Near Fish Creek in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Privilege in the Park
Camp Meenahga 1916-1948
Camp Meenahga was located across Shore Road. Camp Meenahga girls spent summer differently than young women of Door County. For eight weeks, at a cost of $350 (1924), campers had a "vacation from fashions and abnormal excitement." They studied dance, wood lore, sewing and "no more than one strenuous" activity, perhaps horseback riding.
Many came from St. Louis. Once here, they enjoyed a daily swim and home-cooked meals. Farms, still located within Peninsula State Park at the time, provided fresh vegetables and milk.
Walk across Shore Road to Skyline Trail and look for signs of Camp Meenahga. Can you see the foundations of the barn-turned-camp lodge? Walk further, watching for a stone fence that the Evenson family likely built when they farmed this site around 1900. Imagine sounds of laughter in the nearby tennis court as carefree girls learned the art of friendly competition.
"In 1916, I conceived the idea of a girls camp," wrote Alice Orr Clark in her journal, "It was certainly up to me to find some work I could do." Mrs. Clark, a single woman from an affluent St. Louis family, established Camp Meenahga with close friend Francis Woodward Mabley.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 45° 8.692′ N, 87° 14.514′ W. Marker is near Fish Creek, Wisconsin, in Door County. Marker can be reached from Shore Road, 0.3 miles north of Mengelberg Lane, on the left when traveling north. Marker is in the trailhead parking area of the Skyline Trail in Peninsula State Park. Fee area; a vehicle admission sticker is required. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9462 Shore Road, Fish Creek WI 54212, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Why Green Bay? (approx. 0.6 miles away); Shorelines and Sedge Meadows (approx. 0.7 miles away); Island Overlook (approx. 0.7 miles away); Aerial Pursuits (approx. one mile away); The Alexander Noble House (approx. 1.2 miles away); Church of the Atonement (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Thorp Cabin (approx. 1.2 miles away); Niagara Escarpment (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fish Creek.
More about this marker. captions:
• Kitchen Staff, 1926
• Camp Meenahga Pier, 1926
• Alice Orr Clark
• Beau, Camp Dog, 1926
• Map of Camp Meenahga
• Photos from the collection of Roy Gauger and Laurence C. Day.
Also see . . .
1. Camp Meenahga. (Submitted on November 19, 2014.)
2. Peninsula State Park. "Two young widows from St. Louis establish and operate Camp Meenahga for girls near today's Tennis Court Road. The girls live in tents..." (Submitted on November 19, 2014.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 406 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 19, 2014, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.