Official Sakima Lodge Order of the Arrow Web Site

Sakima Lodge was not the original lodge in our area. Sakima Lodge is comprised of all or part of 11 (maybe 12 depending on how you count) lodges over the years.

The 7 Original Lodges

The first lodge in our area was chartered in 1939 to Pioneer Trails Council. It was Papakitchie Lodge #142. Its totem was a Chipmunk holding an Arrow. Pioneer Trails Council was headquartered in Elkhart, IN. This patch was the third "History" Flap and was issued in September of 2002 at the Fall Ordeal Induction weekend at Camp Topenebee.

The second lodge in our area was chartered in 1940 to St. Joseph Valley Council. It was Lone Wolf Lodge #182. Its totem was a Howling Wolf. St. Jospeh Valley Council was headquartered in South Bend, IN. This patch was the first "History" Flap and was issued in April 2002 at the Section Conclave at Anderson University, Anderson, IN.

The third lodge in our area was chartered in 1941 to Fruit Belt Area Council. It was Wakazoo Lodge #203. Its totem was a Black Bass. Fruit Belt Area Council was headquartered in Kalamazoo, MI. This patch was the seventh "History" Flap and was issued in February of 2006 at the Winter Banquet at the First United Methodist Church in downtown South Bend, IN.

The fourth lodge in our area was chartered in 1945 to Nottawa Trails Council. It was Mandoka Lodge #315. Its totem was the Arrow and a Blue Heron. It's name is from a Pottawattomie Chief by the name of Sam Mandoka. Nottawa Trails Council was headquartered in Battle Creek, MI. This patch was the eighth "History" Flap and was issued in July of 2006 at the National Order of the Arrow Conference at Michigan State University, Lansing, MI.

The fifth lodge in our area was chartered in 1945 to Mishawaka Council. It was Mishawaka Lodge #314. Its totem was Princess Mishawaka's Head shown in front of an Arrowhead. The word Mishawaka is translated from the Ojibwa language as "Place of the Dead Trees." Mishawaka Council was headquartered in Mishawaka, IN. This patch was the fifth "History" Flap and was issued in May of 2004 at the Spring Ordeal Induction weekend at Camp Tamarack.

The sixth lodge in our area was chartered in 1948 to Southwest Michigan Council. It was Carcajou Lodge #373. Its totem was a Wolverine, from which the lodge name was derived. Southwest Michigan Council was headquartered in St. Joseph, MI. This patch was the sixth "History" Flap and was issued in February of 2005 at the Winter Banquet at the Elk's Lodge in Michigan City, IN.

The seventh lodge in our area was chartered in 1951 to Pottawattomie Council. It was She Sheeb Lodge #452. Its totem was a Mallard Duck. Pottawattomie Council was headquartered in Michigan City, IN. This patch was the fourth "History" Flap and was issued in May of 2003 at the Spring Ordeal Induction weekend at Camp Tamarack.

And then came the first merger. St. Joseph Valley Council and Mishawaka Council merged in 1951. Their merger formed Tri-Valley Council, headquartered in South Bend, IN. That merger brought together Lone Wolf Lodge and Mishawaka Lodge. In 1952, White Beaver Lodge #182 was chartered. Its totem was a White Beaver. That makes the eighth lodge in our history. This patch was the second "History" Flap and was issued in July 2002 at the National Order of the Arrow Conference at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

1972 and 1973 brought merger mania across the country. Our area was no exception. Fruit Belt Area Council, Nottawa Trails Council and Southwest Michigan Council merged in 1972 to form ... are you ready ... Southwest Michigan Council. Southwest Michigan Council was and still is headquartered in Kalamazoo, MI. This merger brought together Wakazoo, Mandoka and Carcajou Lodges to form Nacha-Mawat Lodge #373. It's totem is the Boy Scout Emblem. Its name is translated from the Lenni Lenape language as "Three In One." Nacha-Mawat Lodge becomes the ninth lodge in our history. This patch was the tenth "History" Flap and was issued in August 2008 at the Summer Ordeal Induction weekend at Camp Topenebee.

Pioneer Trails Council was split in half in 1972. The east half of the council was absorbed by Anthony Wayne Area Council, headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN. That part of Papakitchie Lodge became part of Kiskakon Lodge #75. Kiskakon lodge has beenn in existance since its charter year of 1935. Its totem is a Standing Bear. The word "Kiskakon" translates as "Those Who Make Trails." This patch was the ninth "History" Flap and was issued in April 2007 at the Section Conclave at Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN. Since part of our history now resides with Kiskakon Lodge, we lay claim that Kiskakon Lodge is part of our history making this the tenth lodge in our history.

The west half of Pioneer Trails Council merged with Tri-Valley Council and Pottawattomie Council to form Northern Indiana Council in 1972. Northern Indiana Council was headquartered in South Bend, IN. This of course brought together the remaining part of Papakitchie Lodge, White Beaver Lodge and She-Sheeb Lodge. The new lodge was chartered on Jan 1, 1973 as Sakima Lodge #573. Its totem is the Chief, as translated directly from the Lenape language. This becomes the eleventh lodge in our history. This patch was the eleventh "History" Flap and was issued in June 2009 at the Camp Tamarack Spring Lodge Gathering. But wait - we're not done yet.

We are down to two lodges, Sakima and Nacha-Mawat.

Southwest Michigan Council was split in 1990. The bulk of the council was left as is. The two southwestern most counties were merged with Northern Indiana Council to form LaSalle Council. LaSalle Council is headquartered in South Bend, IN. That brought together Sakima Lodge and part of Nacha-Mawat Lodge to form what is now Sakima Lodge #573. So, technically, this is the twelfth lodge in our history. This patch was the twelfth "History" Flap and was issued in ????.

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