• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Human Interest / Boy Scout camp hits 9-decade landmark, seeks elder campers

Boy Scout camp hits 9-decade landmark, seeks elder campers

May 24, 2013 By Matt Kelley

MitigwaSignFall2011sunsetOne of the oldest Boy Scout camps in the Midwest is celebrating its 90th anniversary next month and its leaders are searching for long-ago campers.

Todd Eipperle is director of Camp Mitigwa in central Iowa near Boone. He says the camp’s gone through many changes since first opening to Scouts in 1923.

“We started out with 70 acres and we’re up to almost 500 acres now,” Eipperle says. “Ninety years ago, their aquatics program was done in the Des Moines River. Now, we have two in-ground swimming pools and a lakefront — we have our own manmade lake. We have two large mess halls and we used to only have one very small one.”

The staff has launched a search for Camp Mitigwa’s Oldest Camper and the Oldest Staffer, both of whom will be recognized at a June celebration.

“Something that a lot of Scouters take pride in is belt buckles, believe it or not,” Eipperle says. “We have a special commemorative belt buckle for this year and they will receive a 90th anniversary Scout belt buckle for being the oldest campers.”

The camp hosts between 2,500 and 3,000 Boy Scouts every summer, and has for nine decades. That’s about a quarter-million campers over the years. So far, he says, they’ve heard from several of the old-timers.

“We do have one guy who’s actually 89 and he turns 90 in a few months so he’s just as old as the camp,” Eipperle says. “He served as camp director back in the ’60s. I’ve also heard from a few people who say they were on the camp’s staff in the late ’30s.”

The celebration at the camp is planned for June 15th to kick off camping season. To contact Eipperle, call the Mid-Iowa Council at (515) 266-2135 or email him at: [email protected]

 

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Human Interest, News, Outdoors, Recreation / Entertainment

Featured Stories

Governor Reynolds touts 2024 Iowa Caucuses in Inaugural Address

University of Iowa grad presiding over U.S. House Speaker vote

Iowan who was oldest person in the U.S. dies

Iowa Lottery to start making some payments via debit cards

State liquor sales appear to have returned to pre-pandemic level

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

No. 2 Iowa visits No. 1 Penn State in wrestling dual Friday night

Iowa’s Clark brings increased exposure to women’s basketball

No. 18 Iowa State women visit TCU

Northern Iowa men host Valparaiso

No. 12 Iowa State hosts No. 5 Kansas State

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC