At next week’s National Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn., the BSA will announce revisions to the current Cub Scouting program. (You can read more about these changes in this post, and Bryan will have more live updates next week from Nashville.) Until then, let’s take a look back at how “Cubbing” first began.
The national executive board first proposed a program designed specifically for younger boys in 1927. But it wasn’t until 1930 that the BSA began offering limited resources for this program. (Check out this announcement in the March 1930 issue of Scouting magazine.) In 1933, Cubbing — as it was known at the time — was fully launched and promoted among councils across the U.S.
In those first years, the Cub Scout program — even before it had been fully understood — contributed to the largest net growth in registered boys, according to the 1932 annual report.
While some of the program remains similar today, the first Cub Scout dens were led by Boy Scout den chiefs and den mothers (like the mom in the photo above, featured in on the cover of the May-June 1954 issue of Scouting). Weekly meetings were held at the den mother’s home, where the boys made crafts and played games. The program was meant to stand on its own with its own leadership and “not trespass on Boy Scouting.”
What are your early memories of Cub Scouting? Share these in the comments and stay tuned for more annual meeting coverage next week.