Facility History & Overview

Camp Teepee Pole began in the early 1960’s when a couple of Christian Service Brigade groups recognized the beautiful setting to teach boys outdoor skills by ‘doing’. They came out regularly with their tents, gear and food and spent weekends enjoying the great outdoors along with all its challenges.

When the first lease was obtained a small kitchen was built. Next to the kitchen a large wall tent was used as a dining room as well as a location for rainy day activities. Sleeping quarters consisted of several wall tents on wooden platforms. Sometime later a couple of A-frames were constructed so the camp could be used year round. Winter usage was mostly used by a number of different groups coming out for weekends.

Later a well was dug and cased with a culvert and a hand pump installed to provide water for the camp. A row of basins was installed outside to encourage campers to “sort of” stay clean. An outdoor cellar was dug in a bank to keep perishable items cool during the summer months. A few times a bear decided there must be something good inside and he had a small feast on the camp’s budget. Since we had no power initially, lanterns were used for light. Eventually a small diesel power plant was installed to make things much more convenient for cooks and campers alike. Outdoor toilets were a part of the camping experience for us during those early years.