Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1922-07-05
"soNGADEEwIN wIGWAMo
Name of Girls Camp at Willoughby
Where SO Persons Are.

Where 90 PERSONS Are.
Mr.. Editor:
It has occurred to me that citizens
of Barton and Westmore and sub
scribers to your paper in other towns
may be interested to know the exact
situation that obtains in the girls
camp on Lake Willoughby, formerly
known as Camp Westmore.
remember, the Camp Westmore Co.,
Inc, of which Russell G. Bancroft
was manager, went into bankruptcy
in April 1920. The assets of the
company were purchased by Messrs.
C. o. Stone & Son, Inc, of Middle
town, Conn.,, the contractors who had
built the new buildings of the camp,
and Robert r. Goodman, vice presi-
dent of the Webber Lumber Co., of
Fitchburg, Mass.
Mr.. Stone and Mr.. Cookman felt
that to conduct the camp themselves
was rather more than they cared to
attempt; accordingly, they proposed
to me that the assets be taken over
by the Keewaydin Camps, Limited, a
New York corporation of which I am
president.
The Keewaydin Camps, Limited, is
the oldest camp in America, having
been conducted by the same manage
ment since July 1st, 1893. Keeway-
din had conducted for 29 years, a
large camp for boys on Lake Tina
gami in Canada-its principal camp,
and one that handles annually some
250 campers, another camp at Dun
more in the town of Salisbury in this
state, this one for younger boys, and
a camp for girls at Brewster, Mass,
on Cape Cod bay. The Keewaydin
camps, as far back as 1900, were
characterized by Country Life" as
the STANDARD Camps of America"
After considerable negotiation and
several conferences, it was decided
among Messrs Stone and Goodman
and the directors of the Keewaydin
Camps, Limited, that Keewaydin
should take over the property of the
defunct Camp Westmore Co., Inc,
and conduct the girls camp on Lake
under the name of Song
adeewin Wigwam of the Keewaydin
Camps. For this purpose subsidi-4
ary corporation was formed under
the laws of the state of Vermont,
with the name of Songadeewin, Incor-
porated; the same to be subsidiary
of the Keewaydin Camps,
Limited. Since July 1st, 1921,
"Songadeewin of Keewaydin" has
been conducted by this corporation
1t was on April 1st,that 1 first set
foot on the property at Lake VIII
loughby. 1t meant great hustle to
to establish a camp here, to
get it ready for occupancy by July 1,
and to get together even small
group of girls. By considerable
work, we succeeded in, opening the
camp July 1st of last year, with 81
regular campers.
The season at Songadeewin last
year was wonderfully successful in
every way. We had a most efficient
staff, fine group of girls, and pro-
gram that gave our campers the
greatest satisfaction-so much so
that the great majority of those
campers have returned this year for
4 second season.
AS soon as last season was over. we
began to plan for this year. Kee-
waydin does no advertising of any
kind. Our boys and girls all come
through our staff, and each boy or
girl is personally known to at least
one member of the staff before he orl
she arrives at camp. They are thus
hand picked" and it would be diff
cult indeed to find a group of girls
that would compare with them in
and in the matter of the sort of fam
in view of keeping up this high stand
ard we have worked hard for the
asst few months to the end that we
should open the current season with
a considerably enlarged group of
campers that would be a credit to
and to Keewaydin.
The season of 1922 opened most
on July 1st. The staff
IS most excellent one, being COM
posed of young women who have
made education of girls their life
work and who are experts in their
own particular lines of camp activity. |
The girls are remarkably fine group
and have taken to camp life as the |
duck does to water. 1t
nay interest the readers of the Mon |
tor to know that the camp family
today consists of 90, practically the
one hundred that we consider the |
proper limit to the camps numbers.
1t has been our practice to patron |
re as far as possible local institu-
ions and industries, and to "pay as |
We go" in cash. We appreciate the
courtesy that has been shown us by |
he people of Barton, Westmore, Or
cans, and other surrounding towns;
Ind we wish to assure them that we
expect to make Songadeewin the fore
most girls camp in America and one
hat every citizen of Orleans county
IAN be proud of as local institu-
ion.
There has been some confusion in
he minds of local people as to what !
he name of the camp is and how
bills should be made out. AS I have
said above, the name of the camp is !
Wigwam of the Kee-
vaydin Camps. This can be shorten
ID ei4hc- IT, So-ro1onwin or Keeway-f
lin, but bills should be made out to
Incorporated.
With renewed assurances of our
appreciation of the courtesies of the
citizens of Orleans county and of !
,ur intention to reciprocate in every
way, remain, sir,
Very respectfully yours,
A. S. Gregg Clarke,
President. !
Lake Willoughby, Barton, VT.
July 8, 1922.