Camp Zoe Memories
2000 Letters
11/05/00Hi Fowler,
My camp nickname was "CC Biggs." I don't know why I just now found your web site since for years I've wondered what ever happened to Camp Zoe and all my old friends. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised when I found it. Camp Zoe and the friends I made there are always in my mind. I was a camper there every year from 1972 (Macs Cabin) to 1980? (Tent Cabin.) I remember well the fine Nifda cuisine and bug juice. The early morning trail rides, the tennis court dances,through camp, the BB gun fights, wompuss kittys, Norton, and the float trips, are just a few of the memories I can recall. I'm currently living on a farm about 20 miles from Jefferson City, Mo.
Thanks to the special efforts of the Jack and Lois Peters family, and many others, Camp Zoe has made an everlasting impression on my life that I will always remember! Thanks Fowler, this web page made my day.
Steve "CC"
10/09/00
Dear Mr. Jones,
My daughter found your Camp Zoe web page. It brought back many memories. Not only did my daughter (then Sarah Eberle) trek up to Camp Zoe from Louisiana in the 70's, but I and my cousins had attended Camp Zoe back in the early 40's. I was much chagrined at the time that when the war with Japan ended in 1945, instead of being in Saint Louis to see all the excitement, I was at Camp Zoe. But I, also, will always remember the quiet floating of candles on Sinking Creek in memory of all the war heroes. It was impressive in its own way. Another memory of a different type was a flash flood of the Current River that backed up into Sinking Creek. When we left at the end of the camp period, the girls had to hike out up over the mountain on a trail that later became the main road into the camp. Earlier the Current River had been low and mild enough that we older ones could ride across on horseback to the little store. Many happy memories for everyone! I'm sorry that the camp is closed. We had hoped that my granddaughter some day might go there also. Sincerely,
Anne Eberle
Your description of the floating candle ceremony may explain the origin of that camp tradition. By the 70's, the ceremony came to symbolize the bond we campers had with each other.. For more information about this tradition, see the final campfire page.
Fowler
09/25/00
WOW, that's all I can say. Like so many others, I fell into your web site after looking for golf camps for my son. I went to Camp Zoe from the tender age of 7 (1963) through CIT at age 15 (1972) and, perhaps, I can give you 3x the number of memories. My brother (Nick), sister (Dale) and I went to Camp Zoe for a collective 20 years or so throughout this period and we LOVED IT! We are from Clayton, MO (St. Louis suburb) and have many fond memories. I loved your web site and especially loved the fact that you have (correctly) replicated the camp songs. From the time my kids (now aged 16 and 12) were little, I used to sing them most of these camp songs. Your Titanic lyrics helped out because I forgot verse #2! But the Boa and Mountain Dew songs remained engraved upon my brain and I didn't need help there. We were original McMahan-ians but must say that the Baltz days were not like the "Winkie-days" and "McMahan-days".
If many of you (except for Lynn C. whom I remember) were pre-1972-ers, you don't know what I'm talking about by referring to "Winkie," the loveable Edna Winklemeyer (sp?) and her dog (named ?) who chased her tail incessantly. Let me speak with my siblings and try to pull together some additional memories.
Great web site and thanks for filling this for many of us!
Randy Alan Weiss
Lawyer - Washington, DC
Residing in Potomac, MD
Camp Zoe - 1963-1972
This note is from Skip Chipperfield, a Zoe staffer in the late '60s and concerns the availability of camp records.
09/20/00
Fowler
I have spoken with Lois Peters (owner from 1972 through 1987) and she confirms that all post-1972 records were destroyed in the Old Shelter fire of 1987. She said she never had any records prior to that date. I then spoke with David Baltz (owner from 1969 through 1972), still living in West Plains. He said he is not aware of any records being available from that era, but he will look. He said a woman in St. Louis continued to take the registrations during that period, and she might have some records. He will try to find the name. I then sent a letter to Sam McMahan (son of the founders) asking whether he has any information. I have not yet heard back from Sam. Best regards,
Skip '67-'69
Thanks for doing great detective work. Part of the mission of these web pages is to provide a place to keep in touch in lieu of any official records or associations. I'd say we're succeeding, one alumnus at a time. For more information about the old shelter fire of 1987, visit the quick tour page. For more information about Skip Chipperfield and other Zoe alumni, visit the email registry.
Fowler
The following letter is from former counselor Chris Phelan, whom I tracked down by running his name through a search engine.
08/13/00
Yes, I'm alive!
How did you find me? I consider myself so far removed from those people and times...I was the switch person. I was pretty good at all the activities. So I was the person who moved around the camp through out the week, taking a staff member's place for their day-off. The change was nice, but there was no one place for me to build relationships, other than my cabin. I remember I was one of the first to get the 24-hour flu went it hit the camp. I felt some thinking I was faking it, until THEY got it, and found out how nasty it was. I remember places on the river we could climb a giant cliff on the left side of the river, and jump in. IT WAS HUGE. Scary-tall. Even for me. We organized a "panty raid" on one of the girls cabins, and really scared them to the point where Jack had to get involve and reprimand several of the staff. He and the girl's cabin didn't appreciate our sense of humor. I remember we would hold dances, and not once could we get all the way through "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Every time we got to the part where the music picks up, the phonograph was turned off. The rest of the music was considered too guitar driven (rebellious?). I think lives were molded and shaped by their experience at Camp Zoe. It allowed suburban kids a chance to learn about the outdoors and about getting along with one another. All-in-all, it was a positive experience for the campers.
I remember trying to get in a run, leaving from the camp and out on the main road, which would [wind] around. That year, I arrived over a month early, to help with getting the camp ready. I rode my motorcycle in to camp with my guitar, ready to work. First, I swept and cleaned the cabins, then went out to the fields to bring in the hay. That was work! Finally, my first campers arrived. I was excited, and fresh for them. The summer went on pretty good, but I left before the end of the [fourth] session to return to college, Southern Illinois University. I have never returned to the area, despite crisscrossing the country more times than I can count. But I have memories of people, faces, and moments crystallized in my mind.
I would like to thank Fowler Jones, one of my campers of Tent Cabin, for putting this web-site together. He has been immeasurable in pulling memories from me. We were friends then and we are friends now, after locating me through the internet all these years later. Thanks, Fowler. You're the man. May Jack rest in peace!
Chris Phelan
Glad to be able to help you re-awaken the recollections of your days as a counselor back in 1980. Sorry I missed the panty raid.
Fowler
08/04/00
Hi!
I was randomly web surfing, when I ran across your Zoe site. Absolutely beautiful. Although I never went to Zoe (I was born in 1980 in California...), I've been to several Girl Scout camps in CA - and your reminiscing about Zoe reminded me of some of the happy memories I've had through the years at camp.
Thanks for posting the lyrics to those songs on your site - I hadn't heard all those verses to Nairobi - and in fact, had forgotten to put it on my site (I run a camp song web site - www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/5542 - maybe it'll help you bring back a few more memories?). Needless to say, the situation will be remedied soon.
Anyway, keep up the good work, and best of luck getting in touch with old friends. Your site really makes me wish that I'd been the right age and in the right state to have gone to Zoe. Heck, if I'm ever in the neighborhood, I might drop by it anyway.
Andrea (Cosmos)
08/03/00
Hi!
I was a camper at Camp Zoe way back around 1959 - 1962. I went to the old Henry Hough Elementary School in Glendale, MO. I remember a trail boss back then called, Painter. My sister has a good friend of her's name Patty Clem that was a counselor during that period. Do you hear from anyone back in those years? The reason is, I am in California and before my daughter left for a job at a very nice Summer Camp in California I explained to her in detail what a great camp Camp Zoe was! I am so glad I found that you a web site. I found that web site by mistake looking for camp songs one night. I am now in the process of sending this information to my sister. She also had another song but I can't find it on the song page. When I hear from her again I will send it to you if you want. Thanks for letting me write a few lines.
Heidi Hoppen Lofgren
07/18/00
Hi,
I found you site by mistake. What a thrill! Some of my favorite memories of childhood were during my summers at Camp Zoe. I am fairly certain that my three summers there were 1961,62,and 63. What a wonderful place it was. I can still remember my parents driving me there in their fancy new car equipped with air conditioning. The car came just in time for the drive to camp. I made some wonderful friends and remember the great food and the horseback riding and canoeing the best. Thanks so much for this effort. Made my day!
Anne Dick Semple
formerly of Kirkwood, Missouri
currently from Ft. Worth, Tx
07/26/00
Here is a letter from former camper and counselor Lucy Hirsch. She recently visited Camp Zoe on a float trip.
I contacted the present owners with the # you provided and got permission to go visit, basically any time they were open. I wandered all over the place taking pictures (need to get that roll finished...) I went into cabin one now [called] Arky's and found an inscription (read graffiti) that I had left by my old bunk
Lucy Hirsch 1967 3rd session, Best horse Honey B and counselors Jo and Jackie
That was fun! I figure that I was probably there from '63 to '71. A lot is the same and a lot is different. the spring behind the mess hall is flooded, the old elm in the barn lot is gone, but we went into the barn and there were names of horses I knew on the stall doors! Mann was a big red roan fox trotter, my favorite horse my first year, Babe and Belle, stalls next to each other just as they were in the string. Cindy the paint shetland pony, Dice a buckskin paint (always rolling fat and a Cadillac to ride) Pedro the burro had a stall too! When I was there he and the rest of the Burro herd were on pasture and turned out in the camp for kids to catch and ride if they could. I remember once when Mac hitched Pedro to a cart and gave rides to kids. There was stormy's name too. Stormy was Sam McMahn's [sic] horse and is in one of the post cards. There were nails to hang saddles on with names over them, one said winkie, I don't know if a horse was named after her or if at one time she had a saddle of her own that hung on that nail.
The loss of the 'mess by the pump hall' i.e. the shelter over the pump combined with the missing shelters was eire, the beach almost let me hear the sound of happy noisy kids at free swim. we walked up to echo bluff, it still echoes ... made me feel like I should be on an overnight with one of those $1 steaks we bought with our money cards to cook on the camp fire. I still know the recipe for our beans, open that big can, add mustard, ketchup and brown sugar and stir, pile up some rocks and put it over the coals, break out the bug juice and carrot sticks ... scoop out a hole in the gravel to fit your hips and spread out the bed roll made in those old army surplus bed roll covers.
I told lots of float trip stories too. The rock of the little people has been undercut and shifted to not stick out very far any more. The eddy still is a good place to park boats but I fear many of the little people either drowned or moved away. Besides what would they do for employment now that camp doesn't need them in the loud speakers anymore? The fiddler still has never been and we did not go into the cave to see if we could hear the music. However we were fortunate enough to see them test the retractable fire tower before our very eyes, it went right down into the hill side as we floated down the river. We saw two whipping whooping whopping cranes (AKA little green herons) within the first five minutes of the trip, a sign of very good luck. Submarine rapids have shifted over so that there isn't enough water over the rocks to go that way anymore and we did not sacrifice a can at the bluff where the rest of the little people live and they did not swamp our canoe either. Maybe they have heard about the environmental movement ... Carrs is still there and you can still buy a candy bar after your float trip although not for a dime anymore ... the confluence of sinking creek and current is still a fun place to swim and feel the difference in the water temp, but the Josephine rapids rootwad is long gone. There are federally provided potties and camping is still allowed on that gravel bar where the horse trails crossed I don't know if there are any trails anymore or not. It was really fun. Jack and Lois Peters have a canoe rental business on 19 near pul-tite. There were rumors of one [reunion] at one point but I didn't hear any more. Thank you for re connecting us!
Lucy Hirsch
You mentioned some great local legends. I'm not familiar with all of them. I hope to hear more about the "little people" and "the fiddler".
Fowler
06/28/00
Hi Fowler,
My name is Amy Butler Dodson. I was a camper then counselor from 1967-1975. What a thrill it was to hear about your web site. Reading the memories really stirred up old feelings which have been tucked away as treasures. For anyone who has been to Zoe it is impossible to find words to express the impact and value of the experience. What a joy it was to read how much the magic has touched others and lives on. Thank you for taking us back to our youth and that precious place. I’m sure all of you are getting that feeling now that June has hit, that it is time to get out the trunk and buy some bug spray. I remember how cool summer mornings smelled on early morning horseback rides and how the sound of taps made you sleepy. I still can’t make flubber for my boys and I can’t seem to make our cream of wheat gluey enough. When I started at Zoe I was 9 and stayed in the Lodge. Winkie and Mrs. McMahan were our counselors and they made it a very cozy place for little ones. So many experiences won my heart which made it an honor and necessity to carry the traditions and stories on to keep them alive. The memories of the old school house, hearing and seeing Druids, Willy’s cabin, Hermit cave, Alley Springs, the ice cream stand in Eminence, repelling down Echo Bluff, the drive-in in Salem, capture the counselor, CZC day, capture the flag, the smell of oranges and Snickers at the snack bar, eating steak with ketchup on camp outs, line dances on the tennis court, skinny dipping in the creek, the quiet peaceful rides through the woods and meadows, finding raccoons in the feed bins and copperheads in the stalls, making lanyards, mail call, care packages, rest hour, kangaroo courts, eating leftovers in the mess hall after taps, the final campfire and serenading. The people are too many to name. Kent Jones was one of the first counselors I remember. I remember him making out with Kathy Delany on the picnic table outside cabin 3. Elaine Morrison was my partner in crime. She taught me a lot. I try to keep in touch with Ellie Hirsch. I think about David Norton (I still have your ring) John Barr, Johnny Hines, Tino Trova, Rich Howard, The Hambackers, Sue Connley and so many more. I remember how long it took to drive to Zoe and how short the ride home was. Zoe was a place to grow and learn about nature and ourselves. It was the best experience of my childhood and I would love to see it somehow continue. Thank you again for the web site and for taking us back to a place we adore. I told my sister about this web site and the interest in Zoe and she said we all must rent the video "Indian Summer". You will understand after you watch it. I think it would be great to have a reunion in St. Louis sometime. Keep us updated.
Great Letter! You'll have to fill me in on the Druids. I have seen the movie "Indian Summer". It's an excellent story. Of course, it's hard to beat the movie "Meatballs" for pure summer camp hilarity.
Fowler
06/15/00
Hi!
I just wanted to say that just last weekend, my husband and I walked the creek to Camp Zoe, it was such a trip! My name was still written all over the place in new cabin! Man did I feel old!!! It said liz macy '81 and it looked like I wrote it yesterday! Anyway, I think I remember you, but my memory has gotten a bit fried over the years.
Take care and I hope all is well with you!
love,
liz
Good to hear from you. Yeah, I was the kid with the Peter Frampton afro. I'm jealous that you made it back down to Zoe. Didn't you have a brother who flushed his underwear down the camp toilet one day? When Jack Peters and Carl Warren finally unclogged the pipe, they founded a pair of tighty whiteys...with the name Kyle Macy written in laundry marker. Any relation?
Fowler
04/09/00
Hey Fowler!
Matt Odgers here! I was just goofing around showing my grandparents in law how to use their new web TV and I found your site by accident. What a nice surprise! Hope all is well with you. If you want more info on camp or maybe some pieces of history, you should really get in touch with Elizabeth and Mike Searles. You remember all the Searles boys? Libby and Mike met at camp then all their boys went there and finally, right before it went under their youngest Chris was working as the handy man. (they're my cousins by the way)
Thanks for writing. The Searles boys are another example of the continuing legacy of camp. For more information on their latest exploits, read on.
Fowler