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. In 1932 the Council name was
changed to Arrowhead and a tract of land outside of Oakwood was
acquired for the new council camp. 
The Camp was named after Robert J. Drake.
Drake came to the council as a college student, and was a member of
Troop 7 in Champaign. Drake was a Scout Executive with the council and
while serving in this position was stricken with scarlet fever, and
died at the age of thirty. The camp, which had been one of his greatest
endeavors, was dedicated to his memory. 
The Council initially used the Firecrafter Organization
and program to recognize outstanding campers but in 1936 decided to
switch to the Order of the Arrow program because of it's year round
camping and program emphasis. The Firecrafters were inducted as charter
members of the OA lodge along with that year's newly elected members. 
The
first official induction of members took place at Camp Robert Drake and
was performed by members of the Waukheon Lodge 55 from Danville. The
new lodge name became Illini Lodge 92. "Illini" meaning brave
men in the Algonquian tongue. The totem of the lodge became moon
feathers, a central feather in an Indian headdress.
Waukheon Lodge 55
was chartered with the "Grande Scribe" (now the National Order of the
Arrow Director), in early 1933, to the Piankeshaw Council. The original
name of the lodge was Swastika Lodge 55. The totem was the Indian
swastika, a symbol of peace and good luck. The name was changed to
Waukheon around 1937 due to the similarity of the symbol used by the
unpopular Nazi Germany. The new name is the English spelling of a
Dakota Sioux word WHA-KIN-YAN, which means thunderbird or bird which
causes thunder. The Piankeshaw Council camp was moved from Portland
Arch to newly purchased land outside of Georgetown and named Cherokee
Hills. Waukheon Lodge helped develop the property including
constructing buildings, planting trees, building the campfire ring, and
carving totem poles. 
Prairielands
Council was created in 1991 with the consolidation of Arrowhead Council
and Piankeshaw Council. (A temporary council name of Illiana was
initially used.) Illini Lodge 55 was created after the councils
were consolidated, through the consolidation of Waukheon Lodge 55 and
Illini Lodge 92 in May of 1994. The current lodge chiefs of each lodge
were co-chiefs for the remainder of that year.
The Lodge Totem
The
totem for Illini Lodge 55 is the white-tailed deer, represented by a
one-inch deer antler piece hung from a leather lace in the fashion of a
bolo tie. The honor of Brotherhood in the lodge is represented by tying
a figure eight knot on the end of each piece of lace. Vigil members are
presented an antler point that is worn below the other antler piece.
The antler tip has two holes, one at each end, through which the ends
of the laces are passed and knotted to form a triangle.
The Lodge Flap
The Illini Lodge 55 flap is found with three border designs:
*
RED BORDER: The red-bordered flap is the standard style, and serves as
the trading patch. * WHITE BORDER: White-bordered flaps are used for
special purposes, including commemorating special events such as
National Order of the Arrow Conferences. * GOLD BORDER: The Executive
Committee of the lodge commemorated the efforts of all the lodge's
members during the consolidation by issuing a special charter member
lodge patch with a gold border. Only five gold-bordered flaps were
produced per active member. These patches were only available during
our charter year.
The elements of the flap design are:
*
LETTERING AND SASH: The words "Illini Lodge 55" are written in a modern
italic style, reflecting the progressive nature of our lodge, always
leaning toward the future. The lettering is superimposed on an Ordeal
Sash, signifying our common bond with one another and with all members
of the Order. * TOTEM: The white-tailed deer totem appears on the flap.
The deer was chosen for several reasons. It was very important to the
Indians native to this area, providing a source of food as well as
hides, antlers, and bones for clothing and tools. The deer is at home
in our woodlands, living in harmony with all of nature. The deer is
strong, stealthful, and fleet of foot, providing an ideal example of
how we should treat our natural areas. * EVERGREEN BRANCH: The
evergreen branch at the left signifies our need, as the evergreen is,
to always be filled with life, so we may always be ready to provide
cheerful service. * RIVER: The rivers of our area have always been
essential to life for the local inhabitants. The salines of the
Vermilion also provided salt for the Indians, and later became a
valuable source of trade with settlers. * LAND: The land shows the
bounties of the prairie, in the form of a field ripe for harvest, and
the woodlands and grasslands which we so enjoy at Camp Drake.
The Lodge flap was designed by Ed Sudlow.
About the Region
Archaeological
excavations have provided evidence of a prehistoric village on the
Middle Fork River near the park that was home to Native Americans of
the Woodland and Mississippian cultures between A.D. 500 and 1500. A
Kickapoo village was located at the confluence of the Middle Fork and
Salt Fork rivers. It was in this village that Kennekuk, the "Kickapoo
Prophet" lived. Kennekuk became a religious leader espousing a modified
form of Christianity that incorporated elements of Roman Catholicism
and Protestantism. A staunch advocate of temperance, Kennekuk became a
mediator between local Native Americans and European settlers. He was a
signer of several Indian treaties with the United States. European
settlers were drawn to the area by the presence of salt springs, called
salines, which were discovered in 1819. Wells were dug to obtain salt
brine, which was then boiled down to obtain salt. The salt works were
operated by a variety of operators until 1848, producing at the height
of operation about 120 bushels of salt per week. One of the original
iron rendering kettles can be seen in a small memorial at Salt Kettle
Rest Area on I-74. Between 1850 and about 1940, much of the area was
strip-mined for coal. In fact, Vermilion County is said to be the
birthplace of commercial strip-mining practices and one of the first
areas to use mechanization for strip mining. The spoil piles and mine
pits left behind after nearly a century of mining was the legacy from
which nature had to recover.