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 We'll
begin again at the crossroads we first encountered upon entering the camp.
Heading off to the left, we're passing through what was once the camp's
Pioneer Division. Just beyond the large field on the right that now hosts the
Archery Range once stood Pioneer Hall, one of the three dining halls in
use at the camp's heyday. It was torn down sometime after the late 1970s,
which is the last I can remember seeing it. After it had been taken out of
service as a dining hall it had been used for storage until it was
eventually torn down. Today, you would never know it had even been
there.
 The
1950s archery range, on the left side of the road, has given way to the
Project C.O.P.E. course. This course was recently renamed in honor of Art
Noble, a long-time Council staffer who was responsible for much of the
building activities at the camps. Recently rebuilt and expanded, the
course offers Scouters a real challenge as they learn how to scale the
towers and cross the ropes. I'm amazed that things like this exist in
today's lawsuit-happy society! Sure looks like fun though.
 Peeking
out of the woods on the left, next to the first campsites we come to, is
an interesting relic of the past - one of the camp's old entry signs. It
was nice to see it there. Many of the campsites in this area are now gone,
and others renamed. In the past, they were named after famous Americans.
If I can read the names correctly off an old map, the sites in this area
were Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, Teddy Roosevelt, Casey Jones, Dan
Beard, Sam Houston, George Custer, Lucian Maxwell, Buffalo Bill, Davy
Crockett, Kit Carson, Dan Boone and Bull Smith (I'm not sure about that
one - can anyone help?) Today, reflecting the camp's
use for Cub Scout programs, the area is home to the Bear, Tiger, Arrow of
Light, Webelos, Bobcat and Wolf campsites.
 We
now come to Hickcox Dining Hall, formerly known as Frontier Hall. Not
surprisingly, this is in the former Frontier Division of the camp. Out in
front of the dining hall is the
"Wauwepex Honor Wall", which was dedicated on July 6, 1996 during the camp's
Diamond Jubilee as a place to honor and remember those who had
made a positive contribution, financial or personal, to the camp. It was
sobering to see the names of people I used to camp with there on the
wall... Still, it was gratifying to see that others have remembered them
as well, or made donations to support the camp.
 The
road ends here, at least for cars, so after making a u-turn, we pass
through the crossroads and head towards the other surviving dining hall,
Hayden Hall. On the way we pass the rifle range, off to the right, and the
sites of many former campgrounds. This was the Indian Division, and gone
now are the Cherokee, Peconic, Mohawk, Seminole, Iroquois, Algonquin,
Manhasset, Patchogue, Shinnecock, Matituck and other campsites. This area
is used primarily for family camping now, on the sites of the former
Seminole and Manhasset sites. At the center of this area stands Hayden
Hall, the former Indian Hall.
 In
front of Hayden Hall stands a structure some call Noble's Folly. It's a
Long Island Rail Road caboose, moved to the camp even though the railroad
never has crossed the property. It seems the LIRR was getting rid of their
cabooses, and Art Noble thought one of them would make an excellent office
for that section of the camp. After a massive effort, the caboose was
trucked on site and placed on a short section of rails, and equipped as an
office for the area.
The plaque on the bell, visible in the
right corner of the picture above, reads "This bell rings in honor of
all the Nassau County Scouts and Scouters who served in our nation's armed
forces in war and in keeping the peace". I don't know who put it
there or when. Sure is a loud bell though!
 Just
behind where the picture above was taken stands a flagpole. This picture
shows the dedication plaque at the base of the pole. I don't know who
Martha Lambert was, but I was surprised to see an entry for the Order of
the Arrow, as I never knew of any women being involved in the
organization. The Lambert family has a long tradition of service to the
Council and this was a nice memorial to someone who did so much for so
many.
 Well,
it's almost time to leave Wauwepex. First, though, here's a picture of Art
Noble on the left and me as we take a look at a computer screen in the
ranger's office. Who could have ever imagined years ago that Wauwepex
would be part of something as vast as the Internet? My sincere thanks to
Art for taking the time to meet my family and take us around the camp.
Much of the information here came from him - any mistakes came from me.
That's it for this tour of Wauwepex, but as
the "Welcome Back Soon" sign in the picture says, come back soon. I will be updating these
pages as I get more information or pictures. If you have anything to
share, or corrections to suggest, please e-mail
me.
Please click here to return to the main Onteora
page.
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