Camp Minsi

Camp Minsi is a Boy Scout camp on Pennsylvania Route 940, and on the shore of Stillwater Lake in Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania. The camp is owned by the Minsi Trails Council (formerly the Bethlehem Area Council). The camp was donated to the Boy Scouts in 1949. Camp Minsi encompasses 1200 acres of relatively flat woodlands, holds over 20 miles of hiking trails and varied wildlife.

A central feature of the camp is the 315-acre Stillwater Lake, which was used in the early part of the 20th century for ice harvesting. Remnants of those facilities can still be seen. Today Stillwater Lake's most important product is to provide sailing, fishing and other aquatic activities to the hundreds of Scouts and Scouters who attend weekly throughout the summer season.

Camp Minsi has over 20 buildings, 10 established troop sites, 10 primitive outpost sites, four fresh-water springs, miles of trails and several historical and natural points of interest.

Campsites

The camp has 10 established camping sites:

Site 1: Mohican Site 2: Tuscarora Site 3: Iroquois Site 4: Mohawk Site 5: Onondoga

Site 6: Oneida Site 7: Cayuga Site 8: Seneca Site 9: Lenape Site 10: Shawnee

Program Areas

• Ecology Conservation (E-CON)
• WaterFront
• ScoutCraft
• Handi-Craft
• Quarter Master Crew
• Shooting Sports
• Trail to Eagle
• Athletics
• Trail to Adventure (first-year camper program)
• The Ultimate Scouting Adventure (USA)

Special Awards and Programs

The Muck Hike

One of Minsi’s most proud traditions - the Muck Hike is run every Wednesday afternoon throughout the summer. The special E-CON hike, takes Scouts through the muddy swamps on the border of camp. This afternoon activity draws a large crowd, each week over 15% of the camp will, in some way, participate.

Frigid Froggy

A Camp Minsi tradition of a pre-breakfast swims is run each morning at 6:30am throughout the summer camp program. Scouts who attend all week earn the Frigid Froggy award and specialty patch. Troops with perfect attendance all week also win a special award.

The Indiana Jones Award

Along with merit badges, this program is for those scouts that wan additional challenges at camp. The Ecology Conservation Area offers this award. The award originated in the 1990s and still continues as a strong part of the camp's unique program. By attending a series of challenging and inventive hikes, scouts will introduce the scout to the variety of ecological features that Camp Minsi has to offer. A special award patch is presented at the end of camp to those who complete the award requirements.

Scout Leader Merit Badge

A program for leaders at Minsi, the Scout Leader Merit Badge program gives advance requirements to encourage Scoutmasters to participate in program, get involved, and receive a special patch. The program has multiple-levels for returning Scoutmasters to earn.

Chili Cook-Off

A chili cook-off has become a long tradition each Thursday during the summer camp season. Rather than the regular dinning hall dinner, Troops must cook their own chilli meal in their sites and present their dish to be judged by the staff. Winners are announced at the end of the week and given a special award.

Trail to Adventure

The Trail to Adventure Program (TTA) is the first year camper program at Camp Minsi. The program provides a structured week by which your boys can optimize their camping experience. Requirements from Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class are covered in the program. The program also includes an overnight outpost for all participants. Totin’ Chit and Fireman Chit are also available to be earned by participation in the program.

The Ultimate Scouting Adventure

The Ultimate Scouting Adventure (USA), previously the Hiker's of Minsi, is a program for youth that have attended camp for two or more years that involves outpost camping and hiking, as well as, opportunities to earn several merit badges. The program runs Monday through Friday during the summer camp season. Scouts will participate in five different "Sub Stations" throughout the week - including the Dan Beard Sub Station, the Daniel Boone Sub Station, the Shawnee Sub Station, the Minisink Sub Station and the Blackhawk Sub Station. Meals are provided and prepared at the Sub Stations by the Scous. Participants retire to a USA outpost site for dinner and merit badge instruction. The program incorporates hiking, scouting activities, outdoor survival skills, and Merit Badges. Activities in the Sub Stations include building a monkey bridge across creek, two-man saw competitions, lumberjack games, Tomahawk throwing, field archery, a GPS course, frisbee golf and snorkeling.

Camp Minsi History

The Native Americans of Minsi (1600s - 1778)

Years ago the Native Americans called the land of Camp Minsi home. The area which is now Lake Stillwater was an impenetrable, dense swamp. The forest was full of large trees. Stories tell of tree trunks so large that six men could not wrap their arms around them, and the Natives of the area told tales of the forests being so dense with trees that a squirrel could go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River] without having to touch the ground.

The Lenape (or Lenni-Lenape) were inhabitants of the land in the 1600s. The Lenape were a mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River and the lower Hudson River, and were native to the area of current Camp Minsi. The Lenape were organized in phratries, which were groups of two or more small clans, identified by an animal sign. Three Lenape phratries emerge in the early historical records: the Unami, the Ungalachtigo, and the Minsi. The camp's name, Minsi, derives from the Lenape Minsis. The Minsi phratry has also been referred to as Munsi, Munsee, Monsi, and Muncey. The symbol of the Unami (the turtle) has been adopted as the symbol of Camp Minsi.

Sullivan's March (1778)

During the height of the American Revolutionary War (July 3, 1778 to be exact), over three hundred American patriots were killed in an Iroquois raid on Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley (the area around Scranton and Wilkes-Barre). The Americans called it an "unwarranted massacre". The event incensed General Washington. He feared for the safety of settlers living along the Appalachian Mountains and worried about possible future raids on his army and supplies. In order to eliminate the problem, Washington ordered Major General John Sullivan to march with 2,000 soldiers from Easton, Pennsylvania to the Wyoming Valley. Their orders were to wipe out all the Indian villages he encountered.

As Sullivan and his men marched north, they created a new trail. The route, known as Sullivan's Trail, would become a major road for transportation following the campaign. In fact, much of the original trail was used as the foundation for the highways, roads and trails of the area still in use today.

Sullivan's March brought Sullivan and his men into the Pocono region and into what is the current Camp Minsi. Sullivan's Trail runs through Camp Minsi and is still used today. (The main trail that goes from the parking lot up behind the backside of the parade field; continues past the trading post, the fire circle, chapel and current Scoutcraft location; and continues down over the creek where "Second Bridge" now stands out towards Hunter's Cabin.)

Sullivan was quickly moving north when the local tribes heard of Sullivan’s plan. The Natives assembled in an attempt to thwart his efforts before he could reach the Wyoming Valley. The Native Americans of the area collected their warriors and waited patiently for Sullivan and his men in the area of the current day camp.

As Sullivan and his men continued to march on their mission, they came to a place where the heavy woods transitioned to an area of low bushes and shrubs (where, today, the camp's yellow trails rejoin the path to Hunter's Cabin – about 150 yards after Second Bridge). It was an ideal place for an ambush.

When Sullivan reached this point, he and his men were attacked by the Natives. According to Sullivan, the Natives, at first, held the advantage over his surprised men. However, with their superior firepower over the bow and arrow, Sullivan's men turned the ambush into a rout of the Natives, wiping out approximately 90% of the estimated 1,000 warriors who turned up that day. Today, the area is known as “Bloody Angle” in honor of this bloody encounter and the many slaughtered Natives.

After his "victory", Sullivan did not linger. He and his men were riding hard for the Wyoming Valley area to complete their mission. Sullivan's army continued to carry out a scorched earth campaign, methodically destroying at least fifty Iroquois villages throughout Pennsylvania and New York.

After the clash at Bloody Angle, the local tribes gathered up their wounded and moved them back to their home tribes. However, the issue over where to bury the nearly 900 dead was a more complicated matter for the Natives. Many suggested burying the dead on the battle site directly next to Sullivan's Trail. However, many local Chiefs worried passersby using the trail might desecrate the grave markers. After much debate, the Chiefs decided on a partially cleared area further back down the trail. This area, a few hundred yards off the main trail, was far enough away from the main route to ensure that those passing by would not even know they were there. The Natives relocated and buried the dead in close low and rocky graves. This area became wholly sacred to the Native Americans in the area.

The dead were relocated to the area that is now used as the shotgun range.

The Area Hunters (1778 - 1870s)

General Sullivan and his troops cut a road from Easton through current Camp Minsi and on to northern Pennsylvania and New York on their march north. The road, known as Sullivan's Trail (and the Wilkes-Barre and Easton Turnpike), brought a substantial amount of traffic through the area. The area of Camp Minsi remained largely undeveloped, as it was not suitable for farming. However hunters, trappers, and traders inhabited the area around the busy trail.

In the 1800s a man named Wismer lived in what is now the Northwest area of camp. An outpost site currently resides where "Wismer's Cabin" once stood, next to the appropriately named Wismer's Swamp. Dotter was another hunter/trapper of the area. The Dotter's Cabin site (located next to the aptly-named Dotter's Spring and Dotter's Run) is found in the center of Minsi's back-woods. Schlicker's cabin site and other sites from the period also exist on the camp's property. Each site holds its own legends and myths surrounding the hunters who once inhabited the land.

The area's trading post was the Hunter’s Cabin, which is on the eastern boundary of the camp near Sand Spring. Hunter’s Cabin was a popular stop-off point for many locals and travelers along Sullivan's Trail. Many used the cabin on either a bi-weekly or monthly basis to sell their goods and to purchase supplies needed for the next few weeks. Many of the items sold were animal skins, pelts, and tools. A tall stone chimney and fireplace is all that remains of the trading post today.

Rise of the Lumber Industry (1870s – 1880s)

Up until the 1870s, most of the land of the Pocono Plateau was pristine forest. The area where current Camp Minsi stands was full of large trees and dense swamp. During this time, businessmen from New York City and surrounding areas began buying up the land from local residents and clear-cutting the plateau to harvest the lumber.

In the first years of the 19th century, the vast forests of pine and hemlock were the focus of considerable interest as the market for timber increased in large cities along the Atlantic coast. The swamps around Minsi were destroyed and cut away to make room for man-made lakes designed to transport the cut timber downstream to waiting sawmills. Three very small streams and underground springs fed the newly made “Lake Stillwater”, with Tunkhannock Creek being the major outlet for the lake. A dam was built to control the water flow and the level of the lake. Logs were sent from Lake Stillwater down Tunkhannock Creek to Lake Naomi, and then down another stream to the sawmill on Lake Pocono.

By the 1830s, lumbering was taking place on a massive scale throughout the region. By 1860, Pennsylvania, with over 28 million acres of land (much of which was densely forested) had become America's lumbering champion.

Ice Harvest on Lake Stillwater (1880s - 1930s)

With the dwindling forests and growing markets, the businesses who had harvested all of the lumber began looking for new avenues of revenue -- they turned to the ice industry. From the late 1880s until the 1930s, the ice industry of the Poconos was king. Before the 1930s and the advent of refrigeration, food was preserved through salting, spicing, pickling, or smoking. Meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables were all subject to spoilage. These products were only sold in the local markets, since shipping them was not practical. Consumers' choices were limited because they could not store these products for any substantial time. The solution to these problems was found in the harvesting of natural ice.

Numerous ice companies sprung up in the area as ice was harvested from the shallow freshwater lakes. Soon, the Pocono Mountain Ice Company, run by Samuel Rubel and based in Hoboken, New Jersey, became the leading ice company in the area, buying up many of the smaller ice companies. Large ice houses were built around Lake Stillwater to store the large blocks of ice. Remnants of some of those facilities can still be seen at camp today.

Pennsylvania was the nation's third largest producer of ice, following Maine and New York. Pennsylvania consumed about 1 million tons annually, cut on the state's lakes and rivers. Aside from Stillwater Lake, Pocono Mountain Ice Company harvested ice on Saylor's Lake, Trout Lake, Lake Naomi, Pocono Lake, Mountain Spring Lake, and the Lakes at Tobyhanna. It was reported that the Pocono Mountain Ice Company was harvesting ice for 6 cents per ton. Ice workers out on the lake were paid 30 cents an hour, while those working in the icehouse, where 300-pound ice cakes were being pushed around, were paid 35 cents an hour. The Pocono Mountain Ice Company employed over 500 men during the height of the harvest.

Beginning in the 1930s with the advent of refrigeration, the harvesting of the ice from the lakes became less and less profitable. Eventually, the ice companies folded, while still controlling large tracts of land.

The Scouts and Minsi (1949 - present)

From 1931 to 1968, Delaware Valley Area Council operated Weygadt Scout Reservation in the Delaware Water Gap. The Reservation was originally home to two Scout camps - the Easton Council's Camp Weygadt on the southern part of the reservation and the Bethlehem Area Council's Camp Minsi on the northen section of the reservation. In the later part of the 1930s, the Bethlehem Council moved Camp Minsi to the Poconos, giving the entire run of reservation to Camp Weygadt.

Throughout the 1920's and 1930's Camp Minsi, the summer camp for the Bethlehem Area Council, moved from place to place in the Poconos - once it was held in Tobyhanna State Park. In 1949, Samuel Rubel, owner of the Mountain Ice Company, donated a large tract of land surounding Lake Stillwater to the Bethlehem Area Council for a small $10 transaction fee. It was at this time that the council was able to set up a permanent camp. A tempory camp was established on the southern shore of the lake utilizing the facilities of the abandonded Ice Company.

The council sought to expand its summer camp program and plans were drawn up for a bigger and better Camp Minsi. In the mid to late 1950's the plans were finally realized, chiefly through the donations given to the council from Bethlehem Steel. Construction of the current camp, along the western side of the lake, was completed in 1958 and the newly expanded camp opened for the first time in the summer of 1959.

Camp Minsi, now part of Minsi Trails Council due to the merging of councils, continues to serve Scouts. Over the past 60-years the number of campsites has increased from the original eight sites to ten, and each site has also grown in capacity and design. Several program areas and facilities have been added and expanded throughout the years. The fire circle was improved and expanded in 1980 by Post 940 and again in 2004 by the local Order of the Arrow lodge. A chapel was built in 1981, a "state of the art" central shower house was constructed in 1998, and the camp dedicated a pavalion in the Trail to Adventure program area in 2006. In 2007 Minsi expanded the camp's Dining Hall by an additional 80 feet as well as a returned a porch to the building along with other improvements. Also in 2007, the camp dedicated newly renovated and improved "Walter F. and Joan C. Williams" Waterfront facilities.

In 2002, the State of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reclassified the Dam on Stillwater Lake as a B2 High Hazard Dam. If the prescribed repairs are not implemented, the DEP will move to breach the Dam and drain the lake. The Scouts are currently seeking $3,000,000.00 funding required to repair the dam.

Minsi Alma Mater

By the shores of old Stillwater, with its azure blue.

Lies a camp of friendly Boy Scouts, cheerful, brave, and true.

Sing her glories, live her ideals hold her memories dear.

Give a cheer that all may hear it; Hail all hail Minsi.

Far away from care and turmoil of the busy town.

In a Brotherhood of Scouting; We will there be found.

Sing her glories, live her ideals, hold her memories dear.

Give a cheer that all may hear it; Hail all hail Minsi!

See also

• Minsi Trails Council

External links

• campminsi.org, official website
• Camp Minsi Map
• Camp Minsi on Minsitrails.com
• Camp Minsi on Facebook