Extinct Summer Camps & Lodges
- Thread starter jeff2
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Ronville Lodge was on Lake of Bays in Dwight, Ontario(near Dorset).
De La Salle Camp was on Lake Simcoe in Jackson's Point.
I am talking about the 1970s time frame although I briefly worked at Ronville in the 80s also. I am not on facebook, but just view.
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Camp De La Salle alumni | I was a camper about 1958 thru 1965-66 1st year, one week and then 7 weeks every summer for the rest, but came back for a few summers in 71-72-73... | Facebook
I was a camper about 1958 thru 1965-66 1st year, one week and then 7 weeks every summer for the rest, but came back for a few summers in 71-72-73 time frame as staff on the Waterfront and...
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When I was a kid in the 70's, I always watched a TV show called Circle Square. Don't remember a thing about the show other than they always talked about the Circle Square Ranch and the summer camps they did there. I always wanted to go, my mom couldn't afford it. Just looked them up now based on this thread and see they are still in operation just outside Brantford, not too far from where I am. Thought it would have been long gone. I never ended up going to any of those "gone for a week or 2" kids summer camps, the most I got was a day camp thing for 2 weeks where we got an optional overnight the last night.
Camp Thunderbird for boys, from the summer of 1955 though the summer of 1958. Eight week sessions.
After that I preferred the city, even though it was Winnipeg.
Primarily a Jewish boys camp, with lots of boys from Chicago and Nashville. I'd come home each summer with a southern accent lol.
Located just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota, the home of Paul Bunyan. There was a huge Paul Bunyan statue in the town.
And a store in the town called "The Trading Post", where I first discovered white chocolate and Blackjack licorice flavored gum.
Also an ice-cream parlour, with an "if you can finish it, it's free!" giant ice-cream sundae called "The Lollapalooza".
Not extinct, almost 70 years later!
Camp Thunderbird still exists, now with a sister girls' camp just around a corner of Lake Plantagenet.
After that I preferred the city, even though it was Winnipeg.
Primarily a Jewish boys camp, with lots of boys from Chicago and Nashville. I'd come home each summer with a southern accent lol.
Located just outside of Bemidji, Minnesota, the home of Paul Bunyan. There was a huge Paul Bunyan statue in the town.
And a store in the town called "The Trading Post", where I first discovered white chocolate and Blackjack licorice flavored gum.
Also an ice-cream parlour, with an "if you can finish it, it's free!" giant ice-cream sundae called "The Lollapalooza".
Not extinct, almost 70 years later!
Camp Thunderbird still exists, now with a sister girls' camp just around a corner of Lake Plantagenet.
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YMCA Camp Summerland - Lake Couchiching on the east shore, north of Longford Mills community, opposite Orilla.
I went there from age 10-16 as I recall, for 2 weeks a summer.
Now long gone and buildings demolished.
Insurance cost of an unregulated level crossing of a train track to access the site likely was the final too high a cost to keep the place going.
My parents spent quite a bit on my sisters figure skating, so they sort of guilt sent me to summer camp.
Otherwise rest of the year it was one night after school gym and swim at the Y. One night at cubs or scouts.
Then I would amuse myself hanging at the library a few nights, fiddle with electronic projects at my basement workdesk. Then listen to shortwave and ham radio when the sun started to go down.
Amazing that we used to stay happy with no computer or smart phone anywhere.
I went there from age 10-16 as I recall, for 2 weeks a summer.
Now long gone and buildings demolished.
Insurance cost of an unregulated level crossing of a train track to access the site likely was the final too high a cost to keep the place going.
My parents spent quite a bit on my sisters figure skating, so they sort of guilt sent me to summer camp.
Otherwise rest of the year it was one night after school gym and swim at the Y. One night at cubs or scouts.
Then I would amuse myself hanging at the library a few nights, fiddle with electronic projects at my basement workdesk. Then listen to shortwave and ham radio when the sun started to go down.
Amazing that we used to stay happy with no computer or smart phone anywhere.
Vacation resorts were in decline from the 1970s. Jews from the NYC area would take their vacations at these places like the Poconos from the 30s to 70s. Then cheap air travel enabled people to travel much further. The movie Jaws killed off a lot of seaside cottage rentals in the maritime provinces and the east cost of the USA.
I was an Ontario Junior Ranger during the summer after I had turned 17 and had the unbelievably good fortune to be assigned to the camp at Kiosk in the northern end of Algonquin Park. Spent the entire summer in the interior of Algonquin clearing portages and maintaining camp sites. Did a tonne of fishing when we weren't working in the interior. Caught a 16lbs Lake Trout on Kiosk, which stood as my personal best for many years after, and discovered my life long love for Brook Trout on the Amable Du Fond near camp. Caught all kinds of hell for straying too far from camp fishing that river lol.
Sadly the program was shut down in 2012 in the name of deficit reduction, despite the program only costing $1.5 million per year at the time. Was hands down the best summer I ever had as a kid
Sadly the program was shut down in 2012 in the name of deficit reduction, despite the program only costing $1.5 million per year at the time. Was hands down the best summer I ever had as a kid
Shame about loss of Junior Rangers. Since the mill at Kiosk closed many years ago, and the railway that went through Kiosk went out of service the place is a mere shadow of the first time I passed through the place.
It was in the spring of 1983 on a high school teacher led trip.
It was nice we had such an active wilderness club, and were close to allow after school night hikes on the Canadian Shield just a short drive north of town up Highway 11.
Spring canoe trip was always the highlight of the year.
You had to have your wits about you, as water was still damn cold.
But high water levels and no blackflies yet make spring canoing worth it.
I just no longer use Grummans.- aluminum canoes in the spring are a cold affair.
Kiosk was basically all ruins by the time I got there. It was just a camp ground and a launch point for getting into that park. I only go into Algonquin in the spring as that's peak Brookie season, it's always cold and miserable but the fishing always makes it worthwhile. I still suck ass at canoeing though so I still run those aluminum boats so I don't screw myself over by destroying my canoe in the middle of no where
im no expert but i feel the whole helicopter parent issue may have lead to summer camps and lodges to slowly die off, a lot of parents probably dont feel comfortable leaving their kids with people for a month or a few weeks without seeing them
