The Council Scouts was a camp honor society, similar to the Order of the Arrow, that existed at Kia Kima in the 1920s and '30s. It recognized outstanding Kia Kima Scouts at a secret council fire "held somewhere in the deep woods near camp."
Any camper who has stayed in Camp Cherokee will remember the ear-piercing sound of the gong. While it now rings out over John Cooper Lake, it used to ring out over the South Fork, to call for a ferry into camp.
Camp Miramichee was a YWCA Camp that operated on the South Fork River from 1916 to 1989. It was founded as a girls' vacation camp on a portion of the original parcel of land purchased for Kia Kima. Throughout its history, Camp Miramichee and Kia Kima had many shared events and friendships.
Originally printed in the April 1997 Old Kia Kima Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 1.
"I feel confident that each one of us have moments in which we reflect back on experiences and wonder how we ever 'pulled it off.' One such experience happened in 1948 when Buddy Irwin brought 'Ole 97' to Kia Kima and took them to Calico Rock Cave for the first time. . . . None of us had ever undertaken a spelunking adventure such as this, and the only thing we had was guts."
The Burns Cemetery is a mid-1800s cemetery located on or near Kia Kima Scout Reservation. Little is known about Burns Cemetery, and the actual location is disputed. In around 2015, a family came to KKSR during the off-season and installed a marker where they believe the graves are located, near Site #10 Crazy Wolf. A more likely burial site is located across the property boundary off KKSR property.
The Bullywumpus is a famous game that was played at Kia Kima in the 1920s and '30s. In 1991, it was decided to use the Bullywumpus as a special program for the 75th Anniversary summer with plenty of promotional material and excitement. The problem, however, was none of the documents that referenced the Bullywumpus actually explained what the game was. This led to the famous question used in the promotional materials: “What is Bullywumpus?” Well, Scout, you’d have to come to Kia Kima to find out!
A 1924 newspaper article reveals the rules of the original Bullywumpus Chase.
