DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker at Girl Scout Camp Blanco has to say — and friend, this one's got layers worth peeling back. By the 1930s, the Austin Girl Scout Association had built something to be proud of. Fifty troops strong.
Fifty. But there was a catch — the kind of catch that only reveals itself when you stop and think about it. The city's urban setting made it a real challenge to give those scouts what scouting is actually for: nature, self-reliance, the kind of experience you can't get on a city sidewalk.
Now enter W.D. Glasscock of Blanco, Texas. And I want you to hold that name for a second, because this man contains multitudes.
Former Vaudeville performer. Associate of Will Rogers — yes, that Will Rogers. Oilman, rancher, businessman.
If there was a lane, W.D. Glasscock had driven in it. In 1937, this man gave the Austin Girl Scout Association a 99-year lease on thirty acres of his land.
Some records call it a lease. Other records, the marker tells us, indicate it was a gift outright. Either way, the land changed hands in the scouts' favor, and that's what matters.
Glasscock didn't stop there. In 1938 he built a stone administration building on the property, then created a dam and a lake for water sports. The girls scouts, for their part, funded a mess hall, a hospital unit, sanitary facilities, and cabins.
In the years that followed, they kept adding — trails, lighting, the kind of infrastructure that turns a piece of land into a real place. And a real place it became. Camp Blanco drew hundreds of campers, ages seven to eighteen, along with their scout leaders, all the way to Blanco.
During 1942, two hundred and seven campers and thirty-three counselors enrolled. In 1944, more than two hundred and sixty scouts spent time there. Weekly rates averaged ten to fifteen dollars.
What could you do at Camp Blanco? Hikes. Horseback riding.
Canoeing. Swimming. Drama, dancing, singing, nature sketching, and writing.
The less experienced scouts slept in the cabins. The more seasoned ones slept outside in tents. Central Texas scouts utilized the property, and in 1943 a man named Thurlow Weed donated three adjoining acres, expanding the camp further.
Now here's where the story gets complicated, and the marker doesn't look away from it. At the time, girl scout troops were segregated by race. That was the reality.
Camp Blanco was open to troops of all ethnicities, sometimes by utilizing different areas, sometimes by scheduling different times. And yet — and yet — a 1944 newspaper article referred to a joint camp of Anglo and Hispanic scouts. The marker carries that tension honestly, and so will I.
For logistical and financial reasons, the girl scouts relocated in 1948 — to Camp Texlake on Lake Travis. The following year, 1949, Camp Blanco became the site of the Austin Young Women's Christian Association's Camp Y-Teen. Thirty acres on a 99-year lease — or maybe a gift — from a Vaudeville man who once ran in the same circles as Will Rogers.
Hundreds of girls learning to sleep under the stars. A lake built by a dam, trails cut through the land, and a story that holds both the best of what that camp was and the honest truth of the era it lived in. That's Camp Blanco, and it earned its marker.
What the marker says
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)