Camp Highlands for Boys is a private summer camp for boys ages 8–16 in

Sayner, Wisconsin Sayner is a census-designated place in the Plum Lake, Wisconsin, Town of Plum Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin, Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at the intersection of Highway 155 (Wisconsin), Highway 155 and County N, about 15 ...

History

The camp was founded in 1904 by Harry O. Gillet, Elementary School Principal at the University of Chicago Laboratory School. At the urging of Lab School parents, property on Plum Lake was purchased, removing the boys from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and immersing them in the north woods, where they could experience a summer of physical activity, wilderness and fellowship. Star Lake, adjacent to Plum, was the end of the line for a northern Wisconsin branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul railroad. Until 1922, the only transportation into the area was by rail and water. Boys were dropped at Plum Lake Station by the "Camp Special" (originating at Union Station in Chicago) and ferried to the opposite shore. William J. Monilaw, a Lab School instructor, bought the camp from Gillet in 1914. The former

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and

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

athletic coach (football, track & field), oversaw the camp until 1959, creating the physical and philosophical structures still in place today. Under his leadership, the camp experience grew to include athletic training, character building, and wilderness trips. Today's trip program includes sailing and sea kayaking excursions through the

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands ( Apostle Islands) and shoreline encompassing on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior. It is known for its collection of histori ...

, canoeing in the Minnesota

Boundary Waters The Boundary Waters, also called the Quetico-Superior Country, is a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border between Ontario and Minnesota, in the area just west of Lake Superior. While "Boundary Waters" is a common nam ...

, and hiking in the

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Isle Royale National Park Isle Royale National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States consisting of Isle Royale, along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in Michigan. ...

, and

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for along the shore of Lake Superior and covers . The park has extensive views of the h ...

. Alumni of Camp Highlands include Senator

William Proxmire Edward William Proxmire (November 11, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 ...

, Cold War strategist and Ambassador to Russia

George F. Kennan George Frost Kennan (February 16, 1904 – March 17, 2005) was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. He lectured widely and wrote scholarly hist ...

, Secretary of the Navy and Cold War Presidential Advisor

Paul Nitze Paul Henry Nitze (January 16, 1907 – October 19, 2004) was an American businessman and government official who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. Sta ...

, and

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winners Jay Berwanger and Nile Kinnick. Berwanger spent the summer before winning his first trophy at Camp Highlands in 1935. Kinnick spent the summer of 1938 at the camp and won the trophy in 1939. Actor

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver Bear for Best Actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Suppo ...

was a camper. Photographer Ray Metzker was on the staff in the early 1950s; he taught photography. More recent alumni include comedian John Roy, philosopher A.J. Julius, photographer Mario Sorrenti, professional basketball player Steve Goodrich, and comedian and television star Dave Coulier (Full House). Mike and Sharon Bachmann owned and operated the camp from 1969 to Sharon's passing on May 30, 2019, at which time it was inherited by sons Tim and Andy Bachmann, and daughter Laura Cubillos. (Mike Bachmann passed away September 7, 2014.) The three children gifted their ownership of the camp's corporation to a newly established not-for-profit organization, the Camp Highlands for Boys Foundation, in December 2021. Andy and his wife Tracy have directed the camp since 2014. Camp Highlands from Across Plum Lake

Gallery

Image:Doc LS Fish Catch Extraordinaire Bill Reeve 1914.jpg Image:Camp Highlands Trippers Two Canoes departing through Back Bay circa 1920.jpg

References

External links

Camp Highlands website

Highlands Archives website
{{Summer camps in Wisconsin Highlands Buildings and structures in Vilas County, Wisconsin