** Camp Fire chronological trends








Camp Fire: Chronological Trends


Figure 1.--These girls are 'Bluebirds', the junior ir cub division of the Camp Fire Girls of America.. The photo was taken during the school year 1948-49 in Corsicana, Texas. It is a little unuusal to see a uniformed Amnerican youth group barefoot. But many younger children in souther sttes went barefootg to school into the 1950s. It was not auestion of poverty, just that children commonly webt barefoot. Given that they are all barefoot, the group leader probably nade a rule.

Camp Fire was founded at about the same time as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts (1911). The Boy Scouts had no serious competiuor. Camp Fire became a major compeitor for the Girl Scouts. The Oklahoma City School Board in 1926 realized the need for a program of extracurricular activities for girls which would further their education in areas beyond daily classroom offerings. Camp Fire Girls was requested to come to Oklahoma City to help the group of locally concerned adults set about the business of formal organization and structure. The Oklahoma City Council of Camp Fire Girls was in 1929 incorporated under the laws of the State of Oklahoma. Not a very prospitious year as it was the same year in which the Great Depression began. Wesee several moves, but Camp Fire gradually became a major American youth program and a cimpetitor for the Girl Scouts. Miss Mildred Clark became part-time secretary for the brand new council and office space was provided in a small corner of McEwen-Halliburton's Department Store (NE corner of Main and Hudson). Shortly thereafter, Miss Grace Hartnell (Mrs. Leslie Connor) became the executive secretary. The office by 1934 had moved to the Commerce Exchange building (SE corner of Robinson and Sheridan), and Lou B. Paine (Mrs. James Mooney) was employed as the executive director. The next move was to a suite of rooms in the YWCA (across from the County Court House) where Camp Fire Girls was officed until the fall of 1966. For two years rented space at 811 N Western served as the base of operations. In December of 1968, the Oklahoma City Council moved into its own beautiful home at 717 NE 21st, purchased through the girls' efforts in the annual candy sale. We do not yet have much chrionologucal information, but we are constantly adding images and information to the Youth Organizatiin sction. .








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Created: November 15, 1998
Last updated: 6:43 PM 1/23/2021