J.W. Benjamin
Associated Featured Editor
W. Va. State Magazine
August, 1957  

Note this is just the main portion of the article. The rest is missing/ cut off from the document I have.

“A friend in Jefferson County, in the historical old “John Browns Raid” town of Harpers Ferry ( by the way, why did Post Office Department ever drop the apostrophe from Harper’s?), once found I had moved to Greenbrier County.

His eyes took on a happy glow as he plunged at once into reminiscences of his fishing and hunting trips in this area.

Finally, detailing a canoe trip, he said: “ We paddled down through some fairly still water and then through some little rapids and came to an island on the Greenbrier River. We hung up a chicken we had brought along the way and during the night some wild animal stole it. The islands look like the perfect place for a camp. I’ll bet the Indians once used it. Do you know where that would be?”

“Was it near a town?” I inquired.

Near a covered bridge, and a town called Caldwell.”

“ That would be what we now call Forest Isle, Part of Camp Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca,” I told him.

My friend was right. The island is a perfect place for an over-night camp. No wonder he remembered so well. Boys from Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca often have steak roasts there, enjoy the weekly Indian Grand Council around a bright fire beneath the tall trees, and go to Forest Isle each morning for a non-sectarium worship service in a natural “auditorium” where the seats are huge logs and the altar is made of native stone.

Over 30 years ago, the late Col. H. B. Moore, with associates from Kentucky and West Virginia, saw the possibilities for a summer camp for boys on a level plot lying between the Greenbrier River and Goat Mountain. In Those days, much of the land was marshy a good part of the time and the channel between the mainland and the island in the Greenbrier River was choked with logs and often trees. To one without imagination, it was merely a weedy flat place beside the river.

However, a road was dug out between the channel and the mountain, and drainage and filling did the rest. Now a visitor driving through the totel-pole entrance gates on U.S. 60, just east of the Greenbrier River Bridge, follows the road for about 100 yards and then, perhaps to his surprise, finds it opens onto a level plane containing one of the most modern and best equipped camps in the East or South.

Near the road, the camp site is completely hidden off to itself.

Four Complete Camps

Forty level acres of the 72-acre site are used for outdoor sports, gardening, and housing. Four complete camps make up Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca, with some 200 boys from many states and even other countries divided according to age groups. Cabins are screened, electricity lighted. The camp has running water, hot and cold showers, a big dining hall, two lodges, gymnasiums, a modern craft building, canoe docks, rifle and archery ranges, a riding circle, 3 ball diamonds, tennis courts, a 9-hole golf course, and an outdoor swimming pool so campers do not have to depend on the unpredictable Greenbrier for swimming and diving.

The 15- acre Forest Isle lies across what is now Lake Owetowe. And there the Indian crafters present their authentic Indian dances each week.

The camp has had its own Indian year after year. Occasionally the activity is directed by some non-Indian authority who has made a study on the Red Men and the customs.

Her boys from the big cities can live under the stars and really get close to Nature in all its marvelous manifestations.

Indian stories, Indian dances, Indian craft --- all these help bring alive for the youngsters the might epic of the original in habitants of the wooded areas.

Nature Craft Important

Nature craft is also an important activity at camp, and Pete Phillips, of Montgomery, a splinded taxidermist and a graduate of West Virginia Tech., presides over the Specialty.

Horseback rides and hikes and a new idea in canoeing. “UP-river” canoe trips take campers to the new Outpost can.. on the Greenbrier. A trail over the mountain … train was cut last winter. There the boys … find Dale Atkinson, one of the outstanding gides and outdoorsman of the Mountain State, I charge of fishing, cooking, and a general good time for all.

From state wide business standpo… Camp Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca has brought thousands of travelers from overseas and other states into West Virginia during the 30 years it has been in exister…. Many here can remember when camp consisted of a few tents and s….  30 or 40 boys with a handful of …selors. Now the staff numbers ove… Many key men have been with Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca for over 20 years, several … the camp was founded.

A big Indian pageant celebrate 25th birthday of Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca years ago. Undoubtedly special .. are under way for the 30th Bi… this summer.

And West Virginians from al… our Mountain State can join wi..sidets og Greenbrier County in… proud of this outstanding camp fo… founded by a native West Virginian patronized through the years by… sands of happy outdoors-loving… taineers.

Camp Shaw-MI-Del-Eca

The only camp operated by

Greenbrier Military School

Lewisburg, West Virginia

Mrs, R. M. Harris

Manager

“HAPPY NEW YEAR! WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR AND THAT YOUR 1963 SUMMER WILL BE SPENT AT SHAW-MI-DEL-ECA!

Here is the new catalog, with application blanks in the back, and giving the new dates and a very small increase in the cost. However, if you send in your application before February 1st you may enroll at last year’s tuition rate. There is also a change in the discount offer and the way it is to be figured for brothers at camp, and the fee for tutoring is also a little higher – these changes will prevail in 1963 and are not included in the early enrollment offer. Otherwise the catalog is about the same but hope you can find your picture, and that you will enjoy looking through it and recalling you good times spent at Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca.

We enjoyed all the Cristmas cards, but wish you had in-cluded some news about our winter activities. If you can find time, send us a note telling about your school work and how you are doing (anyone with all A’s) and if you took tutoring at camp we would like to know if you think it helped you this winter. Also let us know about your athletic teams. Mr. Wysocki wrote that the Wentworths and Greg Jones played a lot of good football and the unhappy news that Dan Stickle broke his ankle in football. So many boys showed at camp that they would do well athletically after they returned home, and we would like to hear about it. Wonder if Bruce Lamb, Bob Harris, Dave and Andy Hays and others won any of their swimming competition? Also do you suppose Bob Michie and Kent Hoffman have wired up any inter-planetary communication system?

Know you campers who were here year before last have been interested in how well John Havlicek is doing for the Boston Celtics, and Gary Bradds for Ohio State. Jerry Moore is certainly a standout at Morris Harvey College. Another unfortunate piece of news – Jim Gardner broke his football career at Harvard is ended. Guess he will now have to enter politics.

I am looking forward to receiving your application, and to hearing from you with news of yourself and other campers so I can include it in a spring Newsletter.

Sincerely yours,

MRS. R. M. Harris"

1934 - 1935 Camp Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca Yearbook

1938 - 1939 Camp Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca Yearbook

Canoes on Lake Weotowe - 1930's

Canoes on Lake Weotowe - 1930's

View of Camp & Camp Enterance, Looking from Goat Mountain 

Canoes on Lake Weotowe 

Carolyn Harris- Camp Business Manager from 1948 - early 1970's 

Swimming Below the Dam 

Tribal Cheifs - 1954