Camp Anokijig
Encyclopedia
Camp Anokijig is a residential youth summer camp located in Plymouth, Wisconsin
on Little Elkhart Lake serving youth from the Midwest, United States, and beyond. Founded in 1926 by the Racine YMCA, Camp Anokijig is now independently owned and operated by the non-profit group, Friends of Camp Anokijig, and offers year-round activities for youth, families, schools, and groups. Camp Anokijig is accredited by the American Camping Association.
forests, Camp Anokijig consists of 356 1/2 acres of forest, wetland, and lakefront.
In 2005 the Racine YMCA opted to sell Camp Anokijig. A group of concerned and dedicated camp alumni formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, the Friends of Camp Anokijig, and raised funds and secured financing to purchase the camp. Today Camp Anokijig operates as an independent youth and family camp, serving over 10,000 campers and visitors per year.
Camp Anokijig‘s resident camp allows campers to choose from activities including: horseback riding, swimming, arts and crafts, fishing, canoeing, sailing, archery, windsurfing, hiking, kayaking, woodworking, ukulele band, dance, drama, pellet gun, nature, drumming, and outdoor games. Through the generosity of alumni and donors Camp Anokijig is also able to provide scholarships for its summer camp programs. Campers can choose two activities to focus on during morning hours and can choose from all of Anokijg’s activities during directed free time in the late morning, afternoon, and evening. Campers 7th grade and older can also choose from a variety of day trips including paint ball, high ropes challenge course, fishing, Noah’s Ark water park, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and spelunking.
, and rock climbing.
Plymouth, Wisconsin
Plymouth is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, along the Mullet River. The population was 7,781 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located within the Town of Plymouth, but is politically independent...
on Little Elkhart Lake serving youth from the Midwest, United States, and beyond. Founded in 1926 by the Racine YMCA, Camp Anokijig is now independently owned and operated by the non-profit group, Friends of Camp Anokijig, and offers year-round activities for youth, families, schools, and groups. Camp Anokijig is accredited by the American Camping Association.
Location
Camp Anokijig is located four miles north of Plymouth, Wisconsin and one hour north of Milwaukee. Situated on Little Elkhart Lake, within Wisconsin’s Kettle MoraineKettle Moraine
Kettle Moraine is a large moraine in the state of Wisconsin stretching from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. It has also been referred to as the Kettle Range and, in geological texts, as the Kettle Interlobate Moraine....
forests, Camp Anokijig consists of 356 1/2 acres of forest, wetland, and lakefront.
Mission
Camp Anokijig’s mission is to provide youth and families with an outdoor setting and community that is dedicated to the development of positive life styles based on Christian principles and values, while learning new skills, experiencing personal growth, having outrageous fun, and developing an appreciation for our natural environment.History
The Racine YMCA founded Camp Anokijig in 1926. In May 1926 Ray Vance, then Youth Director of the Racine YMCA, and Adolph Gillund rented 20 acres of land on the shore of Little Elkhart Lake from local farmer, Mike Hecker. The following summer, 40 acres of land were purchased from Hecker for $8000, and with the construction of Optimist Mess Hall Anokijig had established a permanent presence on Little Elkhart Lake. Anokijig initially offered residential summer camp programs for boys of southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois where campers could participate in swimming, archery, trail crafts, and boating. In 1940 Anokijig began offering co-ed camping. With the support of numerous dedicated volunteers and community support Anokijig grew and prospered. Anokijig is a Native American word meaning “we serve.”In 2005 the Racine YMCA opted to sell Camp Anokijig. A group of concerned and dedicated camp alumni formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, the Friends of Camp Anokijig, and raised funds and secured financing to purchase the camp. Today Camp Anokijig operates as an independent youth and family camp, serving over 10,000 campers and visitors per year.
Facilities
The 356 acres of Camp Anokijig house numerous structures for year-round and seasonal use.Anokijig Site Map- Western Lodge, completed in 1949, is one of the largest log structures in the state of Wisconsin and serves as the camp’s dining hall and meeting space.
- R.C. Vance Nature Center, originally the Chester Beach Memorial Trading Post and one of Camp Anokijig’s oldest structures, houses nature education exhibits
- Trading Post (camp store)
- Foxwell Lodge houses arts and crafts and outdoor education laboratory space.
- Boathouse
- Corral
- Health Lodge
- Cabins: Voigt Lodge, Myer’s Lodge, MASH, Lakeview, Eastman Lodge, Thunderbird
- Tent Sections: Rippling Ridge, Kingdom of Moo, Turtle Island, Timberline, Brave Village.
Resident Summer Camp
The summer camp season at Anokijig operates from mid-June to mid-August. Serving boys and girls ages 7 to 16, campers can choose to stay anywhere from four days (Mini-camp, Sunday through Wednesday) to one week or as many as all nine weeks of the season.Camp Anokijig‘s resident camp allows campers to choose from activities including: horseback riding, swimming, arts and crafts, fishing, canoeing, sailing, archery, windsurfing, hiking, kayaking, woodworking, ukulele band, dance, drama, pellet gun, nature, drumming, and outdoor games. Through the generosity of alumni and donors Camp Anokijig is also able to provide scholarships for its summer camp programs. Campers can choose two activities to focus on during morning hours and can choose from all of Anokijg’s activities during directed free time in the late morning, afternoon, and evening. Campers 7th grade and older can also choose from a variety of day trips including paint ball, high ropes challenge course, fishing, Noah’s Ark water park, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and spelunking.
Specialty Camps
Specialty camps combine all of the activities of Anokijig’s resident camp program with an additional focus on a particular activity for part of the day. Specialty camp programs include: Horsemanship - Ranch (7th grade and above) and Circle A (4th grade and above), Competitive Swim, Fishing Expedition (4th grade and above), and Adventure Challenge (8th grade and above). Anokijig also offers adventure trips where campers and staff travel outside of camp for whitewater rafting, sea kayaking on Lake SuperiorLake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, and rock climbing.