River North in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
William D. Boyce
Photographed By Sean Flynn, June 25, 2024
1. William D. Boyce Marker
William D. Boyce
who in 1915 in this building started the Lone Scouts of America and Lone Scout Magazine
1915–1965
Erected 1965 by Elbeetian Legion Alumni Convention.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.
Location. 41° 53.457′ N, 87° 37.788′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in River North. Marker is on Illinois Street near North Dearborn Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker faces south, near the entrance to the RPM Italian restaurant. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 52 West Illinois Street, Chicago IL 60654, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named William D. Boyce (here, next to this marker); Site of the First Rush Medical College (within shouting distance of this marker); Courthouse Plaza (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chicago Varnish Company Building (about 700 feet away); Tree Studios (approx. 0.2 miles away); LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse
this page online
More about this marker. A separate marker dedicated to Boyce in honor of his founding of the Boy Scouts of America is a few steps away, around the corner. This building at the corner of Dearborn and Illinois (500-510 North Dearborn, and 52 West Illinois) is known as the Boyce Building. Boyce commissioned it as the headquarters for his publishing company. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, however it is not designated as a Chicago Landmark by Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
Regarding William D. Boyce. William Boyce was born in Pennsylvania and eventually settled in Chicago, where he became a successful newspaper publisher. In 1909, he learned about scouting while visiting London, and when he returned home founded the Boy Scouts of America. Later, after an internal clash over the Scouting program, he founded the Lone Scouts of America, which focused on boys in less populated rural areas. In 1924, the two groups merged. Boyce died
Photographed By Sean Flynn, June 25, 2024
2. William D. Boyce Marker
The marker is at the corner, on the right side of the photograph, which is taken from across Illinois Street from the building. Note the "Boyce Building" sign near the entrance on the left side of the building.
The Elbeetian Legion, which dedicated this plaque, was a group that sought to maintain the Lone Scouts' ethos long after it merged with the Boy Scouts. It was formed in 1927 by Charles Merlin of New Jersey, who published a newsletter called the Elbeetee until his death in 1995. Elbeetee was derived from the initials for Long Beaver Tirbune, a newsletter for Lone Scouts that Merlin produced when he was a boy. The Elbeetian Legion played a key part in the Lone Scout Memory Lodge, a museum about the Long Scouts that was at Camp John J. Barnhardt, a Boy Scout camp in North Carolina, until 2006; after it closed that year, its possessions were transferred to the W.D. Boyce Scout Museum in Ottawa.
Also see . . .
1. What are Lone Scouts?. A look at Lone Scouts in Scouting Magazine
Excerpt: "Developed in 1915, just five years after the beginning of the Boy Scouts of America, Lone Scouts is the BSA’s acknowledgment that a normal Scout troop won’t work with some young men. You could call Lone Scouts the BSA’s original outreach program. Lone Scouts, as the name implies, do much of their Scouting alone. They wear a Lone Scout patch, seen above, in the spot where(Submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)a traditional Scout wears his unit number. They’re guided by a carefully selected and trusted mentor, usually a parent."Photographed By Sean Flynn, June 25, 20243. Boyce BuildingThe Boy Scouts marker dedicated to Boyce is on the right side of the corner in this photo, facing east; the Lone Scouts of America marker is next to it on the left side, facing south.
2. Lone Scouts. A history of the Lone Scouts
Excerpt: "Lone Scouts have been around since 1915 when William D. Boyce organized the Lone Scouts of America (LSA). He had noticed that rural boys were being left out of Scouting because they did not live near a town or could travel to a Scout Troop in the nearest town. As a Lone Scout, a boy could enjoy Scouting. They had a whole set of requirements they could meet on their own. They had, in addition, a strong program of writing and correspondence. W. D. Boyce was the Chief Totem."(Submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. Where the Past Is Ever Present. From a 2002 article in Scouting Magazine with the subhead: "The museum at a North Carolina council Scout camp commemorates the Lone Scouts of America." (Submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed By Unknown, circa 1914
4. William D. Boyce
Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 32 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on July 26, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
