[3] Bolton Smith, an investment banker from Memphis, Tennessee and the first president of the Chickasaw Council, purchased and donated the original 206.28-acre (0.8348 km2) Kia Kima site on April 11, 1916.

[4] He went on to serve as Vice President of the Boy Scouts of America and received the Silver Buffalo Award.

The property consisted of a bluff overlooking the South Fork Spring River in Sharp County, Arkansas, near Hardy (in present day Cherokee Village).

Activities included hiking, baseball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, canoeing, observation, and Scout drills.

[7] In 1947 a group of alumni formed the Kia Kima Klub and began fundraising to reopen the camp.

[3] West Memphis, Arkansas businessman John Cooper bought property in the Hardy area after dropping his son off at camp.

In the fall of 1963, Cooper proposed to exchange a 540-acre (2.2 km2) tract a few miles upriver outside Cherokee Village for the 160 acres (0.65 km2) of the original property.

There are also several areas that are not part of a specific camp such as the Golightly All-Faiths Chapel, the McGuire-Von Almen Friendship Circle, the shooting sports range, and the climbing tower.

All aquatic activities, including swimming and boating, are held at the Osage waterfront on the South Fork Spring River.

All troops that camp in Cherokee retrieve their meals from the centralized commissary and prepare the food in their campsites.

The KKAA performs different service projects at Kia Kima Scout Reservation and hosts reunions throughout the year.