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Of the many territorial and foreign councils of the BSA, nine had Order of the Arrow Lodges. Of these, five were assigned to an area: Yokahú 506 (Puerto Rico) and Arawak 562 (Virgin Islands) were in Area 2-J; Achsin 565 (Chamorro) was in Area 12-H; Cuauhtli 446 (Direct Service, Mexico City, Mexico) was in Area 9-B, and Chiriqui 391 (Canal Zone) was in Area 12-A (1950-52), then later in 6-E (1959-72).
The other four lodges were not originally included within the 12 Regions, and were instead overseen by the BSA's International Division. They were sometimes referred to as "Extra-Regional" or the so-called "Region 13," even though they weren't organized as such, nor did they have region/area leadership, planning, or area events. These lodges were Black Eagle 482 (Transatlantic Council), Hinode Goya 498 (Far East Council), Baluga 538 (Clark AFB, Philippines, Direct Service Council), and Gamenowinink 555 (Direct Service Council). Then in 1953, National listed Chiriqui 391 as "Extra-Regional".
According to Councils of the BSA by Edward Morse: when the 12 Regions were first created,
"the Honolulu Council was designated as 'Extra Regional', along with Scouts in Alaska, United States possessions, and foreign countries.... At times 'Extra Regional' territories were also designated as 'Region XIII'. Hawaii, with its... three councils remained in Extra Regions or Region XIII status until 1936 when [it became part of] Region XII.
"The Guam Council (800), when it was organized in 1947, became part of Region XIII until Guam returned to Direct Service status in 1954.
"The Canal Zone Council (801) was also Extra Regional until 1 January 1959 when it joined Region VI.
"The present Transatlantic Council (802) and Far East Council (803) joined region XIII (Extra Regional) in 1953 and 1954, respectively. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands became part of Region II in 1953."
In 1965, Baluga Lodge #538 merged into Hinode Goya Lodge #498.
In 1973, the three remaining lodges were organized as part of the 1973 New Section Operation: Black Eagle 482 and Gamenowinink 555 to the Northeast Region, and Hinode Goya 498 to the Western Region.
1959: Region 6 |
1973: Northeast Region |
1973: Northeast Region |
1973: Western Region |
1965: Merged into 498 |
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Chiriqui 391 s25  Canal Zone Council (1948-87) |
Black Eagle 482 s7 EUCOM, BSA Advisory Council (1953-54) Transatlantic Council (1954-) |
Gamenowinink 555 s4 Direct Service Council (1962-2015) |
Hinode Goya 498 s17b Far East Council (1953-75) |
Baluga 538 s1 Clark AFB, Angeles City, Philippine Is. Direct Service Council (1959-65) image courtesy of Bill Griesmyer |
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| Territorial & Foreign Lodges that Were Never in "Region 13" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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1Chartered in 1962, Gamenowinink Lodge was slow to organize. It was not until [Summer of] 1969 that it became a viable lodge.
Reference: Bill Topkis, Jeff Morley, and Duane Fowlks. "Run for the Border: The BSA's History in Mexico." American Scouting Historical Society Journal 8 (Winter 1998): 18
2"Direct Service [Council #800] was never a stand-alone council despite the moniker, window dressing, and mythology. In 2000, the fictional council name morphed into Direct Service BSA, a program of the International Division."
Reference: Phil Abbey, Gamenowinink Lodge #555
3discuss Clark AFB Council (1959-65) discuss how BB6 and other sources still refer to Clark Air Force Base as if it were a council I personally suspect that Clark AFB functioned more as a chartered organization and not a council for Baluga Lodge. This is similar to how the council for Cuauhtli 446 has traditionally been listed as the American Society of Mexico-- or even Scouts de America, when its official charters confirm Direct Service. More investigation is needed to see if perhaps, Direct Service was also the correct council for Baluga Lodge.
I thought I had sent information on this, but perhaps not. There was no council in the Philippines in the post WWII era. It was part of Direct Service. Baluga Lodge was chartered to Direct Service. Once Gamenowinink 555 was chartered, this kind of violated the one council / one lodge rule. They notified Baluga Lodge they would not be issuing them a new charter. This might have been the impetus for the Philippines becoming a part of the Far East Council in 1965-66. Here is some information from a pamphlet from Clark AB in the 60’s." Bob Cylkowski, 12/21/25 email
4discuss American Society of Mexico and Scouts de America, and how BB6 and other sources still refer to these
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Flaps featured:
Black Eagle 482 s7
Gamenowinink 555 s4
Chiriqui 391 s25
Hinode Goya 498 s17b
Baluga 538 s1 (image courtesy of Bill Griesmyer)
Unless otherwise noted, all patch images are featured in OAS My Collection
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