Mikano Lodge #231 was an Order of the Arrow lodge chartered in 1943 within the Milwaukee County Council in Wisconsin. Prior to 1943 members participated in another honor Scout Camper Society known as Kunieh. Mikano means "turtle" in the Ho Chunk language, with a totem representing the turtle effigy mound at Indian Mound Scout Reservation. In 2013, it merged with Mascoutens Lodge #8 to form Kanwa tho Lodge #636.

Key Historical Facts about Mikano Lodge #231:

• Foundation: Chartered in 1943.

• Name Meaning: "Turtle" in the Ho Chunk language.

• Totem: The Turtle. In the late 1940’s some lodge members who were working at Indian Mound Reservation for the summer instituted the practice of wearing a piece of red cedar, a tree common to the camp, carved in the shape of the Indian effigy mound located on camp property which the camp was named after. It was worn around the neck like a bolo, with knots tied in the leather strap signifying OBV member level on the right side and Lodge leadership position on the left (Chapter committee, Lodge executive committee, and Lodge Chief / Adviser). In the spring of 1963 the executive committee declared the cedar mound to be the official Mikano Lodge totem.

• Mikano Lodge flap goes into orbit: Apollo 8, launched on December 21, 1968, and it was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the Moon orbit, and return safely. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders completed 10 lunar orbits. In 1972 Lodge Chief Bob Weigend presented a special Mikano Lodge flap to the BSA National Museum in North Brunswick New Jersey. This flap had been carried around the moon by former treasurer of Mikano Lodge, astronaut James Lovell.

• National Standard Lodge: In 1969 Mikano completed it’s first “Where-To-Go-Camping” booklet and became a National Standard Lodge for the first time. Mikano Lodge was one of the first in the nation to earn this distinction.

• Merger: On January 6, 2013, Mikano Lodge #231 merged with Mascoutens Lodge #8 to create the new Kanwa tho Lodge #636.

The Milwaukee County Council (MCC), BSA (#629) was established in 1915, formally incorporated in 1929, and merged in 2011 with the Southeastern Wisconsin Council to form the Three Harbors Council.

Key Historical Milestones:

• Formation (1915-1929): The council began in 1915, becoming the Milwaukee County Council in 1929.

• Growth and Outreach: By 1968, the council grew to nearly 25,000 scouts, expanding outreach to minority communities and youth with disabilities.

• Merger (2011): The MCC merged with the Southeast Wisconsin Council (formerly Racine and Kenosha councils) to create the Three Harbors Council, covering Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties.

• Recent Changes: In 2023, the Three Harbors Council sold the Indian Mound Scout Reservation to the Forest County Potawatomi Community, partly due to financial impacts from the national BSA bankruptcy settlement. 

Key Historical Properties:

• Indian Mound Scout Reservation (1917-2022): Founded the reservation in Oconomowoc, which served as a major camp for the area.

• LeFeber Northwoods Camps(1930-2015):  Located near Laona, WI, and owned by the Milwaukee County Council, operated as a Boy Scout camp from 1930 through the summer of 2015. The 1,120-acre property, which included Camp John LeFeber, Camp Robert W. Baird, and Camp James R. Neidhoefer, hosted scouts for over 85 years.

• Camp Journal (1922-1946): Originally, the Milwaukee Journal donated land in 1922 for a camp in Wauwatosa (Camp Journal), which moved to Brookfield in 1946. A camp near Holy Hill named Camp Journal was sold to Quad Graphics in 1997.

Sources = Google, & Mikano Lodge Handbook.