The Tahosa Lodge of the Order of the Arrow, the Honor Society of Boy Scouts of America, celebrated its 75-year anniversary during its annual banquet on January 14, 2023, at Parker United Methodist Church in Parker, Colorado. One of the Lodge’s camps, Camp Tahosa, is located about 30 miles west of Boulder, near the town of Ward, Colorado. The camp sits at an elevation of approximately 9,000 feet and covers 320 wooded acres with a lake nestled amongst the trees and the Indian Peak Wilderness in its back yard.

The Order of the Arrow (OA) was founded by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson in 1915 at the Treasure Island Camp of Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America. It became an official program experiment in 1922 and was approved as part of the Scouting program in 1934. In 1948, the OA, recognized as the BSA’s national brotherhood of honor campers, became an official part of the Boy Scouts of America.

In 1998, the Order of the Arrow became recognized as Scouting’s National Honor Society when it expanded its reach beyond camping to include a greater focus on leadership development, membership extension, adventurous programming, and broader service to Scouting and the community. 2015 saw the brotherhood’s Centennial Anniversary filled with national Roadshows, record-breaking 15,000 Arrowmen at the national conference, and a renewed commitment to Scouting’s service. Today, its service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich, support, and help extend Scouting to America’s youth.

The Tahosa Lodge was chartered in 1948. It serves the Central Colorado area and is the largest lodge in Colorado. The name Tahosa translates to “Dwellers on the Mountain Tops” in the Kiowa language. Tahosa Lodge is divided into chapters, which correspond to the council districts: Grey Wolf, Medicine Bear, Medicine Pipe, Mic-O-Say, Mystic Raven, and White Buffalo.

The annual banquet began with dinner of beef or chicken, green beans, brussels sprouts, and scalloped potatoes. The program began with the Presentation of the Colors by three members of the guard, and the OA pledge and obligation.

Victor Ramirez, an Eagle Scout, served as master of ceremonies. He said Tahosa Lodge has had 75 years of excellence, and “nothing is better than Boy Scouts and nothing is better than the Order of the Arrow.” They played “Sweet Caroline” and the scouts joined in singing the chorus, “So good.”

OA presented the 2022 Bistro award to those who helped with cooking, and the Uncas award for adult leaders who helped with induction elections. Luke Nortman with Inductions said that 162 scouts were inducted into the Order of the Arrow in 2022. The ordeal weekend for a Scout candidate to be inducted into the Order of the Arrow includes a 24-hour vow of silence, spending the night on the ground outside, and a day of service.

The Lodge also presented awards for the Arrowman of the Year, the James E. West Fellowship, and the Founder’s Award. Charles W. Brasfield, Supreme Chief of the Fire for the Denver Area Council Scout Executive, said that Scouting is growing nationally. They built a lot of new facilities in 2022 and will be building more in 2023.

Brasfield led ceremonies for the change of leadership in the Tahosa Lodge. Lodge Advisor Art Dawson passed his hat on to Mike Patton, who will be the new Lodge advisor for 2023. He said it was a fantastic group of youth to work with. Lodge Chief Matthew Irsfeld passed the bonnet of leadership to Joseph Schwall, who presented the 16 Vigil recipients for the year. To see the whole list go to https://www.tahosalodge.org/vigilmembers.

The OA will be presenting the OAmazing race on September 8 to 10, 2023. The National Order of the Arrow conference will be in Boulder for 2024.