The Beginning of the Lone Scouts of America

October 1915 - March 1924

"Scouting as we know it," wrote Lucien Emerson, a famous Lone Scout author, in the Elbeetian Book of Memories "…was born in Canada before the turn of the century in the fertile mind of Ernest Thompson Seton, who took his Woodcraft Indians manual, the Birch-Bark Roll, to England where Sir Robert Baden-Powell combined Seton's dream with his own in the splendid, and more practical organization called the Boy Scouts. In London on business in 1909, William D. Boyce was so impressed by the 'Good Turn' of an Unknown Scout, who guided him to his destination in the fog and refused remuneration, that gathering all the available information about Scouting he carry it back to the United States. In 1910, with other interested men Mr. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America and, as a millionaire philanthropist, financed the infant organization for two years until it was on its feet. Five years later in 1915, still concerned about the isolated country boy, and not hesitating to teach thrift and self-reliance through the opportunity to sell his papers, he organized the Lone Scout of America. In the search for a symbol he returned once more to Seton's Indians, calling himself Chief Totem. The LSA merged in 1924 with the Boy Scouts, becoming the Division of Rural Scouting. In 1960 Warren F. Morgan, Lone Scout Number One, reported the current existence of Lone Scout Tribes among the Eskimos of Alaska."

W. D. Boyce Company Building
500 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois

In any case, one day in 1915, Mr. Boyce returned from Washington, and stated to one of the W. D. Boyce Company vice presidents that "I've just had the Lone Scouts of America incorporated under an act of Congress. I am heading it up. Now let's go, plenty of work for you and all of us. There must be an official Lone Scout magazine. The kind the boys want. It ought to be easy. I'll supply the paper and ink, the composition, photoengraving, and press work. You'll have to find a way to fill the magazine. My guess is the boys will do it themselves if you give them the chance." Somehow it was done.

Frank Allen "Dad" Morgan

He found an editor, and an experienced Scoutmaster, F. Allan Morgan, not only to edit the magazine, which was named Lone Scout. He provided much of the insides at the start, but also in the development of the Lone Scouts of America with his knowledge of woodcraft, Scouting, and boys' interests.

Luckily, in the art department was Perry Emerson Thompson (known as PET), who created nearly all of the front pages of the magazine. PET was doping the artwork for the other Boyce publications when Lone Scout made its appearance in 1915. He drew the cover for that issue and for nearly 300 more, until the middle of 1923, when he left the Boyce Company to employ his artistic talents in his own advertising business.

Perry Emerson Thompson (PET) at his drawing board at the W. D Boyce Company when he was the artist for Lone Scout.

With the editorship of "Dad" Morgan and the artistic efforts of Perry E. Thompson, Lone Scout magazine was born on October 30, 1915. In the beginning, it was a flimsy paper of twelve pages, selling for one cent, and consisting largely of what editors call "punk"—material of various lengths which is put into type and used to fill whatever space is available.

There were hundreds of budding artists and cartoonists that immediately began sending their contributions to the magazine. It was filled with features that every boy wanted to read. Everything was selected with great care. Only the best articles and fiction obtainable (mostly from Lone Scouts), with many of the illustrations in color, were selected. The articles were instructive, as well as entertaining, and designed to help all boys. Although the initial issues were populated with articles by the magazine staff, the boys were encouraged to send in articles, and they soon did so.

The first advertisement for this new organization appeared in Boyce's Chicago Ledger on October 30, 1915 and possibly also in the Saturday Blade and the Farming Business. Simultaneously, the first issue of Lone Scout magazine was delivered to each of Boyce's approximately 20,000 paper carriers. The Lone Scouts of America program was an instant hit, and started growing just like the Boy Scouts of America before it. Lone Scout magazine became the glue which held the organization together because, for the most part, it was a magazine produced solely for Lone Scouts and they were the chief contributors to its pages.