Boy Scout Troop 69 has seen many boys become men, founded in 1946, in its 77 year history and proud of the 143 that obtained the rank of Eagle Scout.  

Headline making events of 1946 included Winston Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech and in the sports world, the NFL Cleveland Rams were given permission to move to Los Angeles.  While it might not have made national news, an important local article was the formation of Boy Scout Troop 69; a troop that actually started in 1941, but was interrupted by World War II.

Norman Benson was the Scoutmaster assisted by James Sasser, and at that time the Troop met at a Dade County Health Extension building. Boy Scouts have always embraced outdoor activities and Benson emphasized the hardiness of camping, fishing, and learning the way of the land. An old school bus was used to take them on trips and meetings were moved into the woods. 

A “Hut” was soon established as the regular place and in 1950, George Cooper set into motion the first fundraising Spaghetti Dinner that was served right there in the Hut in the woods. In the “it seemed like a good idea at the time” approach, the Scouts were in charge and the results weren’t quite as good as expected. The pretty much unanimous agreement was that the parents would do the cooking for future dinners. That decision seems to have been a sound one since the tradition continues to this day, with an annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser at Silver Palm Methodist Church in Homestead, FL.

One of the historic markers for the Troop began as a disappointing act of vandalism when their original hut was burned down. That resulted in them moving to a ten-acre site at 15315 SW 256th Street in 1968 under a lease agreement with Miami-Dade County. According to Broughton’s book, they built a traditional chickee of thatched palmetto fronds that the Scouts refurbished each year. The hut was eventually roofed with plywood and shingles after Hurricane Andrew.  Camp Redland, as it is now known as, a community park. 

Hundreds of boys have passed through Troop 69, South Dade’s oldest troop, led by many Scoutmasters. The boys have performed tens of thousands of hours of community support as well as learned Scouting principles and skills. They work extensively with the Miami-Dade Parks system in clean-ups, conservation efforts, and landscaping, helped Mary Anne Ballard during the restoration of Cauley Square, placed American flags on Memorial Day at numerous cemeteries, participated in the Homestead Rodeo, as well as the annual Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast. Troop members were particularly thrilled when they met the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team at the Homestead Rodeo and were invited to visit the team for special demonstrations.

“It’s a great organization for boys,” Broughton said. “The Scouts of today are future leaders of tomorrow.”

In addition to learning teamwork and community responsibility, there are more than 120 merit badges that Scouts can earn through successfully completing badge requirements. In some cases, it helps boys focus on a specific career path. One of the Scoutmasters often tells of his own experience of how achieving one of the nature-related badges inspired him to pursue a career as a Wildlife Biologist with the Everglades National Park.

Boy Scout Troop 69 has a long history of teaching valuable personal and practical lessons combined with a strong foundation of community service. As we approach eight decades of being an active troop, we also have an eye to the future. Back in 1946, no one would have expected Computers and Space Exploration to be added as merit badges; who knows what may be offered in another twenty years?