Camp Winnataska
Camp Winnataska is a 1,400-acre summer camp for boys and girls which was founded in 1918 by the Birmingham Sunday School Association at the urging of Elwyn Ballard, local commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America. It has been operated continuously as an interdenominational Christian camp since then.
Winnataska is located in southeastern St Clair County, south of I-20 and accessed by the Brompton exit. The camp has wood dormitory cabins, a dining hall, swimming pool, stables, playgrounds, craft areas and two chapels, as well as "the gorge", a section of Kelly Creek flanked by steeply-sloping bluffs. Campers participate in swimming, canoeing, arts and crafts, fishing, nature study, sports, riflery, archery, climbing, hiking and horseback riding. Winnataska traditions include "Indian Night", in which campers recreate Native American dances and a pageant telling the story of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail.
Originally the camp was administered from the Sunday School Association's downtown offices in the Title Guarantee Building. Currently the camp's office is located on site.
In 1986 Winnataska entered into a joint venture with the Boy Scouts' Birmingham Area Council to operate an outdoor education center at the camp.
References
- Garmon, Katherine Price and Virginia Pounds Brown (1992) Winnataska Remembered. Birmingham: Beechwood Books. ISBN 0912221046
External links
- Camp Winnataska website