The Keewaydin Way

To live for a summer in a world largely unstructured and shaped only by nature itself... this is an adventure few are privileged to know. Some find it on the open seas, some on the mountainside. Keewaydin offers the unspoiled grandeur of the Canadian North as the backdrop for building strong, independent character while exposing young men and women to a bygone lifestyle. Keewaydin's simplicity and special link to the undisturbed wilderness set us apart from traditional camp experiences.

For over 110 years, Keewaydin has withstood the temptation of change, holding firm to what is dear of the past and leaving it untouched. With each new summer on Lake Temagami, campers arrive and instantly feel the traditions of Keewaydin that have been passed from generation to generation. Wood and canvas canoes, tump lines, wannigans, the guide's stroke are but a few that represent the Keewaydin Way. Soon, new words have special meaning — muskeg, klick, kam, jewelry, bumwad, bannock, green shore line and even the super wallop have enriched everyday, real-life vocabulary.

The challenges, team work, personal growth, and the lifelong experience that comes from spending a summer at Keewaydin are the same today as they were in the "old days. The past Directors -- Commodore Clark, Major Gunn, Chief Chivers, Major Reimers, and Dan Carpenter, Jr. -- would all be pleased to know that their guidance and commitment to the Keewaydin Way continues to live through the current Directorship. We feel honored to continue these traditions and nurture such a wonderful experience.

Founded in Maine by A.S. Gregg Clarke in 1893, Keewaydin Temagami is one of the oldest continuously operating summer camps in North America. In 1902 a group led by Clarke pushed north into Canada in search of a more pristine wilderness experience. That summer they found Lake Temagami and set up a temporary camp. A year later they settled permanently on Devil's Island in the North Arm of Lake Temagami. They called the camp Keewaydin after the northwest wind; the invisible hand that sways the giant northern pines. The Ojibway Indians invoked the soft wind as a harbinger of good weather and fair tripping; an omen of good fortune.