Let me introduce myself, I am a camp, Camp Wakatomika to be exact. This story is for the girls and adults who have travelled through my gates, hiked my rolling hills, cooked around crackling campfires, and dreamed under a sky full of stars. It is also for those of you who have never wandered my trails. Maybe after learning a bit about me, you will want to visit someday soon.
In the beginning, I was nothing like I am today. Years of farming had eroded my hills and young woods grew on the tired farmland. But a group of women from the Newark Area Girl Scout Council had a dream. They wanted a camp that would become a special place for girls. They formed a committee and on May 13, 1942, they purchased my 262 acres.
That was a lucky day for me. The committee was led by a lady named Ruth Shollenbarger and over the next ten years all kinds of wonderful changes were made. The old farmhouse at the bottom of the hill was winterized and turned into the lodge. In the summers, girls would sleep on straw mattresses in the old barn, nicknamed Wagon Wheel. Soon three tent units were built and the first summer camp program was off and running. Mrs. Shollenbarger (whose nickname was Sholly) became the first camp director.
Through the hard work of Girl Scouts of all ages, thousands of pine, locust, and tulip trees were planted. My worn out farmland was on its way to becoming a beautiful forest. Before you knew it, trails were crisscrossing my hills and laughter echoed as girls made their way to the creek by the old red covered bridge. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I was every time I heard a new group of girls driving down the road.
By 1952, I had started to outgrow the farmhouse. So many girls were coming to visit me that we needed more room. So the girls were moved to the top of the hill, and with them came the brand new Sholly-O lodge (I bet you can guess how it got its name). Dogwood became the first tent unit on top of the hill. Before long, I had two more tent units, Tall Timbers and Briar Glen, and then everybody’s favorite, the pool! The office and trading post were built as well. My summers were full of games, cookouts, songs, and laughter. More and more girls came to visit and became life-long friends.
Just like you, I continued to grow and change as the years passed. Letz Lodge was added and became a favorite troop camp spot. Big wooden bunk beds provide lots of space for girls to giggle away the nights. The summer camp season got longer, weekend groups were bigger, and I loved it! In 1992, some of my tents were removed and Dogwood Lodge, with the shady porch and beautiful stone fireplace, was built. The six cabins that were built along with it meant that now even more people could visit me in the winter! All those trees that were planted in the early years now look like a holiday card with the snow.
With all of the girls visiting me over the years, some parts began to wear out. It was exciting when I started getting a facelift. By 2005, I had a sparkling new pool that was even bigger than the old one. It came with a new shower house and then Aspen Grove replaced the old office and trading post. The four cabins are used by the camp director and other staff in the summer, but troops can use them to visit me the rest of the year
Now that my life as a camp is 70 years young, it is nice to remember all the people who have helped me to grow. I started out as part of Newark Area Girl Scouts, then in 1956, I became part of Heart of Ohio Girl Scout Council and went from serving girls in one county to nine counties. As most of you know, in 2009 Girl Scouts had this big realignment process. Now I am a part of Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland. This is just fine with me because I have over 30,000 girls who can now call me their camp. Girls still fill my hills with laughter and songs, but there are so many of you that I have not yet had a chance to meet. I would love it if you would find a time to come and visit. My trails and campfires are just waiting for you.
I would love to hear your stories about visiting my rolling hills. If you have a special story to share, please post it as a comment or send it to my current camp director at kgoodin@gsoh.org.
