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By the 1930s, the Austin Girl Scout Association boasted an impressive fifty troops, but the city’s urban setting posed a challenge in providing opportunities for scouts to experience nature and practice self-reliance. In 1937, W.D. Glasscock of Blanco, who was a former Vaudeville performer, associate of Will Rogers, oilman, rancher and businessman, gave the association a 99-year lease on 30 acres of his land. Other records indicate it was a gift. Glasscock built a stone administration building in 1938 and created a dam and lake for water sports. The girl scouts funded a mess hall, hospital unit, sanitary facilities and cabins. In subsequent years, the girl scouts added to the camp’s development and infrastructure, including trails and lighting.
The site drew hundreds of campers, ages 7-18, and scout leaders to Blanco. During 1942, 207 campers and 33 counselors enrolled. In 1944, more than 260 scouts spent time at Camp Blanco. Weekly rates averaged ten to fifteen dollars. Scouts could enjoy hikes, horseback riding, canoeing and swimming, as well as drama, dancing, singing, nature sketching and writing. Less experienced scouts slept in the cabins, and more experienced scouts slept outside in tents. Scouts from central Texas utilized the property. In 1943, Thurlow Weed donated three adjoining acres, expanding the camp. At the time, girl scout troops were segregated by race. Camp Blanco was open to troops of all ethnicities by sometimes utilizing different areas or scheduled times; however, a 1944 newspaper article referred to a joint camp of Anglo and Hispanic scouts.
For logistical and financial reasons, the girl scouts relocated to Camp Texlake on Lake Travis in 1948. Camp Blanco became the site of the Austin Young Women’s Christian Association’s Camp Y-Teen in 1949. (2022) |
