Camp Mitigwa

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Camp Mitigwa is a Boy Scout camp operated by the Mid-Iowa Council and A. Ely Brewer Jr local Scout Executive. It is located outside of Woodward, Iowa, United States, north of the state capital of Des Moines.

Contents

[edit] Facilities

Camp Mitigwa has over 700 acres (2.8 km²) of rolling valleys and ridges. Lake Fisher provides adequate space for canoeing, rowing, motorboating, fishing, and small boat sailing. Although the camp director for the 2008 summer will be using Big Creek, north of Saylorville lake for these activities. The camp has six year-round wood heated cabins available for weekend rental through the council service center, as well as a heated shower facility. A thirty foot, five-sided Rappelling Tower is located in the camp. As well as a C.O.P.E. (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience), which includes a 400’ Zipline, 30’ Flying Squirrel, and a triangle event that includes a Gap Step, Balance Beam and Skywalk events. Both the tower and the C.O.P.E. course can be reserved by a troop or crew. Bear Creak Lodge is the newest facility at Camp Mitigwa used as the Cub Scout Dinning Hall.

[edit] History

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

Each summer Camp Mitigwa offers 5, 1 week residence camping experiences for Boy Scouts. Cub Scout residence camp will occur at the same time as Boy Scouts for the first time next summer.

[edit] Geography

Camp Mitigwa has three main ridges, each of these ridges has been developed for camping. They are:

  • Blank Ridge- Boy Scout Camping
  • Frankel Ridge- Cub Scout Camping

This Ridge was originally for Boy Scout camping until 2007. In the summer of 2007 A Ely Brewer Jr. scout executive decided to transform this ridge into a cub scout world.

  • Casady Ridge- Boy Scout Camping

Trails:

  • Lake Front Trail-offers an excellent views of the woodland of Mitigwa between Blank and Frankel Ridges. It goes between the Raymond Blank Memorial Dinning Hall and the Frankel Ridge parking lot and goes by Lake Fisher. This trail was constucted by the Mitigwa Lodge.
  • Dan Beard Trail- The Mitigwa Lodge is currently constructing a trail that will eventually surround the entire camp. Currently it exists between Frankel and Casady Ridges. Named after Dan Beard, the trail offers an excellent view of the Mitigwa backwoods and the Des Moines River valley. The trail was expected to be completed by the 2010 camping season but delay is anticipated. The trail offers access to both outpost campsites on the property. Hidden treasures such as the Hidden Lake and Sulfur springs are visible from the trail. The trail follows portions of older trails that once went through the camp, old signs can still be found throughout the backwoods of the camp property.

The rest of Camp Mitigwa's 700 acres (2.8 km²) are either still "wild".

The camp sites of Camp Mitigwa are as follows: Wakan Chanotedah Hopi Zuni

Ottawa Chippewa Sac - no longer used Pawnee Fox Osage Piegon Sioux

Kick-a-poo Mohawk Onieda Osage Kiowa Crow Seneca Iroquois Navajo

The camp features two dining facilities, two staff housing areas, two staff lounges, and two trading posts.

There are currently three forts on the property. The first Fort Pella is located on Frankel Ridge. The second Fort Clatsop is located on Casady Ridge. The third is Old Fort Madison located on the far end of Frankel Ridge.

All buildings at Camp Mitigwa are painted Brewer Brown.

Recently Camp has gone through many improvements, renovations to the frankel pool have allowed for cub scouts to swim.

Camp also boasts several expensive stone monuments. One located at each of the two west entrances, one large statue inside the main gate, a small monument with directions near the main parking lot and a large monument notating which ridge is Blank and which is Frankel.

Camp Maintenance is provided by the following: The camp ranger and his staff Tuesday is a day for retired men to volunteer time at Camp Mitigwa. These men are known as Jim Goodings Orf's. Contributions of time from the Mitigwa Lodge who provide more than 10 workdays each year to maintain the property.

[edit] See also

Scouting Portal

[edit] External links

[edit] References

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