Scouting in America. He apparently knew nothing of the troops already operating or of the YMCA's promotion of Scouting. On February 8, 1910, Boyce filed incorporation papers for the Boy Scouts of America in the District of Columbia The purpose, he said, "Shall be to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts." Troop 1131 has a proud history, that spans 60 years. We also have a proud history of Eagle Scouts.
History & Information of the City of Dearborn Information gathered from various sources, but mostly from the "Guide 2002" of the Press & Guide Newspapers. Abstract informationCity of Dearborn Area: 24.5 square miles Wayne County History: The county was created in 1796. It initially covered 2 million square miles, including much of Michigan, northern Indiana, northern Ohio and small parts of Illinois and Wisconsin. State of Michigan Area: 58,527 square miles Detailed History of the city of DearbornNative AmericansThe first human inhabitants of the area were Native American tribes. About a dozen tribes lived in southeastern Michigan during the 1600s and 1700s, some only for a short time. All but one tribe were considered part of the Algonquin nation, because their language was derived from a mother Algonquin tongue. The other, the Huron, was considered part of the Iroquois, because its language came from the Iroquois language. The Sauk and the Miami tribes were among the first to settle here. The Sauk were primarily in the Saginaw River Valley. The Miami mostly were in the St. Joseph area. Both had moved on to south by the time the white man began to settle here. The major Native American occupants of Michigan during the 1600s and 1700s were the tribes in the loose federation of the Three Fires – the Potawatomi, Ottawa and Ojibwa, also called the Chippewa. The Ojibwa was and is the most prominent tribe in Michigan. Experts estimate that about 15,000 Native Americans lived in Michigan when the French first arrived in the early 1600s. The Huron, later called Wyandot, was also a major tribe in this area at that time. The Sioux and the Fox ventured through Michigan but never set up a long-term permanent settlement here. The Erie also had dealings in this area. Early settlementThe first permanent European settlement in southeastern Michigan was built by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his soldiers when they landed in 1701 near Cadillac Square in Downtown Detroit. At the time, the area was called New France. Present-day Dearborn, its eastern boundary more than five miles to the west through dense forest, would not be settled for another 85 years. Like Detroit, French were the first Europeans settlers in present-day Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. Land in Dearborn was first farmed in the early 1780s along the Rouge River in the southeastern part of the city. The farms, extending miles into the forested land, were perpendicular to the river. They were nicknamed ribbon farms because on a map, the properties resembled ribbons tied to the river. The agreed-upon year for the first permanent European settlers in present-day Dearborn is 1786, when Pierre Dumais built a home for his family and him near what today is Morningside Street near Dix. In 1795, James Cissne became the first white settler in present-day west Dearborn, starting his farm at the Rouge River and Rotunda Drive. The first local roads were created shortly after, usually along established Indian trails. Dearborn’s main thoroughfare, Michigan Avenue, was laid out along the Sauk-Fox Trail, one of the principal Indian trails. Because the road was a land route to Chicago, it became known as the Chicago Road. It was a main artery of travel in pioneer times. After the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, settlers began arriving in large numbers, coming mostly from northeastern United States and Europe. The first attempt to geographically organize the area was made Jan. 5, 1818, when territorial Gov. Lewis Cass established Springwells Township. It initially had no official western boundary, so it theoretically covered all of Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and points west. The western boundary of Springwells was defined when Gov. Cass made a special proclamation Oct. 23, 1824, officially creating Bucklin Township. The boundaries of Bucklin were Greenfield to approximately Haggerty Road and Van Born to Eight Mile Road. Cass named the township after William Bucklin, supposedly when Bucklin, local justice of the peace, agreed to serve for free if the township were named for him. A gubernatorial act April 12, 1827, again formally organized and laid out Springwells and Bucklin townships and also created Huron, Plymouth, Ecorse, Detroit and Hamtramck townships. Due to growing population, the territorial government Oct. 29, 1829, split Bucklin Township along what is today Inkster Road into Nankin (west) and Pekin (east) townships. Pekin Township was renamed Redford Township March 21, 1833. Eleven days later, the southern half of Redford Township was separated along what is today Joy Road into its own township. Joshua Howard, the first commander of the Detroit Arsenal after it was moved here, proposed naming the township for Major Gen. Henry Dearborn. The suggestion was accepted. Springwells Township experienced the first of many land losses March 31, 1833, when the area north and west of old Baby Creek (Dearborn’s southeastern border) was split off to create Greenfield Township. Detroit subsequently annexed sections of Springwells Township many times over the next 90 years. Springwells regained part of its former area in 1873 when the section of Greenfield Township south of Tireman was returned to Springwells. This is how Tireman became the northern city limit of east Dearborn. On Oct. 23, 1834, Dearborn Township was renamed Bucklin Township. The name was changed back to Dearborn Township March 26, 1836. The village of Dearbornville incorporated in 1838 but reverted to unincorporated status in 1846. Dearborn: village, townshipA key part of Dearborn’s early history is tied to the Detroit Arsenal, built on the north side of Michigan Avenue at Monroe 1833-39. More information on the arsenal can be found in the Landmarks section of the Guide. In Dearborn’s early days, houses were few and mostly far apart. Dearborn was a regular stagecoach stop along the Chicago Road, but travel slackened after the railroad came through in 1837. As more settlers came, the oak and maple trees were cut down and the swamps drained to create farmland. This created a secondary industry in Dearborn as the felled trees were turned into cordwood for the wood-burning locomotives. A railroad woodyard was established here. Dearborn’s oldest industry, brickmaking, resulted in many excavations and quarrying to get the clay for the bricks. The pond southeast of Oakwood Boulevard and the railroad track is a remnant of this excavation. The heart of old Dearborn was along the old Chicago Road near the arsenal, between the Rouge River and the railroad track. Springwells: village, township The early settlement in what is now east Dearborn was in the western section of Springwells Township, so called because of the many springs in the original southeastern part of the township near Fort Wayne. The township’s center of trade possibly was established earlier than the one at Dearbornville, but it was not in present-day Dearborn. Development was slow. Springwells consisted chiefly of large farms. German immigrants settled in the area between Greenfield and Wyoming north of the Chicago Road. St. Alphonsus Catholic Church began as a German school in 1846. The parish formally organized in 1852. Near the intersection of Warren Avenue and Greenfield Road was a small community referred to as the Scotch Settlement, because settlers here were mostly of Scottish or Scotch-Irish descent. Henry Ford (1863-1947), the great industrialist, was born on a farm at Ford Road and Greenfield. A growing communityBetween 1920 and 1930, Springwells experienced massive changes, thanks in part to the building of the Rouge Plant in 1917. Population grew dramatically. Springwells incorporated as a village in 1919 and as a city in 1923. The name was changed to Fordson in late 1925. It was one of the largest growing cities in America during the 1920s. The village of Dearborn greatly expanded its boundaries in 1925 and incorporated as a city in 1927. It was during this decade that most of east Dearborn was built. West Dearborn remained mostly farms and open land. In January 1929, Fordson, Dearborn and part of Dearborn Township merged into present-day Dearborn. Clyde M. Ford, mayor of old Dearborn, was the first mayor of the new city, serving until early 1936. Dearborn developed little during the 1930s and first half of the 1940s, first because of the Depression and then because of World War II. Dearborn – the last half centuryDuring the decade following the end of World War II, west Dearborn experienced the same building boom east Dearborn did in the 1920s. Young families moved in as fast as homes could be built. Overcrowding plagued schools on the west side, just as it did in east Dearborn during the 1920s. No sooner was one school built that another was needed. The expansion of Ford Motor Co. was another big influence. The company donated considerable land throughout the last half of the 1940s and the 1950s to the city for educational or recreational use. Ford Motor Co. did extensive building itself, including its new World Headquarters in 1956. Engineering and research facilities and office buildings mushroomed all over the city. During this time, population in east Dearborn started to decline as neighborhoods and residents got older. Three schools in east Dearborn were closed in the late 1950s. During the 1960s, the population leveled off in west Dearborn and continued its decline in east Dearborn. Population decreased throughout the area in the 1970s, reaching the point where city and educational resources had to be consolidated. Several more schools were closed. At the start of the 1970s, Ford Land Development Corp. began to change the landscape of the area. The Ford Motor Co. subsidiary created a master plan for the development of Ford property in Dearborn, Allen Park and Melvindale. Among the first projects completed were Fairlane Town Center, the Hyatt Regency and the Parklane Towers. Every aspect of public life was considered in designing the community. The project includes commercial, business, recreational and residential properties. Elements of the master plan changed as the economy changed, but the original goal remained the same. Today, most of the former Ford land is developed. In the 1990s, Dearborn’s Middle Eastern population started to play a major role in the community, particularly in east Dearborn. Business districts that in the 1970s suffered from decay and neglect began to thrive. Warren Avenue underwent a renaissance. Increasing population in the city’s east end required the building of one new school and replacement of two aging buildings. By the end of the decade, the school district suffered – and still is – from overcrowded conditions throughout the city. Dearborn – Dateline History1603: French lay claim to unidentified territory in this region, naming it new France. 2006: Michael Guido dies at the age of 52 during his 6th term, the only mayor to die in office. 2006:John B. O'Reilly, Jr. is to become temporary Mayor. O'Reilly's father, was the mayor who had preceeded Mayor Guido.
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For additional information on Troop 1131's website policy click here. Disclaimer: Every attempt is made to provide accurate and up to date information for scouts,scouters, families, and the interested public about scouting activities. The Scouts and Leaders of Troop 1131 make no warranties, express or implied, or assume any responsibility for the accuracy,completeness, reliability or usefulness of any of the information contained herein. Suggestions, recommendations,or additional comments should be directed to webmaster. Some of the links on this site which refer to unofficial resources are provided for information purposes and are not endorsed by the Detroit Area Council or Boy Scouts of America or Boy Scout Troop 1131. In some cases, the information provided may be out of date, misleading or incorrect. |
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