On Target at Camp Mishawaka

From  Camp, I used to take one of two pathways to my area of expertise at Super Belding in the forest above camp. One led directly to my area whereas the other had me cross the archery area. Due to the close proximity of our two areas, I became good friends with the archery counselor.

As I taught woodcraft to the boys, I could hear the continual “Whoosh” of the arrows in flight toward their intended targets. Often times when I did not have a scheduled activity at Super Belding I would watch the archery kids go at it.  Our camp had some rather good archers.  It was interesting to observe how the kids mounted their arrows to their bows. 

Due to the influence of that camp, I took up archery for a while at ou Michigan property later in life.  It is a fun sport and one in which I would recommend to anyone.  Just keep your eye on that target and let your arrow fly!

Camp Martin Johnson Infirmiry

This could well be considered a “sick” topic for the majority of us but just how good was the Camp Martin Johnson infirmary? For the answer to that question I leave the table open to former counselors and kids alike as I never attended this camp and only walked through it once with the Marion Boys Club.

Of the two camps I was a part of as a counselor I could speak better of the infirmary of the Union League Boys Club camp than of the one at Camp Mishawaka which was far smaller. I was in both once and found the former much more sanitary than the latter. However the bedside manner of the Mishawaka nurse far exceeded the one at ULBC Camp.

So how about a poll of these three facilities as to which was best and that will also determine which kids of each camp read this site most. Kind of sneaky way to find out, eh?

Does Camp Mishawaka Offer Off-Season Programming?

I know that before Camp Martin Johnson on Big Bass Lake closed in the late 1970′s that it offered off-season camping to area schools and perhaps even to its Chicago YMCA base because members of that camp have spoken of winter type experiences at the Ward Hills Ski Area.  They purchased that facility in the early 1970′s and area schools made use of those facilities in the off-season.  In like manner, the Union League Boys Club offered off-season activities with its camp in Salem, Wisconsin, that my club in Hoffman states used monthly. 

So the question begs as to whether Camp Mishawaka of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, opens its camp to area schools for off-season programming?  Due to the harsh winters there I would think not but then Camp Martin Johnson did retain a winter program and it too was in a cold weather state.  Mishawaka did have fireplaces and electricity in Belding Camp for the younger members but I don’t believe those cabins were winterized. 

Still perhaps Camp Mishawaka offers a spring or fall program to area schools>  In this day, it would seem more than feasible to have a camp open in the seasons preceding and following summer camp just to get the maximum benefit out of their facilities.  Does Camp Mishawaka offer any off-season programming?  Let us know by way of a  comment.  Also let us know what kind of programs they offer. 

Are Friendships Soon Forgotten?

What kind of impact have any of us had on former relationships that we had at either camp or through youth organizations?  I must confess that I am greatly impressed in how memories are closely shared with former campers and staff from Camp Martin Johnson which closed in the late 1970′s on Big Bass Lake.  That camp still holds reunions and the friendships that were made at camp still last!  I suppose it depends on the impact each of us puts on those relationships that determines an enduring equation. 

I recently posted about Camp Mishawaka and included the name of one of my campers, Joshua DeCarl.  He had googled his name and found this website and remembered me.  He spoke of some fears he had at camp and  never even knew about them even though he was in my cabin group. Yet Joshua chose to contact me via this website with a comment.  He invested that time to regain a friendship that had endured for only a month when we were both at Mishawaka. 

Yet even childhood friends are soon forgotten.  I’ve gone through a dozen or so Facebook pages of former kids that I have worked with at various Boys Clubs of America and was astonished to learn how few friends have continued with them through their adult years!  Their friendship pages have rarely contained buddies that I saw them with in their early days.  Some friends have stood the test of time but they are few and far in between.

I’ve often wondered how some of the kids I worked with are doing now in adulthood?  What kind of impact did I have on them?  Now, I am still good friends with a fellow counselor I met at Union League Camp by the name of Gordon Payne yet our third tent counselor, Bob, each of us have never heard from sence save for a lone comment here with no return address.

It seems that so many friendships begin fleeting over the years.  Of course, new friends are met and forged.  But how many “Joshua’s” are still out there today that once knew me?  Or knew some of the other boys that I hav referred to on this website?

Are the majority of our early friendships forged for only that one time period?  When I waved good-bee to former campers was the forever?  And, what about the friendships in your life?  How lasting have they been?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

Camp Mishawaka Autumn

What a glorious picture of Camp Mishawaka in the fall!  I’ve always wanted to spend a night or two at my old cottage at Belding Camp.  It would be fun to move my cot to the central room which had a fireplace and spend a few nights there.  In the daytime I could see myself taking a rowboat out onto Lake Pokegama and follow the shoreline of both the boys and girls camp.

I would even spend some time at my old work area at Super Belding and even into the forest around the camp.  I can also see myself taking all my meals at Super Belding at one of my three fie pits there,  A couple of foil hamburgers with a baked potato or two would really hit the spot.  Then it would be back to the cottage at Belding Camp for a session before the fireplace just relaxing to the warmth of the fire as I reflected back on the days events.

Not a bad way to spend a weekend in Autumn!

Camp Mishawaka Ends Yet Another Camping Season

You might notice that the docks are missing in this picture which means that camp ended yesterday for the 2011 season.  That means that there was no bugle call this morning and the counselors that are left are probably more than glad about that.  Yet there is still much work to do as camp must be closed down before another season dawns next summer.

When that last bus rolled out of camp yesterday filled with campers heading for destinations around the country and beyond,  memories remain with most of those kids not to mention the counselors.  The camp must now seem hauntingly silent.  No more are heard the shouts of excited boys and girls around the waterfront and the ball diamonds are empty.  The horse stables are now only filled with horses until they also head for greener pastures. 

The soccer field and tennis courts are bare and only the sound of rustling winds can be heard through the trees.  Yet as soon as winters blanket of snow has melted away there will be new sounds of new kids for the 2012 season which is only a short ten months away.  The clock is ticking!

Camp Season Ending Soon

When I was a counselor at either Camp Mishawaka or Union League Camp in 1969-70, school started after Labor Day.  Now, each in their last two-week sessions, these respective camps have to fight another spectre, that being the early school calendar which has to cut down on their attendance for this last session. 

Camps like this don’t deserve this fate.  And, it could get much worse as some schools are going to a full year schedule.  I believe kids need a good camping schedule during the summer months and each of the aforementioned camps served a great purpose.  Mishawaka catered to the upper class while Union League had a much poorer membership but each kid had a great time at both camps.

I personally benefited from both camps as my area of expertise at each was camping skills.  That, after all, is the real emphasis of any camping experience for one can always receive sports training in a childs home community. 

I hope each camp is allowed some room to continue their camping seasons into mid-August both now and in the future.  Kids need camping experiences!  It is part of their overall education.

The Impact of “Family” at Camp Mishawaka

Yesterday, one of my “family” from Camp Mishawaka left me a comment about “The Belding Boys” and that young man was Joshua DeCarl.  Camp Mishawaka had that effect of “family” that ULBC Camp never had on me.  Of course that could be because at ULBC Camp,and  being at Tent City and never having my own group of boys, was probably the main reason.  We had the kids on their counselors days off.

At Mishawaka I had my own group of boys in my cabin group plus the boys that were very active at Super Belding which was my primary work area teaching woodcraft skills.  Many of my cabin group kids were also part of that program such as Joshua.  But other names like Billy Barbre, David Larsen, Steve Erickson, Keith Hardy, Keith Thorndyke, and Shawn McKenna roll right off my tongue as well. 

Family was part of the Mishawaka legacy and became ingrained in all the “Uncle” counselors there.  I was known as Uncle Lurch because of my being 6’10″.  While at camp, I learned that my mother knew Nom Erickson who was one of the leaders at Camp Mishawaka when they were both much younger.  I was a camp during the “Moon Walk”.  Even though I was a counselor only one year at this camp, it remains a strong memory for me and some of those memories can be found under the category Camp Mishawaka on the sidebar.

I also must have had an impact on Joshua DeCarl because he remembered his “Uncle Lurch” as well.  And now part of that long ago family has been restored! 

The Belding Boys of Camp Mishawaka

In just over a week, Camp Mishawaka will be invaded by young Belding Boys, some attending camp for the very first time away from their famlilies.  I remember the boys thatI once served there like Billy Barbre, Keith Hardy, Joshua DeCarl, Billy Warren, Shawn McKenna, and many, many more.  The first day of camp saw much excitement in these kids as thy were assigned to cottages and counselors. 

Then they unloaded all their gear and began their first full day at camp by signing up for activities, enjoying their first supper, and having fun around their first campfire.  Then it was off to bed and a get acquainted tme with thei other cottage mates and counselor.

 wonder how many new boys will be arriving for their first year at Camp Mishawaka?  And how many will return year after year?  Let us know by way of a comment what your first year at Camp Mishawaka was like?

Update:-  Joshua DeCarl, one of my Belding boys, has just left a comment below.  It was good to hear what he had to say.

Camp Mishawaka 2011 Season Begins Today

If you were at Camp Mishawaka today to kick off the 2011 camping season, you could well be taking in this site about this time of day.  Just think, your first day is about to come to an end but many more exciting days await you.  Yet what is the fate going to be of summer camps if school districts expand to year long school years?

What will become of camps like Mishawaka?  Already school years are encroaching on camp seasons especially at the end of them.  Most school systems now begin school in early to mid August and  I would suppose that all summer camps have lower attendance figures for the last two sessions.  I believe school systems should stay away from summer seasons as when I attended school it let out after Memorial Day and we didn’t have to return until after Labor Day.

Summer camps serve an instrumental need for both boys and girls that school systems can’t touch.  I hope that all the boys and girls at Mishawaka have a great summer and that camps such as Mishawaka will continue into perpetuity.  They serve a valued purpose to a child’s education just as their school systems do.  Allow each to continue in their own seasons without one infringing upon another.

ULBC Camp and Camp Mishawaka Begin Camping Seasons This Week

Two resident camps that I attended as a counselor in my young adult days both open for business this week.  The aerial photograph is of Camp Mishawaka in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and I worked at Super Belding their teaching woodcraft skills.  At Union League Boys Club Camp of Salem, Wisconsin, I served as a tent counselor and that was my first exposure to Boys Clubs of America.  In turn that took me to a career at Boys Clubs of America where I served in five cities.

Mishawaka was a rather exclusive camp taking in kids from all 50 states and even several countries whereas Union League Camp took in kids from the greater Chicagoland area.  At one of my boys clubs, Hoffman Estates, I later used ULBC Camp for off-season and summer camping in the late 1970′s.  Both camps were great places to work and I wish all campers and counselors of each a great and productive summer season!

Sailing at Camp Mishawaka

With a little over three weeks left in the 2011 camping season at Camp Mishawaka, the waters of Lake Pokegama are just about right for swimming.  During counselor training in 1969 there as still snow piles on the ground during that week.  During the first two weeks of camp, many waterfront counselors had jackets on while the boys swam.

But by late July and early August the large lake was great and refreshing for swimming, boating, and sailing.  With the camp in the background, this is a superb photograph showing off the boys camp.  I wish I had taken the opportunity to try out sailing even as a counselor.  It looked like great fun and the counselors in charge showed the boys every aspect of that craft. 

I hope the Mishawaka kids are having another great summer of fun, learning, and fellowship. 

Come on In! The Waters Great!

What a great morning for a swm at Camp Mishawaka!  That cool water is beckoning you forward so what’s stopping you?  Oh, you don’t happen to be there, eh?  Well, if you have a son or daughter, they could be there and before this summer is over!

Swimming in Lake Pokegama can be fun and even some baths were taken there by my Beldin Campers the year I was there.  Belding was not fortunate enough to have their own pier system so we just had to go in the old fashioned way, like running into the water until we could run no further. 

July is prime time for swimmers at the camp as the water is beginning to warm up quite nicely.  In June, especially during the camps initial days, the water can be more than cold.  But, hey, those days are now behind us and we can get on with the great swimming weather that the camp is now experiencing.  Have at it!

Camp Mishawaka Firepits

Well, Camp Mishawaka has been in operation for about a week now and about this time when I was there, Super Belding was in full hilt with boys in all three activity periods during the afternoon hours.  I had hree firepits dug in that area and all were primed for firebuilding skills or cooking classes.  Iliked to get a good bed of coals going after the fire had settled down which was a prime time to use those coals for hamburgers or poatoes.

I could have two pits used for firebuilding purposes and the third one going for enhancing one’s outdoor cooking skills.  The three were about twenty yards apart from each other with the main pit being close to the fence that divided us from the archery area.  Those archers sometimes had to endure the aroma of fresh hamburgers being prepared.

At the same time all this was going on some boys were learning how to clear new land directly behind us to make room for tents under the trees.  And just down the back trail was an area hat I used for how to properly use a hatchet.  The kids learned a lot that summer along with taking many hikes.

 

Super Belding

At the top of the forested hillside overlooking Camp Mishawaka stood an area of tall grass that I called my own work area known as Super Belding.  One week prior to camp, I cycled and mowed the area and dug three fire pits.  After all, I was hired to teach woodcraft skills.  At first the camp leadership thought this would not draw enough kids but by the second day all three of the activity periods were filled with boys eager to learn how to build fires, read a compass, and use a hatchet.

Before the summer was over, the boys and I cleared new land so that we could erect tents under the trees for campouts.  Sadly, the current camp no longer uses Super Belding but in its day kids like Billy Barbre, Billy Warren, and David Larsen all learned skills that real campers should know.  1969 was one fine summer.

A Girl’s Survival Camp

This area across Lake Pokegama from Camp Mishawaka hosted a girls Survival Camp.  That camp was NOT cnnected to Camp Mishawaka but one that my Belding hiking kids had the rare opportunity to walk through.  This camp had no cottages or dining hall but only tent upon tent.  The kids observed a few hammocks that were strung up between trees and all the meals that these girl campers took where over an open capfire.

At Camp Mishawaka, my groups at Super Belding, set in the forest above the camp, experienced the same atmosphere but only for  night or two.  Those girls had to endure their experience at camp all summer in tents.  As my boys hiked though this camp several girls shared their experiences with us.  I wonder if that camp is still in existence today?  It was thriving in 1969 but that camp experience was a true one over the course of an entire summer. 

I’m not certain who sponsored that Survival Camp but those girls really omprehended the true meaning of a summer camp while there.  I envied them that experience.  If anyone knows what this camp was called and who sponsored it please leave a comment in that regard.

The Majesty of Lake Pokegama

What a spectacular lakefront and it is one that belongs to Camp Mishawaka of the other Grand Rapids, that belonging to the State of Minnesota.  I served as a conselor there in 1969 and this lake was downright wnderous, not to mention cold.  Names like Billy Barbre, Keith Hardy, Joshua DeCarl, and Uncle Lurch resound with me every so often.  You see, counselors at that camp were tagged with nicknames following the term “Uncle”.  Since there were five Dave counelors at camp, solutions were formed and I became Uncle Lurch due to my being 6’10″. 

There is now a unique page on this website called Camp Mishawaka Tour that has all the camp sites that one might want to know about.  My area of expertise was Super Belding which no longer exists and it is where I taught camping skills such as how to  read a map, use a compass, erect a tent, and build cooking fires among other things.

Camp is nearly a month away when new and old campers will once again unite with their beloved counselors.  Have a great summer!