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As you climb upward from the lake, there once were campsites on both sides of the
road. Some of them were pretty far back from the road and tough to spot, especially the
ones down the hill off to the right side of the road. By the time this map was printed all
of the campsites on this road were gone except one, On-On-Tio.
Click here for a list of all of
the campsites in Chiefs Camp. After a brief hike, you soon come to
another crossroad. While the road ahead of you is overgrown today, as seen in this view looking towards
the Council House, it was once one of the busiest places in camp. If you go straight
ahead, the road basically circles Chiefs Camp and comes back to this point. We'll
continue heading straight, up the hill, for now, following the original route of the Old
Hunter Road, an important trade artery constructed by John Hunter in 1815. First,
though, off to the left at the crossroad is the Otter Program Shelter.
There are a number of these shelters scattered across the property, and in many ways, they
are the core of the summer camping experience. |
Road towards the Council House - 1983 |
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Yes, while the lake is an important - and fun - way to
pass part of a hot summer day, the shelters are the real reason the camp exists in the first place.
Onteora is a summer camp, after all, and this is where Scouts learn how to camp.
Staffed by 3-4 counselors, each shelter originally provided lessons in cooking, plant identification,
knots, knife and axe safety, map and compass skills, and more. There was also a chance to
practice skeet shooting, archery and many other fun events. Each shelter served a number
of campsites, with approximately 200 Scouts for each shelter at Onteora's peak.
Today the focus has shifted from the "one shelter serves
all" concept to having specialized activities at each of the shelters, but
these areas remain an important part of "The Land in the Sky." |
Program Shelter class - 1970s |
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Continue on not far past the Otter shelter and you'll find yourself
at the Council House, the heart of Chiefs Camp. The Council
House was the dining hall, store, shower facility and camping gear
storage area for all of the campsites in Chiefs Camp. While most troops ate their breakfasts in their campsites, cooking for
themselves, campers heading off for a day of hiking might begin their trip by gathering at the
Council House for a flag raising ceremony and breakfast. For the other two meals of the
day, troops would alternate in either having meals prepared by the kitchen staff delivered
to the campsites in metal containers called "heater stacks", or eating at the
dining hall. Meals there were usually followed by singing or other entertainment, making
it a fun place to gather. The food was surprisingly good, especially when you consider how
many mouths there were to feed in a very short period of time. |
Council House - 1998 |
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As mentioned, the Council House also housed
a small store, which was mostly intended to supply food for campsite cooking, and a
camping gear storage area, which was located underneath the store and next to the showers.
The tents and other material stored down there must have been old by the time they were
declared military surplus; venturing into this dark and damp area was always an adventure.
The showers were another delight best left undescribed. |
Council House - 1983 |
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A number of these pictures, by the way, were taken in
1983. By that time attendance had dropped to the point where the camp no
longer needed two dining halls, so the Council House, which had opened in
1960, was retired. It was sad to see the once bustling building shuttered,
and weeds and grass overtaking the parking and assembly areas. Inside, it
was like taking a trip back in time. Tables and benches were still in place,
waiting for campers that were not to come. Overhead were dozens, if not
hundreds, of wooden plaques left behind by patrols and troops of years past,
listing their unit numbers, home towns and campsites. The kitchen looked
like all it would need would be a good cleaning to be back in business. All
that was missing was people. Sadly, by 1998 the years and vandals had taken
their toll on the facility. The kitchen area was a disaster, and the less
said about the store and storage areas the better. Most of the signs left by
troops in earlier years had vanished, leaving bare rafters behind. The
tables and benches were also history. Some work has been done in recent
years to stabilize the building in the hope that a future use will be found
for it. |
Ruins of the Council House Kitchen - 1998 |
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The fellow exploring the camp and pictured here, by the way, is Bill
Throop. Bill worked in the camp office for several years, and he and
I later became college roommates. He was also the best man at my
wedding. I met Bill through the Boy
Scouts way back in 1967 and we have remained close friends all these years.
It's things like that friendship that make Onteora more than just some
pretty real estate to me. |
Bill Throop at the Council House - 1983 |
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| Just to the left of the Council House was a campsite used
for Staff Training units, comprised of
campers hoping to land a spot on the Onteora staff. Leaving the Council House area, the
road continues past the building and loops through the Chiefs Camp, passing what where
once more than a dozen campsites. Another special campsite was located on the way, that of
the Junior Leader Training Corps. The JLTC
units were comprised of Scouts from various troops and towns, and they spent a lot of time
marching and building towers and rope bridges. Theirs and the Staff Training campsite were
probably the cleanest and best maintained in the camp, due to the hard work of the
campers. The only sign of these campsite in 1998 was one very weathered board nailed to a tree at
the former Staff Training area. "KISMIF, by the
way, stands for "Keep It Simple - Make It Fun". They sure got their
money's worth out of that paint. |
Junior Leader Training Corps Shelter - 2009 |
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The JLTC once had their own program shelter, which
was renamed the Bobcat Program Shelter by the time the map was printed
(just to make it even more confusing, there was once a different Bobcat Shelter, which was
in turn renamed the F. Howard Covey Program Shelter, only to be torn
down). Continuing past the shelter, you'll come upon the Old Hunter Road once again. This
leads to Rattle Hill, where several small caves can be explored, and off-site attractions
such as Frick Pond, Beaverkill State Park and Alder Lake. There
were some wonderful hiking destinations, such as this covered bridge at
Beaverkill. (Click here for another picture
of the bridge.) The
stream is quite shallow and great for swimming or wading, making it a popular spot to have
lunch and rest those aching feet. Several of the camp's trail guides, which have detailed
descriptions of the trails and sights, can be found by clicking here. |
Beaverkill Covered Bridge - 1969 |
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| Continuing past Old Hunter Road, you will pass the sites of
numerous now-abandoned campsites, as well as the former site of
the Bobcat/Covey Shelter, which is not shown on the map but was where the
Blue Trail crossed the loop road. The shelter, which had been re-named for one of the
founders of Nassau County Council and Camp Wauwepex, had become too run down to use and
was either intentionally burned or torn down, and the concrete slab removed. All that
remains of this particular shelter is a square patch of ground where the ferns that grow
all over camp seem unable to re-establish themselves. Instead, a motley collection of
various plants and a cleared area once used for archery are all the remains of the
shelter, staff area and campsites. |
Ruins of a latrine on the Council House Loop - 2009 |
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| This section of the road has deteriorated to the point
where the only vehicles that should attempt it are four-wheel drives or rental cars with
full insurance and a driver with a death wish. You'll eventually come to a crossroads, leading either to Tribes
Camp or continuing through Chiefs Camp. Passing Tribes Camp for now, you'll come
to the Water Tank at the top of the Power Line Trail.
When I was at camp there was a strict
rule against throwing rocks at the water tank, with the explanation that the pounding
rocks would cause rust to flake off and pollute the water supply. Personally, I think it
was to keep from driving the campers in nearby sites from going crazy. I hate to think how
much rust is in there now... |
Intersection at the Water Tank - 2009 |
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| The road finishes the loop by heading back towards the
Council House, joining itself once again at the Otter Program Shelter. Continue your tour
by selecting the Tribes Camp or jump ahead to Buckskin Camp. You can also head back to the main Onteora page. |
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