The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-08
CAMP W|DJ|WACAN.
ON BURNSIDE LAKE
OF LETTERS WRITTEN
BY LAST YEARS CAMPERS AT
WIDJIWAGAN-THE ST. PAUL
Y. M. C. A. NORTHWOODS CAMP.

| The following are taken from the
many letters written by the campers
at the st. Paul Y. NJ G. A. Camp on
the north arm of BURNSIDE Lake es-
| tablished last year. The camp was
established on land bought from L. j.
White and is recognized as one of the
best boys camps in the state. The
excerpts from the letters read:
When we hit the Echo Trail-boy-
we were really in the north woods
Tall Norways that seemed to bump the
clouds lined the road for Il miles be-
fore we reached camp When we got
out of the car we had to look twice
to make sure we weren't seeing things.
Up until last year we have been used
to a row of white tents with a mess
hall at one end and flag pole at the
other, but here it was different. The
flag pole and the mess hall were both
present, but in different atmosphere
Perhaps it was due to the two knock
out log cabins that flanked them or
maybe the smell of pine and balsam
that changed things"
Its a real location because it's all
by itself, no cottages or people around
to remind you of crowded summer
resort The lake isn't fished out or
worn out like most lakes. Fishing Is
great. Some nights the lake is calm
with a bright moon overhead. You
can go out and paddle around and
drink natures beauty in to your
hearts content. o boy, it's the life"
But I havn't told you about the
nice gang of fellows up there. met
more nice fellows than knew could
be in one group. They were all good
sports and willing to help anyone out
And the leaders, well, just think of
the best leader you ever knew and you
have every leader in camp. These
leaders had more to do with making
the camp success than anything"
THE second week we went on
canoe trip through the Canadian bor-
der lakes. The fishing was great and
some of the fellows who were except
ionally lucky got snapshots OF moose
deer and porcupine. Tell mother that
there is nothing to worry about. Every
trip that leaves camp is accompanied
by a leader who knows the woods"
The men in charge realize that
there are still men who take vacations
with their wives, and have opened the
camp two weeks out of each year for
the ladies' If any of the boys want to
bring their mothers or their sisters
they can do so during those two weeks.
I could go on forever telling you the
good times we had. There was swim
ming in water so clear and clean that
yea could drink any place; blueberries
growing out of the rocky cliffs; fresh
air untainted by a single thing; the
smell of those pines, why it is some
thing you can never get entirely out
of your mind. I've been burning in
cense ever since, but it can't compare
with the real thing"
ITO the usual summer resorts one
must take many clothes and baggage,
but at Widjiwagan you wear only your
Khaki and big smile, which never
comes Off You see and meet deer
and bear and get stuck on the cute
porcupines that run hither and yon.
Iss some camp-swel swimming,
horseshoes, volleyball, and last but not
least, the eighth wonder of the world,
the aroma of Widjiwagan food"
Remember me to the family, and
next August when the pavements are
sending up clouds of heat, just think
of us, living the life of Riley up at
Widjiwagan, where the days are just
warm enough for good swimming, and
the nights are cool enough for
blankets