Lloyd C. Haefka Lone Scout papers,

AHJ_ah08244 Inventory of the Lone Scouts collection 1915-1997 Lone Scouts collection Processed by John Hanks The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.

American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/

2006

University of Wyoming

Finding aid encoded by Ann Mulfort January 2006 Finding aid is in English Lone Scouts collection, 1915-1997 Collection number: 08244 University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center Publication date: 2006 Contact Information American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/ Date Processed April 2005

"©" 2006 University of Wyoming

Collection Summary Lone Scouts Lone Scouts collection 08244 1915-1997 21 cubic ft. (17 record, 2 document, 7 F-17, 1 F-22 boxes) University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. English The Lone Scouts were a unique club for isolated rural boys who could not find enough members to form a boy scout troop. Eventually, the club turned into a men’s fraternal organization called the Elbeetian League. The collection contains Lone Scout and Elbeetian League memorabilia, publications, and correspondence. History of the Lone Scouts

William D. Boyce founded The Lone Scouts of America in 1915. He was the same magazine publisher who founded the Boy Scouts in 1910, but he wanted the Lone Scouts to be independent. By using his network of paper boys, W. D. Boyce was able to distribute his magazine, The Lone Scout, to youngsters in rural areas where there were not enough boys to form a Boy Scout troop. The venture struggled until 1924, when the Boy Scouts absorbed the Lone Scouts organization, which was in financial disarray. By 1927, however, the Lone Scouts was reborn as the Elbeetian Legion because Charles J. Merlin had kept the organization alive through exchanging correspondence and newsletters. With time out for World War II, the informal fraternal organization met faithfully in conventions since 1934. As alumni of the Lone Scouts, they called themselves the Elbeetian Legion after the first initials of a publication called The Lone Beaver Tribune or L.B.T. Many of the Lone Scouts got their start in journalism by writing Lone Scout newsletters.

Scope and Content

The Lone Scouts collection contains adult Elbeetian Legion correspondence and some young correspondence from the early Lone Scout pen pal days. Most of the collection, however, consists of copies of the Elbeetee national newsletter and many more copies of local newsletters published from Lone Scout days through the 1990s. The Elbeetee and smaller newsletters such as The Friendly Provoker, or The Old Timer contain short editorials, reminiscences, jokes, compliments and other items that might fit into a small town newspaper Annual LBT Conventions are always heavily promoted. A lot of these materials are included on duplicate microfiche negatives. A complete set of handbooks has been preserved along with examples of medallions, badges and patches. Miscellaneous items include research papers, publicity materials, application forms, membership cards, and so forth.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by the Lone Scouts at the date of processing. For more information about the Lone Scouts at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, see:

Lloyd C. Haefka Lone Scout papers, Collection Number 08410 Barton Baker papers, Collection Number 09845 Acquisition Information

Many members of the Lone Scouts donated their materials to the American Heritage Center from 1983 to 1997.

Custodial History

Created by combining AHC collections.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by John Hanks in April 2005.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Lone Scouts collection, 1915-1997, Collection Number 08244, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Access Terms Merlin, Charles J. Boyce, William D., 1848-1929. Lone Scouts of America. Elbeetian Legion. Lone Scouts--United States. Lone Scouts--Canada. Amateur journalism--20th Century. Social Life and Customs. Clubs and Societies. <?xm-replace_text {Title as Subject}?> Container List Series I. Awards, Badges, Patches and Medallions 1 1-4 Awards, Badges, Patches, and Medallions 1910s-1990s Series II. Correspondence with Enclosures 1 5 Ashurst, Thomas 1983? 1 6 Baker, Milton R. 1976-1981 1 7 Bednar, Charles J. undated 1 8-9 Boyd, Franklin C. 1920-1979 1 10 Brown, Glenn E. 1926 1 11-12 Burner, Lincoln Charles 1979 1 13 Coe, Roland M. 1939-1951 1 14 Depew, Ward E. undated 1 15 Doval, Armando (Marreno) 1920 1 16 Edwards, Bryan E. 1983 1 17 Fish, Charles 1964-1975 1 18 Fisher, Elmer H. undated 1 19 Freier, Paul 1975-1976 1 20-21 Fry, George W. 1981-1984 2 1-8 Fry, George W. 1981-1984 2 9 Hart, Maurice 1918-1920 2 10 Hollingsworth, Herman W. undated 2 11 Hoting, William D. 1981 2 12 Jackson, James L. 1981 2 13 Johnson, Lee P. V. 1919-1983 2 14 Jordan, Gene undated 2 15 Kellar, Wilbur J. 1972 2 16 Killeen, Dan S. 1970-1982 2 17-19 La Pointe, C. M. 1974-1982 2 20 Larsen, Otto C. 1920-1922 3 1-2 Lawson, Horace L. 1961-1983 3 3 Levine, Art 1953 3 4 Lone Scout Advertising, Forms undated 3 5 Lone Scout Collectors 1982 3 6 Lone Scout Business Letters 1922-1935 3 7 Lone Scout Descriptive Material undated 3 8 Lone Scout Miscellaneous – Certificates, Booklets, Postcards 1915-1982 3 9 Marti, Ray 1983 3 10 McNamara, James, and Edison Signor 1985 3 11 Merlin, Charlie 1972 3 12 Miller, Franklin S. 1934 3 13 Mooney, Alfred Leland 1966 3 14 Moot, Edmund Northrup 1983 3 15-22 Nelson, Edward E. 1943-1983 4 1 Nelson, Edward E. 1943-1983 4 2 Newson, Paul 1940 4 3 Nunn, Alexander 1967 4 4-5 Park, James 1928-1932 4 6 Petterchak, Janice 1997

(Academic Paper on Lone Scouts)

4 7-9 Peterson, Clarence 1970s-1980s 4 10-14 Rearick, Frank 1920s 4 15 Reck, Emerson 1983 4 16 Reed, Marvin E. undated 4 17 Richardson, Cecil Calvin 1978 4 18 Scott, Walter E. 1928 4 19 Signor, Edison B. 1918-1983 4 20 Smith, Robert U. 1924-1980 4 21 Stone, Fred P. undated 4 22 Taylor, J. Hugh 1930s 5 1-6 Taylor, J. Hugh 1930s 5 7 Thompson, Perry Emerson undated 5 8 Various Individual Items 1972-1985 5 9 Wagner, A. J. Gaston 1954-1980 5 10 Walsh, Jim (Ulysses) 1919-1980 5 11 Weese, Elmer Martin 1916-1920 5 12 White, Gilbert F. undated 5 13 Whitehair, Louis A. 1981-1982 5 14 Wiens, J. F. 1983 5 15 Wright, Charles 1965-1970 5 16 Photographs – Enclosures 1930s-1940s Series III. Publications Subseries 1. Lone Scouts of America 5 17 Boy Scouts 1910s-1960s 5 18 Lone Scout Handbooks 1920s 5 19 Microfiche and Negatives of Lone Scout, undated 5 20 Microfilm of Youth, 1924-1925 6 1 Membership Records – Enclosures 1935-1975 6 2 Small Publications by Scouts – Poetry, Cartoons, Etc., undated Newsletters as follows: 6 3 Pre-1920 6 4 1920 6 5 1921 6 6 1922 6 7 1923 6 8-10 1924 6 11-13 1925 6 14-15 1926 Subseries 2. Elbeetian Legion 6 16 1927 7 1-2 1928 7 3 1929 7 4 1930 7 5 1931 7 6 1932 7 7 1933 7 8 1st Elbeetee Convention 1934 7 9 1935 7 10-11 1936 7 12-13 1937 8 1 1938 8 2 1939 8 3 1940 8 4 1941 8 5 1942 8 6 1943 8 7 1944 8 8 1945 8 9 1946 8 10 1947 8 11 1948 8 12 1949 8 13 1950 8 14 1951 8 15 1952 8 16 1953 8 17 1954 8 18 1955 8 19 1956 9 1 1957 9 2 1958 9 3 1959 9 4 1960 9 5 1961 9 6 1962 9 7 1963 9 8 1964 9 9 1965 9 10-11 1966 9 12-13 1967 10 1 1967 10 2-4 1968 10 5-8 1969 10 9-11 1970 10 12-13 1971 11 1 1971 11 2-4 1972 11 5-8 1973 11 9-12 1974 11 13 1975 12 1-4 1975 12 5-10 1976 12 11-14 1977 13 1-2 1977 13 3-7 1978 13 8-12 1979 13 13-14 1980 14 1-3 1980 14 4-7 1981 14 8-10 1982 14 11-13 1983 15 1-3 1984 15 4-5 1985 15 6-7 1986 15 8 1987 15 9 1988 15 10 1989 15 11 1990 15 12 1991 15 13 1992 15 14 1993 15 15 1994 15 16 1995 15 17 1996 15 18 1997 Subseries 3. Original Lone Scout Magazines 16 1915-1916 17 1917

(Includes Teepee Lodge Test, undated)

18 1918 19 1919 20 1920 21 1921-1924 Series IV. William D. Boyce Books, Scrapbooks, Boys Life Magazine, Duplicate Lone Scouts, Etc. 22 Boys Life and BSA-The Lone Scout, 1928-1965 23 Certificates and Scrapbook made for William D. Boyce, 1920s-1932 24 Travel books by William D. Boyce 1912-1928 25 Youth and Elbeetian League Memories Books 1924-1969 26-27 Duplicate Lone Scout Magazines 1915-1924 Additional Container Lists

The American Heritage Center is in the process of converting its older container lists to a more accessible format. This link is to an older version of a container list.

Link to Accessioning Worksheet (PDF)