Fond Camp Fire memories made at Sweyolakan

The very mention of Camp Fire conjures the image of friends gathered together around a bright blaze of flames roasting marshmallows, sharing stories and singing songs. Camp Fire USA offers this fun experience and much more to North Idaho youth.

The first official record of Camp Fire in Coeur d’Alene was in 1914. In 1922, 16 acres, with one-half mile shoreline, was purchased at Mica Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene for $4,000. It was named Sweyolakan, a Native American word which means “sigh of the pines.” Secluded and accessible only by boat, Sweyolakan today is 300 acres with more than 5,000 feet of shoreline.

Camp director Peggy Clark smiles broadly when talking about her first memories of Sweyolakan, where she was a camper in 1957. “Sweyolakan has always been a special place,” she said. “It’s something that stays with you your whole life.” Clark became a counselor in training in 1966 and a staff member in 1969. She notes that, while some things have changed, such as the inclusion of boys in 1975 and making Sweyolakan available to all boys and girls even if they aren’t Camp Fire USA members, the essence of Camp Sweyolakan has remained the same: “creating an environment to meet new friends and participate in outdoor activities and adventures.” Activities include archery, rowing, horseback riding, cooking and a high and low ropes course.

To prove Clark’s point about the Sweyolakan experience staying with you all your life, 92-year-old Virginia Harger told her audience at the recent Camp Fire USA “Share Our Dream” event at Greenbriar Inn in Coeur d’Alene about remembering how thrilled she was seeing her first glimpse of Frog Rock going into camp in 1923, and of the many friends she made there. Harger said Camp Fire taught her good values and life skills that have remained with her throughout the years. Laughingly, she said she also learned that “it was easier to get into a canoe than to get out of one.”

Camp Fire USA members of all generations seem to agree that Sweyolakan is a magical place. Nine-year-old Katelynn Jentges has attended the camp since 2004 and said she can hardly wait to go again. “My absolutely favorite thing is summer camp. You get thrown in with a lot of kids you don’t know,” said, “and by the time the week is over, you’ve made new friends.”

The camp isn’t just for kids; it’s also great for family gatherings and for businesses to rent for company retreats, said Elizabeth Giles, public relations/marketing director of Camp Fire Inland Northwest. She said the camp has earned an American Camp Association approval rating, passing 250 qualities and standards to assure that campers have a safe and healthy environment.

Sweyolakan isn’t the only positive attribute associated with Camp Fire USA. Club membership, open to both boys and girls of all ages, has five official delivery systems: Camp, Club, Child Care, Self-Reliance and Teens in Action. Some of the clubs are led by parent volunteers, others by paid staff. Last year Camp Fire programs reached 577 Idaho children, including 424 from Kootenai County.

Camp Fire USA gives local youth the opportunity to learn new skills and help them live the Camp Fire motto: “To give service,” according to Lee Taylor, executive director of Camp Fire USA’s Inland Northwest council for the past three years.

“For over 90 years the core values of Camp Fire have remained the same,” Taylor said, “yet the ways we impart those values to kids today need to evolve as our lives have evolved.”

Taylor said the 100 after-school clubs Camp Fire has helped organize offer more than just crafts and singing, as important as those things are, and build upon what kids learn during the school day.

“Our program allows kids to work in smaller groups, inclusive and free from stereotype,” Taylor said.

Lorry Schumaker, once a Camp Fire club member and today a working mom, sings the praises of Camp Fire USA and said she’s happy to know her daughter is in a safe environment after school. She also said the program helps teach kids how to establish goals and work with others. Her daughter Melody agrees, saying her favorite part of Camp Fire is the “Trail to Getting to Know Myself.”

“It teaches us to like ourselves and to understand each of us is special,” she said.