History

I have been asked to review the history of Camp Norge so that those of you who haven’t been around for 50 years would be aware of what our District Founders and loyal members have done to provide you with this beautiful facility. The first thing I need to tell you is that "this is a camp, not a spa nor a resort."
       District 6 is over 50 years. Our charter convention was held in Santa Barbara in 1952. The first scheduled District Convention was held in Santa Cruz in 1954. At that convention, the delegates began talking about having a camp for its members, and enthusiasm was very high to pursue such an acquisition. At the convention in Eureka in 1956, there was a resolution on the floor to proceed with the acquisition of a camp facility for our members and their families. Donations flowed in from the delegates. At the 1958 convention in Van Nuys, Walter Lee was appointed Chairman of a committee to find a facility. More donations flowed in from the delegates. The committee now had $5000 to go buy a recreation center.
     The three great men who comprised the Committee, and who had such vision and foresight were Walter Lee of Garborg 56 in Modesto, Henry Gunderson of Nordahl Grieg 52 in San Jose and Mel Nore of Norrona 52 in Van Nuys. Interestingly enough, none of these three had children who would benefit from this camp. They did however, have the interest and generous hearts necessary to see the benefit of having a place where members with families might have a safe place to vacation, to gather together for events such as Kretsstevne, and to spend a week or a weekend in the mountains.
     There was great thought given to the location. They wanted it to be centrally located so that all members of District 6 would be able to use it. At that time, we didn’t have lodges outside of California, but we had other states designated to eventually become part of District. Henry Gunderson, the District President, found this property and learned that it was going to be sold. They determined that Alta would be centrally located when the District had expanded to its full-designated borders. After looking it over carefully, and being assured that the water rights to the spring, which supplied water to the camp, would be deeded with the land, they decided to buy it. Still there was not enough money in the District coffers for such a purchase. So, Walter Lee, Henry Gunderson and Mel Nore negotiated a sale at the agreed upon price of $13,000 and they put up the District’s $5,000 and the three of them came up with the $8000 of their own money until the District could pay them back. The original acreage was about 40 acres, which was increased to 46 acres when the State of California traded some of their land for land which the Center owned they needed for the new Highway 80. The 6 acres are pretty steep and not too much use except as a buffer zone and for the trees.
     The transformation from private retreat to District Recreation center was a tremendous job for the District Officers in addition to overseeing our new District, which was growing at a very rapid rate, with new lodges springing up all over the State of California. It was then decided that there would be a Recreation Center Board of Directors to oversee the conversion, and to administer the camp. The Articles of Incorporation of the District Six Recreation Center were filed with the Stated of California on June 1, 1959.
     It took a while for the conversion to an operating camp because the buildings were very old, and the septic tank was certainly too small for our use, and we needed more than the one existing toilet and bathtub. And the county required an outside stairway from the sleeping rooms upstairs. So, there were work parties and work parties and eventually the swimming pool was converted into a septic tank, which we are still using today, and the back stairs were constructed. Then we needed a larger water storage tank, and the next important addition was the bathhouse with three showers and toilets on each side. Now mind you, there was no lawn, and no sidewalks, but the bare necessities were there. The next big project was a social hall for dining and meeting. The district still didn’t have any money, but fortunately in those days International had a program to administer mortgages for lodge facilities and the 1962 convention delegates authorized applying for such a loan, and a loan was granted for $15,000 at 6% interest to be paid back in 10 years or sooner. The money was to be used to pay off the notes for the initial purchase and for improvements. In 1964, Henry Gunderson offered to take over the mortgage for a lower interest rate than was being paid to International and the Board accepted offer. Mr. Gunderson’s loan was finally repaid on September 8, 1969, and our Recreation Center was now ours.
     Following the completion of the social hall and the bathhouse, the old barn was refurbished and made into a dormitory. There was still a need for more sleeping area and Dorm 1 was erected by volunteers and the Recreation Center Building and Grounds Committee, thus adding 6 more sleeping rooms and two more bath rooms.
     Then we were lucky enough to acquire Dorm 2 for $2, but we had to disassemble the building in the Contra Costa College Campus and bring it up to camp and reassemble it. It took the District President, the Recreation Center Board President and many, many volunteers to accomplish this in the time frame set forth by the college district, which was something like 48 hours, but it was accomplished. When Jerry Froland’s old flat bed truck rumbled up the steep driveway to camp carrying the disassembled building, there were many cheers. But the work wasn’t done yet, it had to be reassembled, board by board and window by window. And it was. The next improvement to Dorm 2 was to divide it into 4 sleeping rooms, which occurred about 10 years later.
     Our managers then convinced the Board that they needed their own a bathroom and a bedroom instead of living in what was once a garage and using the bathroom upstairs in the main house. The upstairs dormitory above the managers quarters were converted into a bedroom and bathroom for the managers, removing the stairs from the kitchen and putting them inside the managers quarters.
     It was soon realized that with the increased number of camper’s in the meadow and the increased cost of renting port-a-potties, camp would be well served by adding a bathhouse in the meadow. This was put out to bid, I guess the jury is still out on whether it is better to contract out or do it by volunteers.
     Following the very necessary task of putting new roofs on the social hall and the upper bathhouse, it was decided the time had come to remodel the interior of the bathhouse. Larry Selmer paid for the supplies and Harry Bjerkhoel and his crew did the work. It was a big improvement to the camp's facilities, and we should all be thankful for having dedicated members who are willing to take on such projects.
     As most of you know, there is a building fund growing to provide for a larger social hall. Many roadblocks, permits, and regulations, to say nothing of the funds needed, have kept this project from becoming a reality to date. But, we still have hope. To date we have not been successful in obtaining a tax-deductible designation from the IRS needed in order for donations  to this building fund to be tax deductible.