The History of the Order of the Arrow Wazhazee Lodge #366

The History of the Order of the Arrow Wazhazee Lodge #366 (1947-2012) of the Ouachita Area Council #14 (1917-2012) (This version completed on March 8, 2015) Researched and Written By David Elmore PrefaCe The planning, research and writing of this document was based upon the official Order of the Arrow 100th anniversary lodge history requirements and other lodge examples that were provided. Very brief histories of the geographical and political region, in which, arose the Louisiana Purchase, Arkansas Territory (1819) and state of Arkansas (1836) were added to give context to the rise of Scouting in the same areas. Additionally, the brief story of Scouting in Arkansas gives way to the specific stories of the development of the Ouachita Area Council in 1917 and the creation of the Wazhazee Lodge in 1947. To add interest and further illustrate these stories images have been included. The Ouachita Area Council and the Wazhazee Lodge never compiled a formal official history not even a basic timeline. There are two sets of two pages (of, at least, two different documents) where someone from ƚŚĞĐŽƵŶĐŝůŝŶƚŚĞůĂƚĞϭϵϰϬ͛ƐƉƵƚƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌƐŽŵĞƐƚŽƌŝĞƐ about the first twenty-five years of the council history. Unfortunately, that document was fragmentary (It was evident there were other pages but they are missing.) and the use of factual information is questionable. The Wazhazee Lodge compiled a few paragraphs of the lodge history for a leaflet likewise not comprehensive nor filled with anything much more than basic, commonly known facts. Wazhazee Word Origin dŚĞǁŽƌĚ͞Wazhazee͟ comes down to us from ƚŚĞKƐĂŐĞ/ŶĚŝĂŶǁŽƌĚĨŽƌƚŚĞƚƌŝďĞ͛Ɛname for themselves ĂŶĚŵĂǇŵĞĂŶ͕͞ǁĂƚĞƌƉĞŽƉůĞ͘͟/ŶƚŚĞůĂƚĞϭϲϬϬ͛ƐĂŶĚĞĂƌůǇϭϳϬϬ͛Ɛ͕&ƌĞŶĐŚĞǆƉůŽƌĞƌƐĨŝƌƐƚ encountered the native Osage people. They probably heard them call themselves what sounded like tĂǌŚĂǌŚĞ;ŽƌtĂǎĂǎĞͿ͘dŚĞǇǁƌŽƚĞŝƚĚŽǁŶŝŶ&ƌĞŶĐŚas "Ouasage." tŚĞŶŶŐůŝƐŚƐƉĞĂŬĞƌƐĞŶƚĞƌĞĚƚŚĞƌĞŐŝŽŶƚŚĞǇůŝŬĞůǇƌĞŶĚĞƌĞĚΗKƵĂƐĂŐĞ͟ŝŶƚŽΗtĂƐŽƐŚΗŽƌ "Washoshee." Eventually, the English speakers took over the French spelling "Ouasage" and simplified it to ΗKƐĂŐĞ͘͟ The spelling of the word Wazhazee in the Osage alphabet dŚĞ͞KƐĂŐĞKƌĂŶŐĞ͟ƚƌĞĞ;DĂĐůƵƌĂƉŽŵŝĨĞƌĂͿ 1 The word ͞Osage͟ has also entered the English language through the ͞Osage Orange͟ tree (Maclura ƉŽŵŝĨĞƌĂͿŝƐĂůƐŽĐĂůůĞĚƚŚĞ͚ŚŽƌƐĞĂƉƉůĞ͛ŽƌŽŝƐĚ͛ƌĐ΀ďŽĚĂƌŬ΁͘dŚĞKƐĂŐĞKrange tree can be found in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and elsewhere. The orange comes from the faint orange smell when the large bulbous fruit is abraded or crushed. In Native American circles, the Osage Orange has been traditionally considered an excellent source for ͞bow making͟. Image of an Osage Orange in the tree The Hot Springs The hot springs in what is now Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas is speculated as having been a EĂƚŝǀĞŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ͚ŶĞƵƚƌĂůŐƌŽƵŶĚ͛ǁŝƚŚƚŚĞŚĞĂůŝŶŐǁĂƚĞƌƐŽĨƚŚĞŚŽƚƐƉƌŝŶŐƐ͘The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess medicinal properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes. Although Hot Springs was not the first National Park (Yellowstone) it was the first federally protected area in the United States in 1832. /ŶƚŚĞϭϵϮϬ͛ƐĂŶĚϭϵϯϬ͛Ɛ͕Hot Springs was famous for bathhouse row, Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies and gangsters such as Al Capone. ƌŬĂŶƐĂƐ͛ƐEĂƚŝǀĞWĞŽƉůĞƐ The original Native American population of what is now Arkansas consisted of three main tribes, those of the Quapaw (very roughly from the eastern half of the state and from which the ǁŽƌĚ͚ƌŬĂŶƐĂƐ͛ĚĞƌŝǀĞƐ), Osage (very roughly from the northwest quadrant of the state) and Caddo (very roughly from the southwest quadrant of the state. Their imprint on the history of the state cannot be understated even if it is mostly unknown. Painting representations of the Native Americans that inhabited what is now Arkansas. From left to right, by Artist Charles Banks Wilson (a Quapaw), unknown artist (an Osage) and artist George Caitlin (a Caddo). Note visual similarities but they are significantly different peoples. Ouachita People 2 The Ouachita are a Native American tribe from north- eastern Louisiana along the Ouachita River. The Ouachita were loosely affiliated with the Caddo Confederacy. Their traditional homelands were the lower reaches of the Ouachita River and along the Black River. The Ouachita are known for their traditional practice of burying horses. The Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas and Ouachita River of Arkansas and Louisiana were named for the tribe, as was Lake Ouachita. The Washita River, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, and Washita County, Oklahoma, were also named for the tribe, as well as the town of Washita, Oklahoma. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the name comes from the French spelling of the Caddo word ͚wishita͕͛ŵĞĂŶŝŶŐ͞ŐŽŽĚŚƵŶƚŝŶŐŐƌŽƵŶĚƐ͘͟dŚĞKƵĂĐŚŝƚĂƚƌŝďĞŝƐĐŽŵŵŽŶůǇĐĂůůĞĚ the Washita tribe, and they may also be known as the Yesito. The Ouachita Valley Indian tribes began to disappear in the 1600s. Most disappearances were the result of tribal warfare. The Washita tribe was almost totally destroyed in 1690 by the Tensas tribe. The remaining remnant of the Washita tribe was driven out of the Ouachita valley by the Chickasaw tribe in 1734. Between 1803 and 1836, Native Americans were forced to cede their lands in Arkansas and move west. Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. dŚĞƌĂŶŐĞ͛ƐƐƵďƚĞƌƌĂŶĞĂŶƌŽŽƚƐŵĂǇĞǆƚĞŶĚĂƐĨĂƌĂƐĐĞŶtral Texas, or beyond it to the current location of the Marathon Uplift. Along with the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains form the U.S. Interior Highlands, one of the few major mountainous regions between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. Ouachita Mountains The highest peak in the Ouachitas is Mount Magazine in west-central Arkansas that rises to 2,753 feet. 3 The word Ouachita is composed of two Choctaw words: ouac, a buffalo, and chito, large. It means the country of large buffaloes, numerous herds of those animals having formerly covered the prairies of Ouachita. Of course, such a country of buffaloes would be ͞ŐŽŽĚŚƵŶƚŝŶŐŐƌŽƵŶĚƐ͘͟ The mountains were home to the Ouachita tribe, for which they were named. Later French explorers translated the name to its present spelling. The first recorded exploration was in 1541 by Hernando de Soto. The Spanish were the first Europeans to actually explore the Ouachita River Valley. Hernando de Soto, credited for discovering the Mississippi River, was recorded as having walked the entire length of the Ouachita River from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Jonesville, Louisiana. Later, in 1804, President Jefferson sent William Dunbar and Dr. George Hunter to the area after the Louisiana Purchase. Hot Springs National Park became Hot Springs Reservation in 1832 and later became one of ƚŚĞŶĂƚŝŽŶ͛ƐŶĂƚŝŽŶĂůƉĂƌŬƐ. American Indians came here for thousands of years to quarry novaculite for their tools and weapons and use the springs for health purposes. dŚĞĂƚƚůĞŽĨĞǀŝů͛ƐĂĐŬďŽŶĞǁĂƐĨŽƵŐŚƚŚĞƌĞĂƚƚŚĞƌŝĚŐĞŽĨƚŚĞƐĂŵĞŶĂŵĞŝŶϭϴϲϯ͘/ŶƵŐƵƐƚϭϵϵϬ͕ the U.S. Forest Service discontinued clear-cutting as the primary tool for harvesting and regenerating short leaf, pine and hardwood forests in the Ouachita National Forest. The three major rivers in the region are Saline, Ouachita and Caddo rivers. Also several US Army Corps of Engineers and municipal lakes in the area, De Gray, Ouachita, Hamilton, Catherine and Winona, Norrell, Balboa and many smaller lakes. The Saline River at the Arkansas Game and Fish Lyle Park boat ramp in Benton, Arkansas 4 Ouachita River near Malvern in Hot Spring County Caddo River near Lake DeGray in Clark County The Hunter-Dunbar Expedition (aka The Forgotten Expedition) ʹ From the Encyclopedia Arkansas The more famous Lewis and Clark Expedition left St. Louis, Missouri on May 14, 1804, on what would prove to be an 8,000-mile journey, lasting two years and four months. Dr. George Hunter and his son, along with William Dunbar and company would not return home to Philadelphia until April 1, 1805, and would travel almost 7,000 miles in traversing the Arkansas region and Ouachita River Valley exploration. The Hunter-Dunbar expedition was one of only four ventures into the Louisiana Purchase commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. Between 1804 and 1807, President Jefferson sent Lewis and ůĂƌŬŝŶƚŽƚŚĞŶŽƌƚŚĞƌŶƌĞŐŝŽŶƐŽĨƚŚĞƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞ͖ĞďƵůŽŶWŝŬĞ;WŝŬĞ͛ƐWĞĂŬͿŝŶƚŽƚŚĞZŽĐŬǇDŽƵŶƚĂŝŶƐand the southwestern areas, and two smaller forays; Thomas Freemen and Peter Custis along the Red River; and tŝůůŝĂŵƵŶďĂƌĂŶĚƌ͘'ĞŽƌŐĞ,ƵŶƚĞƌƚŽĞǆƉůŽƌĞƚŚĞ͞tĂƐŚŝƚĂ͟ZŝǀĞƌĂŶĚ͞ƚŚĞŚŽƚƐƉƌŝŶŐƐ͟ŝŶǁŚĂƚŝƐŶŽǁ Arkansas and Louisiana. For Dunbar, HunteƌĂŶĚ:ĞĨĨĞƌƐŽŶ͕ƚŚĞƉƌŽƉŽƐĞĚ͞'ƌĂŶĚǆƉĞĚŝƚŝŽŶ͟ǁŽƵůĚďĞĂƚƌŝƉĂůŽŶŐďŽƚŚƚŚĞ Red and Arkansas rivers. Such a trip, if conducted, would rival the breadth of the one being planned by Lewis and Clark along the Missouri river. 5 While the Ouachita River expedition was not as vast as and did not provide the expanse of ŐĞŽŐƌĂƉŚŝĐĂŶĚĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂůŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶĐŽůůĞĐƚĞĚďǇ>ĞǁŝƐĂŶĚůĂƌŬ͛ƐŽƌƉƐŽĨŝƐĐŽǀĞƌǇ͕ƚŚĞ exploration of Dunbar and Hunter remains significant for several reasons. It provided Americans with the first scientific study of the varied landscapes as well as the animal and plant life of early southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana. In fact, the expedition resulted in arguably the most purely scientific collection of data among all of the Louisiana Purchase explorations. Following an appropriation of $3,000 by Congress, preparation began in earnest. During the initial planning stages, however, both

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