Wolverine North And South

Next two camps come in a pair, Wolverine North, ZAP and Wolverine South, Dixie. Both were open from 1965-1979 and both were located very near each other. Before going on though, I think it’s worth noting exactly why the camp has the name “Wolverine”, while the rest of the camps are named after people or groups of people. Before the scouts owned that land, it belonged to the “Club Wolverine” group, which was an outdoor rod and gun club that occupied the land around Cleveland Creek. It had a few buildings and lots set aside to camp, and was probably at least partly responsible for the first dam built on Cleveland Creek in 1947. This first dam failed, possibly due to deliberate sabotage. The dam was rebuilt by the Army Corps of Engineers under Gus Kopp, and this dam stands today. But by the late 1950s, the land was acquired by the scouts and the two camp wolverines were founded in 1965. 

These two camps were very similar, so much of what I say can be applied to both of them. The land that the Wolverines stood on, before it was bought by the scouts, was owned by a private Outdoor Sports club, called Club Wolverine. Which is where the name “Wolverine” comes from.  Their infrastructure is still around for the most part, but the Modern Day camp Wolverine is mostly located on the infrastructure of the North. The Pool, Lodge, and waterfront I believe belonged to the north, for example. 

The south’s waterfront became the eco con and it’s lodge became the current handicraft lodge. When the camp closed, the pool was filled with sand. Rather interestingly, there are a ton of rumors as to what is buried there. A refrigerator, big rocks, a purple jeep, ect. In addition to pools and program areas, the two camps shared a staff row. Perhaps the most recognizable part of camp culture was the mapping of the north/south rivalry onto the historical rivalry between the American South and the North. Perhaps most strikingly, the South actually used a Confederate Battle flag, while North used a Betsy Ross flag or Union Flag. While today the confederate flag is mostly remembered as a symbol of the CSA and racism, 40 or 50 years ago people were more likely to see it as a kitschy symbol of southern pride as opposed to a symbol of the actual Confederacy. And because of this recognized cultural meaning, Wolverine South decided to use it. Nowadays, its meaning is quite different and its use as a “southern pride” symbol is seen as outdated by some. The southern pride kitsch was so ingrained in camp culture that their mascot was literally a bell, and for some reason Snoopy waving a confederate flag. Regardless, when the two camps unified in 1980 very little of this tradition still remained.