Rendering of the new Cooper Lodge with Keith Hubbard Dining Hall.
January 23, 2023 Press Release from the Boy Scouts of America Black Swamp Area Council: Defiance OH- On Saturday, January 20, the Black Swamp Area Council conducted two amazing events at Camp Lakota.
To kick off the day the Black Swamp Area Council formally broke ground for Cooper Lodge with Keith Hubbard Dining Hall. This is a project the council has been actively working on for the last 10 years.
Sleds and Scouts at the starting line.
The existing Meecheway Lodge has served Camp Lakota well as the main dining and gathering facility since 1948. As the camp has expanded to the south the Black Swamp Area Council has identified the need to build a larger structure to house a dining hall and kitchen located in the center of camp. Improving camp is critical to keeping the Scouting programs appealing to young people, keeping them in Scouting longer, and increasing the benefits they receive from the Boy Scouts’ proven methods. The Cooper Lodge complex will be a premier facility housing the Keith Hubbard Dining Hall, kitchen, and training space. The existing Meecheway Lodge will be repurposed for program activities.
Included with the Cooper Lodge with Keith Hubbard Dining Hall will be the Armed Forces Memorial Prade Field. This new parade field will serve as the location of morning and evening flag ceremonies during summer camp as well as other events.
The Scouts from Troop 777 from the winning sled.
On the south side of Copper Lodge, it is planned to construct the Charlie Duerk Memorial Pavilion as an outside gathering space. Charlie Duerk spent more than 55 years as Scoutmaster of Troop 75 in Defiance, Ohio chartered by St. John Lutheran Church. Under his leadership more thaan100 youth reached the rank of Eagle Scout and many more benefitted from his passion and guidance following the Scout Oath and Law.
The Cooper Lodge will serve as the only four-season building for large gatherings at the 640-acre camp, allowing Scouting to host volunteer and youth training programs all year round, including STEM and climbing programs. The new Cooper Lodge with Keith Hubbard Dining Hall will exceed10,000 sq feet.
The Black Swamp Area Council has raised more than $2.5 million for construction of Cooper Lodge with Keith Hubbard Dining Hall. There are still limited naming opportunities available as well as the council is conducting a Brick Paver program. For more information about naming opportunities, please contact Scout Executive, Marc Kogan at (567) 208-5012. For information on the Brick Paver program, where you can have your name inscribed on the legacy of Camp Lakota, visit www.BlackSwampBSA.org
RCM Architects from Findlay is serving as the project architect and Mel Lanzer Company from Napoleon was selected as the General Contractor.
Right after the groundbreaking, the 2024 Klondike Derby kicked off. The traditional first council event of the calendar year kicked off Saturday at Camp Lakota. More than 350 Scouts BSA members and adult volunteers attended this year’s event. This annual event pits groups of 5-8 Scouts in individual Patrols in a test of skills, agility, and endurance during a daylong event. With local Scout Troops from Northwest and West Central Ohio descending on the camp, there were 29 sleds competing.
Each winter, the Klondike is a reminder Scouting skills do not take a backseat when the weather changes.
Patrols competed in 6 stations called “cities” scattered across camp. Finally, this year there was an abundance of snow and cold. Scouts navigated their sleds and raced against each other and the clock as with the number of participants, there were multiple waves of sleds released on to the property. At each city there is a host for an event focused on a skill. These range from use of a two-person saw, first aid, knot tying, tree ID’ing, nature tracking, team building, and compass course. Each group was awarded points based on their proficiency at each station.
This year’s top 3 placing patrols are:
- 1st Place Patriots Patrol from Troop 777 Shawnee Alliance Church, Lima
- 2nd Place Pink Fluffy Unicorns Patrol from Troop 216 The Trinity United Methodist, Hicksville
- 3rd Place Coneheads from Troop 499 Clinton Twp Volunteer Fire Dept, Tiffin
Camp Lakota is located at 2180 Ginter Rd, Defiance, OH 43512
