The Girl Scout National Center West was located just outside Ten Sleep, Wyoming

Ten Sleep, Wyoming

ŋTen Sleep is a town in Washakie County, Wyoming, United States. It is located in the Big Horn Basin in the western foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, about 26 miles east of Worland and 59 miles west of Buffalo....

, among the Big Horn Mountains

Big Horn Mountains

The Big Horn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately 200 miles northward on the Great Plains...

, near the entrance to Ten Sleep Canyon

Tensleep Creek

Tensleep Creek is a stream that originates in the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area in the U.S state of Wyoming. Lakes that are along the river are Misty Moon, Lake Marion and Lake Helen. Tensleep Creek is a tributary of the Nowood River which then flows into the Bighorn River....

. A portion of the center was one of the largest encampments in the world at 15400 acres (62.3 km²) (14600 acres (59.1 km²) also reported) of rugged wilderness near the entrance to Ten Sleep Canyon near the Bighorn National Forest

Bighorn National Forest

Bighorn National Forest is located in northern Wyoming, United States and consists of over 1.1 million acres . Created as a US Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forest lands in the U.S...

. 640 acres (2.6 km²) of those acres were donated by the United States government.

History

The single largest land acquisition in Girl Scouts of the USA

Girl Scouts of the USA

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...

 history, the center was purchased in 1968. Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world engaged in outdoor activities including horseback riding, backpacking, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, orienteering

Orienteering

Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...

, exploring Native American

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 pictographs and study of geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

. Sample programs that were offered included Hike-A-Peak, a 19-day backpacking event for girls 16-18 years old; Tote 'N Trek, a 9-day backpacking excursion for novice backpackers ages 14-18; Saddle Straddle, a 6-day pack trip for experienced riders; and Paint the West, focusing on arts skills and exploring western art. The site also supported Wider Opportunities, family camping, and camping for troops traveling to other destinations.

In 1978, Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association.- History :...

's Wild Kingdom

Wild Kingdom

Wild Kingdom, sometimes known as Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, is an American television show that features wildlife and nature. It was originally produced from 1963 until 1988, and was revived in 2002...

filmed part of its show at the National Center West, featuring wildlife projects made by Girl Scouts.

Closure

Because of high maintenance costs, the center was closed in 1989; the land was sold in 1991. A part of the site is now owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....

as the 9851 acres (39.9 km²) Tensleep Preserve, with facilities for workshops and seminars. The remaining 4749 acres (19.2 km²) are part of the Clay Ranch.