Historical Sites - Cheewin Lodge

The lodge from the 1st YMCA Camp in Minnesota

This log lodge was originally constructed in 1902 on the southeast shore of Green Lake, about a mile south of Chisago City. The walls are made from tamarack logs that were growing on the swampy shores of Green Lake. The building measures 20 feet by 50 feet.

Two years later, the site formally became known as Camp Icaghown and was the first YMCA camp in Minnesota. "Icaghown" comes from the Ojibwe lang- uage and translates to "growing in every way." The name was certainly appro- priate, for there was a sense of adventure in each young visitor's stay.

The Lodge served as the Camp Store where one could buy toothpaste, shoe laces and candy bars. It was also a gathering place for many craft activities and meetings. It was the only shelter in times of severe storms. It was the first and only permanent structure at the camp for many years.

Those who came to visit Camp Icaghown were mostly young boys, ages 10 to 15, from economically disadvantaged homes in the Minneapolis area. For many it was their first overnight out-of-doors experience. They stayed in group tents that were erected at the beginning of the summer and taken down at the end. They swam in the lake and fished every day. The camp fee of $10.00 for the two week stay was usually paid by the downtown Minneapolis businesses and organizations as a goodwill community gesture.

To get to camp, the young boys would board a train at the old Milwaukee depot in downtown Minneapolis and ride north to the Wyoming station where they got off. They then boarded another train going east to Taylors Falls. Upon arrival at the Chisago City station they were met by a camp leader who walked with them for several miles out to camp.

In 1953, the YMCA sold the camp to the St. Paul Council of Camp Fire and the area was renamed Camp Cheewin. The camp was taken over by young Camp Fire and Blue Bird girls, who were dropped off and picked up by their parents. This building continued to serve as the Main Lodge for their camp activities.

In 1995, Camp Cheewin was sold for housing development and the buildings auctioned off. This log lodge was purchased by Marlene Messin of Lindstrom and donated to the Chisago County Historical Society. The lodge was taken apart, moved to the Chisago County fairgrounds, and reassembled. The original wood shingle roof had deteriorated so badly it could not be salvaged. The doors and windows are of new material as the old ones were not repairable. The wood fireplace was replaced by a gas model to meet current building code requirements for public sites.

The Chisago County Historical Society now uses the building for exhibit space and it is open to the public during the Chisago County Fair in July each year.