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Activities and Events

 Sub-Series
Identifier: Sub-9

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Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Camp Fire Iowana-Camp Hitaga records date from 1852 to 2014 and measure 55 linear feet. The records are arranged in nine series: Iowana Council, Other Councils, Iowa Camps, National Camp Fire, Photographs, Books, Artifacts, Other Donors, and Audio-Visual.

The Iowana Council series (1937-2014) consists of histories; administrative documents; awards and certificates; newspaper clippings and public relations documents; brochures; newsletters for parents, leaders, alumni, and youth; documents relating to and created by leaders, parents, and youth; and documents relating to Iowana Council activities and events, including ceremonials. The Iowana Council included girls (and, later, boys) from the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area, and later came to include other councils from the surrounding area in Davenport, Spring Grove Township, and Washington, Iowa.

The Other Councils series (1915-1993) contains administrative merger documents, scrapbooks, and other materials relating to the Okiya Council (Davenport, Iowa), Wetomachik Council (Spring Grove Township, Iowa), Heart of the Hawkeye Council (Des Moines, Iowa), and Washington Council (Washington, Iowa). The series also includes a scrapbook relating to a Denver, Colorado council and a 1953 charter for an unknown council.

The Iowa Camps series (1852-2010) consists of materials relating to camps created and maintained by the Iowana Council: Camp Wohelo, Camp Hitaga, and Camp Menahka. Camp Wohelo was the precursor to Camp Hitaga, which were both overnight camps. Camp Menahka was the day camp, held in area parks in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Muscatine, Iowa City, Anamosa, Mount Vernon, and Manchester, Iowa. The Camp Wohelo subseries contains two scrapbooks with photographs and commentary. The Camp Hitaga subseries contains the majority of the documents, including histories, administration, newspaper clippings and public relations documents, brochures and registration forms, items relating to counselors and campers, and documents relating to Camp Hitaga activities and events. Documents relating to organizations outside of Camp Fire are included in the Camp Hitaga subseries, as the camp hosted and rented space to other groups throughout the year. The Camp Menahka subseries contains accreditation documents, brochures, and registration forms. Because Camp Hitaga and Menahka operated simultaneously, mailings, brochures, and registration forms frequently featured both camps. Thus, the Camp Hitaga and Camp Menahka subseries overlap in their content.

The National Camp Fire series (1913-2009) contains items created by or relating to Camp Fire in the United States. It includes histories, administration, awards and certificates, catalogs, magazines, and documents relating to activities and events, including ceremonials. Some items in this series are associated with the Iowana Council.

The Photographs series (1925-2007) consists of photographs of the Iowana Council, Camp Hitaga, Camp Menahka Day Camps, and miscellaneous photographs and negatives. The Iowana council photographs document youth and leaders; grand council fires, annual meetings, and ceremonies; and activities and events. The Camp Hitaga subseries contains photographs of buildings and renovations; directors, counselors, and campers; and ceremonials and celebrations.

The Books series (1914-1996) contains books published by Camp Fire as well as other publishers and authors. It is organized according to purpose: as histories; ceremonial guides; guides for activities, projects, and outdoor exploration; summer and day camps; guides for leaders and youth; conferences; and popular fiction.

The Artifacts series (1978-2010 and undated) includes Camp Fire-associated accessories, small artifacts, clothing, and memorabilia. Accessories include pins, patches, jewelry, hats, ceremonial headbands, scarves and handkerchiefs, and footwear. Small artifacts include wooden beads, toys, and other artifacts. Clothing consists of vests and sashes, Camp Fire uniforms, ceremonial gowns, and individual belongings (for Martha and Nancy Noyes, Sheryl Jo Stephan, and Dorothy Stinson). Camp Fire memorabilia include flags, plaques and trophies, and craft projects and miscellaneous artifacts.

The Other Donors series contains documents, clothing, craft projects, songbooks, and Camp Fire guides of former Camp Fire girls and Camp Hitaga campers and counselors. These items were donated by Sara Ingram, Joan Harn Landas, Mary McCoy, Tim Negro (items of Ann Negro), Deanne Reeve Robinson, Carol Smith, Dian Smith, Ruby Smith, and Nora Lee Duffe Steinbrech.

The Audio-Visual series contains digitized photographs on DVD, scanned photographs and scrapbook pages on Compact Disc (CD), and slides.

Dates

  • Creation: 1852-2014

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 55.00 Linear Feet

From the Collection: Slides housed in S-11, 2 CDs [d0338 - d0339] in audiovisual collection items

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)