Camp Douglas Smith Alumni Web site
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Page of Camp Facts

This page is incomplete.  If you know any of the missing information, please email it to the webmaster.

The eight tribes:

The four chants:

Cree/

Oboe ba ditten dotten, wadaten ssss.
Itten bitten, ritten skitten, ish killy oten boten.
Oboe ba ditten dotten, wadaten ssss. 
Cree! Cree! Yay!

The Cabins

• The youngest ones:
  • Lakeside
• The 5th and 6th graders:
  • Hilltop
  • ___
  • 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
• The older ones: 
  • Chipmunk
  • Wintergreen
• The oldest campers:
  • Skokie

Location of Camp Douglas Smith
The camp is on the north shore of upper Hamlin Lake, in the town of Freesoil, Michigan, about 7 miles north of the city of Ludington. Zip code: 49411. Lat/long: N44° 04.211', W86° 23.903'

Directions from the south: 
get to Muskegon, Michigan, and take US Rte 31 North until it forms a T with US Rte 10.
Turn right on Rtes 10 and 31 and go east to Scottsville (5.4 miles).
Turn left on North Main Street (still Route 31) and go 8.7 miles.
Turn left on West Townline Road (towards West Shore Community College). Go west 3.1 miles.
Turn right on North Quarterline Road and go north 2.2 miles.
Turn left on Nurnberg Rd (at Betty's Deer Trail). Go west about 4.5 miles to Camp Douglas Smith entrance road on left.

Directions from the North: take US 10 south from Manistee. Turn right at Lake Michigan Recreation Area Road. Turn Left on Quarterline, then right on Nurnberg Road.

Camp History and Information

• The Winnetka Congregational Church started sponsoring summer camps for Winnetka youth in 1911. In 1916 they moved the camp to the north shore of Upper Hamlin Lake, near Ludington, Michigan.
• In 1936, Camp Douglas Smith was deeded to the Winnetka Community House by one of the church members in honor of his father. The Community House ran it as a camp, with a four week program for girls and a four week program for boys, until 1982.  There was also a one week "family camp" in between.
• Camp Douglas Smith remained an asset of the Village of Winnetka for 46 years, until it was sold in 1984.
• The boathouses and cabins are still there today. The site includes 35 buildings on 73 acres, and includes about half a mile of Hamlin Lake shoreline. See below for more on its current status.
• In 2001 the camp was the site of the Hamlin Lake fireworks.
• The camp lies in Hamlin Township.  another Hamlin Township web site
• In 1998, according to the Ludington Daily News, "a proposal to revive the Camp Douglas Smith met with resounding approval from both neighboring residents and the Hamlin Township Planning Commission." Click here to see the newspaper article from 5/5/98.
• In 1998 and 1999, "junior police academy" programs were held. Newspaper article
• the Western Michigan Kayakers had an outing at the camp in July 1999.

Current Status of Camp Property

• Lee and Gloria Pomeroy bought the property in 1984 and renovated the lodge as their retirement home.
• John Quiring of Allendale, Michigan, bought the land in October 1997 for $1.6 million on a six-year land contract and hoped to be the only titleholder at the end of that period.
• Quiring wants to return the property to its former use as a summer camp and open it to programs of education, ministry and recreation.
• Originally from Chicago Heights, Ill., Quiring is the owner of QST Consultation, a firm that does consulting for the pharmaceutical industry in developing new products.

• The property is now zoned residential, but allows summer camps as a special use. Quiring applied for a special use permit at the township meeting on 2/25/98.

• His special use permit was approved with the stipulation that " three bunkhouse buildings named Chipmunk, Wintergreen, and one unnamed be termed for no habitation" because they are too close to the property line on the west.

Photos

email me your scanned photographs of CDS!

Miscellaneous

Please email me your stories including what year you remember them!