Owasippe - Troop 149, McHenry, IL

Page 16
Historical Facts & Information
Beginnings
The original 40 acres outside of Whitehall Michigan on
the shores of Crystal Lake were donated to the Chicago
Council in 1910 by local business men hoping to
increase tourism to the Whitehall area. In 1911 a small
group of scouts and workmen dug a well and built the
basics of a camp. In 1912 they held their first summer
camp operation there. The camp was originally called
Camp White in 1912 and in 1913 the name was
changed to Camp Owasippe. Scouts would take a
steamship, a full day’s sail, to get to camp back then.
A few years later, Scouts would debark from Dearborn
Street Statiion to ride the Pierre Marquette train to a
spot just south of Whitehall nicjnamed “Scout Siding.”
The steam engine would stop with a jerk and the Scouts
would sort their gear into one of three piles, one for
each camp; West, Beard or Stuart. Then they would
load the gear onto wagons and hike the short distance
in to the camps.
Chekagou
“In the summer of 1932, many of us attended Camp
Chekagou, one of the Owasippe Scout Camps, located
with Camp Blackhawk (for West Side troops) on Crystal
Lake, near Muskegon, Michigan. In 1934, Chekagou
and Blackhawk were closed and the Northwest and
West Districts were moved to Camp MacDonald
(renamed Camp Stuart) on nearby Big Blue Lake. The
camp period was ten days, from Sundays to
Wednesdays, and we got there on the Pere Marquette
Railroad. The camp fees were $10.00 and the fare was
$5.00.”
David H. Heller, Chicago Jewish History Vol. 24, No. 3,
Summer 2000, Chicago Jewish Historical Society, p. 12
Order of the Arrow & Owasippe
Most Scouters know that E.Urner Goodman founded
the Order of the Arrow, however many do NOT know
that Mr Goodman was a prior reservation director at
Owasippe in 1925. It was at this time, that he
introduced this new concept, we now refer to as the
“OA”, to Owasippe and Chicago Area Scouts.
The first National Convention convened in Philadelphia
on October 7, 1921, and a National Lodge composed of
all of the constituent local lodges, represented by four
delegates from each, was formed. It took over the
affairs of the Order, adopted a constitution and a
statement of policies, and appointed committees to
develop further details.
Following this initial convention, a steady progressive
growth in lodges and membership was noted.
Successive National Lodge meetings were held
annually, later, biannualy. In November of 1929, at the
National Lodge meeting, some discussion was held
pointing to the adoption of the Order by the National
Council of the Boy Scouts of America, as a component
part of its program. At the session of the National
meeting held at Owasippe Scout Reservation in 1933,
this proposal was made and ratified by the delegates
present.
Owasippe Post Office
Given a post office spelled Owasippi on August 1, 1924,
with Herman Mahew as its first postmaster. With Craig
Atkinson as postmaster, the spelling was changed to
Owasippe on May 22, 1929.
Wildcat Trails
From the 1977 Owasippe Trail Map
From each of the locations below, one of which is near
your section camp, a white-eyed wildcat trail begins,
circles through the woods, and returns to the point of
beginning so you won’t get lost.
1. Water tower northeast of Camp Dan Beard at
Owasippe Lake
2. Chapel west side of Lake Wolverine.
3. South end of Sauger Lake.
4. Camp Blackhawk pier.
(Note this is referencing the original Blackhawk
waterfront near the Alfred Stern Dining Hall).
The wildcat trail is blazed with 2 dots of reflecting paint.
After dark when you shine a flashlight at these two dots,
they appear to be wildcat eyes. White reflecting paint
makes a white-eyed wildcat trail.
Somewhere along this white-eyed trail you may find a
yellow-eyed trail. This yellow-eyed trail is for more
experienced scouts. Follow the yellow-eyed trail a short
distance to a wildcat den. The den is a group of trees
with many pairs of reflecting eyes. From this den you
must walk the compass course below in order to find
the den from which the yellow-eyed wildcat trail
continues back to the white-eyed wildcat trail.
270 degrees 250 feet Den
30 degrees 250 feet Den
330 degrees 250 feet Den
90 degrees 250 feet Den
From this last den a wildcat trail returns you to the
white-eyed trail.
Owasippe legends, Ballads & Vignettes