Camp Beaverbrook
Encyclopedia
Camp Beaverbrook was a co-educational overnight summer camp
near Cobb Mountain
, in Lake County
, California
from 1961 - 1985 . It was founded in 1961 by Bob and Marian Brown of Orinda, California, who were known as Amee and Niha, Pomo
language for "Father" and "Mother," in honor of the native Pomo People. CBB took campers from age 7 - 17. 15-17-year-olds were given helper roles through a "Campers in Leadership Training Program" (CILT, pronounced "silt").
Camp activities included riflery, archery, horseback riding, hiking, nature walks, backpacking, arts and crafts projects, drama (the camp regularly produced several musicals each summer), swimming, water skiing at nearby Clear Lake, music, volleyball, and boating.
Campers, known as "Beaverbods", were mainly from the San Francisco Bay Area, though some came from as far away as Europe, Mexico, Canada and Japan. A unique feature of the camp was a relative lack of competitiveness. Campers were rarely put into direct competition with one another, rather, a supportive and mutually nurturing environment was cultivated. Thousands of youngsters attended the camp, and a Yahoo! interest group exists for them to stay in touch with one another as well as a dedicated Facebook group.
Like most sleep away summer camps, Camp Beaverbrook lived and thrived as an isolated community, cut off from the outside world. Campers were deprived of television, radio, candy, hair dryers, and many other creature comforts. While a rigid daily structure was in place, there was also an abundance of choice. Each camper could select his or her own activities for the day at the beginning of each activity period with as many as seven or eight choices.
The staff used nicknames like Jasmine, Trooper, Stage, Opus, Truckee, Strider, Slim, Sparky, Lucky, Poozle, Flash, Kelsey and Bedaz. Campers never knew their counselors real names, and even if they learned them, they would scarcely dare to utter them aloud, not only because it was strictly forbidden, but because the campers, even the youngest campers, on some level understood that the magical isolated environment would be jeopardized.
A large contingent of campers came back year after year and some stayed for several sessions each summer. Many campers came for three or four or even five summers in a row. A few campers returned for more than ten summers, many went on to become counselors.
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
near Cobb Mountain
Cobb Mountain
Cobb Mountain is the tallest mountain in the Mayacamas Mountains of California. Its 4720+ feet, main summit is located in Lake County, west of the town of Cobb...
, in Lake County
Lake County, California
Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
from 1961 - 1985 . It was founded in 1961 by Bob and Marian Brown of Orinda, California, who were known as Amee and Niha, Pomo
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
language for "Father" and "Mother," in honor of the native Pomo People. CBB took campers from age 7 - 17. 15-17-year-olds were given helper roles through a "Campers in Leadership Training Program" (CILT, pronounced "silt").
Camp activities included riflery, archery, horseback riding, hiking, nature walks, backpacking, arts and crafts projects, drama (the camp regularly produced several musicals each summer), swimming, water skiing at nearby Clear Lake, music, volleyball, and boating.
Campers, known as "Beaverbods", were mainly from the San Francisco Bay Area, though some came from as far away as Europe, Mexico, Canada and Japan. A unique feature of the camp was a relative lack of competitiveness. Campers were rarely put into direct competition with one another, rather, a supportive and mutually nurturing environment was cultivated. Thousands of youngsters attended the camp, and a Yahoo! interest group exists for them to stay in touch with one another as well as a dedicated Facebook group.
Like most sleep away summer camps, Camp Beaverbrook lived and thrived as an isolated community, cut off from the outside world. Campers were deprived of television, radio, candy, hair dryers, and many other creature comforts. While a rigid daily structure was in place, there was also an abundance of choice. Each camper could select his or her own activities for the day at the beginning of each activity period with as many as seven or eight choices.
The staff used nicknames like Jasmine, Trooper, Stage, Opus, Truckee, Strider, Slim, Sparky, Lucky, Poozle, Flash, Kelsey and Bedaz. Campers never knew their counselors real names, and even if they learned them, they would scarcely dare to utter them aloud, not only because it was strictly forbidden, but because the campers, even the youngest campers, on some level understood that the magical isolated environment would be jeopardized.
A large contingent of campers came back year after year and some stayed for several sessions each summer. Many campers came for three or four or even five summers in a row. A few campers returned for more than ten summers, many went on to become counselors.