Lodges are assigned numbers by the National OA office in the sequence by which they apply for a charter. The committee meeting for the merger could have chosen any of the prior lodges number. They chose the lowest number. Some people have read a significance into the number of "61". They read it as "six" lodges merged into "one"!

The BSA Councils merged July 1, 1973. As the councils were in merger talks, several Order of the Arrow people were doing perliminary talks for the merger of the lodges. The Lodges charters expire the end of December each year. The merger date of the Lodge was therefore January 1, 1974. On the committee were representatives at the youth and adult level of all six lodges. The first Lodge Chief was elected by this committee.

Some members of the merger committee had done a study of the Menominee Indians in residence within the BSA Council area. The Menominee Indian Totemic system was accepted as our lodge name and chapter names. "AWASE" means "bear". When the patch was designed and sent in for weaving, the brown bear was originally used. Then the first loom was returned; the bear was white! Contact was then made with the Menominee Tribal Council to seek their opinion on our using the white bear. Some members of the merger committee had heard or read that a "white (albino)" animal might be sacred. Mr. Monroe Weso, a former member of the Tribal Council, a "medicine man" of the Bear Clan, and a teacher of Menominee culture and tradition became our source of information. Mr. Weso assured us "the white bear had no particular significance and that no one should be offended by it's representation on an Order of the Arrow patch." He explained "any unusual occurrence in nature might have prompted one of his ancestors to consider it as asign of something to come." Mr. Weso was not only confident that the patch was not offensive, but that it was an honor for the Bear Clan. This letter is on file in the Lodge Archives.

The patch was designed by Mr. Norm Goetschl of Oshkosh. He designed the neckerchief and some of our early Conference patches. He was the father of our fourth Lodge Chief. He and his wife and two children were killed in an auto accident while on vacation in Canada.

The Lodge has been represented at National Order of the Arrow Conferences since the founding of the lodge. The delegation size has varied along with the method of travel, but there have been participants in each Conference. Some members have acted as part of the staff of a NOAC at various times in various ways.

In June 2001, the lodge was presented with the National Service Award for the 2000 program year. The presentation occurred at Bear Paw Scout Camp and the presenter was Mr. Jerry McCurley, Central Region OA Staff Adviser. In August 2003, the lodge was presented with the National Service Award for the 2002 program year. The presentation occurred at Cub Scout World Camp Rokilio by representatives from the Central Region. In May 2004, the lodge was presented with the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award for the 2003 program year. The formal presentation occurred at the National Meeting in Chicago, Illinois and at the 2004 Fall Conference held at Gardner Dam Scout Camp.