An Inside View on Outdoor Education in Saginaw County
- kellison71
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Hidden in the woods along Beaver Road in St. Charles, lies a unique educational center founded on the principles of nature, survival, and the pioneering spirit of Michiganders—the Hartley Outdoor Education Center. One of just a few of its kind, Hartley offers a chance for school groups to stay overnight and learn about team building, plants and animals, and a greater appreciation for the outdoors. Adult learners can likewise spend time at Hartley as part of team-building workshops, professional development and more. It is one of Saginaw County’s true hidden gems—and this year Hartley Outdoor Education Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The Hartley idea was actually conceptualized almost 80 years ago. Originally founded as the Hartley Nature Camp Corporation in 1948 by lumber company owner and St. Charles businessman Peter Hartley, the camp concept was the result of persistent prodding by Saginaw County’s Education Commissioner Ottilila Frisch. (Faithful followers of the Castle Museum social media channels will remember our friends at the READ program doing a history of Frisch for Women’s History Month.) Frisch prompted Hartley to donate 80 acres of land west of St. Charles along Beaver Creek to start a summer nature camp for students.
MISS OTTILLIA M. FRISCH Saginaw county school commissioner, has put forth much effort from the outset to bring this camp into being as an outdoor nature school where boys and girls can learn not only about nature, reforestation and handicrafts, but about more effective living and the art of getting along with others. Such an intensive experience cannot be substituted in the classroom. (The Saginaw News, July 3, 1949).
Modeled after the St. Mary’s Lake Camp near Battle Creek, Michigan, Hartley’s first group of campers in 1948 saw a markedly different camp from today. During the campers’ two-week stay, they bedded down in tent communities run by Central Michigan College-trained counselors, and campers were initially dubbed either a “Woodchuck, Eager Beaver, Miner, or Villain.” The camp had no electricity, so a generator supplied any needed power.
By 1949, improvements were already underway. The Saginaw County Parent Teacher Association donated an additional 4.5 acres of land that year and the camp began a legacy of expansion as a perpetual educational project. Consumers Power Co. ran power lines, so the generators were done away with. Tents, parking lots, and boating facilities were likewise improved, and former Tri-City Airport (today’s MBS) buildings were converted for camp use with knotty pine sideboards placed over their tarpaper sides. A camp store was started so campers could “learn to do by doing”--selling, making change, bookkeeping, etc.
After an initial 30% increase in campers from one year to the next, plans for the camp rapidly expanded. Additional programming in archery, boating skills, swimming (along with the building of a pool) and more was considered. In 1969 the Saginaw Intermediate School District took ownership of the camp and built the Hartley Outdoor Education Center in 1975—a modern facility with classrooms, a dining hall, dorms and offices. The property itself grew as well, today including the Murphy Farm, several historic buildings, Big Chief Coal Mine No. 8, a Saginaw ISD HeadStart classroom and endless trails, team-building courses, and outdoor sporting facilities. The Hartley Outdoor Education Center campus today includes 311 total acres.
The Recipe: Hartley Funnel Cakes
In the 1940s, children visiting Hartley were “given physical check-ups, including weight and height tabulations as they entered camp” According to The Saginaw News these children “showed a noticeable gain in weight...Some had gained as much as five pounds [after two weeks].” (August 21, 1949).
The CTK believes we know why the weight gain—fried funnel cakes! A favorite of, at least more recent, Hartley alums, funnel cakes were prepared as a pioneer-era sweet treat while learning about early homesteads inside the 1896 Schroeder cabin on Hartley’s grounds. We made ours in a modern kitchen, but we ate one outdoors to get in the mood. They are messy, but addictive—lightly sweet with just the right amount of exterior crispness.
Notes:
Funnel cakes are far more delicious than we remember them being as a child at Hartley, circa 1992 for this CTK staff member, though we definitely remember making them--along with hand-dipped candles in the Schroeder cabin. Next time, however, we would recommend using a squeeze bottle instead of an actual funnel. If you are going to use a funnel--purchase a new one for food purposes!
Comentários