Juliette Low established the first Girl Scout troop in Savannah, GA, on March 12, 1912.

The Girl Scout movement began in Omaha by the Omaha Circle of the International Federation of Catholic Alumnae. In January 1926, the first troop was born. By April of that year, three other troops had organized at St. Peter’s School, St. Margaret Mary’s School and St. John’s Episcopal Church. In October 1926, the Omaha Girl Scout Council, with the assistance of Alice Sandiford, Regional Director, was formed. The first meeting was held October 15 at the Hotel Fontenelle. A total of 263 girls and three captains were registered at national headquarters.

In October 1927, the council was accepted as a member of the Omaha Welfare Federation and Community Chest with an allotment of $1,500 for 1928. Mrs. Frank Campbell, Jr., became the first council director in 1928. In 1933, the council was incorporated under state law as Omaha, Nebraska, Local Council of Girl Scouts, Inc. In 1927, ice cream and cookies were sold to raise money. The first official cookie sale took place in 1934, sponsored by the Leaders’ Association.

Brownies, ages seven to 10, were organized in 1930. In 1933, Mr. and Mrs. William Matthews (bookstore proprietors) presented the Brownie House to the council in memory of their daughter, Ann Caroline. From 1933 through April 1964, many Brownies enjoyed the Brownie House, using it as a gathering place for meetings, picnics and fun. In 1964, when the Girl Scout office moved to the A.C. Nelsen Center, the house was donated to the Creche Home for Children.

In 1934, three high school troops were organized. Out-of-door activities, boy-girl activities and community service projects were program highlights. This was the beginning of Senior troops.

In 1929, Miss Brewster offered her camp to Girl Scouts for a six-day period. More than 85 girls and 10 staff members attended. A fee of $7.50 per girl was charged. Camp for the girls was held there each summer through 1932. A spot high above the Platte River, near Papillion, was leased to the Omaha Girl Scouts in 1933. The site was named Camp Maha, “above all others on the river.” During the years that followed, organized camp was held in the summertime at Camp Maha. In 1945, Mr. and Mrs. Chester Cunningham donated funds to purchase Camp Maha. Lois Lodge, a winterized lodge on the site, was named for Mrs. Cunningham. Another site, Camp Wa-Shawtee, 720 acres in the Loess Hills, near Hamburg, Iowa, was purchased in 1960. The first programs were offered at this resident camp in the summer of 1965. Camp Wa-Shawtee was sold in 2003.

The Girl Scout offices changed locations several times between 1936 and 1999 to either owned or leased space. August of 1999 marked the move to the council’s purchased building at 2121 S. 44th St., Omaha, which houses the corporate offices, as well as the service center.

From 263 girls served in 1926 to more than 48,000 in 2005, Girl Scouts have moved and grown in the Omaha metro area. Girl Scouts continues to be the world’s pre-eminent organization committed solely to girls. Wherever we call home, we will always be dedicated to providing opportunities “Where Girls Grow Strong.”