In 1993 the three Boy Scout Councils in northeast Ohio, the Northeast Ohio Council, Western Reserve Council and the Mahoning Valley Council, were merged to form the Greater Western Reserve Council #463. Each original council having their own Order of the Arrow Lodge namely Stigwandish Lodge 114, Tapawingo Lodge 368 and Neatoka Lodge 396 did not merge at that time.

In March of 1995, the leadership of the three lodges met in the Baden Powell cabin at Camp Stigwandish to begin the formal process of merging the three lodges to form one new lodge. The first order of business was to select a new name, a new number and new lodge totem as well as select new leadership until the new lodge would hold its first elections.

One member had information that it was recorded in some Native American documentation the fact that a "White Lynx" had once been seen by the native inhabitants in the very northeast corner of Ashtabula County. The Native American word for this sacred animal was "Wapashuwi". The Native Americans considered any "white" (otherwise known as an albino form) animal as sacred similar to the White Buffalo. This became the most popular idea at the meeting and thus was voted on as the lodge name and totem - WAPASHUWI - White Lynx. The next order of business at the meeting was to select the lodge number. It was reported that the lowest lodge number available was "56". Since the three former lodge numbers were not to be used, it was quickly decided to choose "56" as the Wapashuwi Lodge number.

The formal date of the merger of the three lodges and the creation of Wapashuwi was July 1, 1995.