Originally written in February 2006 for the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association.
"Through all ages man has had his triumphant returns. This thought brings to mind Kia Kima’s triumphant returns of the many treks led by their fearless trek masters. Starting with the first trek masters, Jim McWhorter and Dorris Goodman in 1951 and the last trek master Steve Horne in 1958. Many a tale has been told of their strength and stamina such as McWhorter taking a 30 pound cast iron grill strapped to his back pack and Horne hiking 50 miles in one day, leaving his crew of marines far behind eating his dust."
Originally written for the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association.
"By the next summer, 1964, my dad was the Scoutmaster and was determined that we would get to camp. When the process started we were scheduled for old camp Kia Kima. The campsites had names and we picked one that sounded good. By the time summer rolled around, the land exchange had taken place, and old camp Kia Kima was history. We came up during the dedication week—remember that? I still have my neckerchief slide and the triangular patch. It was the best experience of my life to that point."
Originally written for the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association.
"Well, let me think. It was either late May or early June of 1960. I was 19. Turned 20 in July. I had planned to ride my old Schwinn Black Phantom to Kamp Kia Kima from Memphis."
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."
Originally printed in the Old Kia Kima Newsletter, November 1997, Volume 3, Issue 3.
"At the request of some of you, I will attempt to reconstruct some of the beginning phases of the re-opening of Kia Kima in the summer of 1948. As you have already noted in your newsletters, Kia Kima had been a Memphis council camp in the 1920's and 1930's and it operated up until 1941. At the start of WW2 it closed. At the urging of many ex-campers still active in Memphis Scouting, Kia Kima was then re-opened in 1948."
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.
The first stand-alone Kia Kima patch was issued in 1941 when the Chickasaw Council had moved its summer camp program to Camp Currier and Eastern Arkansas Area Council leased and operated Kia Kima. The Eastern Arkansas Area Council printed these first patches on the back of leftover patches from the EAAC's 1938 and 1939 summer camps at Camp Crowley, Camp Robertson, and Camp Frierson.
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.
Many of the structures at Old Kia Kima feature stonework architecture, which is distinctive of the Hardy, Arkansas region. The Arkansas Register of Historic Places lists Old Kia Kima for “its use of Rustic Style architecture with local significance.” Built in the 1920s, many of the structures were designed and built by Scouts.
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."
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.
Built in 1928, theThunderbird Lodge is a two-story building of native Arkansas fieldstone that served as the historic headquarters of Kia Kima. It is located at Old Kia Kima.
