Scouting began almost immediately after the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910.
Early Scouting units in cities throughout the Southwest often began before the thought of Councils came into play. Many of the earliest Councils were second-class organizations, considered groups without a full-time employed executives. By the early 1920s, Scouting in most of the Southwest was organized by first-class Councils, with an employed executive leading the organization.
Over the decades to follow, these Councils were part of Region 12 and the Western Region.
In 2022, the Councils were organized into 16 National Service Territories (NST’s), now referred to as 14 Council Service Territories (CST’s).
The Southwest US Councils covered in this history site are now part of CST 3 and CST 8.