Canyon Church Camp celebrating 80th anniversary

Posted on August 15, 2024 by admin

By Heather Cameron
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Saturday, August 17, Canyon Church Camp will be celebrating their 80th anniversary of operations and the ceremonial groundbreaking for its long-awaited facility rebuild with all events beginning at 1 p.m.

Christina Whittmire, Chair of the Canyon Church Camp Board, says that the camp is in Waterton Lakes National Park, and is just off Red Rock Parkway, next to what used to be the Crandell Campground.

“Canyon Church Camp empowers campers to develop meaningful connections with themselves, each other, and creation that foster the skills to create healthy communities and become stewards for all people and the planet,” said “We are a United Church non-profit camp, run by a volunteer board of directors. Our facility is open from Mid-May to mid-September. Canyon exposes children (and adults) to nature at it’s finest. It gives youth and families an affordable and safe way to explore the mountains and to learn more about themselves and the world around them.”

Before the fire, Whittmire says, Canyon Church Camp ran six to seven weeks of co-ed summer camp for children aged 5-17. 

“Although we are a faith-based camp, we welcome everyone,” said Whittmire. “Canyon Church Camp is an inclusive community, open to all. As well, we rent the camp to groups with a focus on youth and environmental education. Past renters include other church groups, Parks Canada for their Eco Camps, school groups, Lions International Youth Camp, Calgary Naturalists, artist groups, as well as indigenous groups. We try to keep the cost of camp low so that it doesn’t limit who can come. We also work with United Churches in the area to offer financial support for families that might not be able to send their child to camp otherwise.”

“Canyon Church Camp is a special place. Generations of families have enjoyed our facility and the community that it provides. It is a safe space for all, which is why we are supported by so many local organizations.”

According to ‘A Brief History of Canyon Church Camp’ written by camp secretary and long-time board member, Dr. Kathy Yamashita, the present site of Canyon Church Camp in the Blakiston Valley was discovered in 1940 by a group of boys called the Trail Blazers led by two United Church Ministers from New Dayton, Alberta, and they returned every summer until 1944 when Lethbridge Presbytery of the United Church of Canada formally applied to Parks Canada for a permanent facility, and that summer a dining hall, kitchen, one sleeping cabin, and an outhouse were built using mostly volunteers. 

From there, the camp history states, boys and girls attended camp separately and slept in tents. In 1945, the camp history states, an editorial in the Lethbridge Herald drew attention to the benefits of youth camps by noting that the camp provided recreation “that cannot be overrated in its value to boys and girls. The more facilities of this nature for present day youth, the better the citizenship of the future.” After the first season, the camp history states, a building fund campaign for the camp was launched and raised $3200. 

From there, the history states, the facilities grew gradually over the years and religious services were always a part of the camp activities and were offered in a primitive outdoor chapel with hand hewn benches. The camp history also states that camp activities included swimming, hiking, crafts, campfires, dining room duties and singing, while the food camp was always good, and Mrs. Kate Parry of Taber spent 20 summers cooking for the campers. The history states that in honor of Mrs. Perry’s service, the main lodge was named the Kate Parry Lodge.

The history also states that Canyon Church Camp is operated by a dedicated Board of Directors from the various United Churches in Southern Alberta and has operated continuously until 2017 when the Kenow Wildfire destroyed much of the forest and more than half of the Camp buildings. Until this calamitous event, the history says, the Camp was accredited by the Alberta Camping Association and the United Church of Canada, and most summers it enjoyed an enrolment of 200-250 campers with an additional 35 adults divided over 6 weeks who volunteered to supervise and deliver Bible study, crafts, water play, and nature study programs. Canyon Church Camp, the history explains, had a counselling Staff of about 12 young adults who lived with their campers and accompanied them through their days, along with a cook and caretaker for the summer season.

For the camp’s 80th anniversary celebration, Whittmire says, Canyon Church Camp will be having an open house, ground-breaking and anniversary celebration at the camp, and the camp will be open for people to look around and there will be activities all afternoon with the camp being open to everyone and all events are free to attend. 

“We have old photos of camp and memorabilia, you can tour camp, and participate in any of the activities,” said Whittmire. “Come check out all the plaques on the walls and find your name if you attended camp. Look at the new building plans, and if you have questions board members will be on hand to answer them. We will also be selling camp merchandise and accepting donations for the rebuild.”

From 1 to 3 p.m., Whittmire says, there will be Come and Go camp activities: crafts, games, nature exploration, camp store, drum circle, and drama that volunteers will run, and people are also invited to check out Canyon Church Camp’s rebuild plans.

“The Kenow Wildfire destroyed over half of our camp,” said Whittmire. “We lost 4 cabins, the girls’ washrooms, our craft shack, and most of our staff accommodations. This paused camp operations. The board of directors has been working closely with Parks Canada to rebuild the camp. We are hoping to begin our rebuild this month and complete it next spring.”

Whittmire says that from 3 to 4 p.m., there will be a ceremony that will include flag raising, ground-breaking, songs, celebration speeches, stories, and cake. At 4 p.m., Whittmire says, there will be a smoke-less campfire sing-along, followed by a vesper service at 4:30 p.m.

“We have waited so long for this to happen,” said Whittmire. “We can’t wait! Southern Alberta (and beyond) misses Canyon Church Camp. We have many inquiries asking when we will be open and what people can do to help. The board of directors have added some features to the rebuild to increase our inclusivity and accessibility. We will remain a mostly technology free, outdoors-based camp that is open to all youth. There is no other camp like this one, so the sooner it is up and running the better!”

For more information about Canyon Church Camp’s 80th anniversary celebration, visit: http://www.canyonchurchcamp.com/. For more information about Canyon Church Camp itself, visit: http://www.canyonchurchcamp.com/.