REMEMBERING THE PAST AS WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE

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ODDS & ENDS FROM THE PAST
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WHERE TO GO CAMPING BOOKLETS
2008 BANQUET
50th ANNIVERSARY 2007
JEFF DOANE
THEN AND NOW
2007 ANNUAL BANQUET
2007 SPRING ORDEAL
ESSELEN LODGE GALLERY LIST
SUPREME CHIEF OF THE FIRE GALLERY
LODGE CHIEF GALLERY
LODGE ADVISER GALLERY
STAFF ADVISER GALLERY
VIGIL HONOR GALLERY
FOUNDER'S AWARD GALLERY
SILVER BOAR AWARD GALLERY
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
ESSELEN PATCHES
ESSELEN HOSTED CONCLAVES
CAMP PICO BLANCO
COUNCIL & DISTRICTS
LINKS TO CLICK
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1969 LODGE BANQUET
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Tiz Urbani, Robert Geopfert, Jeff Gieseke, Jeff Doane, George Ross
Fall Ordeal October 16, 2011
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100th Anniversary Gala & Eagle Reunion
Monterey Conference Center February 20, 2010
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Rob James, 1975-76 Lodge Chief;  Jim Pratt, 1973-74 Lodge Chief and first Capt. Chipmunk;  Paul Kershing, construction leader for the Campfire Bowl project and started the Gumby

Photos provided by 1964 Lodge Chief Rick Main

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Rick Main
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Rick Main

Click images to enlarge

2008 FALL ORDEAL AT CAMP LINDBLAD
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John Wrobel, Don Jackson and Jim Bowles
 
 

First Esselen Lodge Neckerchief
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click here to download file

"THE PATH", third edition 1976
Where to go Camping booklet produced by Esselen Lodge

The Path, part 1 (pdf)

click here to download file

The Path, part 2 (pdf)

click here to download file

The Path, part 3 (pdf)

click here to download file

The pdf files provided by Robert James, 20th Lodge Chief 1975-76.

ORDEAL CEREMONY FOR ONE CANDIDATE

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I believe it was in 1971 when we held the Lodge Banquet at the Naval Postgraduate School.  The guest speaker was Admiral Robert McNitt, the head of the Postgraduate School.  After the Banquet we held the Ordeal Ceremony for just the Admiral on the grounds of the Postgraduate School.  It was a matter of timing as the Admiral was being tranferred to head up Annapolis Naval Academy.  Admiral McNitt was a strong supporter of Scouting.  His son was an Eagle and served as CIT at Pico Blanco.
 
Admiral McNitt received the Silver Beaver from the Monterey Bay Area Council and was a member of the Council Executive Board.

THE RETURN OF THE SIT CAW YU CLAN FLAG

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After being lost for several years the Sit Caw Yu Clan flag has been found.  The flag was designed by George Ross.   He had it made and he donated it to Sit Caw Yu Clan in the 1960's.  George Ross was the first Lodge Adviser and first adult Vigil of Esselen Lodge.  George's Vigil name was Sit Caw Yu meaning White Bear. 

ESSELEN LODGE FIRST ORDEAL IN 1957
Ceremony Team from Oo Yu Buli Lodge 468
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Robert Rice....Kitchkinet - Richmond, CA
Don Jackson ....Allowat Sikima - Pleasant Hill, CA
Bernard Berstein....Nutiket - Richmond, CA
Henry  Morgan (?)...Meteu - Lafayette, CA

LEGEND OF WHITE BEAR
By Jeff Doane on George Ross
Click images to enlarge

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SOME OF THE PAST LODGE OFFICERS AND PAST PICO STAFF AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR JEFF DOANE AT CAMP PICO BLANCO
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Captain Chipmunk

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Jim Pratt
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Kevin Jordan
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Kim Kuska
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Mark Ellis
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Matt McGuire
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Paul Kershing

THE FOLLOWING ARE FROM ROBERT JAMES
click to enlarge

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Flyer for the 20th Anniversary Banquet in 1977.  The art work was done by Jeff Doane.
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January-February 1974 issue of "The Esselen News".  Report on the 1973 Lodge Banquet held at the Fort Ord Officers Club.
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Program cover for the 1975 Section W3A Conclave.  Dr. E. Urner was special guest at the Conclave.  Note the photo of Dr. Goodman from 1914 the year before he founded the Order of the Arrow.  Also a photo of Gil Talmadge the founders finder.
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Welcome letter from the Section W3A Conclave host using the letterhead of Dr. Goodman's Troop in 1913.

AREA MAP OF THE ESSELEN INDIANS
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Click map to enlarge

GEORGE ROSS and GEORGE ROSS

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This George Ross is the trusted advisor to Donald Trump on "The Apprentice" on NBC.
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This George Ross was the founder, first Lodge Adviser and first adult Vigil in Esselen Lodge.

PHOTOS FROM AROUND 1960

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John Brookins & George Ross
First two Vigils in Esselen Lodge
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John Brookins
1961 Lodge Chief
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George Ross
First Lodge Adviser
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Unknown, Rich Damon 1960 Lodge Chief, and John Donne

Thanks to John Brookins for sending these photos.

ESSELEN HOSTED KOSHARE INDIAN DANCERS
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In the 1970's Esselen Lodge hosted a show of the Koshare Indian Dancers at the Monterey Penisula College Gymnasiam.  The Koshare Indian Dancers are members of Scout Troop 232 and Venturing Crew 2230 of La Junta Colorado.  More details on this will be posted soon.
 
Visit the Koshare website at http://www.koshare.org/  

ORDEAL AT PICO BLANCO - 1958

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CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE

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This photo is of the first Ordeal held at Camp Pico Blanco in 1958.  In the photo are John Chiorini the 1st Lodge Chief in 1958, Rich Damon the 3rd Lodge Chief in 1960, Bill Settrini, John Brookins the 4th Lodge Chief in 1961, Roger Lee Hillyard the Camp Cook, and George Ross the 1st Lodge Adviser.  Also in the photo are Bob Bowman and Rick Main the 7th Lodge Chief in 1964.   Please email me if you can provide names of any of the Arrowmen.    

SKETCH OF THE 531 S-5a PATCH DESIGN - 1972
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The 531 S-5a was designed by Jeff Morley in 1972.  The patch was first issued in 1973.  Jeff also designed the Malibu Lodge 566 patch.  Jeff was the last Lodge Chief of Tamet Lodge 225 before the merger  with Walika Lodge 228 to form Malibu Lodge in 1972.  He is now a Dentist in San Francisco. 
 
Jeff Morley was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for 2005 by the International Scouting Collectors Association (ISCA).

ROBERT JAMES & JIM PLUTH - 1975

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The photo above shows the 1975 Esselen Lodge Chief Jim Pluth (right) and Lodge Vice Chief Robert James (left) appreciating the new Pico Blanco direction sign located at the start of Palo Colorado Canyon Road at Highway 1.  The sign was designed and handcrafted by 1972-73 Lodge Chief Tom Quarterero.  Tom also took this photo.
 
Sadly, only a few days after the sign was built it was vandalized as well as the camp mail box at the same location.  The mail box was then moved half way up the road towards camp.
 
Jim Pluth joined the Navy and Robert James became the Lodge Chief for the rest of 1975 and then was elected Lodge Chief in 1976.
 
This was sent to us by Robert James.     
 

JOHN BROOKINS - 1961
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John Brookins was the Lodge Chief in 1961.  He was the first youth in Esselen Lodge to receive the Vigil Honor with the first Lodge Adviser George Ross in 1961.

CHIEF'S AWARD - 1972
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LOOKING FOR PHOTOS OF GEORGE ROSS

I remember seeing photos of George Ross over twenty five years ago.  I do not recall who had them.  I would like to add them to this site.  If you have any photos of George, or have an idea who I should contact, please email me at himlyn@hotmail.com .
 
George Ross moved to Santa Cruz in the 1950's from Omaha after a career in Vaudeville as an Indian Dancer.  He served as Scoutmaster of Troop 89 in Santa Cruz District.
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George Ross was wondering why the Monterey Bay Area Council did not have an Order of the Arrow Lodge.  The reason was that Al Young, the Council Scout Executive at the time, did not want Order of the Arrow in the Council.  George drummed up the interest and Esselen Lodge was formed in the fall of 1957.  With the help of Oo Yum Buli Lodge of the Mt. Diablo Council the first Ordeal was held at Camp Redwood, now known as Camp Linblad, near Boulder Creek. 
 
George Ross became the first Lodge Adviser.  In 1961 he was the first to received the Vigil Honor with Lodge Chief John Brookins.  His Vigil name is "Sit Caw Yu" meaning White Bear, his Indian name in Vaudeville.  Sit Caw Yu Clan uses the name in his honor.  George was one of the 30 Lodge members that attended the 1973 NOAC in Santa Barbara.  He sign the sash posted below on this page.
 
I remember George wearing his Eisenhower style Army jacket with Scout patches on it and a vintage Boy Scout cap and pipe handing in his mouth.

HEADING TO NATIONAL OA CONFERENCE - 1967

This was a staged photo taken a couple days before we left for the 1967 NOAC.  The photo was taken by the Santa Cruz District Executive Bob Coulter.  It was used in the Santa Cruz, Monterey and Salinas newspapers.
 
In 1967 Jeff Doane was elected the Lodge Vice Chief then assumed the duties of Lodge Chief by the time this photo was taken when Gary Roberts was drafted into the Army and was sent to Viet Nam.
 
A few weeks following the conference Chuck Warne (center) was killed in a car crash.

GOODMAN AT THE W3A

Esselen Lodge chartered a  bus to travel to some of Conclaves in the mid 1970's.  At one of the Conclaves Dr. E. Urner Goodman, the founder of the Order of the Arrow, visited the Conclave as special guest of the Section.
 
At the Conclave arrangements were made for Dr. Goodman and his wife to travel on our bus to Santa Cruz to visit a member of his family.  But at the last moment plans were cancelled as the Goodman's were very tired from the weekend events.  They were both in their 80's at the time. 

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E. Urner Goodman

Click on the image of Dr. Goodman to read his closing challenge at the 1975 NOAC.

30 FROM ESSELEN ATTEND NOAC - 1973

Thirty Esselen members went by chartered Greyhound bus to the 1973 National Order of the Arrow Conference held at the University of California in Santa Barbara.  We spent a day at Disneyland before arriving at the conference.  It was the largest contingent Esselen has sent to a NOAC.
 
Ten years later the Greyhound Bus driver for our conference trip moved into the apartment conplex I was living in and was going to sell his house.  I ended up buying his house.

click to enlarge

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CLANS OR CHAPTERS

In 1961 Esselen Lodge formed Clans.  They called them Clans instead of Chapters for two reasons.  Indian Tribs are divided into Clans and the OA song says "Gather the Clan that cheerful service brings to fellow man".  So Clans and Chapters are the same but we called them Clans.
1961 TO 1968

Witawematpanni Clan
Peninsula District
Cholon Clan
Salinas District
Gavilan District
San Benito District
Sit Caw Yu Clan
Pajaro Valley District
Santa Cruz District

1968 TO 1970

Witawematpanni Clan 
Peninsula District
Cholon Clan
Salinas District 
Gavilan District
San Benito District
Alluns Clan
Pajaro Valley District
Sit Caw Yu Clan
Santa Cruz District 

1970 TO 1980

Witawematpanni Clan (1970-1971)
Coastanoan Clan (1972)
Witawematpanni Clan (1973-1979)
Rumsen Clan (1979-)
Peninsula District
Cholon Clan
Salinas District 
Gavilan District
Quetzalcoatl Clan
San Benito District
Alluns Clan (1970-1974)
Rumsen Clan (1975)
Alluns Clan (1976-1980)
Pajaro Valley District
Sit Caw Yu Clan
Santa Cruz District

Rumsen Clan
Ventana District
Cholon Clan
Salinas River District
Quetzalcoatl Clan
San Benito District
Sit Caw Yu Clan
Loma Prieta District

2008

Yakiski Shanex Chapter

Santa Lucia District

Quetzalcoatl Chapter

San Benito District

Sit Caw Yu Chapter

Loma Prieta District

E-MAIL ME
E-MAIL ME

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This website is for collecting and displaying the history of Esselen Lodge 531.  This is a private website and is not part of Esselen Lodge or the Monterey Bay Area Council.