Some History of Camp Mills of Detroit Council
Bob Sherman, ISCA and camp patch book author, just sent us a picture of a 1936 Camp Mills patch and asked what we knew about it. We went into our archives and pulled together the following. Frankly, we had more than I remembered.
Here’s what I know.
Camp Mills was a camp of the Detroit Council, later Detroit Area Council. I don’t know if it was at a separate location or was held at Camp Brady.
By the late 1930s or early 1940s, the camp was at Charles Howell Scout Reservation. Area collectors, some of whom attended or staffed Howell Reservation remember Mills as being the provisional camp. That is, each camp site ‘troop’ contained Scouts from several troops. The camp provided the Scoutmaster.
on December 28th, 2014 at 1:47 pm
Camp Mills was the provisional camp for scouts to attend outside of their home unit. They would spend a week or more at the camp. Provisional Scoutmasters would be there to help the elected SPL to maintain a troop structure. Camp Mills was originally formed at Camp Brady then moved to CHR in 1945.
on February 7th, 2016 at 2:41 pm
PLEASE HELP! LOOKING FOR SOME INFORMATION AND PICTURES OF OLD BOY SCOUT CAMP N. OF ALPENA, MI. WOULD HAVE BEEN IN 40’S & 50’S. CAMP KABEKONAH.
on September 11th, 2016 at 2:18 pm
I was looking for the same information. All I have is an old Map of Michigan made the Detroit Area Council in the 1920s. It shows all of the camps at the time. Look me up on facebook. we can share e-mails there.
on May 22nd, 2017 at 11:00 am
My father worked as Assistant to Craft Director at the Charles Howell Reservation in 1944. The Asst. District Exec was L. Robert Kilmer. (from a preserved letter confirming his position). He also has a Camp Brady inscribed flat wooden disc. I’m assuming he went there as a camper?
on October 25th, 2017 at 1:09 pm
Kay, Please feel free to contact me jsbottorff@comcast.net. I would be interested in talking to you about maybe sharing some photos.
on February 8th, 2021 at 9:59 am
Camp Mills was actually in Oscoda county and is still going today not as a scout camp but Greek Orthodox camp. It’s on Echo Lake (Bullhead Lake). and Troop 194’s webpage has photos of the troops trip there in 1934.
on December 16th, 2022 at 9:40 am
I have a photo from my grandfather of the scouts at Camp Mills in 1934 if anyone is interested.
on February 1st, 2023 at 6:54 pm
Can you scan and upload the picture? That would be interesting to see.