The Boy Scout movement was founded in England by British Lord Robert Baden-Powell and Scouting's first manual was both written and illustrated by Baden-Powell in 1908.  During a visit to London in 1909, millionaire Chicago publisher William Dickson Boyce became lost and was approached by a boy of about 12 carrying a lantern who offered to guide him to the address he was seeking. When Boyce produced a shilling, the boy replied, "No, sir, I am a scout. Scouts do not accept tips for Good Turns."

After finishing his errands, Boyce and the unknown scout went to British Scout headquarters where they met Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the famous British general who had founded the Scouting movement in Great Britain.  From that moment forward, Boyce's interest in Scouting grew and Boyce came home determined to start Boy Scouting in America.  He apparently knew nothing of the troops already operating or of the YMCA's promotion of Scouting.

On February 8, 1910, Boyce and a group of outstanding leaders filed incorporation papers for the Boy Scouts of America in the District of Columbia.  The purpose, he said, "Shall be to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts."