Our History
Blazing trails for more than a century.
Girl Scouts have always been leaders, in Southwest Texas and across the nation.
In 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in her own backyard in Savannah, Georgia, she ignited a movement where girls were encouraged to explore the world around them—and to do it together.
At a time when women in the United States couldn’t yet vote and were expected to stick to strict social norms, these first Girl Scouts were trailblazers, redefining what was possible for themselves and for girls everywhere. They played basketball, hiked, swam, and camped. They learned to tell time by the stars. And most importantly, they shared a sense of adventure and a belief that they could do anything.
The movement quickly spread.
With four Girl Scout troops already formed in San Antonio, Texas, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (then known as Bexar County Council of Girl Scouts) was founded on March 11, 1924, with Sallie Ward Beretta as the council commissioner.
Soon after founding, Girl Scouts got to work, taking up Beretta’s cause of preserving and planting the state flower, the bluebonnet. They planted bluebonnet seeds along highways and mailed packets of seeds to other troops across Texas. Beretta became known as “The Bluebonnet Lady of Texas,” and conservation and exploring the outdoors remains a pillar of the Girl Scout experience.
Our Girl Scouts have participated in almost every Battle of Flowers® Parade during Fiesta® since our founding, including here in 1931.
1930s 
Girl Scouts pose with a car while at Camp La Jita in Utopia, Texas. La Jita opened in 1947.
1940s
Council staff member Zudora McCoy helped open Camp Mira Sol in May 1951 as the first resident camp for Black Girl Scouts in Texas.
1950s
Lady Olave Baden-Powell, co-founder of Girl Guides and its first Chief Guide for Britain visited San Antonio and our Girl Scouts in January 1964.
1960s
Girl Scouts pose with Lila Cockrell, the first woman mayor of San Antonio and a champion of the organization.
1970s
GSSWT moved its headquarters from the King William District in downtown San Antonio to 10443 Gulfdale in April 1984.
1980s
Girl Scouts, family, and friends participate in the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., March in San Antonio in 1990.
1990s
In 2009, Anna Marie Chávez became the first Latina to serve as CEO for the council, and in 2011 she was appointed CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA.
2000s
Local Girl Scouts were featured on the packaging for Savannah Smiles Girl Scout Cookies, released in 2011 in honor of Girl Scouts’ centennial.
2010s
Today’s Girl Scouts continue to thrive, seek new adventures, take action on issues they care about, and work to make the world a better place.
2020s
