Northeast Kansas Girl Scouts related records
Overview
Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth development organization that instills leadership skills in girls through community service, camping, hiking, and other outdoor excursions. This collection comprises the records of Girl Scout councils representing northeast Kansas, and particularly Douglas County, from the early years of Girl Scouting in the area in the 1920s through the beginning of the 21st century.
Dates
- Creation: 1923 - 2014
Creator
- Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Audio visual materials are stored in the KU Annex off-site storage area.
All researchers interested in reviewing this material must consult Spencer Research Library Public Services staff (785-864-4334 or ksrlref@ku.edu, 9-5 M-F CST) before a planned visit; staff will respond within three days, though materials may not be available in that timeframe. Access to audio visual materials may require digitization first. Be advised that drop-in requests for this material cannot be accommodated.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
History of Northeast Kansas Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts acquire leadership skills through various activities in the community and in nature such as community service projects, camping, hiking, first aid, cooking, national and international exchanges, and educational programs. Members of Girl Scouts of the United States of America belong to Girl Scout troops of roughly fifteen girls on average, assigned by age, geographic location, and at times, particular interests, such as equestrianism or water activities. The five levels of Girl Scouts are Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors. These troops are in turn part of neighborhood- or school-based service units, committees of adult Girl Scouts who provide voluntary support to troops within their area. These service units are themselves part of regional councils of Girl Scouts covering multiple counties and sometimes multiple states.
Girl Scouting first came to Douglas County, Kansas in 1918, just six years after the foundation of Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 1912. For the first few years, Girl Scouts in Lawrence, Kansas consisted of a single troop affiliated with the Campfire Girls, a similar youth development organization. Interest in Girl Scouts in the Lawrence area grew over the next several years, and in 1930 the Lawrence Girl Scout Council was organized and given a charter by Girl Scouts of the United States of America. The council created several committees charged with overseeing various aspects of the organization, including the Camp Committee, the Education Committee, and the Finance Committee. The range of committees would increase as the needs of the council expanded.
In 1956, the Lawrence Girl Scout Council dissolved and Douglas County Girl Scouts, along with those of Jefferson, Leavenworth, Atchison, and Brown counties, together formed Vallehi Girl Scout Council. This new council, encompassing a larger geographic area, allowed the area to receive more professional support for local Girl Scout units and troops. In 1963, Vallehi Girl Scout Council was dissolved and Girl Scouts in Douglas, Jefferson, and Brown counties joined Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council, a council that had been established in 1954 in the Topeka area.
In 2007, Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council, along with Mid-Continent and Midland Empire Councils, merged into the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, which serves Girl Scouts in the area to this day.
[Information retrieved from collection materials.]
Extent
32.25 Linear Feet (35 boxes + 8 oversize boxes, 31 oversize folders, 1 DVD, 5 film reels)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
This collection comprises records relating to the operation of the various Girl Scout councils responsible for overseeing Douglas County and the northeast Kansas region as a whole. The materials include records from the 1920s through the 1960s from the Lawrence Girl Scout Council, records from 1950 to 1970 from Vallehi Girl Scout Council, records from the 1930s to the 2000s from Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council, and records from the 2000s onward from Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri.
The nature of the records of each council are very similar, comprising administrative records, including financial and legal documentation; board and committee records, including minutes, correspondence, and reports from the numerous committees responsible for various aspects of the council's operation; council-wide, troop-specific, and membership level-specific newsletters; records relating to programs and events run by the council, including fliers, planning documentation, and newspaper clippings; training materials for adult leaders and older Girl Scouts; and troop records created by troop leaders in the course of their activities and as part of their reporting duties to the council.
The final sub-group of the collection comprises Girl Scout-related records originating outside the northeast Kansas region, from the national branch of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, large regional branches, and councils in other regions. These records relate to conferences, national training programs, and the activities and training programs of other councils.
The majority of the materials in this collection were collected by Mariana Lohrenz Remple, former trainer, neighborhood chairman, council board member, and longtime leader of Troop 201/660 (later Troop 7660), who was heavily involved in Douglas County Girl Scouting from the 1950s until her death in September 2000. As a result, a significant amount of material relates to Troop 201/660/7660 and the committees in which Remple was involved.
Arrangement
Due to multiple instances of Girl Scout council reorganization over time, this collection has been arranged into sub-groups by council: Lawrence Girl Scout Council, Vallehi Girl Scout Council, Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council, and Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri. These councils span different time periods, as well as overlapping but slightly different geographic areas. The final sub-group holds records that do not pertain to particular councils in northeast Kansas, but rather records produced by larger national and regional branches of Girl Scouts.
There is some overlap of councils in the materials of each sub-group, particularly around times of transition between councils. In these instances, files have been placed within the sub-group to which the majority of the materials pertain. Additionally, materials related to reunions of a specific council have been placed with that council; this may mean that dates vary dramatically because a reunion took place long after the council was disbanded or merged with another council.
Physical Location
RH MS 1505
Physical Location
RH MS Q466
Physical Location
RH MS R462, RH MS R463
Physical Location
RH MS S67
Physical Location
KC AV 88
Custodial History
Materials donated by Henry D. and Mariana Remple and their daughter Lucy McAllister were originally housed in an office leased by the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee in 1998. The Committee rented an office space in downtown Lawrence with file cases to house historical materials pertaining to the Committee and to Girl Scouting in Lawrence more generally. Individuals who were or had been involved with Girl Scouts in the area began to bring their historical materials from their homes to house in the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee office.
In 2000, the Committee terminated their lease, and all historical materials were transferred to the home of Henry D. and Mariana Remple, where Mariana intended to arrange the materials for donation to the Kansas Historical Society, the Watkins Museum of History, and the Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Mariana died unexpectedly in September of 2000, so Mary Jo Mensie, Lynne Bodle, and Ellyn Owen, all members of the Hidden Valley Archives Committee, organized the materials over the course of several years, enabling the donation of the materials by the Remple family to the Spencer Research Library to go forward from 2007.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts, Henry D. and Mariana Remple, 2007, 2013; Mary Jo Mensie, 2010, 2013, 2014; Lynne Bodle, 2014; Lucy McAllister, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022.
Separated Materials
Stone, Mark. Caring for the Kaw: A Citizen's Guide to Protecting Water Quality. Elk Rapids, MI: Fen's Rim Publications, 1997. Available at Spencer Research Library at RH D9876.
Processing Information
Some materials relating to Vallehi Girl Scout Council were previously located at RH MS P638, but have been merged with this collection.
Subject
- Girl Scouts of the United States of America (Organization)
- Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc. (Organization)
- Vallehi Girl Scout Council (Organization)
Source
- Bodle, Lynne (Donor, Person)
- McAllister, Lucy (Donor, Person)
- Mensie, Mary Jo (Donor, Person)
- Remple, Mariana Lohrenz, 1912-2000 (Donor, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Mariana Lohrenz Remple Collection
- Subtitle
- Northeast Kansas Girl Scouts related records
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by vej. Finding aid encoded by vej.
- Date
- 2019-09
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/9726962522
- Preferred citation
-
Northeast Kansas Girl Scouts Collection, RH MS 1505, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository