History of Camp. Part II

In 1917 the newly organized Schenectady Council of the Boy Scouts held a camp on Assembly Point. The following year arrangements were made to share the Pilot Knob site and from 1918 until 1921 both groups used the name Camp Chingachgook, the Y camp held in July and the Scouts in August.

In 1922 the Scouts began calling their camp “Rotary” in honor of the Schenectady Rotary Club, which had made substantial contributions to the new mess hall and furnishings. The Scouts continued to jointly own and operate the camp through 1943, when they developed Boyhaven near Saratoga Springs.

The YMCA and Boy Scouts not only shared the Pilot Knob site, but the two groups had very similar philosophies and programs regarding the purpose of the Camp. Today’s daily schedule has its basis in the schedules of those first decades of camp, when bugles calls structured the day. Everything from morning exercises, assemblies, cabin inspections, and even emphasis on Indian Lore are activities found in the very first brochures and schedules in the archives.

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History of Camp. Part I

In 1912 a group of boys under the leadership of the Schenectady YMCA’s Boy’s Work Secretary Clarence E. “Pop” Drake made an exploratory trip on Lake George using a motor-powered war canoe named, “Chingachgook.”

Continued interest in the opportunity for Schenectady City boys to experience the outdoors led to establishment of a small encampment on Basin Bay across the lake from Pilot Knob in the summer of 1913.

For the 1914 season enrollment skyrocketed to over 100 necessitating a much larger campground, and the present Pilot Knob site was located by C.E. Drake and Mason W. Hall, Chairman of the Boy’s Work Committee of the Schenectady YMCA. The association did not have the resources to purchase the property from the Phelps Family and so in November 1915, Mr. Hall purchased the site for $5,000. From 1916 until 1922, Mr. Hall held title to this piece of land on the shore of Lake George and through his generosity and the contributions of others the indebtedness was greatly reduced.

Stay tuned for the next edition of, "History of Camp" coming out when I get around to it!

Camp is getting closer!

Camp Chingachgook 2009 is going to be off the hook for shizzle. Everyday Camp gets a little closer to starting. I'm ready for the summer. Anyone want to skip the next two months?

Countdown to Camp....
Staff Arrival: 58 Days
Session 1: 69 Days
Session 2: 83 Days
Session 3: 97 Days
Session 4: 111 Days
Session 5: 118 Days
Session 6: 125 Days
Who's ready???

Easter Brunch a big hit!

I hope everyone had a tremendous Easter with their family. Chingachgook had almost 150 people attend our Easter Brunch at Camp. The food was great, the day was beautifulm and the Easter Egg Hunt was top notch. This picture of the kids smiling and waving was taken just moments before they went and found over 200 eggs that were hidden just in front of the dining hall. Guess how long it took them to find all of the eggs?...TWO MINUTES! These kids were unblievable. The Easter Bunny is going to have to do a better job of hiding the eggs next year!

You're all invited to Easter at Camp!

Welcome spring and celebrate Easter with family and friends at YMCA Camp Chingachgook’s Easter brunch and Easter egg hunt April 12. Dining begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m. with an Easter egg hunt for the little ones immediately following.

The buffet brunch features carved spiral ham, roast turkey, eggs Benedict, Italian sausage breakfast bake, baked ziti, vegetarian tofu Maria, O’Brien potatoes, steamed asparagus, Belgium waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, and an assortment of fruit and fresh baked pastries.

The cost is $16.00 per person, and children 15 years and younger pay their age. Guests are welcome to stay to hike and enjoy the Camp.

To R.S.V.P for Easter brunch and for more information please call YMCA Camp Chingachgook: 656-9462. Hope to see you there!!

First School Group in 2009!

After a prolonged period without any school groups running amok at Camp Chingachgook, Corinth Elementary School came to the rescue by arriving at Camp this morning for an awesome two day stay. Taking part in teambuilding, hiking, climbing, and stream and wetlands, these kids are sure to have a great time.

The first picture you see are the fearless outdoor educators running/walking to greet the three school buses that have just arrived at Camp. You can't quite tell from this picture...but their not the least bit nervous!

No more Ice!

Well, it finally happened. Lake George is no longer a block of ice which means summer camp is right around the corner. Our official date of no ice is March 31. Sorry Ken, but your guess for early July seems to have fallen a little short. The picture you see of beginner's bay shows the small ice chunks floating around. It's almost like a slushy in our bay area. You're not going to get me to jump in there for quite some time...