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 Across the road from
the administration and maintenance areas is the Parade Field,
a large grass-covered area used for retreats, parades and flag ceremonies. I
remember going there, both as a camper and a counselor, for camp-wide flag
lowering ceremonies. There would be hundreds of campers, all smartly
attired in uniform, complete with troop and patrol flags. While the field
had been well kept in my time, it was looking pretty ragged in later years.
When I was there in 1978, just a few years past the prime days of the camp,
there was high grass and bare spots that
marked the once spotless field. By 1983 it was even worse, as seen
here, with nature doing
its best to reclaim the area. Happily, another trip in 1998 found the field
in much better condition, with the grass recently cut. In recent years the
Parade Field has been looking much better, helping make the first view many
people have of Orchard Lake a more enjoyable moment.
Next to the flag pole in the middle of the Parade Field
is a large stone and plaque, which reads:
Dedicated
to
ALFRED H. CASPARY
for his gift of this property
to the
NASSAU COUNTY COUNCIL
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
July 28, 1956 |
 Just to the left of the parade field,
facing the lake, was a large amphitheater used for camp fires and award
ceremonies. Scouts entered from the Parade Field, passing underneath a very large statue
of an Indian warrior. The statue was about 20 feet tall, and can be seen on Jim Sannerud's web page on
Onteora. Consisting primarily of rough wooden benches in a horseshoe shape, the
amphitheater also had a stage area with two spots for bonfires on either side. There were
some impressive Indian dance performances, with the dancers arriving across the lake by
canoe. Award ceremonies were also conducted there, and I received my Eagle medal there in
1969. Today, all that remains is a clearing, covered mainly in ferns as nature reclaims
the site. If you look carefully you can spot a few weathered logs with rusty nails, the
remnants of the old benches.
 As you
continue along the road that rings the parade field, you'll pass the former site of the
Tuttle
House, a now-demolished structure once used for staff housing. It was
once the home of the camp caretaker, Leland Tuttle, a very colorful character
indeed. The house would have been just to the
right of the tree in this picture. Pretty nice view, isn't it? Keen-eyed observers
may spot a cloud of dust from a camp truck passing by. As you can tell, the road is dirt
at this point, and anyone who has driven their own car through the property can probably
remember wondering if their muffler and tires would survive the trip.
This view is from 1983, but it will look pretty much the
same if you go there now. Orchard Lake, seen in the background, is still a beautiful spot, and to me,
is one of the best features of the camp.
Just down the road from where the Tuttle House stood was,
years ago, the camp's third waterfront area, Buckskin Dock. The map shows
it as the Boating Center, but back then, it was used for both swimming and boating
programs. Interestingly enough, the dock was brought up from Camp Wauwepex in 1968 or 1969
when summer camping there began to die out, and we took it as a sign that Onteora was the
better of the two camps and would outlast Wauwepex. So much for our predictive
abilities...
 Each of the
waterfronts had a dock, small beach and boating area. The docks were put together every
summer and consisted of deck plates on a scaffold-like frame that extended down to the
lake bottom. Hauling these things out of storage and putting them together was one of
the worst parts of being a counselor, for they were big, heavy and covered in grease.
Each waterfront used a buddy system, with all Scouts being
tested for swimming abilities and assigned a color rating (red, white and blue.) You were
given a tag with your name on it, and you and your buddy would hang your tags together on
the same hook when entering the lake. There were periodic "buddy checks", where
a whistle would be used to stop all activities and the buddies would need to raise their
hands together to show no one was missing. The system seemed to work, for I never
heard of a drowning incident.
There were also canoes and rowboats at each dock, which
could be used for fishing, racing or just a ride around the lake. Each
waterfront also featured
events such a mile-long swim and classes for the various aquatic merit badges. For many of
us who didn't have a pool back on Long Island, the waterfronts were one of the best things
about camp.
 The lake, by the
way, is Orchard Lake. It's well named, for at one time, this was an
apple orchard! Yes, the lake is man-made, created by the damming of Sprague
Brook. When I first arrived at Onteora in 1963, you had to be careful while
boating on the eastern side of the lake, for there were plenty of submerged trees ready to
snag you. Back when I first put this site together in 1998 some remnants of the orchard
could be seen sticking out of the
water. I think most of the above water branches are now gone, but a peek
into the water will still show the ghostly remains of the old orchard in
places.
 To get to the main part of camp you
cross a small bridge across Sprague Brook. Off to the right stood a very rickety and
decrepit wooden dock, a legacy from the property's former use as a fish and game
club. I gather that was one of the former trout fishing areas. There's no sign
of the dock today, nor of the campsites once in the area, but it's a very quiet and
picturesque area. Next, just after crossing the bridge, you come to a
crossroads. From there you could go to the three main camping areas (Chiefs, Tribes and Buckskin),
spend some money at the Trading Post, visit the other two waterfronts or the camp chapels.
We'll continue the tour by heading south along the shore of
Orchard Lake. This road was once the main entrance to the property, and while it is
no longer passable past the dam, it once connected with Onteora Road. I believe there was
a bridge over the brook but can remember thinking it didn't look like it could hold a car
any longer. The road passes by the former sites of the Chiefs and Tribes waterfronts; on
the map, the old Chief's site is shown as the "Swim Center", but the Tribes
waterfront has vanished. It was located at the end of the trail seen near the Teddy
Roosevelt Program Shelter.
 Also along this road were the Jewish and Protestant
Chapels, with the Catholic Chapel located on the road to the
Buckskin area. Only one chapel shows on the map; this is the former Jewish Chapel, with
the Protestant Chapel site now used as the "Kenneth Heim Memorial Campfire
Ring". There were once a few campsites on this road, just as it left the Trading Post
area, but they don't show on the map and have long been retired.
 At this point you could continue
around the lake on what is known as the Red Trail. It crosses the dam across Sprague Brook
and follows the shoreline back to the Parade Grounds. This is a very pretty part of the
camp, for it offers some great views of the lake and interesting rock formations not far
from the shore. During our 1998 visit some beavers were busy chewing through just about
every tree at the waterline, adding to the already impressive lodge they had constructed.
Click here for more information on Onteora's extensive trail
system, or for now, just continue your tour.
 Turning around
and heading back to the crossroads brings us to the Long Island Trading Post,
seen here in 1983.
Situated on a slight hill overlooking the lake, the Trading Post was the home of the
camp's post office, which did a steady business in letters and postcards to and from
home. You could buy scouting supplies, uniforms, knives (a very popular item!) and
candy. The motif was very unpolished, with bare wooden counters and metal racks on
the walls, but it did a pretty good business anyway. Then again, there wasn't a lot
of competition in the neighborhood. The building is still there but is now
used as a staff lounge, with the Trading Post itself relocated to the Long
House dining hall.
Ever wonder why it was called the "Long
Island Trading Post" and not just "Trading Post"? Bob Oldmixon supplied the answer: "My Dad worked in camp doing all kinds of
things for Ken Heim.
Making signs with his new router was particularly
enjoyable to him. Ken told him we needed a sign for the new Trading Post.
He had a long board and thought it would be wasted lumber to just write
Trading Post on it so he routed out Long Island Trading Post, since we
were all from Long Island."
Behind the Trading Post was the Power Line Trail,
a fairly steep and very rocky climb up to the water tower. This tower
marked the intersection of the Chiefs and Tribes camp, and thus the trail was a great way
to get to the middle of the camp. Great, that is, as long as you were 16 and not carrying
a pack. Adult leaders always seemed to prefer the long and more level way around. Having
the "benefit" of age I can now understand why. What I can't understand is why no
one ever got around to doing something about all of those stupid rocks. The trail was
closed for several years due to severe erosion problems but has now been restored.
That's pretty much it for the lake area. Continue your tour
by selecting the Chiefs Camp, or jump ahead to Tribes Camp or Buckskin Camp! You
can also head back to the main Onteora page. |
