Girl Scout camp to mark 70th anniversary

Camp Natarswi, Abnaki Girl Scout Council’s resident camp outside Millinocket, will celebrate its 70th anniversary this summer with a full camp program and a reunion Aug. 25-27 for camp alumnae.

Camp Natarswi was established in 1936 at a former Civilian Conservation Corps Camp on Lower Togue Pond which housed CCC workers who extended and improved the road from Togue Pond to Roaring Brook.

The land was originally leased from Great Northern Paper Co. until Abnaki Girl Scout Council obtained title to the property in 1975. Camp Natarswi had existed at other locations – Cold Stream Pond, Branch Pond and Green Lake – before locating permanently at Togue Pond.

Camp Natarswi grew out of troop camping by Bangor’s first Girl Scout troop, Troop 1, the Grace Coolidge troop, organized in 1923 by Lydia Adams Godsoe, Carrie Rowe and Leona Leighton. Girls in that troop gave the camp its name by making an acronym out of activities that were popular at camp – NATure, ARchery and SWImming.

Two original cabins, which remain on the property, were renovated in 1998 by Girl Scouts Jenny Goodie and Danielle Grant as part of their Silver Award project. Funding from the George Wood family made the renovations possible and the cabins are now dedicated to the memory of one of Natarswi’s earliest campers and former council president, Adelle Sawyer Wood.

Other buildings have been built to meet the needs of modern campers – shower houses with flush toilets, and buildings for rainy day activities.

The dining hall, built in the early 1980s after a fire destroyed the Long House and dining hall, was expanded several years later to accommodate an increased number of campers. In 2001, a unit of Adirondack Shelters was built by Girl Scout Crystal Parker for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

There have been many other additions to the camp over the past 70 years – in programming as well as facilities. The Junior Maine Guide program was introduced in 1939, and the program attracted many campers into the 1980s. After a 15-year hiatus, the program returned in 1997 and continues to attract girls who love the out-of-doors and primitive camping.

New programs are added as girls’ interests change, but many tried-and-true programs remain. Campers today experience the thrill of conquering Mt. Katahdin, just as earlier campers did, or sailing, canoeing and overnight primitive camping excursions. Today’s girls are challenged by rock climbing, kayaking, whitewater rafting and mountain biking, creating memories as vivid as those the earliest campers had.

Today, Camp Natarswi serves more than 1,000 girls, families and volunteers each season with programs ranging from three-day Short Shots for girls wanting a “taste” of camp to troop and family mini-camps, to the month-long Junior Maine Guide Program.

Camp Natarswi is accredited by the American Camping Association and is under the direction of Pam Tower, camp director for 10 years. On a recent visit by a staff member from Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., the camp property was declared “the best rustic camp facility” the staff member had seen.

Alumnae are invited to Camp Natarswi the weekend of Aug. 25-27 to meet with former campers, to enjoy the camp facilities and Baxter State Park, and to reminisce about their camping days.

The full reunion program and schedule will be mailed to alumnae who are on the mailing list, and information also will be posted at www.campnatarswi.org.

Those interested in attending camp this summer are invited to visit the Web site or call Abnaki Girl Scout Council in Brewer at 989-7474. Space still exists in all programs for all age levels.