Camp Widjiwagan is a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

camp based on

Burntside Lake Burntside Lake is a lake, located northwest of Ely, Minnesota, in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. Its western boundary adjoins the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Tamarack Creek. Native fish include Bluegill, Golden Shiner, Green Su ...

near

Ely, Minnesota Ely ( ) is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Vermilion Range (Minnesota), Vermilion iron range, Ely once ha ...

, United States.

Mission

The mission of Camp Widjiwagan is "to develop, in young people, respect for self, community, and the environment, through wilderness adventure and environmental education."

History

Camp Widjiwagan was founded in 1929 by Julian Kirby with the permission of the

as an all-boys wilderness camp. In 1947 it held its first sessions for girls. Since its founding it has gained national recognition for its excellent canoeing and backpacking programs. Since 1973 it has also run a strong environmental education program, called the Widjiwagan Outdoor Learning Program. When the YMCA purchased Camp Du Nord in 1961 and Camp Northland in 1981, Camp Widjiwagan helped set them up as YMCA centers on

Wilderness Tripping Program

The wilderness tripping program at Widjiwagan runs from June through August and works with youth from the ages of 12 to 18. Three types of trips are offered: canoe, backpack, and 'combo' trips incorporating both canoeing and backpacking. There are a progression of trips in both canoeing and backpacking, as the age and skill level of a camper increase. The trips are single-sex and feature a high ratio of staff to youth, as high as 1 to 2 on the introductory trips, though a ratio of 1 to 5 is more common. The program offers standard, open-enrolled trips as well as by-invitation advanced trips for experienced campers. The canoeing progression is as follows: In 1972, a parallel backpacking program was started. Backpacking trips are similar to the canoeing trips, except that time spent on trail is typically 2-3 days shorter, due to the need for travel days to and from camp. Backpacking trips take place in the mountain ranges of

Isle Royale Isle Royale (, ) is an Islands of the Great Lakes, island of the Great Lakes located in the northwest of Lake Superior and part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The island and the 450 surrounding smaller islands and waters make up Isle Royale Na ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

the Yukon Yukon () is a territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s westernmost territory and the smallest ...

, and

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

.Jerry Stelmok: ''The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga'', MBI Pub. Co., 2003 () — has a major section on Camp Widjiwagan

Environmental Education

Camp Widjiwagan also has an Environmental Education Program during the fall, winter and spring seasons. This program, started in 1973, allows schools to send up groups of students to the camp for a week. During this week, campers undergo some basic environmental education, including studying wilderness survival, plant and tree identification, basic hiking skills, and more. During the winter months, classes include animal tracking, the night sky, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

Notable alumni/staff/friends

Ann Bancroft Ann Bancroft (born September 29, 1955) is an American author, teacher, adventurer, and public speaker. She was the first woman to finish a number of expeditions to the Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region ...

Joe Seliga Joe Seliga (11 April 1911 – 18 December 2005) was a master builder of wood-and-canvas canoes in Ely, Minnesota. Joe Seliga was born to Steve and Anna (Vasko) Seliga in Ely, Minnesota and graduated from Ely Memorial High School. Seliga was i ...

Andrew Shue Andrew Shue (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor, known for his role as Billy Campbell on the television series ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999). Shue played soccer professionally for several years. He co-founded and served on the board ...

Other Camps with the same name

*Camp Widjiwagan, located on

Lake Springfield Lake Springfield is a reservoir in the southeast of the capital city of Springfield, Illinois. It is above sea level. The lake was formed by building Spaulding Dam across Sugar Creek, a tributary of the Sangamon River. It is the largest munic ...

in Springfield,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, used primarily by girl scouts
YMCA Camp Widjiwagan
located on

Percy Priest Lake J. Percy Priest Lake is a reservoir in north central part of Tennessee. It is formed by J. Percy Priest Dam, located between miles six and seven of the Stones River. The dam (easily visible from Interstate 40) is located about east of do ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

References

External links

*http://www.widji.org *http://www.ymca.net {{Coord, 47, 59, 56, N, 91, 57, 7, W, display=title Buildings and structures in St. Louis County, Minnesota Widjiwagan Widjiwagan YMCA Summer Camps