The Keewaydin Foundation is an organization that manages a number of
summer canoe camps based in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
, as well as an environmental educational center. In
Algonquin, Keewaydin is the Northwest wind, considered to be the bearer of good fortune and fair weather.
History
In 1893 A.S. Gregg Clarke established a
canoe tripping
Canoe camping, also known as touring, tripping or expedition canoeing, is a combination of canoeing and camping. Canoe campers typically carry enough supplies with them to travel and camp for several days via a canoe.
Description
A canoeist ...
camp in northern
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. Having come to realize that the timber industry and tourism had spoiled Maine for canoe tripping, Clarke set up a temporary camp on
Lake Temagami
Lake Temagami, formerly spelled as Lake Timagami, is a lake in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada, situated approximately 80 km north of North Bay. The lake's name comes from ''dimii-agamiing'' "tih-MEE-uh-guh-MEENG", which me ...
in Ontario in 1903.
In 1904 Clarke founded a permanent camp on the south end of Devil Island, calling it Keewaydin. To distinguish it from a camp that would be subsequently created, it came to be called Keewaydin Temagami.
In 1910 a camp for younger boys, called Keewaydin Dunmore, was founded on
Lake Dunmore
Lake Dunmore is a freshwater lake in Addison County, Vermont. The lake spans the towns of Salisbury and Leicester and has a surface area of 985 acres (3.98 km2). Lake Dunmore is over 3 miles long (oriented north-south) and up to 1 mile wide. ...
in Vermont and in 1921 a new girls-only camp, called Songadeewin (meaning "strong of heart"), was founded on
Lake Willoughby
Lake Willoughby is located in the town of Westmore, Vermont, Westmore in Orleans County, Vermont, Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, United States.
The lake's southern end is surrounded by the Willoughby State Forest. This state f ...
, also in Vermont.
The diverging paths of Keewaydin Temagami, Keewaydin Dunmore and Songadeewin has resulted in various owners and unique histories.
In 1973 the Keewaydin Environmental Education Center was founded at Keewaydin Dunmore, with the goal of educating Vermont school students about the natural world.
Notable campers
*
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner ( ; born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film ...
*
Charles O'Neill[
* ]John McPhee
John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American author. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourt ...
Notable staff
* Archie Belaney, commonly known as Grey Owl
Archibald Stansfeld Belaney (September 18, 1888April 13, 1938), commonly known as Grey Owl, was an English-Canadian popular writer, public speaker and conservationist. Born an Englishman, in the latter years of his life he passed as half-Indi ...
, who worked as a guide at Keewaydin Temagami in the summers of 1910 and 1911.
References
{{Reflist
External links
The Keewaydin Way @ Ottertooth.com
Summer camps in Ontario
Summer camps in Vermont