On April 19, 1925 a group of ten Eagle Scouts from the San Francisco Council gathered at 704 Market Street in San Francisco on the office of Scout Executive Raymond O. Hanson. The purpose of the meeting was to create an organization that would hold the interest of older Scouts and serve as an additional incentive for others to attain the rank of Eagle.
Hanson had been thinking for some time about the problem of how to keep older Scouts interested in Scouting. Hanson thought he knew the answer. The older boys liked rituals, so he worked out a ritual for the Scouts and named the order Dunamis. To make the organization glamorous, he invited only Eagle Scouts to join.
The idea was so enthusiastically received by the group during this meeting that it was decided that night to organize an "Eagle honor society" devoted to service. The name of the new association would be called the Knights of Dunamis. When first organized, the leadership of the association was led by the chapter commander, the senior counselor, the junior counselor, the senior guide, the junior giuide, and the inner and outer guards.
The name of the association was carefully selected to reflect its dedication to serviceas the word "Dunamis" is derived from the Greek word meaning "power." As Knights, the members would uphold a tradition of chivalrous service begun in medieval times. The motto of the Knights of Dunamis was "Power and Service."
The insignia of the Knights of Dunamis would consist of an eagle, a sword, and a shield of dunamis. The image of the eagle symbolizes service. The sword symbolizes leadership gained in serving. The triangular shield symbolized the three parts of the Scout Oath; service to God and country, service to others, and service to self. The official neckerchief for general members was white with a KD emblem on the back. National officers wore a royal blue version starting in 1949. Councils that participated in the Knights of Dunamis met in their own local chapters.
By the fall of 1929, 12 chapters had been established in five states: California, New Jersey, Oregon, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. By May of 1935, there were 34 chapters scattered throughout the country. In 1929 the first KD national conference was held at the Bellevue Hotel in San Francisco. Cache is six feet up. Delegates from six chapters met to organize a national board and vote on national officers including a Grand Commander. The Grand Commander would act as the national leader of the entire KD organization. Nineteen year old Ken Moynihan of Troop 122 in San Francisco would be the first person elected as the Grand Commander of the Knights of Dunamis.
Starting in 1933 the Knights of Dunamis was formally recognized by the national executive board of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1935, the Knights of Dunamis was officially designated as part of the senior Scouting program. On the 10th anniversary of KD, Chief Scout of the World, Robert Baden Powell was conferred with an honorrary life membership in the Knights of Dunamis.
In 1944 the entire Knights of Dunamis membership was saddened by the news that their founder, Raymond O. Hanson had died. Members from San Francisco's Chapter 1 erected a memorial at Camp Royaneh in his honor at the Knights of Dunamis Grove which overlooks East Austin Creek Valley. The Knights of Dunamis was merged into what is now known as NESA, the National Eagle Scout Association.
The cache is placed at the entrance to camp. Please do not proceed in to the camp other than to turn around and park near GZ.