It’s impossible to really get a sense of what it meant to be a student at the Los Alamos Ranch School without talking about Boy Scouts and scouting in general. I think most of us over the years have seen photos of the ranch school boys in their uniforms and we just associate those uniforms with Ashley Pond, AJ Connell, and their rigorous curriculum focused on healthy outdoor living as a major part of educating young men.

Take a look at this photo:

There is no doubt that this particular graduate is dressed in his scouting uniform. According to Boy Scouts of America, scouting became “a thing” on February 8, 1910. Remember that this was way before media. Advertising was print and took awhile to get from one area to another. And when scouting began, it was generally for boys 15 and younger. “Senior Scouting” wasn’t officially added until 1935.

There’s no doubt that Ashley Pond and AJ Connell were in sync with scouting principals. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law“.

For those of us who might never have been a scout, the Scout Oath is as follows: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law has 12 points:

TRUSTWORTHY. Tell the truth and keep promises. People can depend on you.

LOYAL. Show that you care about your family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and country.

HELPFUL. Volunteer to help others without expecting a reward.

FRIENDLY. Be a friend to everyone, even people who are very different from you.

COURTEOUS. Be polite to everyone and always use good manners.

KIND. Treat others as you want to be treated. Never harm or kill any living thing without good reason.

OBEDIENT. Follow the rules of your family, school, and pack. Obey the laws of your community and country.

CHEERFUL. Look for the bright side of life. Cheerfully do tasks that come your way. Try to help others be happy.

THRIFTY. Work to pay your own way. Try not to be wasteful. Use time, food, supplies, and natural resources wisely.

BRAVE. Face difficult situations even when you feel afraid. Do what you think is right despite what others might be doing or saying.

CLEAN. Keep your body and mind fit. Help keep your home and community clean.

REVERENT. Be reverent toward God. Be faithful in your religious duties. Respect the beliefs of others.

Every part of the oath and the laws are the very backbone of Ashley Pond’s way of doing life. It’s almost as though he was born a Boy Scout. Often he was criticized by his very legal minded father for being “too soft” or “a dreamer”. He was often taken advantage of because he treated everyone with the respect he expected to receive and not all were authentic with him in return.

As with many ideas and concepts, such as the Parker School Methods, Pond and Connell often took bits and pieces of other programs they thought would make an excellent addition to their ranch school curriculum. I suppose another way of looking at it is that if your students are doing all of the work anyway, why not join an organization that has a wonderful structure for earning badges and awards? It’s not unlike modern universities being affiliated with organizations like the NCEA and NCAA.

Ahem. There would BE no college basketball without this sort of thing!

What does this mean for our modern community?

It means that Los Alamos’s Boy Scout Troop 22 was founded in 1918, only eight years after the very first Boy Scout Troop (Troop 1) was formed in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Our scout troop has been around for over 100 years!

Scouting was very much a part of life at the Los Alamos Ranch School, but when scouting first came about in 1910, horses really weren’t a part of the equation. Of course, that wasn’t going to work for LARS. So Troop 22 became the very first mounted scout patrol ever. It’s something you’ll often see celebrated here locally on National Scouting Day. In 2022, the scouts even hauled their horses out to Fuller Lodge to remind the community where it all began.

In fact, I have to admit that I’ve always sort of imagined the Los Alamos Ranch School’s Troop 22 to be a bit like the scout troop in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which was filmed on location in Arches, Utah. I’m not sure how many lost artifacts Troop 22 found in and around the Pajarito Plateau, but I know we’ve certainly discovered some cool things while hiking in the region!

Although this comparison might be due to the absolutely gorgeous photo (below) I keep slipping into my blog posts. This image of Bill Carson sitting on a rock atop the Dome looking out to the northeast is a striking image. Perhaps Bill Carson of Los Alamos and Herman Mueller of Utah would’ve been camp pals if they’d had the chance.

Regardless of how you feel about Indiana Jones or Scouting, it’s safe to say that the outdoor activities in and around our community are perfect for Boy Scouting and pretty much anything else you’d like to do. So be like the ranch students! Hike, fish, swim, camp, ski, ice skate, and learn everything you can! And when you’re ready to buy or sell a home here in this unique mountain community, give me a call! I’d love to talk Los Alamos living with you!