YMCA Camp Tecumseh
Encyclopedia
YMCA Camp Tecumseh Outdoor Center is located in Indiana near the towns of Brookston, Indiana
and Delphi, Indiana
on the Tippecanoe River
. The closest large city to Camp Tecumseh is Lafayette, Indiana
, which is just across the Wabash River
from West Lafayette (home of Purdue University
). Camp Tecumseh was established in 1924 when citizens of Delphi raised $3000 to purchase the land which lies on a bend on the Tippecanoe river. The camp is named after Tecumseh
, a Shawnee
chief. Camp Tecumseh is fully accredited by the American Camping Association and currently serves over 4,000 campers every summer from throughout the midwest USA and the world. Camp Tecumseh is also open throughout the year, providing an Outdoor Education
service for schools and a facility for retreats and conferences
of all kinds. The facility serves over 30,000 people per year. It is an independent YMCA
branch and is operated independently of other metro YMCAs.
. The fund drive a success, netting the over $20,000 needed to establish their first State YMCA camp, Camp Bedford in 1923.
The success of the Camp Bedford campaign encouraged a drive for a YMCA State Camp to placed in Northern Indiana. The citizens of Delphi, Indiana
presented a petition to the YMCA of Indiana asking that the camp be placed at a Carroll county site located on the Tippecanoe river, one of many sites under consideration for the new Northern Indiana State camp. The owner of the proposed site was J. Reid McCain, a local farmer, who promised to sell the 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) for $3,000 for the camping site. The YMCA of Indiana the pledged that if Delphi could provide the $3,000 for the land, keep a good road to the camp, and insure a "friendly attitude" towards the camp that they would agree to the Carroll county site for the new camp. In a burst of activity and a one day fund drive, the citizens of Delphi provided a total of $3,775 for purchase of the land.
The new Northern Indiana State Camp to be founded on the Tippecanoe River was not yet named, so a "name-the-camp" contest was conducted by the YMCA of Indiana. The grand prize was a free two-week stay at the new camp. Jack Fisher, an 11-year-old from Battle Ground, Indiana
submitted "Camp Tecumseh
," a name closely associated with the local history, which includes the Battle of Tippecanoe
. Fisher's contribution won the contest and he attended the first session of camp held in 1924.
Girls camps have always been included at Camp Tecumseh. Camp sessions in 1924 included two 10-day sessions for girls and three for boys. In 1965, separate sessions ended following the national YMCA's push for co-educational camping.
Camp Tecumseh has also closely allied itself with other youth organizations from the early days, and 1924 included a "Week for Agricultural Clubs" which became known as "4-H Camp." This camp continues yearly to the present day.
In 1924 cabins were not complete, and campers stayed in tents. Early Camp Tecumseh cabins were wood frames with canvas roofs and canvas sides. Eventually the canvas was replaced by wooden shutters, but the same basic cabin structures were used until they were replaced in 1979. One of these old cabins remains on the camp grounds as a historical monument.
All waterfront activities were held in the Tippecanoe river until 1950, when concerns over pollution and possible infections to campers prompted a drive to build a pool. The main donor for the pool was then President of the Camp Committee, Joe Shirk. The pool, along with an additional pool added in 19?? remain in use today. In 1991, Camp Tecumseh held a fund drive to build a man made lake. Karl and Marietta Kettelhut gladly met this request by providing 95% of the donations. They deferred the name of the lake to Camp Director Dick Marsh because he had been so instrumental in the formation of Camp Tecumseh. There is now a chapel above the lake to thank the Kettelhutts for their contribution. The lake allowed campers to once again swim in a "natural" body of water, and is a camper favorite.
In 1968, the Illinois and Indiana YMCAs merged to become the new Region I of the YMCA of the USA. With this change many involved in the operations of Camp Tecumseh felt that they no longer wanted to have to rely on YMCA hierarchy for the support of camp they needed. Much of the facility was out of shape and at various points during the 1960s board members feared that Tecumseh would be shut down by the YMCA of Indiana due to financial difficulties. The next logical step for the Camp Tecumseh was to become an independent YMCA. On October 16, 1970, Camp Tecumseh requested Independent YMCA status and it was granted by the YMCA of the USA the next day.
Brookston, Indiana
Brookston is a town in Prairie Township, White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,554 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:Brookston is located at ....
and Delphi, Indiana
Delphi, Indiana
Delphi is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Indiana, United States. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
on the Tippecanoe River
Tippecanoe River
The Tippecanoe River is a gentle, river in northern Indiana that flows from Big Lake in Noble County to the Wabash River near Battle Ground, about northeast of Lafayette. The name "Tippecanoe" comes from a Miami-Illinois word for buffalo fish, reconstructed as */kiteepihkwana/.The Tippecanoe...
. The closest large city to Camp Tecumseh is Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
, which is just across the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
from West Lafayette (home of Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
). Camp Tecumseh was established in 1924 when citizens of Delphi raised $3000 to purchase the land which lies on a bend on the Tippecanoe river. The camp is named after Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
, a Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
chief. Camp Tecumseh is fully accredited by the American Camping Association and currently serves over 4,000 campers every summer from throughout the midwest USA and the world. Camp Tecumseh is also open throughout the year, providing an Outdoor Education
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
service for schools and a facility for retreats and conferences
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
of all kinds. The facility serves over 30,000 people per year. It is an independent YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
branch and is operated independently of other metro YMCAs.
History
In 1922, the YMCA of Indiana wanted to establish camps in Indiana. Most YMCAs in the state were too small to host a camp on their own, so regional camps, combining the resources of several YMCAs were pursued as the solution. The YMCA of Indiana raised funds for property in southern part of the state near Bedford, IndianaBedford, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,157.1 people per square mile . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile...
. The fund drive a success, netting the over $20,000 needed to establish their first State YMCA camp, Camp Bedford in 1923.
The success of the Camp Bedford campaign encouraged a drive for a YMCA State Camp to placed in Northern Indiana. The citizens of Delphi, Indiana
Delphi, Indiana
Delphi is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Indiana, United States. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
presented a petition to the YMCA of Indiana asking that the camp be placed at a Carroll county site located on the Tippecanoe river, one of many sites under consideration for the new Northern Indiana State camp. The owner of the proposed site was J. Reid McCain, a local farmer, who promised to sell the 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) for $3,000 for the camping site. The YMCA of Indiana the pledged that if Delphi could provide the $3,000 for the land, keep a good road to the camp, and insure a "friendly attitude" towards the camp that they would agree to the Carroll county site for the new camp. In a burst of activity and a one day fund drive, the citizens of Delphi provided a total of $3,775 for purchase of the land.
The new Northern Indiana State Camp to be founded on the Tippecanoe River was not yet named, so a "name-the-camp" contest was conducted by the YMCA of Indiana. The grand prize was a free two-week stay at the new camp. Jack Fisher, an 11-year-old from Battle Ground, Indiana
Battle Ground, Indiana
Battle Ground is a town in Tippecanoe Township, Tippecanoe County in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,334 at the 2010 census. It is near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe....
submitted "Camp Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
," a name closely associated with the local history, which includes the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
. Fisher's contribution won the contest and he attended the first session of camp held in 1924.
Girls camps have always been included at Camp Tecumseh. Camp sessions in 1924 included two 10-day sessions for girls and three for boys. In 1965, separate sessions ended following the national YMCA's push for co-educational camping.
Camp Tecumseh has also closely allied itself with other youth organizations from the early days, and 1924 included a "Week for Agricultural Clubs" which became known as "4-H Camp." This camp continues yearly to the present day.
In 1924 cabins were not complete, and campers stayed in tents. Early Camp Tecumseh cabins were wood frames with canvas roofs and canvas sides. Eventually the canvas was replaced by wooden shutters, but the same basic cabin structures were used until they were replaced in 1979. One of these old cabins remains on the camp grounds as a historical monument.
All waterfront activities were held in the Tippecanoe river until 1950, when concerns over pollution and possible infections to campers prompted a drive to build a pool. The main donor for the pool was then President of the Camp Committee, Joe Shirk. The pool, along with an additional pool added in 19?? remain in use today. In 1991, Camp Tecumseh held a fund drive to build a man made lake. Karl and Marietta Kettelhut gladly met this request by providing 95% of the donations. They deferred the name of the lake to Camp Director Dick Marsh because he had been so instrumental in the formation of Camp Tecumseh. There is now a chapel above the lake to thank the Kettelhutts for their contribution. The lake allowed campers to once again swim in a "natural" body of water, and is a camper favorite.
In 1968, the Illinois and Indiana YMCAs merged to become the new Region I of the YMCA of the USA. With this change many involved in the operations of Camp Tecumseh felt that they no longer wanted to have to rely on YMCA hierarchy for the support of camp they needed. Much of the facility was out of shape and at various points during the 1960s board members feared that Tecumseh would be shut down by the YMCA of Indiana due to financial difficulties. The next logical step for the Camp Tecumseh was to become an independent YMCA. On October 16, 1970, Camp Tecumseh requested Independent YMCA status and it was granted by the YMCA of the USA the next day.
External links
- Camp Tecumseh's homepage
- Trails of Hope Grief Camp, held at Camp Tecumseh every year
- Hoosier Burn Camp, held at Camp Tecumseh every year