Created from the merger of four councils, it now spans over a large portion of Chicago metropolitan area and part of Northwest Indiana.

At first, each of the predecessor councils were reorganized as "Communities" with each maintaining their service centers and schedules.

[5] In 2021, the council announced that Camp Napowan in Wild Rose, Wisconsin would be closed and put up for sale.

For a short period, the council operated the Boy Scout Discovery Outpost at Woodfield Mall.

[9] Owasippe Scout Reservation is a resident camp located in Twin Lake, Michigan.

[13] Camp Napowan's program areas included: aquatics (swimming and boating), COPE (Climbing tower and High Adventure Course), nature, Skynet (STEM), shooting sports, Sherwood (Scoutcraft), Verona (performance and design), Flintlock (a mock 1870s frontier village that has handicraft), and Eagle Oasis (an area dedicated to advancing to the First Class rank).