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Camp Wilderness Cross Country Trail 1/2014

               

      Winter 2015  

 

 

 

 

 

Buck/Bad Axe Channel 1/2014

BlackFoot Cabin 1/2014 Meechgalanne Campfire Ring 1/2014

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President’s Message

Dear Members,

I hope you had good Holidays as we closed out 2014. Here are a couple of items you might find interesting that The Association is undertaking this year. First off, we had an awesome Christmas Party at Zorbaz in Park Rapids in December. It was a record number of attendees from both the current staff

and alumni. A great time was had by all, regardless of the amount of snow on the ground! 

The executive board has decided to invest time and money into Camp Wilderness during Alumni Week. We are sponsoring a future Cub campsite, Lion. Lion was chosen as a name for the future campsite and was the past name of the rank of Webelos. Lion has been cleared out and seeded. During this year’s Alumni Week we are asking that the Alumni help with the construction of a shelter, latrine and bring running water to the future campsite. The goal would be for the campsite to be open for the 2016 camping season.

Looking down the road to 2016, the Alumni are looking at rebuilding Cabin 4. This would be in time for the 70th anniversary of Camp Wilderness and

10th Anniversary of Butler Wilderness Outpost. We are looking at spearheading this project with other groups who may have the same interest in the growth of camp. Let a board member know if you have any questions.

Once again, none of this could have been completed, without the help of those members and nonmembers who have contributed by helping out at the Fargo Dome selling concessions. Much appreciated to Bob and Barb for organizing those dates, a lot of the time at the last minute! If you are interested in helping in the future please let us know.

Here’s to 2015,

Steve

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2014 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients!

Jeff Brown, Perham, MN 

Jeff has been involved in Camp Wilderness since he joined Dilworth Troop 652 in the late 1960’s. Jeff is an: Eagle Scout, OA member, member of the council’s Properties Committee and served as chairman of the Alumni Association. “Since his retirement, he has more time to donate to Camp Wilderness. You may find Jeff helping with registration for an event, washing dishes, emptying garbage cans, teaching a DNR firearms class or whatever job can use his help. He is quick to spot where help is needed, and quick to pitch in.”

Simonson Lumber and Hardware Grand Forks, ND Simonson has donated materials to Scout projects since 1977. The initial donations were for patrol boxes, table and benches for the 1977 National Jamboree. Since that time, they have donated to numerous projects to include: pinewood derby tracks, Cub Day Camp projects, Camp Wilderness carpet ball tables, and the list goes on and on. “Thank you to Simonson Lumber and Hardware Company for 37 years of donations. This helped dozens of Scouts to enjoy their Scouting experience.” 

2015 Alumni Achievement Award Nominations http://www.northernlightsalumni.com/Downloads/Alumni%20Achievement%20Award%20Form.pdf Is there someone who you would like to nominate for consideration for this camp service, specific award? Please send your nominations by 6/1/2015 to:

Ron Schneider 817 South 36th Street Moorhead, MN 56560 (H) 218-236-5072 Email: schneidsrk@gmail.com

From Left: Brian Norberg. Jeff Brown, Andy Kietzman

From Left: Norm Vanderpan, Mike Melby, Darrell Ferguson and Doug Vigen of Simonson Lumber, Ron Elliot

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Just For Fun :  “Wilderness Camp” Map, circa late 1940’s

 

  5

1958 Wilderness Staff Quetico Canoe Trip   

Lee Christianson 

I was a camper at Wilderness Camps in 1952-1954 and a staff member in 1955-1956 and again

in 1958-1960 after the name was changed to Camp Wilderness. In 1961-1962 I guided canoe trips into

Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota at the

Charles H. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base outside of Ely, MN. The high points of my summers at

Wilderness in 1958-1960 were the canoe trips that we took in the Quetico at the ends of the summer

camp season. More than 50 years and over 50

Quetico trips have passed and my memories of

that first trip in 1958 are still quite vivid.

Joe Kieselbach was the driving force

behind these trips. He was on the Wilderness

staff in 1956-1958 and guided the Camp

Wilderness canoe trips in 1957 and1958 and had

attended the BSA National Camping School. He

had started taking canoe trips with staff members

at the end or the beginning of the Camp season

in 1956 and decided in 1958 to take trip in the Quetico. Thirteen of us staff members signed on to go

along, making a total party of 14.

The participants (and their staff positions) were: Tom Addicot (Trading Post Staff); Lee

Christianson (Campcraft Area); Bob Collins (Waterfront); Jack Conway (Catholic Chaplain); John

(Curly) Gilchrist (Kitchen Staff); Tom Hunt (Family Beach Director); Joe Kieselbach (Canoe Trip

Guide); Jim McCulloch (Rifle Range); John R. Mathias (Trading Post Staff); Dick? Mathison

(Protestant Chaplain); Jan Quam (Maintenance Staff); Hank Snavely (Waterfront); Dave (?) Sorgen

(Trading Post Staff); John (Dondi) Sulerud (Staff Position Unknown). Jack Conway & I were cooks,

Tom Addicot was quartermaster, Joe Kieselbach was leader and guide.

Joe and Tom Addicot had been on a canoe trip in the Quetico through Charles L. Sommers

Wilderness Canoe Base. The rest of us had done a bit of canoeing and camping, but nothing long-term

like this. Jack and I had worked in the Campcraft area at Wilderness that summer, giving cooking and

baking and camping demonstrations, and so we were assigned to be the cooks.

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Travel in Quetico Provincial Park was a bit different back in those days. The current maximum

party size in the Quetico is 9, but 1958 there was no limit, so our crew of 14 was not unusual. There

were no restrictions on motors and so one encountered canoes with noisy motors throughout the Park.

We saw a houseboat and several large motor boats along the border between Ontario and Minnesota.

We found one large cache of gas barrels near one of our campsites and I have since heard there were

several others scattered through the Park. PFDs were rarely worn while paddling in those days and, in

fact, were commonly not even carried in the canoes. Camping stoves were not common and all cooking

was done in hanging pots over an open fire built in a U-shaped rock fire place. We baked pies or

biscuits or cake in a reflector oven every night. Freeze-dried foods did not exist, but we did have some

of the specialized dry food items that can be found in the local supermarket now. Air mattresses and

sleeping pads were usually left at home and we slept on a canvas ground cloth on the ground.

We got a lot of technical assistance from

Ray White, a former Wilderness staff member and

Sommers guide. He was at Wilderness for a

weekend and gave a quick seminar on what to

take canoeing and how to pack it: rolling the

army surplus woolen sleeping bags that most of us

used at that time (mine cost $3.50 including the

cotton cover and I used it for 19 canoe trips);

carrying items in small military-surplus

rubberized ditty bags from REI; tying all ditty bags and food bags with a double overhand knot because

it was secure and easy to untie; carrying a table spoon, cup and plate as your only utensils; not taking

changes of clothes other than dry shoes and one pair of extra socks; not carrying tent stakes and using

rocks at tent corners; carrying only a rain jacket because your pants will always be wet anyway; always

removing the reel from fishing rod & carrying it in the pack when not actually fishing; taking only a

small pocket-sized metal tackle box.

We all tried to live up to Ray White’s “3-piles” strategy for personal equipment. Before you go

you arrange everything you might take into three piles: Pile 1 – all the things you think you can’t

possibly do without (matches, boots, etc.); Pile 2 – all the things that you think you will need (extra

underwear, etc.); Pile 3 – all the things that your mother would like you to take (overshoes, pajamas,

etc.). Then you throw away all of piles 3 and 2 and half of pile 1 and take what’s left. After 55 years, I

am still using many of the camping techniques we learned from Ray White and Joe Kieselbach.

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We had six Alumacraft canoes and one wood-and-canvas Old Town or Thompson. We picked

the best one of the camp’s wooden canoes and made sure it was in the best possible condition and fitted

it with a portage yoke. We thought it was rather heavy, but it paddled well and didn’t leak a drop. The

Alumacrafts were short (15 ft), wide (38”) and weighed about 85 pounds. We had constructed well-

padded portage yokes for them that clamped to the gunwales over the center thwart. (When I walked

around Wilderness 8 or 10 years ago I

found a couple of those old

Alumacraft canoes with the 1959

Quetico Blue Jay stamp still attached

in the inside of the hull just forward of

the bow seat.) We borrowed two new

7x9 canvas wall tents from the camp

and one two-person mountain tent.

We had a few canvas Duluth packs

and army surplus rucksacks left over from Wilderness’ “Trails” programs and we borrowed those along

with kettles and utensils and a reflector oven from camp as well. We ordered trail packets of dried food

from Seidel’s, the same company that had supplied Wilderness’ “Trails” programs in the past. Some

other foods such as raisins, rice, oatmeal, sugar, Rye Krisp, peanut butter, etc. we got free from the camp

kitchen. With all our equipment and supplies borrowed from Wilderness or scrounged from friends and,

since gas was only about $0.20 per gallon in those days, I think the entire 11-day trip cost each of us

something like $10-$12.

We left camp in the morning after the Wilderness closing banquet and arrived at the parking lot

at the Moose Lake Public Landing outside of Ely, MN in the late afternoon. Another crew of older-

teenaged boys was just coming in from a trip when we arrived and they all threw their paddles down on

the rocks and broke them, vowing never to take another canoe trip. It had been much more difficult than

they had ever expected and they’d had a very miserable time. It made us wonder what we were getting

into.

Since we arrived so late in the day, we only went a couple miles down Moose Lake before we

made camp. We had stopped on an island just beyond Sommers Canoe Base and Joe and another person

went back to Sommers in the evening to ask the guides for information about our route and received

assurance that we could do our trip in the eleven days we had planned. And the next morning we were

off down the chain of lakes to the border and into Canada!

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Our first portage was Prairie Portage on the old border route between Sucker and Basswood

lakes. One’s first portage is always memorable experience. This portage is fairly level and only a

couple hundred yards long, but still can be quite a shock to someone who has never done a portage

before. The portage seemed very difficult to me and I remember stopping part way across because of

the pain in my shoulders.

On the far side of Prairie Portage are Canadian Customs and the Quetico Ranger Station where

fishing licenses are issued. I don’t remember personally going to either of these places at that time, but I

presume that each of us must have. I also don’t know if there was an entry fee for Quetico Park at this

time. I remember that we were not required to buy registration stickers for the canoes until the 1959

trip, but it might be that the sticker rule had been in affect

before, but no one told us about it.

We fought wind and waves across Bayley Bay of

Basswood Lake along the border to get to the sandy beach at

the portage to Burke Lake. The portage is wide and flat with

good footing and one could ride a bicycle across it. Our first

lunch was at Singing Brook Portage between Burke and

Sunday lakes. Facing us after lunch were the Meadows

Portages. We had heard about these two portages from Ray

White and did not look forward to them. The first portage is

880 yards going into Meadows Lake, followed by a paddle of

about 100 yards which leads to a second portage of 770 yards leading into Agnes Lake. The opening of

the first portage is visible from well back on Sunday Lake and one tends to look at it and worry for quite

a period of time. The trail is relatively flat, but there are a lot of rocks and the footing can be precarious.

I remember it being quite a trek on the first day of a trip and that I was the last one to get to Agnes Lake.

A short distance up Agnes Lake we came to the famous Louise Falls. The portage is very steep,

but not too long if you take the correct trail up the south side. We, however, had landed on the campsite

on the north side and never noticed the trail on the south side. We carried the canoes straight up through

the bush with groups of 3-4 people and handed them up from one group to another over the really steep

sections. It is the highest falls in the Park, but is better noted for the natural bathtub formed about ¾ of

the way up the falls. All the aches and pains of the portages vanish in a cold whirlpool bath.

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Second night’s camp was on the W side of Louisa Lake shortly after we got off the Louisa Falls

portages. I’ve looked for the campsite several times and have never found it again. It was in a spruce

grove and someone in the past had built a wind break of woven spruce branches on the N side of the fire

place. We built the fire from spruce branches and pitchy smoke turned the tops of the biscuits in the

reflector oven green. We ate them enthusiastically anyway and I don’t recall anyone complaining.

The route continued up though the portages of Fauquier and the Falls Chain to run the rapids at

Kawnipi Forks. We fished all day at the log jam at Chatterton Falls. Followed the route of the old

Dawson Road through Sturgeon Lake along the north side of Hunter’s Island. Down the historic

Maligne River past the rapids where John Tanner was shot and on to Lac La Croix past Warrior Hill and

back along the border past Rebecca and Curtain falls and through Cooked Lake. Up the Basswood

River past the pictographs at Arrows-in-the-Rock and back onto Basswood Lake and south to the

parking lot at Moose Lake where our car keys had waited beneath a convenient rock. Lots of fun and

good experiences. We had done 49 portages in our 11 days and were quite proud of all our

accomplishments.

We did Quetico trips again in 1959 and 1960. There were four of us who became guides at

Sommers Canoe Base based on the experiences we had on the Wilderness trips. I always hoped that

there would be a tradition of these trips extending through the years, but I lost track of time and

Wilderness across the years and never heard whether these trips continued.

============================================================

 

 

                  President  Steve Lyman   2014‐2015  Adhoc, Bylaws  Chris Soper  Chad Swenson 

Executive Secretary  Sid Davis    Alumni Achievement   Ron Schneider 

Board Member  Bill Beyer     Camp History  Bob Rezac 

Board Member  Chuck Ensign    Fall Fellowship  Jim & Janice Porter 

Board Member  David Pederson     Membership   Chris Soper 

       Open House  Neil Litton 

       Publications  Steve Shark 

      Staff Scholarship  Martin Schrage 

      Staff Week  Matt & Jodi Saari 

The Board The Chairs

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The   Interview 

Andrew Fugleberg Did you attend Camp Wilderness as a Scout?  Yes, I attended camp for 5 years as a scout, and one year as a Cub Scout (before Camp Butler opened) because both my parents were adult leaders and I couldn’t stay home alone. When I went as a Cub Scout I couldn’t actually take any merit badges, so I played around at Scoutcrafts all day.  

How many years have you been on staff at Camp Wilderness? I’ve worked at camp for 3 years in the Scoutcrafts area, and I was a C.I.T in 2011.

Funniest moment at camp?

There are so many moments at camp that make me laugh, so it’s hard to pick only one. During my second year on staff, there was one week where I was in charge of an open time activity where scouts built trebuchets to launch soccer balls. When the scouts and I tested the first trebuchet successfully built, the ball flew backwards instead of in the direction we intended. Unfortunately, my face was in the path of the ball and I was knocked on my back. All the scouts were laughing hysterically, and I found the humor in it once the swelling in my face went away.  

Most moving experience at camp? My second year at camp, an 11 year old girl named Elizabeth came to camp with her troop. Since she wasn’t officially a member of the Boy Scouts of America, she couldn’t get merit badges. She reminded me a lot of myself because I was in a similar situation when I was 10. She participated in classes all day at Scoutcrafts and ‘earned’ four merit badges (Pioneering, Woodcarving, Basketry, and Leatherwork). At the end of the week, she got the “Scoutcrafts Supervisor” award because even though she couldn’t get the merit badges, we felt she deserved something for all her hard work. About a week later, the Scoutcrafts staff got a handmade popup letter with a picture of Elizabeth holding her award and all the things she made in Scoutcrafts. She wrote us an amazing thank you note and I still have it with me. I know that our area staff really made her week special. 

 

Favorite campsite and/or location in camp? In an unsurprising turn of events, Scoutcrafts is my favorite area on camp. I’ve loved the area ever since my first day on camp, and I visit the area as often as possible outside of summer camp. I’ve never really felt attached to a campsite, but Scoutcrafts has always felt like home.  

Favorite Dining Hall meal? Unlike the rest of camp, I absolutely cannot stand biscuits and gravy. Spaghetti day is my kinda day. 

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Favorite summer camp activity? During the week, the Wilderness Survival class would conduct an overnighter somewhere in the woods, and since I have always been the teacher of that class, I would go along. I’ve been doing the Wilderness Survival overnighter for three years and I’ve made so many memories helping scouts build shelters and lying on the ground. We’ve camped out in several locations and some nights have been 

laden with rain and freezing temperatures, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything.  

What are you doing school/work wise, when not at camp? I’m currently a senior at May‐Port CG High School, and I’ll be attending NDSU next year (Go Bison). The only job I have involves cat sitting and dog sitting for various people throughout the year. At NDSU I plan on majoring in microbiology with an emphasis in pre veterinary studies. After getting my masters degree, I’ll be going to graduate school and getting my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.  

What would you tell someone that is considering working on camp staff, but still not sure? I would tell them that working on camp staff is one of the most worthwhile things you can do with your summer. Unfortunately, it’s not for everyone. Personally, i’ve gotten so much out of my time at camp, and I learn new things everyday. If someone is considering working on staff, I would tell them to at least try it out. Working on staff involves giving up a lot during the summer, but it also involves gaining the experience of a lifetime.

Alumni Association Upcoming Events & Dates 2/3/15   Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM  

3/3/15   Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM  

3/22/15  Administrative Board Conference Call  7:00 pm 

4/7/15  Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM 

5/5/15  Alumni Social: Old Chicago Fargo 6:30‐9:00PM 

5/17/15  Administrative Board Conference Call  7:00 pm 

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Claire Beach Campership Fund

In honor and memory of Claire Beach (Camp Ranger 80‐89) we are organizing a Campership in his name. If you would like to add to the Campership please send your contributions to the Center for Scouting with the instructions to be added to the Claire Beach Memorial or contact Chad Swenson. The Campership is a fund that is administered to allow Scouts to attend Camp Wilderness that would be financially unable to attend otherwise.  

 Claire’s Obit: Claire C. Beach, 91, of Lincoln, passed away on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014. He was born on September 24, 1923 in Barnes City, Iowa 

to Howard and Opal Beach. WWII veteran of the U.S. Navy. Avid outdoorsman. Finishing his career as a Boy Scout camp ranger. Co‐editor of the Weeping Water Republican from the 1940's to the 1960's.   

 

 

Survivors: wife of 71 years, JoAnn. Son, Lani (Bev) Beach. Daughters, Lauren Merrifield and Barbara (Brad) Loos. Five grandchildren and five great grandchildren from Nebraska to Sweden. Sister, Betty (Paul) Rotenbery. Preceded in death by parents, brother, Kenneth and sister, Barbara. 

 

Funeral service: 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, 6800 So. 14th Street, Lincoln. Visitation: one hour prior to the service. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, can be directed to the Boy Scouts of America. Arrangements by Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home. Condolences can be left at lincolnfh.com 

 

 

 

 

  13

A History of Camp Chan 0wapi 1929‐1949 

(Missouri Valley Council Camp, prior to Heart Butte) 

 Compiled by Bob Schaible, Bismarck            Date: August 20, 2003 

From a  published 1995 paper entitled  "An Era Past, Welcome to Wildwood" by Jean Binsfeld and Wanda 

Tjenstrom,Washburn: Newspaper articles printed in the Washburn Leader in 1930 and Bismarck Tribune in 

1952: and information gathered by talking to Kermit Lidstrom, Troop 51, 1946 Eagle Scout of Mandan, camper in 

1943; John Sakariassen, Troop 51, Mandan, camper in 1943; Ronald W. "Bert" Wheeler, Troop 2, 1938 Eagle 

Scout, camper in 1935 and 1936; Richard "Dick" Fevold, Troop 5, 1940 Eagle Scout,, camper in 1938 and 1939;  

and Bob "Bouty" Boutrous, former Troop 11,camper in 1938 and 1939;  Bob Ritterbush, Troop 2; George Will, 

Troop 3, 1940 Eagle Scout; Roy Towne, Troop 6,1943 Eagle Scout; John Wagner, Troop 6, 1943 Eagle Scout;  

Doug McDowell, Troop 6; and Duncan Perry, Troop 2, 1938 Eagle Scout.  Information also comes from the 

McLean County Recorder of Deeds office, county maps from the North Dakota Department of Transportation; 

Doug Emerson, U.S. Geological Survey; and Jim Lindseth, North Dakota State Water Commission. 

 

          ^ = (trees surrounded the lake and cabins.)         

     Camp Chan‐O‐Wapi was located 14 miles north 

on Painted Woods (River) Road (Highway 1804) 

from the Memorial Bridge, then turn left ‐ west ‐ 

and travel 1/2 mile west into the camp on a tree 

lined road.  Scouters also took Highway 83 north to 

Wilton, traveled 8.5 miles west, 1 mile north, and a 

1/2 mile west of Wilton. 

     Camp Chan‐O‐Wapi sat on 20 acres of land, and 

was located on the southeast corner of Wildwood 

Lake, a small lake of perhaps 20 acres in size, and 

not very deep. The camp is approximately 1/4 mile 

from the Missouri River on SE 1/4 of Section 29, 

Township 143 N, Range 81 W. The lake filled from 

spring run‐offs from 4 to 5 sections of land, and 

during periodic floods along the Missouri River 

when the river overflowed its' banks. One of the 

worst floods happened in 1952, causing a lot of 

damage to the Scout camp and to the other 

buildings surrounding Wildwood Lake. During dry 

years, water was pumped 800 feet from the 

Missouri river into Wildwood Lake.  

     Fifteen privately owned cabins were located on 

the north and west side of the lake and used for 

summer vacation homes and fall hunting cabins. 

One cabin owned by Judge A. M. Christianson, was 

built on the only peninsula in the lake and faced the 

  14

Boy Scout waterfront. North Dakota Supreme Court 

Justice Christianson would become the first person 

to receive the Silver Beaver Award in 1931 from the 

Missouri Valley Boy Scout Council. That award is for 

adults for their service and devotion to Scouting.  

Building Camp From The Ground Up 

     Scouts from Washburn first went to Chan Owapi 

in 1929. There were no buildings on the site. That 

year scouters started constructing the first 

buildings.  A Mess Hall, director's cabin and three 

scout cabins were built.   There was a large building 

for a Mess Hall, perhaps 28' X 40', where 

approximately 72 people could eat at one setting. In 

the mess hall only one cook made the meals. She 

made meals for everyone three times a day. No one 

went hungry. The camp also had a smaller director's 

cabin. The only kerosene lights in camp were in the 

director cabin and the mess hall. The cook ordered 

50 #s of  ice every day to keep her food cold as 

there was no refrigeration. Camp Fire girls and 

other organizations also used the camp in the early 

1930's. 

        In the early 1930's, some scouts slept in cabins 

and others slept in tents of WWI vintage, with a 

wood floor and canvas walls. Some tents had a 

leaky canvas roof. Scouts soon learned which tent 

to choose to keep a dry bedroll. The last scout 

cabins were built in 1942. Over time, a total of 9 

smaller cabins, 16' X 16', were built for scouts and 

replaced the canvas tents. Seventh‐two scouts 

could attend camp each week during the four week 

camping season. 

     In 1939, the camp built a fairly large activities 

center, 28' X 60', easily the largest building in camp. 

It had a high ceiling with a cupola on top. Only 

games that didn't require a lot of ceiling space could 

be played there. All buildings had shutters that 

lifted up, kept there by a cord, with the window 

covered with a screen, and the only means of 

ventilation in those buildings. The parade grounds 

held the flag poles and had room for other outdoor 

activities like baseball or kittenball (softball), volley 

ball, touch ball, basket ball, horse shoes and track. 

During the week tournaments were held in the 

different sporting events 

World War II 

     In the late 1930's, some Scouts remember going 

to camp in their Scout leaders or family vehicles. 

During World War II, some Scouts rode in back of a 

two ton truck to camp over dusty roads. Speed 

limits at the time were 35 miles per hour. Traveling 

to and from camp could easily take 1 hour each.  

Typically scouts came from Bismarck and Mandan. 

Scouts from Glen Ullin and Hebron and many towns 

throughout the southwest went to camps situated 

along local rivers rather than traveling to Chan‐

0wapi.   

     The Scout Executive, Quentin Gonser, from the 

Missouri Valley Council, was Camp Director in 1943 

and this writer suspects that he drove the truck to 

get scouts to the camp during the war. As 

mentioned, there were small cabins‐only one patrol 

would fit in each cabin. Steel army cots with springs, 

covered with mattresses, were their beds.  

     Since gas rationing was in place during the war, 

the scouts and their personal gear had to ride in 

one vehicle or in the back of the truck. Personal 

gear consisted of a bed roll with two rolled up 

blankets, one pair of blue jeans, a scout shirt, scout 

cap or campaign hat, scout neckerchief, a swim suit, 

towel, and underwear and toiletry items. Usually 

there were hand‐me‐downs from older brothers. 

Scouts always wore a scout shirt in camp. A new full 

uniform cost $4.95. Clothes were very aromatic 

upon return to their homes after one week at camp. 

Moms had a huge task washing clothes after their 

sons returned from camp.  

     During the war, young men that we're high 

school graduates were gone, and there were few 

older scouts in camp. A small number of staffers, 

Junior Officers (counselors) were 15 or 16, barely 

older than the scouts. On occasion, the Junior 

Officers swan to the west side of the lake to go to 

  15

the Pavilion, located just west of the private cabins. 

There were dances there, as well as roller skating 

and other activities that included girls. Naturally, 

the Junior Officers got into trouble when they got 

caught. That was the extent of the staff. During the 

war few men between the ages of 18 to 40 

remained in North Dakota, which also meant there 

were few adults serving as scout leaders in any 

troop.  

     In later years scouts troops from Beulah, Mott, 

McLaughlin, McClusky and other towns started to 

attend Camp Chan Owapi. 

Daily Activities 

     A swimming test was given to scouts on Sunday 

when the scouts arrived in camp. The beach and 

water front consisted of a muddy bottom and shore 

that usually packed down during camp.  There were 

several canoes and row boats on hand for scouts 

use that were later used for races. About 75 feet 

off‐shore, a large floating raft with a ladder, was 

anchored for the scouts to enjoy the water sports. 

     Swimming and water safety was the main activity 

and primary concern.  Jr. Officers were posted on 

the dock, in the life guard tower, and on the floating 

raft. Scouts had to check in on a board when they 

entered the water front and check out when they 

left the water front. Scouts learned about the 

"Buddy System" and had to "buddy‐up" every four 

to five minutes while in the water. Boutrous 

remembers that three scouts had to be in the 

buddy system. Boutrous also remembers swimming 

across the lake with his buddies and having cabin 

owners on the west side of the lake having to sign a 

document that he reached the far side of the lake. 

Scouts went swimming twice a day‐morning and 

afternoon. This served in place of daily showers. 

Hiking to the Missouri River and along its' banks was 

a favorite activity. Overnight hikes were part of the 

weekly routine as well and all scouts went on those 

hikes. 

     The usual merit badges were taught by Junior 

Officers (counselors.)  Water merit badges included 

Swimming, Canoeing, Small Boat Sailing, and, 

Lifesaving. Fishing was offered, with scouts usually 

catching bull heads, perch and an occasional 

northern pike. Toward the end of summer the lake 

starting turning green from the algae that grew in 

the shallow lake. Outdoor merit badges that were 

offered included Hiking, Tree study, Path finding, 

Bird Study, Pioneering, Orienteering, and Camping, 

Leatherworks were taught in the Activities Lodge 

and lanyards were made. Other merit badges 

included Indian Lore and First Aid.  

     After each meal, the scouts took their plates to 

the back of the mess hall where they would wash 

their own dishes. Scouts learned the importance of 

clean dishes and using soap and water when doing 

dishes. A "camel", two 55 gallons drums built on a 

stand, had warm water from a fire built 

underneath. The barrels had pipes coming out of 

each side that scouts could open with a turn, and 

warm water would trickle over their washed 

utensils. Scouts would then rinse off there own 

eating utensils by placing them in a dunk bag and 

rinse them under hot water from the other barrel. 

Then the scouts hung their eating utensils out to dry 

near or in their cabin.   

      Patrol leaders were in charge of their own patrol 

at camp during the war and the main contact for 

the Camp Director. That was the extent of troop 

leadership. No other adults were around because of 

the war. 

     Some scouts snuck off to the "washout", about 

two blocks from the camp, that had cooler water 

than the lake, and wasn't muddy. Of course, it was 

off‐limits. Scouts heard the rumor that the 

"Washout" had cold water and didn't have a 

bottom. They were very grateful for the clear, cool 

water, and tried not to get caught by the Junior 

Officers. 

     Younger scouts went to camp because older 

scouts told them how much fun they would have. 

  16

Younger scouts usually held older scouts in high 

esteem. When the scouts arrived at camp they had 

to walk from the parking lot to their cabin, carrying 

their own gear. It was a relatively short walk. The 

scouts did not have carry troop equipment. 

     Scouts would spend one or two weeks at camp 

with a cost of perhaps $8.00 a week ‐ $6.00 during 

the war years. Obviously, that fee went up in later 

years. The war took all the extra family cash. The 

scouts also paid weekly dues and sometimes that 

was difficult and perhaps kept young men from 

going into scouting. When the camping season was 

over, the scouts were hauled back home. After the 

boy's camping season, the Girl Scouts moved into 

Camp Chan‐0‐Wapi. Sadly, Boy Scouts used the 

camp for the last time in 1949. 

     A typical day might have consisted of breakfast at 

7:00; Flag raising at 8:00; merit badges classes 

starting at 8:30; lunch at 12:00; merit badge classes 

at 1:00; supper at 6:00; and Flag retirement at 7:00. 

Evenings were also filled with baseball and other 

games. Later, campfires were held every night. 

Camp fires were held in the Activities Lodge when 

as darkness descended and patrols had campfires 

after that. Wheeler still remembers old scout songs 

he sang at camp. Campfires consisted of favorite 

skits, stunts, songs, stories and cheers. Sometimes 

scouts played hi‐jinks like snipe hunting, a favorite 

game, played on younger scouts after the 

campfires. 

     On Sunday, church services were held for scouts 

of different religions. 

Camp Safety 

     The camp had a water well for use by the cooks 

and scouts to wash their hands before meals.      

     On some occasions, a doctor from Bismarck was 

in camp and he would give physicals at camp or 

check the physical form when camp opened. 

Otherwise, there was no physician on staff. A nurse 

was on staff during the week. There was First Aid 

Station (tent) in camp. Medical checks were also 

completed by doctors in town before the scouts 

came to camp. Lidstrom does not remember taking 

the scout physical but Sakariassen does. Some of 

the men remember well the mosquitoes, ticks, 

poison ivy, and snipes that seemed to haunt the 

very young scouts. 

     There was no adult supervision in camp as adults 

were at home on their job. Nor was there a parent's 

night during the scout week because of the gas 

rationing. Parents got 5 gallons a month because of 

gas rationing. 

Order of the Arrow 

     The scouts had an Order of the Arrow "call out" 

at camp, usually on Friday. Scouts were tapped out 

and taken to secret spots for an overnight stay for 

part of their induction into the Order. Lidstrom 

remembered well the evening he was inducted into 

the Order of the Arrow. He was given the Indian 

name of "Red Hoof" and still has the OA card 

presented to him by Scout Executive Gonser. 

The Final Chapter of Camp Chan Owapi 

     In the early 1950's, Garrison Dam was built and 

the Missouri River flooding stopped filling 

Wildwood Lake. The dam was completed in 1954. 

The former lake today is not what the Scouts 

remember. The buildings were sold at auction in the 

fall of 1952. The large Activities Building now is 

located about 1/3 mile south of the junction of Hwy 

1804 and US 83.  The other buildings were sold and 

moved to Wilton, Washburn and nearby farms. 

Other than concrete foundations of former building 

sites, nothing else remains of Camp Chan‐O‐Wapi 

and the area is overgrown with trees and 

vegetation. The land was deeded to the Missouri 

Valley Council in March, 1966 and sold in 1981 to 

Gilbert E. Key and Sandra Hellickson‐Key. The camp 

grounds and the center of the Boy Scout camp are 

now used for a vegetable garden. 

     The lake doesn't flood anymore and has now 

become a marsh and a haven for wildlife and 

waterfowl. 

  17

WASHBURN LEADER (NEWSPAPER)

   (Retyped from June  20, 1930 edition) 

MISSOURI SLOPE SCOUTS TO CAMP 

Scout Executives Urges Attendance for all Slope Scouts 

    Boys of the Missouri Slope are eligible to attend 

the Boy Scout camp at Wildwood Lake to attend the 

Boy Scout camp at Wildwood Lake near Washburn, 

N. D. The camp is operated by the camp committee 

of the Missouri Valley, Boy Scouts of America and is 

open to all boys of scout age in the area. 

   A varied and elective program of activities to 

advance in the regular scoutcraft requirements, at 

will at the same time give him opportunity to 

participate and indulge in hobbies that interest him 

most. The program will be made up of adventure, 

thrills and clean wholesome activity. Swimming will 

be conducted under the direction of W. G. Fulton, 

who is a registered American Red Cross life saving 

examiner and instructor . Boating next to swimming 

is probably the most popular sport at camp. Four 

new boats will be available for use of the scouts. 

Instruction is given to all boys who want it in the 

proper method of handling a boat.. One night each 

period, the whole camp embarks on an overnight 

hike for lots of fun at the "'washout." Nature study 

takes some time at the camp every day, and the 

situation of the camp makes bird study, animal 

study, tree study and flower study available all 

summer long. Handicraft instruction is given in 

leathercraft, archery, rope‐making, neckerchief 

slides, tincraft, woodcarving and perhaps others.  

Scoutcraft instruction will be given to all scout 

subjects with a real opportunity to advance in rank 

and to earn merit badges while in camp. 

   In addition, the games, the camp fires, the songs, 

the yells, the stunts and the good fellowship of the 

camp and, oh boy, the eats go to make up a real 

camp week. 

   Any boy is safe at Chan Owapi. The strictest care is 

taken of him while at camp. Every boy is required to 

have a physical examination before coming to 

camp. The water that is used for drinking purposes 

is tested weekly by the state health department. 

Pasteurized milk is always used. Proper garbage 

disposals, fly‐proof mess hall, regularity of habit, 

sanitary patrols, good food, properly cooked, and 

daily tent and personal inspections keep the camp 

and boy always clean. 

   The water front program is carried on the "Buddy 

System". The system requires that scouts go into 

the water in pairs and a check up is made every 

three minutes by the buddies. When a buddy is 

missing, the whole gang come out of the water 

instantly and makes a chain to find him in case he is 

under water. However, in the two years at Camp 

Chan Owapi we have had no serious accident of any 

kind in the water or out. This buddy system is the 

safest plan of water protection that we know of. A 

camp nurse will be charge of the camp hospital 

which has been very finely equipped by the 

Woman's Community Council at Bismarck. 

   Camp will open for its first scout period on June 

24, and will operate for four straight weeks, each 

week being one camp period. The camp fee is $8.00 

per scout. He is required to pay $1.00 with his 

application and the balance on his arrival at camp. 

   Fifty boys will be taken each week. Applications 

will be accepted in the order of their receipt at the 

scout executive's office in Bismarck. Everything is 

furnished by the boy with the exception of his eats 

and his "lodging". The scouts are divided into 

patrols on their arrivals at camp and live during the 

week in tents, sleeping on army cots. The camp plot 

is situated on Wildwood Lake and is ideally located 

for swimming. A large bay makes for ideal place for 

beginners. 

   Anyone interested in sending their boy to Chan 

Owapi should write immediately to W. G. Fulton, 

Scout Executive at Bismarck, N.D. 

 

  18CJS 14-Jun-2014 When complete send to: Alumni Achievement Committee Chair: 4200 19th Ave South, Fargo, ND 58103

NOMINATION FOR ALUMNI 

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

NOTE: The nomination is confidential. To avoid possible disappointment, please do not advise nominee in any way of your action in his or her behalf. 

TO THE ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS CAMPS ALUMNI ACHIEMENT AWARD COMMITTEE: 

It is a pleasure to present for your consideration for the ALUMNI ACHIEMEMNNT AWARD:

Name: _____________________________________________________________________ 

Address: ___________________________________________________________________  

City or Town: _____________________________ Zip: _________

The noteworthy service upon which this nomination is based follows: 

(Furnish as much information as possible. For example years on paid staff, years of volunteer staff, staff positions, volunteer positions, and special contributions to camp including program development and resources. Use additional pages as needed.)

Date of Nomination Name and phone number of person making nomination  

 CJS 14-Jun-2014 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

The Alumni Achievement Award is an award presented by the Northern Lights Council Camps Alumni Association. 

The award is available to people who render service of an outstanding and considerable nature to the Northern Lights Council camps on all levels over an extended period of time. 

The award is made available annually on the basis of 1 award per year. However, the committee can choose to present the award to two or more individuals or a group. 

It is not appropriate to nominate an individual who is already received this award. 

This award is open to any individual regardless of scouting registration. A nominee is not limited to camp staff alumni. 

REQUIREMENTS 

A nominee must have rendered noteworthy service to all the Northern Lights Council camping properties. 

The nominee’s attitude toward all camp properties owned by the Northern Lights Council, past and present, shall be taken into consideration. 

Consideration must be given to the nominee’s service position and the corresponding opportunity to render outstanding service beyond the expectations of that position.

Nominations cannot be considered for posthumous awards.

PROCEDURE 

Annually, the President of the Northern Lights Council Alumni Association will appoint a chairman to the Alumni Achievement Award committee. The chairman will then solicit no less than five persons to serve on the committee. The committee will consider all candidates and make recommendations of those to receive the award to the Alumni Association Board. 

The Alumni Association Board then approves the recommendation of the committee and informs the committee of the approval. In the case where the nominee is not approved by the board, the committee shall present another candidate. 

The final recommendation to the board shall be completed no later than July 4th of each year. Recognition shall occur within six months of the final recommendation. 

The Alumni Achievement Award committee shall then be responsible for updating the recognition plaques(s) and the creation of the plaque given to the recipient. 

The following procedures are suggested for such presentation ceremonies: 

a. Consideration should be given to the location and timing relating to the service of the individual. 

b. Care should be given such that the presenter and presentation of the award will add significant meaning to the recipient. 

c. A suitable plaque for each recipient should be prepared conveying the individuality of the individual and the uniqueness of their service. 

d. A picture shall be included in the association archives. Recognition shall be promulgated thorough the council and alumni association members. 

 

 

Aurora Winter 2015 

In This Issue: 

Retro Camp Wilderness Map 

President’s Message 

Reflections from 50’s/60’s 

Andrew Fugleberg Interview 

Alumni Achievement Awards 

Much More! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Alumni Association of the Northern Lights Camps Northern Lights Council BSA 4200 19th Ave South Fargo, ND 58103

www.northernlightsalumni.com “Staff Today, Alumni Forever”