When
I think about camping trips, I think of tents, sleeping bags and
cooking over a campfire. Well, I can’t write about that kind of camping
trip because I have never been on one of those. But I have a story
about a very memorable campgrounds where I spent a week sleeping in a
tent each summer when I was between the ages of 10 - 18 in 1955-1963.
My conditions at this camp included outdoor bathrooms, outdoor cold
water only sinks where we washed up and brushed our teeth, dirt floors
in our tents for the first years and then board floors after that,
mosquitoes, heat, some storms and lots of walking - just like the boy
scouts enjoyed because my experiences happened at a Boy Scout Camp.
Walt Reschlein was a successful Christian business man in La Crosse, WI during the years I mentioned. He had a vision for a week of Bible Camp for children ages 10 - 18. He made arrangements with the Boy Scouts who owned a campground for their summer camps to use their grounds for a week following their camping season for a week of Bible Camp. Mr. Reschlein partnered with churches in the area in order to provide all the necessary planning, advertising, registering, programming and staffing for the camp.
Lakeside
Evangelical Free Church in Winona, MN (pictured above) was where I and
my family attended at that time. My church partnered with Mr. Reschlein
for the Bible Camp week in August which was held at Camp Decorah near
Holman, WI. A number of youth from our church attended each summer. My
first year for this camp was 1955 when I was 10 years old. My close
friend at church was a year older than I so she had attended her first
year in 1954 and invited me to go with her and her family as they drove
both of us to camp that year.
The camp was about 25 miles from our farm. I am quite sure that I had hardly ever been away from home for even one overnight so being away from home for a full week was a new experience which was both scary and exciting. I remember that my stomach was churning as we neared our destination but I was also happy to be getting to do something so new and unique for our family.
Part of the check-in process included an exam for Athletes Foot so all campers had to take off their shoes and socks to get their toes checked. If we had that problem, we were not allowed to stay as a camper. Fortunately, my friend Andrea Stallknecht and I passed but there were some others that did not.
We brought our own bedding and were assigned to a tent which held 4 sets of bunk beds. A counselor slept in one of the beds and the other seven girls chose the bed they wanted. There were several “tent villages” for the girls and for the boys so we had some competitions during the week based on our “village.”
1955 would be my first year to attend Camp Decorah and I would return each summer with my younger sisters until I graduated from high school in 1963 at age 18. The first few years our tents with dirt floors would be for eight campers but there was a transition to two-person tents with a wood floor in time. Andrea and I always shared a tent as long as we both attended that camp.
Camp Decorah became the high point of our summers so my sisters and I dreamed of and planned for Camp for the whole year as we waited for that fabulous week in August each year.
What made it so fantastic? Let me list highlights of those camp weeks.
1. The emphasis was on knowing Jesus and living for Him in every aspect of our lives.
2. The ways we were learning how to accomplish this were being demonstrated and taught by the winsome, fun and godly speakers, leaders, counselors and all staff that were with us for the week.
3. Ken Anderson of Ken Anderson Films of Muskegon, MI was there each year - usually with two of his daughters and four of his sons. Close friendships developed between the Groves girls and the Anderson kids which made camp a fun adventure each year. Ken Anderson films was producing teen Christian films which were brought to camp each summer for a preview viewing. In those years, most of us did not have TV in our homes. We loved watching films created for teens so it was a thrill to watch the latest film that Ken Anderson had written and produced. Ken Anderson had a captivating sense of humor so he was always teasing someone. I remember being a “victim” of his sense of humor during one “mail call” which happened each day at lunch time. Ken was the person who handed out to campers the mail that had arrived during the week. And to make the ordinary more fun, he had ways to “pick on” his favorite campers. Ken Anderson has Swedish ancestors. The Groves girls are proud to have Norwegian ancestors. So when my name was called as a camper receiving a letter, he told me I had to say something in Norwegian before he would give me my letter. I didn’t speak Norwegian but I had heard a few words that my parents knew so I think I said, “Munga tusen tak” which means, “many thousand thanks”. And that was enough to have him release my letter to me.
4. Mel Johnson of Tips For Teens was another frequent camp speaker. He was a well known youth speaker and his classes and talks were lots of fun and very inspirational.
5. Afternoons included sport activities including softball and swimming. I couldn’t swim but enjoyed playing in the water of the Black River that flowed at the edge of the camp property. My friend, Andrea, had a swimming pool where she lived so she was an expert diver and swimmer. It was fun to watch her during the swimming session. The most spectacular afternoon activity choice was the climb up the hill to the top of Decorah Peak. I made this climb as many times as possible and loved getting to the top of this high point where the view was wide and magnificent. The photo below shows the peak in the distance.
6. Our camp counselors were college students. Many of them attended Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN. I was so fond of those cool gals that loved us and modeled the joy of being a christian. I secretly began to wish that I could attend Northwestern College when I graduated from high school. That dream did not come true for me as I needed to attend a less expensive school in WI but our oldest son, John, would decide to attend there when he graduated from high school. That was a wonderful school for him and for the young lady he met there who became his wife and the mother of four of our brilliant grandchildren.
7. Each year a missionary family would be part of the camp staff. I especially remember a couple who worked in the Philippines. This was an inviting way for me to learn about world missions which would become a passion for me in the future.
8. Camp would begin on a Sunday afternoon and end the following Sunday noon. Saturday night would include a big bonfire with a testimony time and invitation to commit our lives to Christ for the first time or to commit to christian service in the future. These sessions had a great impact on me. I had given my heart to Jesus at age 6 but was always inspired to live for and serve Him all the days of my life during this campfire service at the end of my week of camp.
I am extremely grateful for my childhood experiences at Camp Decorah. I believe I was influenced there to live faithfully and fervently for the Lord all the days of my life. And perhaps, my camp experiences made it a delight for me when my husband was offered a position at Camp Timber-lee near East Troy, WI. We lived there for four years and then moved to Kerrville, TX where he continued to be staff for another camp known as the H.E.Butt Foundation Camps - Laity Lodge for adults, Laity Lodge Youth Camp and Laity Lodge Family Camp. What a privilege I’ve had to be part of amazing Christian camping since I was ten years old.
In June 2009, my sister, Margelyn and I, drove around the area where Camp Decorah was and stopped to take a few photos in the area. One thing that was planned as an elective afternoon activity was a climb to the top of Decorah Peak which was not part of the campgrounds but was close by. I always loved that activity which was a challenge but gave a spectacular view of the area when you made it all the way to the top of the Peak.
The camp was about 25 miles from our farm. I am quite sure that I had hardly ever been away from home for even one overnight so being away from home for a full week was a new experience which was both scary and exciting. I remember that my stomach was churning as we neared our destination but I was also happy to be getting to do something so new and unique for our family.
Part of the check-in process included an exam for Athletes Foot so all campers had to take off their shoes and socks to get their toes checked. If we had that problem, we were not allowed to stay as a camper. Fortunately, my friend Andrea Stallknecht and I passed but there were some others that did not.
We brought our own bedding and were assigned to a tent which held 4 sets of bunk beds. A counselor slept in one of the beds and the other seven girls chose the bed they wanted. There were several “tent villages” for the girls and for the boys so we had some competitions during the week based on our “village.”
1955 would be my first year to attend Camp Decorah and I would return each summer with my younger sisters until I graduated from high school in 1963 at age 18. The first few years our tents with dirt floors would be for eight campers but there was a transition to two-person tents with a wood floor in time. Andrea and I always shared a tent as long as we both attended that camp.
Camp Decorah became the high point of our summers so my sisters and I dreamed of and planned for Camp for the whole year as we waited for that fabulous week in August each year.
What made it so fantastic? Let me list highlights of those camp weeks.
1. The emphasis was on knowing Jesus and living for Him in every aspect of our lives.
2. The ways we were learning how to accomplish this were being demonstrated and taught by the winsome, fun and godly speakers, leaders, counselors and all staff that were with us for the week.
3. Ken Anderson of Ken Anderson Films of Muskegon, MI was there each year - usually with two of his daughters and four of his sons. Close friendships developed between the Groves girls and the Anderson kids which made camp a fun adventure each year. Ken Anderson films was producing teen Christian films which were brought to camp each summer for a preview viewing. In those years, most of us did not have TV in our homes. We loved watching films created for teens so it was a thrill to watch the latest film that Ken Anderson had written and produced. Ken Anderson had a captivating sense of humor so he was always teasing someone. I remember being a “victim” of his sense of humor during one “mail call” which happened each day at lunch time. Ken was the person who handed out to campers the mail that had arrived during the week. And to make the ordinary more fun, he had ways to “pick on” his favorite campers. Ken Anderson has Swedish ancestors. The Groves girls are proud to have Norwegian ancestors. So when my name was called as a camper receiving a letter, he told me I had to say something in Norwegian before he would give me my letter. I didn’t speak Norwegian but I had heard a few words that my parents knew so I think I said, “Munga tusen tak” which means, “many thousand thanks”. And that was enough to have him release my letter to me.
4. Mel Johnson of Tips For Teens was another frequent camp speaker. He was a well known youth speaker and his classes and talks were lots of fun and very inspirational.
5. Afternoons included sport activities including softball and swimming. I couldn’t swim but enjoyed playing in the water of the Black River that flowed at the edge of the camp property. My friend, Andrea, had a swimming pool where she lived so she was an expert diver and swimmer. It was fun to watch her during the swimming session. The most spectacular afternoon activity choice was the climb up the hill to the top of Decorah Peak. I made this climb as many times as possible and loved getting to the top of this high point where the view was wide and magnificent. The photo below shows the peak in the distance.
6. Our camp counselors were college students. Many of them attended Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN. I was so fond of those cool gals that loved us and modeled the joy of being a christian. I secretly began to wish that I could attend Northwestern College when I graduated from high school. That dream did not come true for me as I needed to attend a less expensive school in WI but our oldest son, John, would decide to attend there when he graduated from high school. That was a wonderful school for him and for the young lady he met there who became his wife and the mother of four of our brilliant grandchildren.
7. Each year a missionary family would be part of the camp staff. I especially remember a couple who worked in the Philippines. This was an inviting way for me to learn about world missions which would become a passion for me in the future.
8. Camp would begin on a Sunday afternoon and end the following Sunday noon. Saturday night would include a big bonfire with a testimony time and invitation to commit our lives to Christ for the first time or to commit to christian service in the future. These sessions had a great impact on me. I had given my heart to Jesus at age 6 but was always inspired to live for and serve Him all the days of my life during this campfire service at the end of my week of camp.
I am extremely grateful for my childhood experiences at Camp Decorah. I believe I was influenced there to live faithfully and fervently for the Lord all the days of my life. And perhaps, my camp experiences made it a delight for me when my husband was offered a position at Camp Timber-lee near East Troy, WI. We lived there for four years and then moved to Kerrville, TX where he continued to be staff for another camp known as the H.E.Butt Foundation Camps - Laity Lodge for adults, Laity Lodge Youth Camp and Laity Lodge Family Camp. What a privilege I’ve had to be part of amazing Christian camping since I was ten years old.
In June 2009, my sister, Margelyn and I, drove around the area where Camp Decorah was and stopped to take a few photos in the area. One thing that was planned as an elective afternoon activity was a climb to the top of Decorah Peak which was not part of the campgrounds but was close by. I always loved that activity which was a challenge but gave a spectacular view of the area when you made it all the way to the top of the Peak.
Below
are a few more photos taken the day Marge and I relived the joy we had
known as children at Camp Decorah. The first photos show us standing at
the doors of the Mess Hall and the next photos are more shots of
Decorah Peak.
Psalm 19: 14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
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