Camp Rotary: More than 100 years of campfire memories

MONARCH – The tales from Camp Rotary, four-plus acres of splendor just south of the junction of Rafferty and Belt creeks, include train trips from Great Falls a century ago to haul building supplies to the site.

"They could take the train to Belt and then catch the spur that went to the Neihart mine with their tools, lumber and refreshments," said Ken Munski, a member of the Rotary Club of Great Falls. "Those stories are legendary."

There are also generations of stories of campfires, ghost stories, friendships and outdoor adventure. An estimated 71,000 campers have been at Camp Rotary over the past 100 years.

"I was a camper here when I was in school," said Allison Kosto, a Broadwater County Extension agent who was a leader at 4-H camp at the site in mid-June. "My mom was a camper here. There are a lot of memories here."

Thanks to 15 years' worth of $1.2 million in capital improvements, memories of a kitchen when "maybe you would get hot water, maybe you would get no water, it all depended," Kosto recalls, are a thing of the past.

Camp Rotary is operated through a special-use permit with the U.S. Forest Service in the Lewis and Clark National Forest that was originally issued on May 10, 1916, to the Great Falls YMCA. The permit was for a school and camp for Great Falls boys. It is one of the longest continually held special-use permits in the U.S. Forest Service.

On June 12, 1924, that permit was transferred to the Rotary Club of Great Falls. The camp included an assembly hall, some bunk houses, a couple of bath houses and a swimming pool — now gone — at the time.

For decades, the camp facilities operated as a rustic retreat rented to the Girl Scouts, 4-H programs, churches and dozens of other programs looking for an affordable venue.

"It was a little Western," Munski chuckled.

The water for the camp came from a spring on the hill above it. The septic system was a percolating operation.

"In the spring sometimes you would have to use a jack with rocks to level the floor of the lodge," Rotary member Robert Holter said. "All of the buildings and facilities were built with amateur labor, which really was an accomplishment when you think about it."

The Forest Service issues special-use permits with the intent of providing more people with the chance to recreate on public land, said Carol Nunn-Hatfield of the White Sulphur Springs and Belt Creek districts.

"Families and kids are outdoors and experience this natural resource and have fun together," she said. "How cool is that? We really look at this permit as a great partnership with the Forest Service."

About 15 years ago, the remaining charm the original rustic Camp Rotary facilities had was fading. The Rotary Club members decided it was either time to commit to a modern overhaul or let the camp's permit expire.

"At the time we decided that if we couldn't drill a water well, we would not continue," Munski said. "We had a lady come out with a dowsing rod and hoped she was right."

Water was hit and the commitment was made. That was in 2000.

With a deep well and water storage system in place and a new modern septic system — "RED HORSE helped build those," said Rotary member Bill Knick — attention turned to Camp Rotary's aging buildings.

"We built the Centennial Pavilion in 2005, which was the centennial for both Rotary and the U.S. Forest Service," said Cheryl Crawley, president of Great Falls Rotary Club.

A single bathhouse replaced the old latrines and showers that were once attached to the cabins, showers where the water options were cold and cold.

About the same time that Rotary Club members decided it was time to love it or leave when it came to Camp Rotary, club member Sheila Rice proposed a fundraising option.

The Benefis Foundation was looking for another organization to take the reins of the fall Harvest Howl bash. Benefis Peace Hospice had also used Camp Rotary to host Camp Francis, a bereavement camp for grieving children, for many years.

"We were able to make that connection and pass off the event to Rotary ,and it's been a great partnership," Rotary Club member Lacey Gallagher said. "All of the money raised from Harvest Howl now go directly for camp improvements."

The 2014 Harvest Howl raised $55,000, the cost to replace a cabin.

A new main lodge was built in 2013 with a donation from Ian and Nancy Davidson of Great Falls. Ian Davidson is a longtime Rotary Club member.

Next up is replacing the nine cabins at the camp. Some will be winterized to extend the camp's use.

All improvements and new buildings conform with ADA standards, making the camp accessible to more users.

The original footprint of the camp remains the same, which means new buildings are put exactly where the aging ones once stood.

"The less ground that is disturbed, the less impact there is on Belt Creek (which runs parallel to the camp)," said John Metrione, recreation and trails resource specialist for the Lewis and Clark Forest Service Belt Creek ranger station.

The 4-H campers paid $55 in mid-June to spend the week learning about food science, hiking, seeing friends from across the state and just having fun.

"That is what we do, provide a great facility that is subsidized by the generosity of others so that organizations can have an affordable facility for their camps," Munski said.

4-H Counselor Bethany Steinken said the new lodge with its modern, efficient kitchen where water always runs is an amazing upgrade.

"Some of the kids miss the old lodge — there were a lot of memories here — but this is pretty great," she said.

Memories of Camp Rotary Requested

Rotary Club of Great Falls is collecting memories and photos of Camp Rotary for an upcoming anniversary of the facility.

If you have a memory or a photo of Camp Rotary you're willing to share, contact Mary Moe, memory project editor, at 406-952-0983 or at mary.sheehy.moe@gmail.com by Aug. 1.