Horseshoe Lake - Camp Horseshoe for Boys

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 The Chief
Author: John Pritzker 
Date:   09-19-02 21:59

So I've been trying for the past 15 years to convince my older boys that Chief Namekagon is real. They ain't buying it. My fondest recollection was the first time I the Chief. Frankly the fires on the other side of the lake scared the crap outta me. I was simply awestruck by the majesty of the whole thing. The second time he came he was a bit unsteady in the canoe and as I recall couldn't get the fire started. That's when I first heard about Merc having to fetch him from a bar in Hayward.

One of the senior Kuhns (Jack and Kahuna's Dad, I believe) related the origin of Chief Namekagon to me at post camp years ago. Two T-Pops and a sucker to anyone who knows the story.

John
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 Re: The Chief
Author: Steve Motew 
Date:   09-21-02 08:15

As I recall the chief was a local Ojibwa warrior who was minding his own business when a meteor fell on him (thus forming the perfectly round A-Lake) killing and burying him and spreading his personal belongings all around the camp property. His every other or every 5 year return was heralded by the Pioneers finding various items the Chief needed to collect so that he could finally enter into the happy hunting ground (arrow heads feathers etc....) He is thus a 'ghost' of sorts who only needs to identify the items to count them towards his final journey therefore allowing the campers to actually keep the items.

That is about all I can recall....I still remember the difficulty I had in explaining to my Woodsmen campers why the chief never made it across the lake in the famous F.U.N. year (1985 I think).

S Motew
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 Re: The Chief
Author: Tom Mann 
Date:   09-23-02 10:22

John--

The great chief of the Chippewas was struck down in his prime by a meteor. The crater that it made became known as "Adventure Lake." This can be verified by the high levels of the element iridium in the soil around A Lake.


Ciao,

Tom Mann
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 Re: The Chief
Author: John Pritzker 
Date:   09-23-02 10:39

T-I think I was a Jr. sider when you were a Stude (Moose, you, Metzger...true?). As for your scientific-like explanation of the origins of our esteemed Chief you are...incorrect. I'm going to give it a few more days before I reveal the great truth. A hint would be that Namekogan's oorigins had to do with a medical proceedure.

Great to hear from you. Let's not wait another 40 years to speak!

John
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 Re: The Chief
Author: Leonard Wertheimer 
Date:   09-29-02 07:13

Hi Tom,

It's been a few decades since I last saw you, and, at the risk of disparaging the legend of the Chief, I must relate that I played a role in transporting the Chief across the lake in 1965. I was in Cabin 14 and was pulling a rope attached to his canoe while hidden under the swimming pier.

Regards,

Leonard
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 Re: The Chief
Author: John Pritzker 
Date:   09-30-02 11:09

You mean he WASN"T real?! And for this deception you became GH?
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 Re: The Chief
Author: Stephen B. (Guts) Cohen 
Date:   09-30-02 19:01

john,

i know the whole story and was an active participant in several of the Chief's visits. I also reemember one such occurence when were sure that the influence of firewater would cause his equilibrium to vanish half way from the point to the swimming pier. On another occasion, he forgot about raising his arms to light the magic fire at Council Horseshoe...Doc improvised and the deed was carried out by the trusty fire g-ds. I won't go into more detail at this time as one must save the best for last!

Guts
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 Re: The Chief
Author: don cohen 
Date:   10-06-02 12:28

T. Mann is correct on the Chief's origins. And, Pigpen, T. is "older" (chronologically only) than your recollection. He would have been a stude in 1959, I think, because he's 3 years older than I. I was a stude with Don Metzger, Al Geismar, Bruce Goodman, Ken Good, Harry Bosley (I think) in 1962 and we lived next to Forester A on the Jr. side. Mickey (now Michael) Shamberg was the counselor. You probably know that Shamberg has produced such movies as The Big Chill, Fish called Wanda, Get Shorty, etc., etc., etc.
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 Re: The Chief
Author: John Pritzker 
Date:   10-06-02 20:09

Donnie
While it is true that you and T are (considerably) older than I, No less an authority than Jack Kuhn Sr. claims that the legend if the Chief began with some form of innoculation (shot). As I understand it, they dressed someone as an indian cheif and he painted an arrow on a kid's arm and the Dr. would administer the shot. I can't verify this but am the last guy to call a Kuhn a liar...except for the ones that bought their GH fish and claimed they caught it.

Pritzker
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 Re: The Chief
Author: david abramson 
Date:   10-08-02 09:29

In 1973, Scotty went looking for the "chief" the night he was planned to visit. No luck. A few nights later he succeeded and brought him to Mercier's house where a couple of us cabin 14ers loaded him into a canoe and started to bang the drums. Teddy Bloom was under the swimming pier with a rope and some snorkel gear. He pulled him over. As the chief got close, Teddy didn't slow the canoe down and he hit the pier pretty good, causing him to fall forward. He was actually quite sober that night, but everybody who saw him fall over thought otherwise.
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 Re: The Chief
Author: Scott Berk 
Date:   04-18-03 14:56

First of all, what a great site. Secondly, was the cheif always the same guy or just some drunk Indian? If you think about it the story of Chief Nam and making it a reality was so cool. I remember seeing him at council horseshoe my 1st year at camp '81 and being scared to death. And then seeing him "our" final year at camp at Joise's house and still being scared of him.(Mostly because we thought he was going to fall out of the canoe on the way to the pier.)
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 Re: The Chief
Author: Steve Farber 
Date:   05-07-03 20:58

Late in replying, but on behalf of my fellow 14'ers in '85, yes that was the F.U.N. year.
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