A Freedom Almost Forgotten

By Peter Grunawalt
October 08, 2016 (comments)

There are leaders, and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. We follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s because we want to that we let them influence us and those around us. Though I never met the founder of Camp Voyageur in person, I've seen glimpses of his life and leadership in this place we seem to seasonally gravitate towards. It radiates from the leadership that continues...

Our Own Little Civilization

By Peter Grunawalt
January 14, 2016 (comments)

In an interview with Vicky Erdmann Burgman, we explore the relatively unknown history of camp, which features the ice house, the generator hut, and a few other quirky things about camp from the 50s and 60s that we bet you had no idea existed! We had our own generator. Back in the 50s and early 60s, camp electricity ran off a generator, which at best worked half the time. We used kerosene lamps for lighting as well. In a sense, we were our own little civilization in those days. The generator only ran at night, when we needed lights. My...

Camp Legends & Lore: "Nature Boy"

By Peter Grunawalt
December 01, 2015 (comments)

Many an alumni have fond memories of Nature Boy, a mysterious log that floated vertically in the camp bay. But few campers within the past 30 years know the full story of Nature Boy, or that he still may live just beneath the surface… The following interview took place with Vicki Erdmann Burgman in the summer of 2015. The story goes that “Nature Boy” is from the logging era, and that at least one or more people died chaining it to the bottom of the lake. You could take the log and spin it, and it would unwind, which is...

The State of the War Canoe Address

By Peter Grunawalt
August 20, 2015 (comments)

Camp Voyageur’s trademark boat, the War Canoe, will be spending this 2015 summer season off the water. The unique eight-man, bright yellow, and fast-moving canoe has been turning the heads of Northern Minnesota’s paddlers for over 25 years. Originally manufactured by Old Town in the 1960’s, the Camp Voyageur War Canoe has been a symbol and tradition since its arrival on the camp peninsula in 1968. It was originally built for the U.S. Naval Academy at the William & Mary College in Indianapolis in 1962. The war canoe was bought (used) in 1968. It was originally painted orange. Camp Voyageur...

Green-head Gossip: The "Throne Poem"

By Peter Grunawalt
June 04, 2015 (comments)

On the right, Gary Dexheimer, Ft. Wayne, IN, counselor for two years. Photo taken in the summer of 1971. Former counselor Gary Dexheimer brings us the story of the mysterious throne poem. He writes: For far too many years, I have carried a poem in my wallet copied from the underside of a box-toilet lid from a camp site on an island with the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area). I spent two wonderful summers during college as a counselor at an outdoor adventure canoeing based camp in Ely, MN. On one memorable trip, I found this note inscribed on the...

Hudson Bay Men Rejoin CV Staff

By John Erdmann
February 13, 2015 (comments)

Last June Voyageurs mounted their own 1100-mile expedition from the camp bay to Hudson Bay via the Albany River. After taking a year off from camp, Charlie Steiner, Peter Grunawalt and Elliott Keller bring their Hudson Bay badges back to CV. In the ‘70s Elliott’s father Paul Keller and other Voyageurs followed the 1964 CV Albany River route to the bay blazed by Bob Thum, Carl Thum, Tom Bose and Buckey Walters. Here is an excert from Charlie, Peter and Elliott’s 2014 Hudson Bay Expedition blog: “We are four friends who paddled from Ely, Minnesota to James Bay, Hudson Bay...