Grinnell Council of Camp Fire Girls, Inc., Records of

Series

Grinnell Council of Camp Fire Girls, Inc., Records of

• 1926-1997 (Creation)

Quantity: 1 – 17 x 20 ¾ blue-gray container; 1 – 10 ½ x 12 blue-gray document case

Background Note: The Grinnell Council of Camp Fire Girls was organized in 1914 with Katherine Macy as the first Guardian. There were 12 groups in town and one at Grinnell College, which was designed to train young women in organizational skills. Initially, there was no camp, and Camp Fires were held at Arbor Lake.

In 1928, an area west of town was leased and then purchased (1932) as a site for Camp Hawikuh. After 1941 the Edward Brande legacy to the Council was used for upkeep and improvement of the camp.

Many of the records in the collection document the period from 1951 to 1956, when Mrs. Ray Gaylor was the Guardian. Other records, donated by the family of former Secretary and Board Member Elizabeth Ann Bohstedt, document the period from the 1960s to the 1990s. In addition to camping and social activities, the organization was involved in charitable projects, benefiting such groups as the YMCA, Sister Kenny Fund, American Friends Service Committee, and the Grinnell City Nurse Program.

Donated by: Grinnell Historical Museum; Esther Bethel; Claudia Bloom, Ralph Bohstedt, and Cynthia Bohstedt.

Prepared by D. Lalonde; L. Cabelli
11/30/2004; 2/17/2015; 9/27/2016