WIGGINS   Ozark   Camp
(WIGOCA)

Wiggins Ozark Camp was located in Lesterville, MO.
It was where my parents sent me for a couple of weeks during the summer.
Today it is called Sherwood Forest Camp and its mission has changed a bit.

(visit Sherwood Forest Camp on the web)

I went back for a visit to see what I could remember, take some pictures and just otherwise reminisce.
[I have inserted some old B&W pictures, circa 1964.]

Heading west out of Lesterville, only a small sign marks the turn-off of Highway-21.

Driving through a couple of cattle gates and you're inside the camp.

Driving up the hill, past the "New Pool", I pulled up behind The Dining Hall (aka The Wreck Hall, I thought).
This was a strange place for me to be and I was not all that comfortable "Behind The Hall".
You see, when I was a camper, the camp was divided into a "Girls Side" and a "Boys Side".
I was now standing squarely in girl country.
In years past, for this camp rule infraction, I would have either had evening treat taken away
(and I did love my Snickers bar) or I would have caught a case of coodies.

The Dining Hall has been added to, but still, looks about the same.

Good thing for me the Camp Office had a map. Most of the "places" are still there.
There's some new places. And nothing is called what it used to be called.

The front of the Dining Hall is exactly like I remember it... except for the new "siding".
The camp feature I remember most vividly is the camp bell.
IF you were lucky enough to be hanging around the Dining Hall just before mealtime,
you may be privileged enough to get asked to "go ring the bell".

The Bell   has seen better days.
I'm not sure it is even still in service.

Not sure what it's used for, but there is also a radio tower.
Maybe they are now teaching Ham Radio instead of riflery.

Not sure who these people are or why they look like that.

The Dining Room   is pretty much the same... a bit larger and now sports some sort of faux ceiling.
This is the Girl's Side... it's the first time I'm seeing it myself.

This used to be the Pool Room (Boy's Side). It's been enlarged since then.
Yep, there was a pool table and nothing else in this room.
I don't remember ever actually shooting pool here, but I think the older campers got to use it.
It's now a rather well provisioned Computer Lab. Nice!

The New Pool   This is the only pool I ever used, but the "Old Pool" remains to this day.
Usually during the course of a session this pool was drained and refilled with spring water. Very, very cold spring water.
The next day was Polar Bear Day and all sorts of pool events took place.
One could even "earn" and extra evening treat (ahhh, Snickers) for staying in the water for a given length of time.
The day AFTER Polar Bear Day was the busiest day at the office of the nurse.

This is my cabinmate trying to earn a Snickers.
Don't ask why I remember his name, or why we called him this, but his name was Norman "Stinky" Lipman.
We usually just called him Stinky. (Norman, sorry 'bout that.)

Just below the New Pool there's a large open field where some campers were playing softball.
Dang, don't even remember that field. Know I've never played softball in it.

The Old Pool   Looks like the concrete bottom didn't hold and trees grew in it.
When I was there, this "pool" was used to keep the snapping turtles caught while fishing Turtle Lake.
If you caught a fish, the cooks would fry it for you.
If you caught a snapping turtle, it got put in the Old Pool.
And, you got an extra Evening Treat. Yeah, Snickers.

The Dam   It used to be so much bigger. And, we used to call it a damn.
It's now called a spillway. Maybe because that's what it looks like.

Damn! Now THAT's a dam!

The Chapel   My last year as a camper they decided to use the available child laborers
to haul a bunch of rocks up a hill and build themselves a chapel.
It worked. We did. This is it.

Turtle Lake   now called The Pond. I understand.

Looking across The Lake/Pond: Chapel Hill in distant left, Turtle Island (2 trees in the middle), boat dock off to the right and two "somethings" we had to paddle around in a figure-8 to pass our solo canoe test.

The Boy's Side   where cabin names were things like "The Tombs", The Gallows" and "The Guillotine".
This was a "facility" called "The Gas House". And yes, it was.

Stinky with our counselor's guitar next to The Gallows cabin and...
in front of The Gas house.

The Tombs, farthest up the hill and for the older kids.
I understand it is now used as a staff cabin. Still lookin' good!

The Guillotine, my cabin, as it were.
Entrance to our half of the cabin was through that far door
(which I must have left open when I came out to take this picture).

The Guillotine, my cabin, as it is. Just the steps and a BIG OL tree.

Leaving the Boy's Side, you had to traverse the stream running from the Upper Lake to Turtle Lake.
This is the Low Water Bridge that enabled us to get to meals when the bell rang.

The Crafts Center   used to be in this clearing.
Here I made the only thing I ever came home from camp with that I didn't bring with me
(except poisin ivy): a pencil holder with an Indian motif.

My Mom used it for 45-years. Now I use it.

The Barn   although it is now The Crafts Barn (no more horses), it was
always my favorite place in camp.

First stall on the right was the home of "King", my favorite horse.
But, I was too young to ever get to ride him.

There USED to be a riding ring here for the youngest and smallest campers.
[I myself was never that young... or that small.]
These stairs were used to help the tiny riders get up-to-the-horse.

This used to be a wide open cantering field and the start of all riding trails.
It's now a wonderful lake called Budder Lake and is used instead of Turtle Lake.