Memories of Camp Shaw sought

By JOHN PEPIN, Journal Munising Bureau
MUNISING — As part of this year’s centennial celebration of 4-H in Michigan, organizers in Alger County are showcasing the history of Camp Shaw, a former regional summer camp for Upper Peninsula boys and girls.


The camp was located just north of Chatham along the banks of Slapneck Creek and was active for more than 40 years, beginning in 1920, when a small group of boys first gathered to give demonstrations and sleep in tents along the stream.


The Alger County 4-H Council is looking for those who experienced Camp Shaw to share their stories. A display created from the collected stories, photographs and other materials will be featured in August at the Alger County Fair in Chatham and the Upper Peninsula State Fair in Escanaba.


“We look forward to reading stories from anyone who attended, worked at or remembers anything about Camp Shaw,” said Liana Graves, an Alger County 4-H educator helping to organize the effort.


In its earliest years, 4-H campers at the U.P. regional summer camp were housed in tents along the Slapneck on property owned by the Michigan State University Experiment Station. The boys camped on one side of the creek and the girls on the other.


In the late 1930s, permanent buildings were erected and could house as many as 500 campers, who came from across the U.P. to spend a week at the camp at a time.


W.D. “Bill” Knox, a Sault Ste. Marie native and active 4-H member, was instrumental in the construction of the buildings at Camp Shaw while he was a student at Michigan State University. The camp was named in honor of Robert S. Shaw, a former president of Michigan State University.


In the late 1960s, when 4-H groups began using county camps closer to home, the popularity of Camp Shaw declined. The buildings were razed in the early 1970s.


But likely surviving the destruction of the camp and its waning popularity is a treasure trove of memories the modern 4-H organizers hope to uncover and honor.


“We are proud that Alger County housed a place that positively impacted thousands of youth from around the Upper Peninsula,” Graves said. “We are excited to embrace the heritage of this region and share it with many others in true 4-H fashion at the fair.”


To contribute stories, photographs or other materials for the display, write to Alger County Michigan State University Extension, 413 Elm Ave., Suite 5, Munising, MI 49862, call the Alger Extension office at 387-2530 or send email to Graves at: deisenro@msu.edu