Few places in the Lower Rio Grande Valley carry as many shared memories as the Scout camp on the banks of the Arroyo Colorado in Rio Hondo. Camp Perry history stretches back nearly a century, to a time when the Valley's first Scout volunteers were still organizing their council and a local family decided to give land so that young people would have somewhere to camp. Today Camp Charles F. Perry is described as the oldest continuously operating Boy Scout summer camp in Texas, and it is heading toward its 100th anniversary in 2027.
Key takeaways
- The Rio Grande Council was founded in 1926, with its first meeting held in November 1926 in La Feria, Texas.
- In 1927, Charles F. Perry donated several parcels of family land to the Boy Scouts of America, creating Camp Perry on the Arroyo Colorado in Rio Hondo.
- Camp Perry is described as the oldest continuously operating Boy Scout summer camp in Texas; it marked its 90th anniversary in 2017 and reaches its centennial in 2027.
- In September 2016 the council board authorized the $6.1 million "¡Adelante Con Camp Perry!" capital campaign, anchored by a new air-conditioned dining hall overlooking the Arroyo Colorado.
- The Boy Scouts of America now operates as Scouting America, a name change that took effect on February 8, 2025.
The founding of the Rio Grande Council (1926)
Camp Perry's story begins with the organization that runs it. In 1926, volunteers from the Lower Rio Grande Valley received a charter for a new Boy Scout council, traveling to Dallas to accept it. The new council held its first meeting in November 1926 in La Feria, a small city in western Cameron County. From the start, the council's territory was defined by the Valley itself and the border it shares with Mexico.
Today the Rio Grande Council serves five South Texas counties: Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy and Zapata. Four of those counties border Mexico, which gives the council a distinctly binational, bilingual character. The council office is located at 6912 W Expressway 83 in Harlingen, and it remains the official source for everything from camp registration to unit support. You can find its current information at riograndecouncil.org.
What those founding volunteers could not have known was how large the program would grow. According to figures published in the council's 2017 campaign materials, by 2016 the council counted 1,270 registered volunteers, 3,589 registered youth, a 37-member volunteer board, and more than 2,700 Eagle Scouts since its founding in 1926.
The 1927 Perry land gift
A council needs a place to camp, and the Valley's came quickly. In 1927, just a year after the council's founding, Charles F. Perry donated several parcels of family land to the Boy Scouts of America. The property sat along the Arroyo Colorado near Rio Hondo, a slow-moving waterway that winds through Cameron County toward the Laguna Madre. The land became Camp Charles F. Perry, known to nearly everyone simply as Camp Perry.
The choice of an arroyo-front site shaped the camp's identity for the next century. Water has always been at the center of the program: swimming, canoeing, kayaking and fishing are as much a part of Camp Perry memories as campfires and tents. The riverside setting is also home to subtropical birds such as the Green Jay and Great Kiskadee. (Our guide to wildlife of the Arroyo Colorado covers the species Scouts are most likely to encounter.)
A camp for Rio Grande Valley youth
For Scout families across the Valley, Camp Perry is the council's home camp, and for many young people it is the first resident camp they ever attend. That proximity matters in a region where long drives to camps in Central or North Texas can be a real barrier. A week at Camp Perry lets a Scout from Brownsville, McAllen, Rio Grande City or Zapata experience a full resident camp without leaving the region.
The camp's role has also been shaped by cost. The 2017 campaign materials listed the cost for a Scout to attend a full week of summer camp at $220, and the campaign set aside dedicated money for camperships (financial assistance for camp fees). For current fees, dates and assistance options, always check directly with the council, since those details change from year to year.
Programs that grew around the arroyo
Over time the camp's offerings expanded well beyond tent camping. The council's current Camp Perry page lists Summer Camp, Winter Camp, Cub Summer Family Adventure, Cub Adventure Weekends, an Order of the Arrow Pow-Wow weekend, the Council Camporee, and leadership training including National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and Wood Badge. You can read more about these on our programs overview, including dedicated pages for summer camp, aquatics and leadership training.
More than one camp property
Camp Perry has not been the council's only outdoor facility. According to the 2017 campaign materials, the council also operated a leased camp on South Padre Island called Laguna Station. Camp Perry, however, is the council's long-standing home camp and the property most closely tied to its history.
The 90th anniversary and ¡Adelante Con Camp Perry!
By the time Camp Perry approached its 90th anniversary in 2017, many of its buildings and systems were showing their age. In September 2016, the council's board authorized a $6.1 million capital campaign called "¡Adelante Con Camp Perry!" The Spanish word adelante means "forward," a fitting name for an effort meant to carry a 90-year-old camp into its second century while reflecting the bilingual community it serves.
The centerpiece: a new dining hall on the Arroyo Colorado
The largest single item in the campaign was a new dining hall. Campaign plans called for a 9,500-square-foot, air-conditioned building with large porches overlooking the Arroyo Colorado, budgeted at $2,000,000. In a region where summer heat indexes regularly climb above 100 °F, an air-conditioned gathering space is far more than a comfort; it gives the camp a place to feed, cool and shelter hundreds of campers at once. SpawGlass was named as the dining hall's construction contractor, and a groundbreaking was held as part of the campaign.
The full list of campaign projects
The dining hall was only one part of a broad plan that touched nearly every corner of camp. The table below summarizes the major line items as published in the campaign materials. Together they total $6.1 million.
| Project | Description | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| New dining hall | 9,500 sq ft, air-conditioned, large porches overlooking the Arroyo Colorado | $2,000,000 |
| Health & fitness facility | 6,000 sq ft building | $600,000 |
| Endowment | Long-term support for camp operations | $500,000 |
| Shower/bathroom facilities | Three new facilities | $450,000 |
| Waterfront | Aquatics improvements on the arroyo | $350,000 |
| Swimming pool | New pool / pool house remodel | $300,000 |
| Refurbish old dining hall | Renovation of the existing building | $250,000 |
| Infrastructure | Camp-wide utilities and systems | $250,000 |
| Campsite pavilions | 11 pavilions | $225,000 |
| Staff cabins | 8 cabins | $200,000 |
| Shooting complex | 3 structures | $200,000 |
| Professional fees | Design and project costs | $150,000 |
| Camperships | Financial help for Scouts attending camp | $100,000 |
| Roads | Camp road improvements | $100,000 |
| Parking | Space for 85 cars | $100,000 |
| Contingency | Reserve for unexpected costs | $80,000 |
| BMX/ATV pavilion & equipment | Program shelter and equipment | $75,000 |
| Ranger seed dollars, housing & maintenance shop | $50,000 seed dollars, $15,000 housing, $35,000 shop | $100,000 |
| Accessible site pavilion | Handicapped-accessible campsite pavilion | $25,000 |
| Landscape & irrigation | Grounds improvements | $25,000 |
| Program equipment | Gear for camp programs | $20,000 |
| Total | $6,100,000 |
Goals beyond buildings
The campaign's goals were about people as much as facilities. Campaign materials projected that, once the work was complete, Camp Perry could serve more than 15,000 young people a year. Roughly one-third of those users were expected to come from outside groups such as Boys & Girls Clubs, church groups, school groups and other nonprofits. That vision positioned Camp Perry not just as a Scout camp but as a shared outdoor resource for the whole Valley. If your organization is interested in using the camp, see our page on group camping and confirm availability with the council.
The campaign also drew attention beyond Scouting circles. One campaign event featured former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates, who spoke at the Marine Military Academy campus in Harlingen. Gates, a former national president of the Boy Scouts of America and an Eagle Scout, lent a national profile to what was fundamentally a local effort.
What exists at camp today
The council's current Camp Perry page lists a dining hall, canvas tents with cots, cabins, ADA-accessible pavilion and campsites, showers and latrines, a STEM building, a gaga ball pit, an amphitheater, handicraft areas, a trading post, a health & fitness gym, a quartermaster building, an Order of the Arrow lodge, archery, rifle and shotgun ranges, a BMX bike track, a swimming pool, aquatics docks and a fishing dock. For the latest on construction and improvements, see our project updates page and the facilities map.
The alumni association
Alongside the capital campaign, a Camp Perry Alumni Association took shape in 2017–18. Its stated goals included 250 charter members, a $50,000 campership fund, an entrance gateway estimated at about $40,000, and an annual fun and service weekend at camp. Membership levels ranged from a $20-a-year Associate membership (with a patch) to a $10,000 Lifetime Charter membership recognized with a plaque in the Welcome Center, with a $1,000 "Charles Perry Member" level in between. Our alumni association page has more on how former campers and staff stay connected.
From Boy Scouts of America to Scouting America
When Charles F. Perry gave his land in 1927, he gave it to the Boy Scouts of America. Nearly a century later, the national organization has a new name. In May 2024, the BSA announced it would become Scouting America, and the change took effect on February 8, 2025. The new name reflects a membership that has broadened considerably; the Scouts BSA program, for example, has welcomed girls since 2019.
For Camp Perry, the name change does not alter the camp's mission or the programs families know. The official national organization's information is available at scouting.org, while camp-specific details continue to come from the Rio Grande Council.
Camp Perry timeline
Here are the key dates in Camp Perry's history in one place.
- 1926: Valley volunteers receive the charter for the Rio Grande Council in Dallas.
- November 1926: The new council holds its first meeting in La Feria, Texas.
- 1927: Charles F. Perry donates several parcels of family land along the Arroyo Colorado to the Boy Scouts of America, creating Camp Perry.
- 1927–2016: Generations of Valley Scouts camp at Perry; by 2016 the council counts more than 2,700 Eagle Scouts since its founding.
- September 2016: The council board authorizes the $6.1 million "¡Adelante Con Camp Perry!" capital campaign.
- 2017: Camp Perry marks its 90th anniversary; campaign materials publicize the new dining hall, waterfront and other projects.
- 2017–18: The Camp Perry Alumni Association organizes around charter-member and campership goals.
- 2019: The Scouts BSA program begins welcoming girls.
- May 2024: The Boy Scouts of America announces its new name, Scouting America.
- February 8, 2025: The Scouting America name takes effect.
- 2027: Camp Perry's centennial, 100 years after the Perry land gift.
The road to the 2027 centennial
In 2027, Camp Perry will reach a milestone few camps anywhere achieve: a full century of continuous operation. The centennial is a natural moment to look back at the Perry gift and the volunteers who built the council, and to look ahead at what the camp needs for its next hundred years.
The 2016 campaign already pointed toward that future: endowment and campership dollars to keep camp affordable, accessible pavilions and campsites to broaden who can enjoy the property, and a vision of serving outside groups alongside Scout units.
How the community can take part
- Share your memories and photos. Alumni recollections help preserve history that official records never captured. Our contact page explains how to reach our editorial team, and the gallery collects images from camp.
- Support the camp through official channels. Donations are handled by the Rio Grande Council, not by this site. Our ways to give page points to the right places.
- Bring a new generation. The simplest way to honor a century of camp is to send a young person to it. Families new to camp can start with our first-time camper parent guide and summer camp packing list.
Planning a centennial-year visit?
Dates for centennial events, summer camp sessions and fees will be announced by the Rio Grande Council. Check the council's official Camp Perry page for current information, and see our plan your visit page for directions and weather tips.
Frequently asked questions
When was Camp Perry founded?
Camp Perry dates to 1927, when Charles F. Perry donated several parcels of family land to the Boy Scouts of America. The Rio Grande Council that operates the camp was founded a year earlier, in 1926.
Is Camp Perry really the oldest Scout camp in Texas?
Camp Perry is described by the council and in its campaign materials as the oldest continuously operating Boy Scout summer camp in Texas. The key word is "continuously": the camp has operated on the same donated land since 1927.
Where is Camp Perry located?
Camp Perry sits on the banks of the Arroyo Colorado in Rio Hondo, Texas, in Cameron County in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Our plan your visit page covers directions.
What was the Adelante Con Camp Perry campaign?
"¡Adelante Con Camp Perry!" was a $6.1 million capital campaign authorized by the council board in September 2016, ahead of the camp's 90th anniversary. Its largest project was a new 9,500-square-foot, air-conditioned dining hall, alongside a waterfront, health and fitness facility, shower houses, pavilions, an endowment and camperships.
When is the Camp Perry centennial?
The centennial falls in 2027, 100 years after the 1927 land gift. Watch the Rio Grande Council's official channels for event announcements.
Conclusion
Camp Perry's history is a story about generosity and continuity. Volunteers organized a council in 1926, a landowner gave family property in 1927, and nearly a century of Scouts, leaders and donors have kept the camp running ever since. The 2027 centennial offers the whole Rio Grande Valley a chance to celebrate it. For a broader look at the camp's past, visit our history page, and keep moving forward, adelante, with Camp Perry.
Volunteer writers and Camp Perry alumni. We base our guides on published council materials and reputable public sources — always confirm current camp rules with your unit and the Rio Grande Council. Suggest a correction.
