Camp Namanu is a summer camp

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....

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It was founded as a Camp Fire Girls

Camp Fire USA

Camp Fire USA, originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a nationwide American youth organization that began in 1910. The organization has been co-ed since 1975 and welcomes youth from pre-kindergarten through age 21. Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in...

 camp on the banks of the Sandy River

Sandy River (Oregon)

The Sandy River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Measured by a United States Geological Survey gauge downstream of the Sandy's confluence with the Bull Run River, from the mouth, the river's average discharge is . The maximum daily recorded flow...

 in 1924.

Namanu remained a "girls only" camp until the late 1970s when the parent organization, now Camp Fire USA, made the executive decision to include boys in all areas of the program.

Today, Namanu covers more than 552 acres (2.2 km²), and is located near the Bull Run Watershed in Sandy, Oregon

Sandy, Oregon

Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, and named after the nearby Sandy River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,385, however the 2006 estimate shows 7,070 people....

.

History

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, while Namanu was a girls-only camp, and while local women often worked in shipbuilding

Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...

, many T2 tanker

T2 tanker

The T2 tanker, or T2, was an oil tanker constructed and produced in large quantities in the United States during World War II. The largest "navy oilers" after the T3s at the time, nearly 500 of them were built between 1940 and the end of 1945....

s were made in nearby Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

. One T2 tanker was named the SS Camp Namanu.

Camp Kwoneesum

The Portland Metro Council also operated Camp Kwoneesum northeast of Washougal, Washington

Washougal, Washington

Washougal is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. On April 1, 2010, the United States Census Bureau stated the city's population was 14,095.-History:Washougal was officially incorporated on December 4, 1908...

. Purchased in 1959, the camp operated from 1965 to 1986. The camp's 1800 acres (7.3 km²) were sold to Longview Fibre Company in 1987. The camp featured an artificial lake

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 with canoeing and sailing, and more primitive camping than Namanu.

Other uses

The site is used by the Multnomah Education Service District

Multnomah Education Service District

Multnomah Education Service District is an educational service district that coordinates school based events and activities throughout the school districts in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States.-Districts:...

for part of their Outdoor School program.

External links

• http://campfirecolumbia.org/our-programs/camp-namanu/namanu-home/, official website from Camp Fire Columbia.
• Camp Namanu Alumni