October 14, 2019
1939-’49
- It all starts with a $500 lease by Ken & Susan Webb for 600-acres of old farmland on Woodward Reservoir. Timberlake, Indian Brook and Tamarack Farm are born. Fair begins as an alternative to visiting the state fair in Rutland, as gas was rationed during the war.
1960-’69
- SAM Camp is formed on Lake Ninevah. Originally a boys camp, it later became coed.
- Flying Cloud is formed in 1965.
- Camp Seaforth opens in the Caribbean. For boys from both the US and the British Virgin Islands, it is truly minimalist. Back in the states, the camps serve as an escape from violence in the South: several leaders in the Civil Rights (among them Ralph Abernathy, Malcolm X, and Betty Friedan) enroll their children.
1970-’79
- Dark Meadow starts near Lake Ninevah after a one-summer experiment with a girls’ outpost camp in the Adirondacks (KoKoPa). The property was buggy and lacked lake access, so the camp was eventually laid down.
- A relationship is formed with 1199 SEIU out of NYC which has since enabled a diverse group of campers to attend the camps, and Farm & Wilderness becomes a non-profit. Jack Hunter is the first executive director.
1980-’89
- Barn Day Camp joins the F&W family at the site of the original Timberlake farm.
- The dam on Woodward Reservoir fails and has a multi-million dollar price tag. The F&W community pulls together and saves the camps. “Give a dam!” is the motto of this campaign.
1990-’99
- Questers joins the family.
2000-’09
- The Pole Barn burns at Tamarack farm, although the damage was minimized thanks to the quick action of our winter staff.
2010-’19
- Red Spruce Grove is our newest and southernmost program; Long Trail Questers is our northernmost program.
- A partnership is formed with the Akwesasne Mohawk tribe.
- F&W joins forces with The Ninevah Foundation to collectively conserve 4,800 acres of land and water.