The History of the Order of the Arrow in Vermont
Members of Wisie Hal'a Con performing ceremonies (circa 1955)
Long Trail Council and Wisie Hal'a Con
Chartered in Burlington in 1946 under Long Trail Council 592, Wisie Hal’a Con Lodge 351, the first Order of the Arrow Lodge chartered in Vermont, was active from 1946 until its merger in 1973. According to a 1955 hand-written note by former Lodge Secretary, the Lodge’s totem was “Living Solid Face,” translated from the words “Wisie Hal’a Con”; the translation comes from a currently unknown language. The Lodge totem and name represented Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont. The Lodge’s emblems depict multiple small rivers leading to a large river in the center of a valley. The mountain in the background of the emblem design is Mount Mansfield. Initially meeting at Camp Zack Woods until its closure, during its active years, Wisie Hal’a Con frequently met at Mount Norris Scout Reservation in Eden. To this day, a fire ring originally used by Wisie Hal’a Con is still used by members of Ajapeu lodge. In 1973, Wisie Hal’a Con merged with Nianque Lodge 398 to form Ajapeu Lodge 351 under the newly formed Green Mountain Council (592).
Wisie Hal’a Con issued the first and rarest emblem of all Vermont lodges. The first emblem produced by this Lodge, the R1, was a round pocket patch embroidered on light purple felt approximately four inches in diameter; very few examples of these emblems remain in existence. Wisie Hal’a Con also produced many firsts for Vermont emblems; one of the unique emblems is a pie shaped patch sewn to a light, pea green neckerchief. The neckerchief patch features a left facing, curved arrow and a Vigil triangle over a river flowing through a valley. Another first for Vermont lodges were the Wisie Hal’a Con 1969 and 1970 Fall Fellowship and the 1971 Fall Pow Wow patches. These are the only three Vermont Lodge event patches produced before the Ajapeu Lodge 351 Fall Fellowship in 1975.
The Emblems...
 Long Trail Council 1/2 Khaki StripIssued circa 1946 |  Long Trail Council 1/2 StripIssued circa 1953 |  Long Trail Council |
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 Wisie Hal'a Con F1Wisie Hal'a Con F1 |  Wisie Hal'a Con F2a |  Wisie Hal'a Con F2b |
 Wisie Hal'a Con R1The earliest known appearance of this patch is 1948. It was actually featured on page 46 of the first edition of the Order of the Arrow Handbook. |  Wisie Hal'a Con R2This particular patch is an error; the left half of the sky should be white but is instead exposed felt. This is most likely the result of a loom thread break. |  Wisie Hal'a Con R3a |
 Wisie Hal'a Con R3b |  Wisie Hal'a Con R3a on neckerchiefThis was the first neckerchief issued by Wisie Hal'a Con and was designed in the late 1950s. |  Wisie Hal'a Con P1 on neckerchief |
 Wisie Hal'a Con 1969 Fall Fellowship |  Wisie Hal'a Con 1970 Fall Fellowship |  Wisie Hal'a Con 1971 Fall Pow Wow |
 Wisie Hal'a Con R2This is a prototype design for the first Wisie Hal'a Con neckerchief. An R2 was sewn to the neckerchief in order to have an example for the lodge to vote on for selection. |  Wisie Hal'a Con R2This is a prototype design for the first Wisie Hal'a Con neckerchief. An R2 was sewn to the neckerchief in order to have an example for the lodge to vote on for selection. |  Neckerchief slideThe Wisie Hal'a Con neckerchief slide was designed in the late 1950s and represents the "Living Solid Face" |
 Neckerchief slide |  Neckrchief side |  Wisie Hal'a Con Regalia |
Historic Documents
 December 1946 Grand Lodge BulletinThis bulletin shows the announcement of the then unnamed Vermont Lodge 351 of the Long Trail Council. This is the first announcement of the Order of the Arrow in Vermont. |  1952 Wabaningo Lodge Emblem HandbookThis is the first record of any Order of the Arrow emblems in Vermont. Published in 1952, the listings in this book include the Wisie Hal'a Con R1 and Memphremagog 398 (no emblem at the time). |  Wisie Hal'a Con Neckerchief SlideThese original notes show the Wisie Hal'a Con neckerchief slide design and the lodge translation "living solid face". |
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 Announcement of First Vigil MembersThis article shows the announcement of the election of lodge officers for Wisie Hal'a Con as well as the nomination of the first two Vigil members in Vermont. |  1966 Letter from Goodman to DeanOriginal letter from E. Urner Goodman to Wisie Hal'a Con Lodge Advisor Larry Dean. |  Wisie Hal'a Con NewsletterWisie Hal'a Con entitled their newsletter "The Warrior". |