The Tamakwa Timeline

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1936

Lou and Omer choose the site on South Tea lake surveyed and rejected by Taylor Statten for their girl's camp. Original building/ clearing crew included Omer's brothers, Jim and Wam Stringer, his uncle, Alex Culhane, and Kate and Harry (the Horses).

1937

First year of camp. Construction of the Dining Hall (Beaver Lodge), Log cabin, and Office.

1942

Construction of Main Camp camper cabins. The 1942 movie shows the Musclow lease (now our boat landing and "Lou's Cabin") as the site of the proposed girl's camp.

1943

Camp is closed due to WWII. It resumed in 1946.

1947

Construction of Rec Hall, Boy's camper cabins, biffies, and Power House.

1948

Waterfront Cabin built

1949

Construction of The Slope, Medicine Lodge, and Girl's cabins. Ada Bandalene's first year. First year of Girl's camp, or is it Girls' Camp?

1954

Construction of Boat House and Tuck Shop.

1955

On the Last day of camp, the boat 'Jennifer Jo' explodes in the boathouse with Jackie Boldt on board. Jackie survives, but the boat and boathouse are lost to fire. Old Tamakwans still refer to the existing boathouse as the 'New' Boathouse.

1956

David Stringer enters Forester 1 This is just a test entry.

1957

Waterskiing activity comes to camp with the ski boat "Wee Esta", pictured on the 1957 plaque. Also, Elaine Fanning (then Bowman) becomes the full-time secretary in Detroit and starts a twenty-year span at camp.

1960

The current pump house makes its debut. It replaces a pump in canoe bay that fed the concrete tank up on the hill. The pump house base became the "beaver dock". The retired girl's camp pump house can be seen in archive #155

1962

Jerry Cohn, Chris Thompson and John Fanning lead the first Tamakwa 13 day canoe trip which paddles via Kiosk to the Ottawa River then to Pembroke, returning to the park via the train to Brent.

1963

Kal Bandalene starts as assistant director

1967

Camp cuisine changes dramatically with the addition of a french fryer machine. The 100 pound bottles of propane have to be replaced with a 1000 gallon propane tank to run it.

1968

During the winter of '67-'68, the dead cedar falls and becomes the Lucky Log.

1969

Marilyn Mendelson comes to camp

1972

Esta passes

1973

Libby Sadick at age 12 begins her life-long journey at Tamakwa.

1974

Lou passes. A memorial service is held on the slope.

1977

A terrible spring-time fire demolishes the old boathouse and the black pointer. Ironically, the black pointer's name officially was 'Jennifer Jo II' (See 1955). Kal's last summer as Camp Director.

1978

Mike Kraft passes

1979

Ken Elder begins a long run as chief engineer.

1982

Club Med cabin debut.

1983

Major renovation of the Dining Hall, and the first year of the Bayview cabin.

1985

Bert and Ernie replace the 4th and 7th cabins on Girl's Hill. Construction of Half-Court Tennis courts. Art room remodeled and Art Decko is born.

1986

First year of half-court tennis activity.

1988

Omer passes

1992

Filming of 'Indian Summer' and the final year of waterskiing.

1994

Debut of "Plat-Forum", basketball court and hockey rink. Trail Biking activity's first year.

1996

Happy Isle cabin replaces the old Medicine Lodge in the swamp.

1998

Construction of the "Beachers". A fire wipes out three staff cabins near the tennis court, which are re-constructed just in time for the summer.

1999

First year of Sunbeam cabin. Woodshop activity debuts.

2000

The ballfield gets leveled, and home plate is moved to the north side. New dugouts. Marge the Barge is new. First year of Woodshop activity.

2001

Eustache (formerly the 8th. cabin on Girl's hill) is re-born with a major renovation. Probable year of the re-built "Ranger" biffy on boy's hill.

2002

Rec Hall structural renovation.

2003

Opeongo debuts on the site of the 5th. cabin on Girl's hill.

2004

The 2nd. cabin on Girls' hill replaced with Namakootchie

2005

On the original site of Forester 1 (aka "Cheers"), the new medical facility sprouts. It is huge, so Stringer dubs it "The Monstrospital"

2006

Loon Lodge Debuts on the site of the original first building. Also a reno of the kitchen's original walk-in Fridge and freezers.

2008

New massive sewage system installed with giant tank displacing the swing set. The ball-field is dug up to install "infiltrators".

2012

Kal Bandalene passes.

2014

Howard Perlmutter passes.

2015

John Fiddes passes.

2016

Dave Bale passes.

2019

Ken Elder retires after 40 years, having built or renovated 99% of camp.

2020

Covid-19 prevents camp from opening. A small crew renovates the Art Room, TeePee Hill cabins, Half-Court, Staff Rec, Dining Hall, kitchen, and Office roofs, A director cabin (Kudlats), Unca and Esta guest cabins. As well, the office floors are restored to 1940's condition, and the Girls cabins are decorated with colored accents. The Slope is entirely re-built from scratch in cedar, and the Radio Station (Forester Biffy) is re-built. CAMP Radio streams to the world for the first time.