Woodcraft League of America , originally called the Woodcraft Indians and League of Woodcraft Indians , is a youth program, established by Ernest Thompson Seton in 1901. Despite the name, the program was created for non- Indian children. At first the group was for boys only, but later it would also include girls. Seton instructed the children in his town in Connecticut in outdoor " Woodcraft " – knowledge and skills of life in the woods – and based much of the group's terminology and structure on the misconceptions about Native Americans that were common in that era . The program spread internationally to become the Woodcraft Movement and many of these programs still exist. Seton's Woodcraft scheme also had a strong influence on later youth programs and organizations, particularly, the Scout Movement .
20-424: The first Woodcraft "Tribe" was established at Cos Cob, Connecticut , United States of America , in 1901. Seton's property had been vandalized by a group of boys from the local school. After having to repaint his gate a number of times, he went to the school, and invited the boys to the property for a weekend, rather than prosecuting them. The unique feature of his program was that the boys elected their own leaders:
40-593: A "Chief", a "Second Chief", a "Keeper of the Tally " and a "Keeper of the Wampum ". Seton wrote a series of seven articles for Ladies' Home Journal from May to November 1902 under the heading "Seton's Boys" that were later published as the Birch Bark Roll . At the urging of his friend Rudyard Kipling , Seton published Two Little Savages (1903) as a novel, rather than a dictionary of Woodcraft. Interest in
60-567: A co-educational program open to children between ages "4 and 94". Seton established a program he called "Brownies" in 1921 for girls and boys ages 6–11, based on his earlier book, Woodland Tales. The organization consisted of the Big Lodge for Boys (12–18 years of age), the Big Lodge for Girls (12–18 years of age), as well as the Woodcraft Club and Sun Lodge for Male and Female Adults. The Red Lodge or Medicine Lodge also existed for
80-877: A population of 6,873 at the 2020 census . Cos Cob is located on the western side of the mouth of the Mianus River . The American Impressionist Cos Cob Art Colony flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An offshoot of the group, the Greenwich Art Society , continues to support local artists in town. The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct sections or neighborhoods, such as Banksville , Byram , Cos Cob, Glenville , Mianus , Old Greenwich , Riverside and Greenwich (sometimes referred to as central, or downtown, Greenwich). Of these neighborhoods, three (Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Riverside) have separate postal names and ZIP codes . From 1883 to 1885,
100-558: A time, it was for men over the age of 21 interested in a more spiritual approach to Woodcraft. There were many local Woodcraft groups in the United States in the early part of the 20th century. Camps following the Woodcraft Program in the United States and Canada were also founded by friends and students of Seton. The Woodcraft League influenced the formation of Lone Scouts inspired in 1912 by John Hargrave . In
120-623: Is a neighborhood in the town of Greenwich in the U.S. state of Connecticut . Unlike other Greenwich neighborhoods such as Cos Cob or Old Greenwich , Mianus does not have its own ZIP code or post office. Mianus lies partly in the Cos Cob ZIP code, partly in the Riverside ZIP code area, and partly in the Old Greenwich ZIP code area. It lies at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m) and is home to an elementary school . Mianus
140-532: Is now a town park. Over 75 years ago what would eventually become the Boy Scouts of America was in part founded by him here. On June 28, 1983, a 100-foot (30 m) elevated portion of Interstate 95 (the Mianus River Bridge ) collapsed , killing and injuring several motorists. Interstate 95 is the principal highway between Maine and Florida , and one of the most heavily traveled roads in
160-576: The BSA's first handbook, Boy Scouts of America: Official Handbook, A Handbook of Woodcraft, Scouting, and Life-craft and became the Chief Scout of the BSA for five years. After a fallout with James E. West , Seton left the BSA in 1915 and re-established the Woodcraft Indians separately. He claimed to have never really merged his organization into the BSA. The Woodcraft League of America was
180-798: The United Kingdom, the Woodcraft League influenced the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry formed in 1916, the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift formed in 1920 and Woodcraft Folk formed in 1925 and Camp Fire Girls (UK). Cos Cob, Connecticut Cos Cob is a neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut , United States. It is located on the Connecticut shoreline in southern Fairfield County . It had
200-515: The Woodcraft Indians spread to the United Kingdom and Seton traveled there in 1906 to promote his books and Woodcraft outdoor organization. Seton met Robert Baden-Powell , and gave him a copy of the Birch Bark Roll . Although one of many influences, Seton's book had a strong influence on Baden-Powell's book, Scouting for Boys . In 1910, the Woodcraft Indians were merged into the fledgling Boy Scouts of America (BSA) by Seton and he wrote
220-686: The air in their terror." The coal-fired steam turbine Cos Cob Power Plant built by Westinghouse in 1907 was a Mission Style structure. It was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1982 by the ASME and the IEEE . Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places and local and national debate, the plant was decommissioned in 1987 and demolished in 2001. Ernest Thompson Seton lived in Cos Cob on an estate which
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#1732773388061240-477: The children with an opportunity to live, grow and play in natural habitats rarely found in American public housing projects. Jack T. Scully, who spent the first 18 years of his life here, has written a collection of coming-of-age poems, Mianus Village, celebrating its bygone way of life. The toponym Mianus is thought to derive from the name of Mayanno, a Native American chieftain. In an episode of Jackass ,
260-499: The country. Because the road was not fully reopened for six months, it created a bottleneck which affected the New York to Boston transportation corridor. In 2006 NRG Energy Inc. of La Jolla, California , proposed adding additional capacity of 40 megawatts to the current 60 megawatt plant to supplement Connecticut Light and Power during peak periods in southwestern Fairfield County . Two additional jet turbines would be added to
280-706: The existing plant in 2008. As with other parts of the Town of Greenwich, Cos Cob is in the Greenwich Public Schools school district. The district's comprehensive high school is Greenwich High School . In addition to the Bush-Holley House, these sites in Cos Cob are listed by the National Register of Historic Places: Mianus (neighborhood) Mianus / m aɪ ˈ æ n ə s / , formerly Mayamus and Upper Landing ,
300-479: The first train that attempted to cross this pass would also be the last." Edgar Hoyt, editor of the Stamford Advocate , wrote: "The citizens of the village as well as the horses, cattle, etc., were nearly frightened out of their propriety ... by such a horrible scream as was never heard to issue from any other than a metallic throat. Animals of every description went careening round the fields, snuffling
320-661: The official post office name of Cos Cob was Bayport. The Cos Cob train station and the Mianus River Railroad Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . "On Christmas Day, 1848, the last rails were laid over the Cos Cob Bridge, thereby supplying the last link needed to complete the railroad from New Haven to New York," according to the Stamford Historical Society Web site. "The first trial run
340-501: The official post office name of Cos Cob was Bayport. In 2015, Forbes ranked Cos Cob the 287th wealthiest place in the US with a median house sale price of $ 1,329,107. The term "Cos Cob" comes from the Coe family that settled in the area in 1641. During their time, a wall (also known as a "cob") was built on the shoreline by Robert Coe to protect the land he gave to his brother. Henceforth,
360-481: The place was known as Coe's Cob, later becoming Cos Cob. The community is situated on Cos Cob Harbor, a sheltered area on the north side of Long Island Sound . Cos Cob's role as a commercial shipping port, supplying potatoes and apples to New York City , disappeared with the appearance of the railroad and damming of the Mianus River. The river is now one source of the town's drinking water. From 1883 to 1885,
380-521: Was also home to the Mianus Motor Works, a marine-engine manufacturer. The Veterans Administration and the town of Greenwich, CT developed the village of 40 starter houses—approximately 800 square feet (74.3 sq m) each—after World War II as rental units for returning servicemen and their families. In the 1950s, as many as 90 children lived with their parents in these houses. The nearby Mianus River, Cos Cob harbor and an extensive woods provided
400-495: Was made on that day." Editors of two Stamford newspapers reported on the event. William H. Holly, Esq., founder of the Stamford Sentinel and a guest on the first trial run, wrote: "The train had to remain at Cos Cob Bridge some three hours for the last rails to be laid over it and the delay gave ample opportunity to the people to come and witness the wonderful feat. The general impression among them seemed to be, that
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