Owasippe Scout Reservation (OSR), located in Twin Lake, Michigan is the resident camp operated by the Pathway to Adventure Council (formerly Chicago Area Council) of Scouting America. It began in 1911 as Camp White on of land on Crystal Lake donated by the White Lake Chamber of Commerce. Owasippe is currently the United States' oldest and longest continuously operating Scout camp.
In 2026, Owasippe celebrated 115 years of operation, coinciding with the United States' Semiquincentennial.
Background Coined in the 1970's by Reservation Director Edward Black, Owasippe is touted as "America's Premier Scout Camp," continuously operating since 1911. The camp first started on 40 acres from the chamber of commerce and grew exponentially into the 1960's. At its peak, the reservation covered and served over 10,000 Scouts per summer, but the overall decline in Scouting nationwide has seen yearly attendance fall to approximately 5,100 campers. Previous property consolidations have left the camp at in size.
Chicago is the home to Scouting in America, having been incorporated in 1910 by Chicago Printing Executive W. D. Boyce after returning from a trip to England (Lone Scout story). Boyce and other American outdoor pioneers founded the Boy Scouts of America in the heart of downtown Chicago in the Boyce Building at 54 W. Illinois St. on February 8, 1910. Soon after came the foundation of Owasippe's first camps under the name "A. Stamford White Scout Camps" in recognition of A. Stamford White, Chicago Board of Trade President, who led the search for the property.
In 2002, the Chicago Area Council announced its decision to sell the camp but met with stiff resistance from the local community, Scouts, leaders, families, and staff alumni. The Holland-based developer was set to purchase the land for a sum of $19 million and planned to redevelop the land as summer residences. For this to move forward, the zoning for the land needed to be changed for development, which the Blue Lake Township Board voted against. During this time, Owasippe continued to operate. The deal with the developer was terminated on November 7, 2008.
In 2011, the Reservation celebrated its centennial anniversary, featuring several guests and gathering praise from a spectrum of entities ranging from local government to both the State governments of Illinois and Michigan. Celebrations for the centennial were held at the Ad Center with campers from all camps (Reneker, Carlen, Blackhawk, Wolverine) in attendance.
In 2015, Owasippe's owner, the Chicago Area Council, merged with other local Chicagoland Scout Councils (Northwest Suburban Council, Des Plaines Valley Council, and Calumet Area Council of Northwest Indiana), forming Pathway to Adventure Council (PTAC). The council continues to operate its headquarters out of Chicago in the West Loop neighborhood. Owasippe is one of two camps owned by PTAC and serves as the council's flagship camp for Scout resident camping. PTAC's other property, located in Berrien Springs, MI, is Camp Frank S. Betz primarily for Cub Camp, Order of the Arrow, and Family Camp programs.
The reservation is composed of sub-camps within the property. The current operating sub-camps are Camp Blackhawk (Scouts BSA camp), Camp Wolverine (Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts), and Camp Reneker (Family Camp). There is also a high adventure base at Owasippe featuring a high ropes course, river trips on the White River, mountain biking, ATV courses, and a horse ranch.
Owasippe is currently staffed by 200 Scouters serving an average of 5,000 Scouts over seven weeks every season.
Owasippe Scout Camps; First Encampments and Original Subcamps
With the foundation of Scouting in Chicago, A. Stamford White and other businessmen set out to West Michigan to locate the site for the camp. The logical decision to found a camp was derived from Sir Robert Baden-Powell's strategy with Gilwell Island to provide an outdoor Scouting experience for Scouting's program and youth to thrive.
Camp White
Owasippe' s first camp was held in 1912 on the northern shore of Crystal Lake, now known as Owasippe lake. Following the first camping season, in the spring of 1913, a 70' by 86' Dining HallWhitehall Forum, Pg. 1, 2/6/1913 with a generator and electric lightsWhitehall Forum, 6/26/1913 and an icehouse would be constructed. This building would later be used as the Camp Beard Dining Hall. There was a photo shop and dark room with running water and a trading post. At these early camps, while scouts worked on merit badges, they were expected to engage in other activities as well. These include canoeing, rowboats, lectures, cooking, baseball games, swimming, fishing, and overnight hikes. Scouts would often help improve the camp as well, such as in 1916 when scouts helped build the merit badge lodge.1912 to 1961 in Owasippe the Camp/ Owasippe the Lodge—The Early Years Pg.16
Occasionally, such as one instance in 1919, movies were shown in the dining hall. It was standard that all scouts would stay for two weeks before going home, with the more advanced scouts staying extra time for leadership courses. The camp would be separated by 1922, into Camp West and Camp Beard, and later, Camp McDonald.
Crystal Lake Family Camp In addition to camps for scouts, Owasippe has had a strong tradition of families and women camping, too. Evidence of this traces back to 1912, when R.W Teeter brought his family, who camped near the scouts.R.W Teeter 1913 Photo Collection
Sometime after 1917, a new dining hall was built near Camp Stuart overlooking Crystal Lake. Programs here included hiking, artwork, sports, and swimming, and would usually have fewer staff members. This camp would function until 1964, when a new family camp (Renamed Camp Reneker) was built just south of Lake Wolverine.1965 Camp Dedication Booklet, Pg.8
Camp Dan Beard
Named after early scouting founder Daniel Carter Beard, this camp was created from Camp White's split. With this split, there also started to be a noticeable trend with each Chicago Scouting District getting its own camp, with Beard being used by the scouts of the North Shore District. It used the same dining hall and much of the same land as Camp White, and would steadily develop its program areas and traditions. From the early 1930s to the late 1950s, the camps made minor developments, such as new pumphouses or shower houses. By the 1960s, however, it became clear that the facilities were obsolete. In 1968, the Dining Hall was torn down, and the camp would eventually close in 1970.1970 Beard Staff Photo Like Camp West, however, much of the remaining infrastructure would stay there until the land was cleared by developers, being used by scouts for hikes and for leadership training events.1983 Reservation Map
In the Spring of 2026 the last remaining undeveloped parcel of land on Owasippe Lake was sold for private development. This section of property was at the location where Camp Beard once stood.
Camp Stuart/McDonald Camp Stuart was opened in 1922, and was originally called Camp McDonald. The camp was originally named after the scout executive Louis L. McDonald, an early Scout Executive. It was renamed Camp Stuart in honor of R. Douglas Stuart, who had been president of the council for over 25 years when the camp was renamed in 1935. He was also a member of the family that owned the famous Quaker Oats Company. Camp Stuart was located on the south side of Crystal Lake. It operated as a fully-staffed dining hall camp. The camp originally served the Southwest District scouts, but it would outgrow this concept and serve scouts from all over the Chicago area. It had several structures unique to camp and would retain a remarkably similar layout throughout the years. A hand-drawn map from the early 1930s shows a Dining Hall and Showers, Hospital, Trading Post, Handicraft Cabin, Woodcraft Lodge, Zoo and the famous Blockhouse.1935 Pencil-Drawn Map, Currently held by the E Urner Goodman Museum As the name suggests, scouts would work on merit badges there in the early days, it also functioned as a mult-purpose space for camp events and lessons. A 1967 map of Camp Stuart shows much of the same, including the Blockhouse, Handicraft moving near the Blockhouse, Campcraft replacing Woodcraft (the equivalent to scoutcraft), and the Merit Badge Lodge taking the place as the Office.1967 Camp Map The Dining Hall was identical to the one built at Camp West, and would remain standing until 1977, when it was cleared out. Throughout the 1970s, much of the aging infrastructure of the camp would be torn down or destroyed, including the Merit Badge Lodge in the early 1970s, and the Blockhouse in a storm in 1968. Stuart's last year of operation was 1978.1978 Staff Photo
Traveling to Camp
Over the 115 years of Owasippe there were three main modes of transportation before the use of personal vehicles and organized unit transportation. Scouts traveling to Owasippe from Chicago arrived by ship, train, and busses. These modes of transportation were organized by the Scout Council office.
S.S. Carolina
Beginning with the start of the first camps, Scouts traveled to camp aboard the S.S Carolina across Lake Michigan. The Goodrich Transit Company serviced Chicago Scouts on a seasonal line that went from Chicago to White Lake. The ship would depart it's docks on the Chicago River and travel to White Lake's harbor in Whitehall, MI. Upon arrival Scouts would disembark beginning a 5 mile trek East inland to the encampments at Owasippe Lake. During later years the Scouts would be met by Owasippe trucks to assist units coming to camp with more gear.
The return voyage departed from White Lake at 8 p.m. Sunday night, arriving at Chicago at 6 a.m. Monday morning.
With changing needs and growing attendance at Owasippe, the ship was eventually phased out of Scouting usage. The Goodrich Transit Co. filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1933. Carolina was stripped and became a stone barge from 1937 to 1950.
Pere Marquette Railway
After the S.S Carolina was phased out of use, Owasippe made arrangements with the Pere Marquette Line for transit from Chicago to Lakewood Club.
Scouts travelled to Owasippe by train on Pullman railcars. The "Special Scout Train" would depart Chicago from the Old Grand Central Station at Harrison & Wells on the Pere Marquette Line. From Chicago, the train would travel up to the Reservation, stopping in Lakewood Club in an open field called a "Whistle Stop".
Special tickets would be printed by the railroad for Scouts with special information specific to Owasippe Scout Camps, such as their assigned subcamp.
The actual Lakewood Club stop was not large enough to accommodate the masses of Scouts disembarking the train with their gear, so the train would stop in a nearby field before the station. In this field, the train was met by Owasippe Staff and trucks to load their gear. From here, Scouts would hike with their units the distance to camp.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C58NaKbMd/ From the mid-1920's onwards, Scouts who camped at the new camps being settled around Big Blue Lake would ride in the back of stake bed trucks across the property the farther distance.
The Scout Train service continued till the late 1960's. The locomotive that carried Scouts from the Pere Marquette was Berkshire #1223 and is currently on display in Grand Haven, MI. The locomotive was also famously used as inspiration for the engine in The Polar Express.
Northeast expansion of Owasippe