The first history book about Chestermere and area “Saddles Sleighs and Sadirons”, 1971, Chestermere Historical Society speaks about the early history of the camp. p 388
“In the midst of a barren prairie landscape Chestermere Lake became the home of an eager group of navy cadets in 1937. Prompted by the interest of parents and the enthusiasm of retired Royal Navy Officers Captain Mitchell and Commander Browley, a training camp was set up at the SE end of the lake. With no government financial help, the parents of these cadets sponsored the camp and the purchase of three boats for naval exercises. This naval training was supplemented by drill sessions at Mewata Armouries. During the Second World War the camp was used as a training centre under the sponsorship of the Canadian Navy League, South Alberta District. However this original group of cadets and the Navy League formed the nucleus of the present day HMCS Tecumseh naval station located in Calgary.
The last camp was held in 1948.
However in 1947 the Bethel Baptist Church had begun to rent the camp for children’s summer camping. This arrangement continued until 1955 when the site was purchased by the Gospel Missionary Association. In the ensuing years this group has built a chapel recreation building and three new cabins.”
This history book can be accessed here:
According to the present camp director Shannon Dean, the original name of the camp was ‘Undaunted.’ This information was provided by a naval historian in BC. Chestermere Historical Foundation has been a partner with Camp Chestermere for a number of years, particularly in providing a venue for programing and also storage of artifacts.
Read more about the more recent history on the Camp Chestermere webpage. https://www.campchestermere.com/history
As Camp Chestermere celebrated its 80th birthday recently, there were a number of articles about Camp Chestermere’s history in the local paper The Chestermere Anchor.
https://www.theanchor.ca/2018/camp-chestermere-turns-80/
https://www.theanchor.ca/2017/looking-to-the-past/
https://www.theanchor.ca/2018/going-going-but-not-yet-gone-heritage-buildings-in-chestermere/
The Western Irrigation District ditch rider house was near the Camp.
( to read more about this see the article on WID Ditchriders)
The attached article from the Strathmore Standard shows how prairie people are just always there for each other.
Lo
January 2021
Thank you to Eileen McElroy for this research done on newspaper articles about the Sea Cadet Camp.
“The Camp was referred to as “Undaunted” after the name of the Sea Cadets company. Located on land donated by the C.P.R. and first year of operation was 1938. Official opening took place in 1941 and the newspaper article calls it the “Chestermere Lake Patrick Burns Camp” (see photo right). According to newspaper articles, it appears that the last two-week summer camp at Chestermere was held in 1948. However, the Chestermere camp continued to be used for weekend training events in 1949. Other groups began to rent the camp for events, including the Salvation Army which held a camp for under-privileged children there in August 1949. In the early 1950s there is reference to the camp being used by the Liberal party for a picnic and as a site for a Lutheran church conference. The first mention I’ve found so far of a church camp at Chestermere is in March 1956 when the Herald reported that “The Gospel Missionary Association secured the former sea cadet camp site at Lake Chestermere.”
July 2023
This banner and pin were donated by a former camper at Camp Chestermere. She attended camp many times. Here is her story about the donation.
“I was once one of the campers in the mid 70s. They gave each of us in 1973, as campers, a pin that you see here. I went to camp very year until I was 12 in 1978 and moved to Airdrie. Two years later Camp Chestermere offered Sr. Wilderness Program for 4 years in a row. Until 1984 they offered a camp where you could canoe and horseback. So she signed up for it 5 days down the North Saskatchewan River to Rocky Mountain House by Canoe. Then five days on horses in the Mountains at the same camp. We all got the 75th Anniversary banner on that trip 1980 . Over the years I decided to donate these items back to Chestermere to the Historical Foundation, so campers later know how much it brings to campers like us. Camp is the best place to learn the skills you need to know for your life. Laundry, cleaning toilets, all life skills. I really valued the time she spent there in her youth.”
