EVERETT — A Nov. 13 meeting at the Everett Elks Lodge was a bit nostalgic for a group that is steeped in tradition.
The occasion was to celebrate and honor Boy Scout Troop 1, which is 100 years old this year and, by their best reckoning, is probably the oldest troop west of the Rocky Mountains.
Chartered in February 1914 by C.G. Sheldon, the first troop had 12 Scouts and has been supported by the Elks ever since.
“The great things these young men do in our community is really, really wonderful,” said Snohomish County Executive John Lovick, who came in to read a proclamation honoring the troop. “Thank you for your work.”
Everett City Council Vice President Scott Bader also read a proclamation proclaiming Nov. 13 to be Boy Scout Troop No. 1 Day in the city, and accolades came from former Troop 1 scouts in the room, former volunteer scout leaders like Bob Overstreet (himself a former city councilman) and in the form of a letter from former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the current president of Boy Scouts of America.
And yet the troop has seen better days: today it has only five boys.
“Every organization goes through peaks and valleys, and this is the second valley in my tenure,” said Scoutmaster Wade Wessels, who has led the troop for 14 years.
“It’s a tough world out there these days for all organizations,” Wessels explained, saying kids have sports and a lot of other activities in school competing for their time.
Recordkeeping for the troop is a little spotty, said Assistant Scoutmaster Russ Weaver, but what is known for sure is that the Everett Elks No. 479 has been chartering Troop 1 continuously since the troop was founded in 1914, just four years after the Boy Scouts of America was established.
That makes Troop 1, which is part of the Mount Baker Council, one of six troops nationwide with the longest continuous charter by a supporting organization, Weaver said.
Wessels said he hopes to double the size of the troop in the next year from local Webelos packs, a somewhat competitive process that involves den visits and joint activities.
Daniel Williams was one Scout who came from another troop.
Williams, 17, was looking for more support with his Eagle project, which is building a trailhead structure in Japanese Gulch in Mukilteo. Shawn Weaver, 17, also joined Troop 1 a year and a half ago after moving up from California.
“The first thing that got us was Troop 1 was talking about doing a 50-miler,” Weaver said, referring to an extended hike Scouts take to get a specific merit badge. “That’s what caught our attention.”
Weaver, a senior at Mariner High School, joined the troop and his father became the assistant scoutmaster.
In the case of Nick Svensson, 18, he joined Troop 1 because he enjoyed getting into the outdoors. “It gets me away from my electronics,” he said.
Svensson has a learning disability and couldn’t play sports or do many other activities, said his mother, Ann Svensson.
Troop 1 took him in.
“The reason why Scouts is so important is because they included him. Nobody cared about his disability,” she said.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
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