Cahuilla Pre-History

Before The Order of the Arrow

Like most Summer Camps, non-OA societies were a fixture in San Bernardino/Riverside County in the early days of Scouting. Currently, there are 3 known societies that emerged in the 1920s:

• Tribe of Tahquitz: The first Tribe of Tahquitz was established in the 1920s at Camp Emerson and serving Riverside County Council. This organization continued into the 1930s, before becoming Tahquitz Lodge # 127 (or, possibly, Tribe of Tahquitz Lodge # 127) in 1938.
• Tribe of Siwanis: This organization was based at Camp Arataba, serving Arrowhead Area Council.
• Tribe of Navajo: Little is known of this group, based at Camp Tulakes and serving Old Baldy Council. Such an organization was long suspected, and only confirmed in recent times via Pomona-based newspapers.

1930s – The Order’s Local Beginning

In 1934, at the urging of National Director of Program, E. Urner Goodman, the Order of the Arrow was approved as an experimental program by the Boy Scouts of America. This provided the basis for new Order of the Arrow Lodges to be chartered. At the time, very few Lodges in the West existed.

Navajo Lodge # 98, chartered in 1937, was the 2nd Lodge formed in California. At the time, the logistics of an installation ceremony was so remote, National Chairman H. Lloyd Nelson simply mailed the ritual booklets to the Council.

Further Reading: Navajo Lodge History

The following year, Tahquitz Lodge # 127, itself the 4th Lodge formed in California, was chartered. Previous Scout Executive, John Leecing, had moved to Mission Council, which was home to the first OA Lodge in California, and undoubtedly passed on this program to his successor, Carl Helmick.

Further Reading: Tahquitz Lodge History

1940s – Further Establishment

By 1948, the Order of the Arrow was accepted and fully integrated into the Boy Scouts of America program. At this point, emphasis was placed on establishing an OA Lodge in every Council that did not already have one.

In 1948, Ho-Mita-Koda Lodge # 380 was chartered to Redlands Area Council. This would remain a very small Lodge, and it’s charter would lapse in 1950.

1950s – Completing The Map

In 1951, work to establish an Order of the Arrow Lodge in San Bernardino bore fruit, when Wisumahi Lodge # 478 was established at Camp Hilton. Despite this, it would not be until 1952 that the Council fully secured a Lodge charter.

In 1955, the Order would be available in all Councils of the Inland Empire, with the establishment of A-tsa Lodge # 380, serving Grayback Council.

1960s and 1970s – Dawn Of Cahuilla Lodge

Tahquitz and Wisumahi Lodges would continue their service through the formation of California Inland Empire Council in late 1972. With the clock started to merge their operations, they would complete form Cahuilla Lodge # 127 on June 1, 1973.

A-tsa Lodge would remain until Grayback Council voted to be absorbed by CIEC in late 1973. The Council and Lodge would officially be absorbed on February 1, 1974.

Navajo Lodge was the oldest operating Lodge in California from 1996 to its own absorption on June 1, 2006.

Tahquitz Lodge # 127 (1938 – 1973) was the 4th Lodge formed in California.  Their camp was Camp Emerson, and we know that a Non-OA Society existed called the Tribe of Tahquitz.  The available evidence suggests that it formed after the original Tribe of Tahquitz, which was created in 1925 at neighboring Camp Tahquitz in Idyllwild.  Little is known of this group, and no insignia has been discovered to date.

Wisumahi Lodge # 478 (1952 – 1974) succeeded the Tribe of Siwanis at Camp Arataba, and in the years that Southern Nevada did not have a Council, a Tribe of Tecopa was held for a couple years at Mt. Charleston.

Ho-Mita Koda Lodge # 380 (1948 – 1952) seems to have had some kind of society, including a 1946 camp patch.  While speculative, it is likely that this was held at Camp Tulakes, which the Council would later acquire from Old Baldy Council.

Navajo and Tahquitz Lodges were consistently chartered from the 1930s, although much of their early history is unknown.  We do know from Tahquitz that dedication to operating Summer camp was a primary purpose.

In the 1950s the Order of the Arrow was exploding in popularity after its acceptance as a full-time program in 1948.  The additions of Wisumahi Lodge and A-tsa Lodge completed the local puzzle.

In 2006, Old Baldy Council merged into two Councils, based on the Los Angeles-San Bernardino County Line.  The San Bernardino County-portion joined Cahuilla Lodge.  The Northern part of Navajo Lodge would start the Navajo Chapter.  The Southern area, primarily comprised of Chino/Chino Hills, would join the existing Hutuk Chapter.

Since that point, Cahuilla Lodge’s area has remained as it does today.

For further information, please read the Cahuilla Lodge timeline and proceed to 1973 – 1979.