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Order of the ArrowIn the early days of Scouting all of these "honor campers societies" were only part of the summer camp program and they did not meet outside of summer camp. Later, they expanded their area of service to include year-round activities and service outside the summer camp experience. Nakona Lodge 150Penateka Lodge 561 During
a special vote following a weekend event, called"The Gathering," held on
July 27, 2003, at Camp Wood Lake, both Kotso and Otena Lodges approved
the joining of both lodges by December 31, 2003 to form a new lodge to
be called the Penateka Lodge #561.
Seven officers were elected at a Celebration Banquet later held on December
13, 2003, at the First United Methodist Church in Coleman. The new Chief,
along with the Lodge Adviser and Supreme Chief of the Fire, signed the
application for a charter for the new Lodge that evening.
The totem for the new lodge
is the Medicine Wheel. A special patch was designed and is issued
to all members who join the new lodge during this, their charter year of
2004. For the history of this lodge and a list of the first Lodge officers
and Advisers, please go to: Penateka
Lodge History
Tatanka Lodge 141 Tatanka
Lodge 141 of the Buffalo Trail Council, Midland, Texas, was chartered
in 1938. For the past sixty-four years the lodge has served cheerfully
throughout numerous projects at the Buffalo Trails Scout
Ranch, Camp Ed Murphy, and Hughes Aquatic Base. Currently the lodge
has 616 Arrowmen and has been recognized as an honor lodge. "Tatanka" is
translated as "Buffalo" and is the totem for this lodge. They have
just in the last couple of years finished a project at Buffalo Trail Scout
Ranch called the "Great Wall" which extended the parade ground. Also with
help of a National matching grant they were able to supply water to the
backcountry of Buffalo Trails Scout Ranch which has helped greatly to facilitate
their programs out that way.
At
Hughes Aquatic Base, located on Lake Colorado City, the lodge has started
two massive projects that will take some time yet to complete. One is the
building of many pavilions at the campsites to help provide shade. The
second is that they moved a house from property donated to the council
to the camp to serve as a new medic hut. The house has been moved, but
still much work needs to be done fixing it up. Present Lodge Chief is Kevin
Morris. Photo at left is Warren Wallace performing the Eagle Dance.
The photo is part of a larger display that is hanging at Buffalo Trail
Scout Ranch. Photo courteous of Kevin Morris. Tatanka
Lodge History
Wahinkto Lodge 199 Wahinkto
Lodge 199 of
the Concho Valley Council, San Angelo, Texas, first inducted their new
members during summer camp at Camp Louis Farr the week of June 7-21, 1941.
Charles "Chuck" Taylor, who was serving as waterfront director at the camp,
was named Lodge Chief of the newly organized "Arrow Point Lodge."
Taylor was seventeen at the time and remembers that the professional staff
in camp put on the first ceremony. Paul Irland used a wand to tap
out the candidates. They wore no Indian outfits, just their Scout
uniform. They had no books to read from; they created a ceremony
for the tap out and induction. Each troop picked out boys for membership
according to the number of Scouts in their troop who were at camp.
Everything that had to do with the Order of the Arrow happened only in
camp.
Emmett D. Cox, Council President, and Henry Ragsdale, Council Commissioner, were voted as honorary members of the lodge that first summer. Wahinkto is the Blackfoot word meaning "Arrowpoint." The lodge totem was the arrowhead, later changed to the running deer. The first patch of the lodge was designed to wear on a neckerchief. It was designed by James M. Young, Jim Strother and Ray Hall Beck about 1950. Prior to the Order of the Arrow, the council had "The Order of the Black Arrow" at Camp Fawcett in 1934 which was active off and on through 1940 and later the "Kunieh Camp Society" at Camp Connellee on the banks of the North Concho River in 1929. The Society was organized by Brice Draper, then Scout Executive. This group was active through 1932. For a complete history of the lodge and a list of all the Lodge Chiefs, Advisers and Vigils go to: Wahinkto Lodge History Former Kotso Lodge 330 Kotso
Lodge 330 , formerly
of the Chisholm Trail Council, BSA, Abilene, Texas, was formed in July
of 1945. The first Ordeal, performed shortly after the formation
of the lodge, was held at Camp Tonkawa, outside of Buffalo Gap, Texas.
The Lodge has attended Conclaves from 1956 to present. Kotso has also hosted three Conclaves while a member of Area 9D. Kotso, from the date of its formation, has been a member of Area 9D, SE-4, and currently SR-2. Kotso is the home of two Area 9D Chiefs; 2 Section 4 Chiefs; the 1994-95 SR2 Chief, Craig Conover, and the 1985-1987 National Vice Chief, Cary Roberts. For a complete history of the lodge and a list of known Lodge Chiefs and Advisers go to: Kotso Lodge History Former Otena Lodge 295 Otena
Lodge 295, formerly of the Comanche
Trail Council, BSA, Brownwood, Texas was chartered on May 24, 1945.
A copy of their first charter is displayed in the Council Service Center
in Brownwood. The seed for the organization of the Otena Lodge was
sowed several years before the lodge was chartered. The "Tribe of
the Black Arrow", which was chartered in 1931, was the very first Indian
organization in the council. A few years later the Kunieh Tribe was
formed in 1935. The members of the Kunieh Tribe became the Order
of the Arrow at camp that summer with Connie Mack Hood of Breckenridge,
Texas becoming its first Lodge Chief.
The name "Otena" is translated as "place of adobe," "place of the teepee" or "lodging." Thus the totem of the Lodge was a teepee and was used for many years on patches and neckerchiefs. The Indian headdress later replaced the teepee as the totem of the lodge. Otena Lodge has hosted several
conclaves including the very first Area 9D Conference at Camp Billy Gibbons
and the 1997 SR2 Conclave at Tarleton State University. For a complete
history of the lodge and a list of all the Lodge Chiefs, Advisers and Vigils
go to: Otena Lodge History
Last updated: January 15, 2015 Return to Home Page |