100th Anniversary
Welcome!
Welcome fellow Scouters! This year is an exciting one, as we come together to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America! Keep an eye on this space to find useful information and links regarding the 100th Anniversary activities and opportunities. To start things off, here's some information on how you can earn the "Year of Celebration" Patch.
Shining Light Across America
Click here to access the Shining Light Across America broadcast, recorded live at the National Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
Union Pacific and the Boy Scouts of America
Celebrate 100 Years of Scouting
When Abraham Lincoln is a founding father of your company, people expect great things from you. From building the nation’s transcontinental railroad to delivering the goods Americans use every day, the men and women of Union Pacific continually work to exceed those expectations. UP has come to symbolize both America’s history and its progress, connecting and supporting this country and the communities and people that define it. In much the same way, the Boy Scouts of America is a source of national pride, helping develop leaders for future generations. The UP No. 2010 Boy Scouts of America Locomotive commemorates the organization’s 100th Anniversary and its century of service to the nation. The locomotive, which was unveiled in Houston, Texas, on March 31, 2010, represents these two American icons coming together to celebrate progress, patriotism, and 100 years of Scouting.
| Boy Scouts of America With more than 100 million alumni, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has become the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. Currently the Scouting organization is composed of nearly four million youth members and adult volunteers who live by the Scout Oath and promise to demonstrate strong character, integrity, and leadership while serving their communities and neighbors. This year, as the organization celebrates its centennial, it will use this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remind the nation in a BIG and BOLD way that Scouting has never been more relevant or more needed than it is today. This is an anniversary with a purpose and a mission! It is designed to raise awareness about the values of Scouting, engage more youth and volunteers in Scouting activities, and reconnect millions of Scouting alumni. To become a part of the BSA’s centennial celebration, please visit www.Scouting.org/100years. The Boy Scouts of America is deeply honored to have Union Pacific celebrate the BSA’s 100th Anniversary with a special commemorative locomotive. Railroading has been a vibrant part of the BSA’s history, and to this day has an active role as one of Scouting’s 122 merit badges. ■ ■ The Railroading merit badge was introduced in 1952 and has been earned by more than 189,000 Scouts. ■ ■ American passenger railroads helped boost participation at the first National Scout Jamboree in 1937 by offering fares at a special rate of 1 cent per mile. ■ ■ During the Great Depression, the BSA employed special railroad executives who started and supported Scout troops in some 300 rural communities along railroad lines. To earn the Railroading merit badge, Scouts must demonstrate a general knowledge of the railroad industry, train engineering and design, and an understanding of railway safety precautions. Some of the requirements include: ■ ■ Explaining the purpose and formation of Amtrak; ■ ■ Listing five safety precautions that help make trains safer for employees and passengers; and ■ ■ Building a model railroad car kit or a locomotive kit. |
| Union Pacific No. 2010 Boy Scouts of America Locomotive The Union Pacific No. 2010 Boy Scouts of America Locomotive was built at the General Electric plant in Erie, Pa., and delivered to North Little Rock, Ark., as UP No. 7469. In the process of having graphics applied in honor of the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary celebration, the locomotive was renumbered to UP No. 2010. Because it is one of the newest, most reliable and most fuel-efficient locomotives in the Union Pacific fleet, the UP No. 2010 likely will carry service-sensitive consists such as automotive and intermodal trains traveling from facilities in Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Marion, Ark., to West Coast facilities in Los Angeles, Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Model GE 4400-horsepower “C45AC” Weight 207 tons Length 73 feet, 2 inches Width 10 feet, 3 inches Height 15 feet, 6 inches Maximum speed 75 miles per hour Engine Diesel 12-cylinder Emblems 11, representing 10 “stages of Scouting” and National Scout Jamboree |
4 Historical Merit Badges for 2010
In 2010, the Boy Scouts of America celebrates a century of influencing the lives of America’s youth. Since its beginning, the BSA has used advancement as a method to achieve the aims of Scouting—character building, citizenship training, and physical and mental fitness. Each aim is emphasized in the four phases of the Scouting program: Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing.
One aspect of Boy Scout advancement—the merit badge program—has always been an important element of Scouting. Through completion of merit badge requirements, generations of Scouts have learned lifetime citizenship lessons, personal fitness habits, and life skills. Countless careers and lifelong hobbies have been launched as a result of the merit badge program.
In the past century, many changes have occurred in the merit badge offerings. As society has changed, the Boy Scouts of America has adapted by revising the requirements, implementing name changes, adding new merit badges, and in some instances, eliminating some badges altogether.
To allow today’s youth members to experience a piece of Scouting’s past, the BSA’s 2010 Historical Merit Badge program will bring back four discontinued merit badges. These merit badges must be started and completed during the centennial year, starting April 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2010. The historical merit badges are Carpentry, Pathfinding, Signaling, and Tracking, which were all released between 1910 and 1911. In addition to completing the same requirements as Scouts did a century ago, today’s Scouts will learn what that their counterpart in 1910 might have experienced. They will learn why Morse code might have been important during a period when most homes had no TV, radio, computer, telephone, or electricity. However, the value of the program for young people is to understand the changes in 100 years of Scouting.
Badges may be earned by individual Scouts, but districts and councils are encouraged to offer opportunities for Scouts to complete requirements for at least some of these merit badges at Boy Scout resident camps, local merit badge workshops, or special 100 Anniversary Celebrations.
Below are the MB Books, both old and new, for the four historic merit badges. They are all in PDF format. PLEASE NOTE, some of them are quite large and may take some time to access.| Carpentry Merit Badge | Pathfinding Merit Badge | Signaling Merit Badge | Tracking Merit Badge |
| Original Merit Badge Book 2010 Merit Badge Book | Original Merit Badge Book 2010 Merit Badge Book | Original Merit Badge Book 2010 Merit Badge Book | Original Merit Badge Book 2010 Merit Badge Book |