Camp Shawnee History

Miss Abbie Staunton Hagerman took her own group of Camp Fire Girls to camp at the Hagerman farm north of Swope Park in 1913. The first summer camp for Camp Fire Girls was held in 1914 at what was then the A.L. Ruhl farm at 81st and State Line. Kate Nelson was the camp director, 163 girls attended. In 1914, Kate Nelson became the first full time executive director for the Kansas City area of Camp Fire Girls.

In 1914, camp needed more facilities and moved to the Frank Robinson farm near Grandview, Missouri. Camp was held there many years. The camp was given the name Camp Shawnee for an Indian chief named Shawnee who was believed to be buried under a tree at the camp.

In 1928, campers attended Camp Towanyak at Lanagan, Missouri, the Kansas City, Kansas Council camp. Camp Shawnee then relocated to Lake Lotawana in 1929. This site was used until 1935.

The U.S. Government was developing park land and camp sites at Monserrat, Missouri, and in 1936 the Kansas City Camp Fire Girls moved into a brand new camp at the park. The National Camp Fire Girls, together with Miss Marjorie Cooper, executive director of the Kansas City Camp Fire Council, helped draw up the plans for the second camp at Montserrat. In 1937 the Kansas City Camp Fire Girls moved into this camp, where they camped until the summer of 1970. The Montserrat Park and its two camps were built by the WPA and eventually sold to the State of Missouri. The name was then changed to Knob Noster State Park.

The Kansas City, Missouri Council, after years of looking at and surveying many sites, purchased 250 acres in Platte County Missouri in 1953, where Camp Shawnee still resides.  One lodge and a caretaker’s home were built almost immediately.  In 1960, plans for a full time camping were started. Fifteen buildings, consisting of two full units, a director’s cabin, an infirmary, and a central shower house were completed late in 1969. A first unit of timber lodge cabins was put up over numerous weekends by the efforts of many hard working dads. A tent platform was added in 1970 just in time to house 100 girls in the 4 units.

In 1971, two complete shower units were also added and full time camping began with 973 girls attending. Forty additional acres were purchased in 1968. In 2001, the purchase of the Elder property, north of the Shawnee property, increased the camp to 321 acres.

The Camp Shawnee symbol gram combines the symbols of:

·             Triangle (brown for the earth where we walk, learning of WoHeLo)

·             Tree (green for growth, strength in and from our natural environment)

·             Tent (orange for our camp, home and hearth)

·             Water (blue for continuity, constancy, steady progress with purpose, yet many things
unknown