Dan Carter Cub Scout Series

Dan Carter Cub Scout Series
by Mildred A. Wirt


The six volume Dan Carter Series was written by Mildred A. Wirt Benson and was published by Cupples and Leon from 1949 to 1953.  The books follow the adventures of 10 year old Dan Carter and the other boys in Den 2 of the Cub Scouts.  Dan Carter is considered the most responsible Cub in Den 2 and is the pack leader.
Titles in the Dan Carter Series:


  1. Dan Carter Cub Scout, 1949
  2. Dan Carter and the River Camp, 1949
  3. Dan Carter and the Money Box, 1950
  4. Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle, 1951
  5. Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face, 1952
  6. Dan Carter and the Cub Honor, 1953

Another boy who is several years older, Brad Wilber, is a Boy Scout and is the Den Chief.  Dan greatly admires Brad and sees Brad as a role model.  The Cub Scouts of Den 2 compete with other Dens in activities that most often involve a Native American theme.  One of the boys in Den 1, Ross Langdon, often causes friction with the other Cub Scouts.  Ross hates to work and loves to criticize other people, particularly Dan whom he dislikes for once beating him in a swim meet.  When the Cubs of Den 2 are not in the middle of an interesting activity, they are usually defending themselves against some type of accusation of wrongdoing of which they are innocent and must exonerate themselves.

The name of this series has a special significance.  A man named Daniel Carter Beard was a naturalist who led an organization called the Sons of Daniel Boone during the early 20th Century.  After the Boys Scouts of America was incorporated in 1910, Beard's Sons of Daniel Boone was enfolded into the organization.  Beard became the national Scout commissioner, and Beard helped to design the original Scout uniform.

  #1 Dan Carter Cub Scout                                                     1949
Dan Carter and the other Cubs from Den 2 of the Webster City Cub Scouts sorely wish for the never-ending rain to cease so that they can explore the outdoors.  Finally, the weather clears temporarily and the Cubs decide to hike to Mr. Silverton's pheasant farm.  When the boys arrive at the farm, they are threatened by the caretaker, Saul Dobbs, who orders them away from the farm.  Angered, the boys visit the office of the owner, Mr. Silverton, and plead for permission to visit the farm.  Mr. Silverton grants permission so long as the boys stay out of the restricted area.

During the boys' visit to the farm, Red and Chips wander away from the other Cubs and accidentally enter the restricted area!  Red and Chips pick up a few pheasant feathers which they plan to make into an Indian headdress.  Little do the boys realize that their innocent mistake is to cause them endless trouble.

Dan Carter Cub Scout
The Cubs find themselves accused of killing some of Mr. Silverton's pheasants.  With no way of proving their innocence, the Cubs are treated hostilely by Mr. Silverton and others in the community.  The boys must exonerate themselves, and so begin watching Mr. Silverton's property in order to discover what is happening to his pheasants.  After more rains cause Mr. Silverton's property to flood, the Cubs help Mr. Silverton save his pheasants, regain his trust, and solve the mystery of the missing pheasants.
  #2 Dan Carter and the River Camp                                      1949
Dan Carter and the other Den 2 Cubs enjoy having meetings at their cave near the river's shore.  During a treasure hunt one evening, Dan and Brad discover a box containing a strange code which has a mysterious reference to Skeleton Island.  Dan and Brad also discover a young boy nearby unconscious on the beach.  The boy reveals his name as Jacques but refuses to give any additional information about himself.  The Cubs take care of Jacques that night, but the boy disappears the next day.  Later, the coded message is stolen as well.

Dan and Brad learn of fur thieves in the area and wonder if there can be any connection to Skeleton Island after they see an unfamiliar boat signaling near the island.  The Cubs visit Skeleton Island on a camping trip, and while hiking see Jacques in the caretaker's house.  The Cubs speculate that Jacques may be a prisoner on the island.

Dan Carter and the River Camp
Through a strange turn of events, Dan discovers the identities of the fur thieves and is forced to help them steal another fur shipment.  After several exciting adventures, Dan and the Cubs help bring the thieves to justice, discover Jacques' true identity, and learn the secret of Skeleton Island.
  #3 Dan Carter and the Money Box                                       1950
While putting coal in the stove in the basement at the church, Dan discovers a box containing a large sum of money.  Nobody knows how the money box came to be inside the basement, so Mr. Hatfield takes the box home for safekeeping until he can turn it over to the police.  The next morning, Mr. Hatfield calls the police and goes to retrieve the money from his room.  Amazingly, the money box has disappeared!  The police suspect that Mr. Hatfield plans to keep the money by pretending that somebody else has stolen the money.

To complicate matters, word of the newly-discovered money box quickly spreads around town, and three different people come forward to claim it.  Mr. Hatfield feels responsible for the loss of the money and plans to make good the loss in the event that the money is not found.  The Cubs are troubled as they know that Mr. Hatfield can hardly afford to repay several thousand dollars out of his own pocket.

Dan Carter and the Money Box
Soon a break in the case comes as an unexpected source gives the Cubs a clue about the lost money and enables them to trace the thief to his hiding place.  The Cubs are able to recover the money, clear Mr. Hatfield of all suspicion, and return the money to the rightful owner.
  #4 Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle                                1951
A sporting goods store offers a prize of a complete archery set for the organization that puts on the best play.  Den 1 and Den 2 plan to put on a play as a joint effort in hopes of winning the prize.  The Cubs decide to put on a production of Robin Hood and receive permission from Mr. Kain, who works for the bank, to use a property known as the Haunted Castle as the setting for their production.

All appears to be going well until the Cubs are accused by Mr. Kain of breaking a window and setting a fire.  Mr. Kain orders them to pay for damages or leave the property.  The Cubs have seen someone hiding in the bushes on the property, but since they have no proof, they pay Mr. Kain so that they may continue to work on the play.

Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle
As the Cubs finish working on their play, they investigate the bank's property, hoping to meet the trespasser and prove their innocence of any wrongdoing.  In time, the Cubs learn the identity of the trespasser and exonerate themselves.  Additionally, they help a new friend become a Cub Scout.
  #5 Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face                           1952
Red is teased by the other Cubs when he claims that he saw a large carved face on the side of a cliff in the woods and that the face was lit by a fire that nobody else saw.  The Cubs investigate the next day and are dumbfounded when they too see the newly-carved face on the side of the cliff.  The carver clearly is highly-skilled, but who would carve a face in the middle of a cliff?

The Cubs learn that an old Indian medicine man is hiding in the area, and two members of his tribe are seeking him.  The two men appear to be planning to punish the medicine man for stealing something and for deserting the tribe.  The Cubs wonder if perhaps the old Indian is responsible for the carved face on the cliff.  The Cubs also wonder what keeps happening to their belongings after they lose two paddles and a blanket.

Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face
The Cubs discover a spooky cave during their search for their lost paddles and inadvertently stumble upon a clue to the mystery.  They learn the truth about the old medicine man and help to straighten out the misconceptions of the other two members of his tribe.
  #6 Dan Carter and the Cub Honor                                       1953
The Cubs of Den 2 face their biggest crisis after they are accused of vandalizing an old church.  Dan admits that he and another Cub are responsible for accidentally breaking a window and offers to pay for the damage, but the caretaker, Old Terry, refuses to accept the money and states that they did thousands of dollars in damage to the building in addition to breaking the window.

Dan and the other Cubs are angered, as they know they did not wreck the church.  The owners of the church file a lawsuit against the organization for $20,000 in damages.  Even worse, the boys' reputation is at stake as many people believe the false rumors.  The Cubs feel disgraced and have no way of proving their innocence.

Dan Carter and the Cub Honor
The Cubs suspect that hooligan Pat Oswald and his gang are responsible for the damage to the church.  Pat and his cohorts constantly harass the Cubs and make fun of them.  Whenever the vandalism of the church is mentioned, Pat smirks but refuses to admit to anything.  Finally, Pat has a change of heart and admits to his role in the misdeed.  Pat and his friends resolve to become honest and loyal.  They plan to create a Cub Scouts den of their own so that they can also be members of a great organization.
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