The Three Fires Council of the Boy Scouts of America is located in Illinois. In 1992, it was formed from the merger of Two Rivers Council and DuPage Area Council ; it was briefly called "Two Rivers-DuPage Area Council". Its council service center is located in St. Charles, Illinois. Council volunteers and residents who have received national honors include Richard H. Leet, Samuel K. Skinner, J. Dennis Hastert and Dr. Kenneth P. King, all of whom received the Silver Buffalo Award. Three Fires operates Camp Big Timber near Elgin, Illinois and Camp Freeland Leslie near Oxford, Wisconsin and Scout Shops in St. Charles, Illinois and Naperville, Illinois. The council is divided into 3 districts based on location.
Organization
Chanonee District 6
Camp Freeland Leslie
The Three Fires Council owns and operates Camp Freeland Leslie near Oxford, Wisconsin, approximately 25 miles northeast of the Wisconsin Dells. The camp offers over 500 acres of natural settings: oak forests, prairies, swamp, streams, abundant wildlife and a lake entirely on the property. The camp was purchased by the former DuPage Area Council in 1970. Camp Freeland Leslie was first used as a summer camp in 1972. Camp Freeland Leslie is a patrol cooking camp, and does not operate a dining hall.
The Boy Scout Camp at CFL runs in weeklong sessions. As with most Scout camps, CFL offers opportunities for Scouts to operate as patrols. A variety of activities are offered at Camp Freeland Leslie that allow patrols to grow and develop, ranging from meal preparation to organized patrol events and challenges, such as the 'Uncle Walt' Patrol Challenge. There are seven program areas where merit badges are taught in CFL: Aquatics, Ecology-Conservation, Outdoor Skills, Eagles Nest, New Frontiers, and Shooting Sports. In 2017, a new program area called Stagecraft was added. The Aquatics area uses the private Emrick Lake to offer the Canoeing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Rowing, Small-Boat Sailing, and Swimming merit badges. They also operate the Mile Swim BSA, Snorkeling BSA, BSA Paddleboarding, instructional swimming, and the Polar Bear swimming event. The Eagles Nest area is based on helping Scouts obtain the rank of Eagle. Eagles Nest offers the Emergency Preparedness, First Aid, Personal Fitness, and Welding. Eagles Nest also offers the First Year Camper program, which is designed to help Scouts earn their First Class rank as well as get them acclimated to everything Camp has to offer. The Ecology-Conservation area offers the Astronomy, Bird Study, Energy, Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Management, Fishing, Forestry, Geology, Insect Study, Mammal Study, Nature, Oceanography, Reptile and Amphibian Study, Soil and Water Conservation, and Weather merit badges. The New Frontiers area focuses on science, technology, and handicraft badges, offering the Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Engineering, Fingerprinting, Indian Lore, Leatherwork, Metalwork, Painting, Space Exploration, and Wood Carving merit badges. The Outdoor Skills area offers the Camping, Cooking, Geocaching, Orienteering, Pioneering, Search and Rescue, and Wilderness Survival merit badges. The Shooting Sports area offers the Archery, Rifle Shooting, and Shotgun Shooting merit badges. The Stagecraft area offers the Animation, Bugling, Chess, Communication, Game Design, Moviemaking, Music, Photography, and Public Speaking merit badges.
In addition to six weeks of Boy Scout resident camp being offered each summer, there are also three sessions for Webelos-aged Cub Scouts. The Cub Adventure Camp features a different theme each year. The Webelos program is largely structured around earning Activity Badges.
Off-season camping and activities
Camp Freeland Leslie is also available year-round for unit camping. Over a dozen campsites are available for outdoor camping. In addition to the campsites, the Deicke Center is available during the off-season to be rented for unit outings. This modern building is complete with bunks, central heating, equipped kitchen, and indoor toilet/shower facilities. There are ski resorts in the area which makes this a popular base camp for many units during the winter. A full-time resident Ranger resides year round at camp to help facilitate unit camping.
Lowaneu Allanque Lodge is the Order of the Arrow Lodge affiliated with Three Fires Council. The Spring Fellowship is held at CFL, as well as Ordeal and Brotherhood ceremonies during summer camp. Many Three Fires Council Order of the Arrow events take place at Camp Freeland Leslie.
