|
BSA Troop 39Cannon Falls, MNWakpaota District
|
|
|
Wakpaota (silent "k") is Dakota, meaning "Many Rivers" Gamehaven Council is located in the Southeastern corner of Minnesota, bordered on the eastern boundary by the Mississippi River. The land varies from rich, plains farmland in the south and west, to rugged, wooded bluff country and river valleys in the east. Gamehaven Council is made up of 3 districts; Sugarloaf district in the Southeast around Winona, Hiawatha district around Rochester, and Wakpaota district comprising the western and northern regions from Owatonna to Red Wing. While the area contributes few lakes for the state slogan "Land of 10,000 Lakes" (actually, over 40,000 lakes, when it rains). the area has many rivers and streams. The Zumbrota, Cannon and Root Rivers provide canoeing opportunities, while the Mississippi River valley provides a vast resource for boating, sailing, fishing, camping, and hunting. Many of the small streams running through the eastern valleys are managed by the DNR for trout fishing. Wild turkeys are common in the extensive hardwood forests in the eastern and southeastern areas, the result of a successful DNR re-introduction program. The whitetail deer have become so numerous in recent years that they have almost reached pest status.
Troop 39 is run by the Senior Patrol Leader and the Patrol Leaders Council. Camping is the focal point for an active year-round program, with monthly troop campouts consisting of activities such as winter snow camping, cave and bike camping, hiking, riflery, and model rocketry. We utilize winter cabins at Gamehaven's GSR, Indianhead's Cannon River SR, Viking Council's Rum River and other campgrounds. Summer camp is in June at Indianhead Council's Tomahawk SR, Sioux Camp, near Rice Lake, Wisconsin. We plan a canoe camping trip for the summer months, with the BWCA and many great canoeing rivers being close at hand. Troop 39 usually has scouts participating on the staffs of area Scout camps during the summer. Our community is very supportive of Scouting, and is also home to Cub Pack 239 and a very active Girl Scout organization. Troop 39 is chartered to the Cannon Falls VFW Post 4452. We meet Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the VFW meeting hall. Visitors are always welcome. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The crew for the '95 BWCA trip.
|
|
To contact Troop 39:
|
|
|
Last edited: February 22, 2004
|
Cannon Falls is located
at the northern edge of Gamehaven Council in the wooded Cannon River Valley, about 40 to
50 miles south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It has a population of
around 3000 people, whose values and attitudes are strongly family, church and
community-oriented, with churches outnumbering bars 2-to-1 (A basic Minnesotan
measurement). The area enjoys ethnic, religious and economic diversity, which is reflected
in the troop membership. Troop 39 scouts attend 3 different public school systems, a
parochial school, and several are home-schooled. We attend 6 different churches in 4
denominations. We live in 3 postal delivery areas, 2 different counties and 2 telephone
area codes. It's amazing we ever get anything accomplished. But we most certainly do. 
