Prairielands Council

Prairielands Council (previously "Illiana Council") was formed in 1991 by the merger of Arrowhead Council and Piankashaw Council. The council serves Scouts in east central Illinois and western Indiana. The main headquarters is located in Champaign, Illinois and has an auxiliary office located in Danville, Illinois. [http://www.prairielandsbsa.org]

Properties

Prairielands Council currently owns and operates Camp Robert Drake located near Oakwood, Illinois (but addressed in Fairmount, Illinois). The council used to own Camp Cherokee Hills (the former summer camp of the Piankashaw Council), located east of Georgetown, Illinois. This land was sold in 1996 to the State of Illinois to be an addition to the [http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R3/hbw.htm Harry "Babe" Woodyard State Natural Area] .

Camp Robert Drake is a Boy Scout camp facility located near Oakwood, Illinois (although the property is addressed in Fairmount, Illinois). The camp property is owned and operated by Prairielands Council, headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The facility is used primarily during the summer as a resident camp for Boy Scout and Cub Scout units, and a half-week Venturing camp.

History

At the time the Champaign-Urbana Council was formed in 1919, the Council used a small facility at Weldon Springs called Camp Hatetokwitit, for a majority of its Scout camping. A tract of land outside of Oakwood, Illinois was acquired for the new council camp with financial assistance from the Rotary Club. The camp was founded in 1932 and is named for Robert J. Drake, Champaign-Urbana Council's Scout Executive, who oversaw the purchase of the property but died of Scarlet Fever in 1929 before the camp was opened. Robert Drake is buried with his wife outside of Chicago, Illinois [http://campdrake.com/info/75thAnniv/Robert_J_Drake_tombstone.pdf]

The camp opened for the inaugural camping season on June 13, 1932. Camp Drake is one of the oldest council-owned and operated Scout camps in the nation. [http://campdrake.com/info/75thAnniv/CampDrake1stSeasonFlyer-smaller.pdf] In 2007, the camp will be celebrating its 75th continuous year of operation. [ [http://www.news-gazette.com/news/parks_recreation/2007/04/01/oakwood_camp_marks_75th_anniversary The News-Gazette.com: Oakwood camp marks 75th anniversary ] ]

ummer Camp programs

The programs at Camp Robert Drake are annually accredited by the National Camping School of the Boy Scouts of America. The camp runs five weeks of camp aimed for Boy Scouts, three half-week camps designed for Cub Scouts and Webelos, and one half-week session designed for Venturing.

The camp facility is in use year-round by Scout units of all types, and is available for rental by other non-profit groups.

Youth Programs

[http://illinilodge55.com Illini Lodge #55] , formed by the merger of Waukehon Lodge #55 (Piankashaw Council) and Illini Lodge #92 (Arrowhead Council) in 1994, is the council's Order of the Arrow lodge. There is also an active Venturing Officer Association in the council known as the [http://www.PrairielandsCVA.org Council Venturing Association] .

Districts

The council is divided into three districts:
*Prairie Fire District
*Indian Trails District
*Many Streams District

ee also

*Scouting in Illinois

References

External links

* [http://campdrake.com Promotional website for Camp Drake]
* [http://www.prairielandsbsa.org Official Prairielands Council #117, BSA website]