The History of the Indian Pathfinders

When first formed in the mid 1990’s, the Indian Pathfinders was originally under the umbrella of the Greater Manchester YWCA.  The program got started when a Dad from the Midwest moved and brought the idea to New Hampshire after participating in a YMCA Princess Program.

The Father and Son Y-Indian Guide Program was developed in a deliberate way to support the father's vital family role as teacher, counselor and friend to his son.  The program was initiated by Harold S. Keltner of the St. Louis YMCA.  In 1926 he organized the first tribe in Richmond Heights, Mo., with the help of his friend, Joe Friday, an Ojibwa Indian, and William H. Hefelfinger, chief of the first Y-Indian tribe.

In the 1960’s, the program was expanded to include fathers and their daughters.  For more than 80 years, the YMCA Y- Guides and Princesses program has been helping fathers, all across America, establish more meaningful relationships with their daughters and sons.  

In the fall of 2001, the Indian Pathfinders separated from the Great Manchester YWCA and officially became its own non-profit entity, known as the Southern NH Parent/Child Program.  Our group has been very active over the years and has many rich traditions - the most important being “having fun together.”