Eagle Scout is the highest rank young men can achieve in the Boy Scouts of America. To become an Eagle Scout, scouts must earn at least 21 different merit badges, and plan, organize, and lead an extensive service project.
Nipomo resident Ian Howell of Troop 450 recently finished his Eagle Scout project: He built a 19th century replica of a carretta—a wooden wagon used by missions and ranchos—and donated it to the Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos for use at the historic adobe. According to an e-mail from the Amigos, the 18-year-old Nipomo High School graduate modeled his carretta after one he saw at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc.
“I built it as a service project to help a local non-profit organization, Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos, and to earn and fulfill the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout. Also I wanted to pay back the community that I grew up in that taught me so many valuable life skills and some early American history, too,” Howell said in a press release. “Throughout the three months it took to build this cart, I received help from Troop 450, my family, friends, and even my neighbors. My dad, Jim Howell, gave me the reclaimed wood to build the carretta’s base. My friend, Jason Tidalgo, gave me the black locust branches for the rails. I thank my parents and Harry Holden for pushing me to meet the deadline.”
When asked what advice he would give to aspiring Eagle Scouts, Howell said, “Do not procrastinate! Get your paper work and project done early.”
The carretta is currently parked where Capt. William Guillermo Dana might have kept his carrettas, which he used to carry animal hide and tallow to his Avila Beach warehouse.
For more information about the Dana Adobe, visit danaadobe.org or call 929-5679.