1920s

Council's earliest documented troops included:

• Troop of 10 girls, led by Kate Holt, Gloria Shelly & Ada McBride Cylor, met in Las Cruces in 1924

• Brownie Troop, led by Mary Oliver, met in the Elementary Training School of the New Mexico State Teachers' College in Silver City

• Troop 4 formed in El Paso in 1927 and Beatrice Shay was the Girl Scout Captain.

1930s

• First meeting of Girl Scouts at Fort Bliss led by Jean Christman, Oct. 4, 1930.

• Group of enthusiastic women met at the Public Library in Sept. 1931 and decided the City of El Paso also needed Girl Scouting.

• El Paso-Fort Bliss Council established in 1931.

• First Court of Awards held in the Vocational School auditorium.

• First cookie sale held in March 1933. "We hope to clear $100," Mrs. Clarence Longnecker, chair of the sale said about the sugar cookies that troops made.

• First day camp "experiment" held in Memorial Park during summer vacation 1936.

• "Radio" troop appeared on KTSM in 1937.

• 24 Girl Scouts formed an honor guard at the Santa Fe station in El Paso for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on March 11.1938.

• Fort Bliss and El Paso troops merged into the El Paso County Council and joined the larger Cactus Region of Girl Scouts, March 11, 1938.

• Camp Pioneer established on 22 acres of the Zach White estate in 1938.

• Deming, Silver City and Lordsburg joined the El Paso County Council.

• Miss Francis Driver was the first girl in El Paso to receive The Golden Eaglet, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

• Council moved into first offices in the old Chamber of Commerce building (built in 1909), located at 310 San Francisco Street in 1939.

1940s

• Doña Ana Girl Scout Association chartered in April 1943 with three troops and about 50 girls in New Mexico. Mrs. G.A. Feather was president.

• To support the increasing girl membership, two paid field executives were hired in 1946.

• As a result of GSUSA redefining regions, the council became part of Region IX, which included New Mexico, the Navajo Reservation and El Paso in 1947.

1950s

• The Doña Ana Girl Scout Association membership increased to 495 Girl Scouts and included Hatch, Mesilla Park and White Sands areas in 1951.

• Senior Girl Scouts participated in the Senior Roundup in Michigan in 1956, joining girls from 48 states, six territories and eight other countries.

• Council hosted Lady Olave Bladen-Powell, World Chief Guide during her visit to the El Paso area in 1956.

• Council purchased Green Ranch, 236 acres in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico, was purchased in1958 and renamed Camp Tall Pines. The first resident camp was held in 1959.

• During 1959, a two-acre section of Apodaca Park in Las Cruces was designated for Girl Scouts.

1960s

• First capital fund drive was held in 1960. Hotel magnate, Conrad Hilton, presented the council president with a check for $5,000.

• Doña Ana County Girl Scouts had grown to 1,036. As a result, the council was redefined and the Doña Ana, Sierra, El Paso and Hudspeth counties formed the Rio Grande Girl Scout Council in March 1960.    

• In 1960 the new El Paso City flag was designed and created by Nestor Valencia as a special project of Girl Scout Troop 176.

• The Council celebrated the 50th anniversary of Girl Scouting with a birthday party in the El Paso county coliseum in 1962.

• Also in 1962, Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties in New Mexico were added to the Rio Grande Council making it one of the largest in area of 24,000 square miles.

1970s

• El Paso Council's headquarters moved from its location near Basset Center to 3214 E.Yandell in 1971. 

1980s

• Around 1982 the Las Cruces Service Center moved to its current location

1990s

• During the late 90's, the Council held a Capital Campaign and successfully raised more than a million dollars earmarked for the creation a new program center for girls in El Paso.

2000s

• The Las Cruces Service Center expanded to more than double its size in 2001 and additional staff was hired to support an increase in membership.                                                                                      

• Construction was completed on the new program center located on Girl Scout Way in Northeast El Paso and it was occupied in 2001.

• At the April 2001 annual meeting, the council's name was changed from Rio Grande Girl Scout Council to Girl Scouts of the Rio Grande.

• Though the generosity of the Pioneer Association, Camp Pioneer became the council's property in January 2003.