Why Is The Camp Called Hat Creek?

Tradition says a man named Hughes manufactured beaver hats on the banks of the small stream bearing the name Hat Creek. Early records reveal an abundance of beaver along the many small streams in the area and show that the Scots-Irish were skilled in the art of making beaver hats.

In the absence of roads all merchandise from the frontier colonies had to be carried on pack horses along winding trails. About fifty flat packages of compactly packaged hats could be placed in a knapsack and thrown across the back of a pack horse to be carried to market in Philadelphia or Williamsburg. Each hat sold for fifty dollars. Since a beaver hat was a "must" for every gentleman, the available supply never met the demand.

The first summer camp program at Camp Hat Creek took place in 1962. The first camps were Pioneer and Wilderness.