A Century of Summers. A Lifetime of Memories.
It's exciting to be celebrating 100 years of Camp Lake Hubert and its legacy of helping each girl discover her potential—to lead, explore, grow, and shape her own future on the shores of Lake Hubert, located in the Northwoods of Minnestota. Mark your calendars for the Camp Lake Hubert 100-Year Alumni Reunion, August 27-29, 2027.
Beginning in 1927, Brownie Cote's vision, along with the leadership of Dr. and Mrs. Rogers, created an opportunity for girls to experience adventure in the outdoors, develop independence through community living, and learn from supportive and caring staff who served as role models and mentors.
Helping each camper grow in confidence, resilience, independence, and a stronger sense of self became part of the foundation of Camp Lake Hubert. A century later, those same ideas remain at the heart of the camp experience.
Camp Lake Hubert Then
In the early days of Camp Lake Hubert, daily life looked very different from the camp experience we know today. Bathrooms were outhouses, and campers brushed their teeth and bathed in the lake or at the pump. Water for camp came from a pump outside the kitchen, cooking was done on wood-heated stoves, and when the sun went down, kerosene lanterns provided the light.
Even keeping things cold required planning months ahead. During the winter, large blocks of ice were cut directly from frozen Lake Hubert, pulled onto shore, and stored in an icehouse. Sawdust was packed between the layers for insulation, allowing the ice to last through the summer and provide refrigeration and cold drinks for campers.
Getting to Hubert was an adventure of its own. Most campers arrived by train at the Lake Hubert Station on the north end of the lake. Once they arrived, they settled in for approximately eight weeks—a much longer stay than most campers experience today and one that created a slower rhythm to the summer.
Camp itself looked different, too. The original cabins were similar in style to those we recognize today, although they were smaller. The waterfront included an immense beach area, and the pathway that now runs in front of many of our cabins was once part of the roadway around Lake Hubert.
Campers chose their activities for a week at a time and followed that schedule throughout each week. There were no emails, internet messages, or cell phones connecting campers to the outside world. Campers wrote letters home, and friendships continued after the summer through handwritten letters and the occasional landline phone call.
Camp Lake Hubert Today
A camper arriving at Lake Hubert today experiences many conveniences that would have been unimaginable to those first campers in 1927. Bathrooms are located in camper cabins, modern shower buildings are nearby, and cabins have electricity, lighting, and running water. Our kitchen has evolved from wood-burning stoves to a modern commercial kitchen with large gas-fired ovens and equipment capable of feeding hundreds of campers and staff each day.
The journey to Hubert has changed as well. Instead of arriving at the Lake Hubert train station, many campers now arrive by plane and travel by bus to camp, while other families drive directly to Hubert.
The rhythm of the summer has changed, too. Where campers once stayed for approximately eight weeks, most campers today spend about four weeks at Hubert, with many girls also participating in shorter camp experiences.
Some of the physical landscape has changed over the years. The enormous beach area of early Hubert has given way to a waterfront with separate areas and docks for swimming and boating and a much smaller beach. The roadway that once passed through the area in front of many cabins now travels completely outside of camp.
Camp programming has grown tremendously. Instead of selecting activities for an entire week, today's campers choose four activities during each three-day activity block and can make new choices for the next block. With more than 30 activities available, girls have opportunities to try something completely new, challenge themselves, or continue developing a skill they already love.
Communication may be one of the greatest contrasts between Hubert then and Hubert today. Some campers still carry on the wonderful tradition of writing letters home, but families can now send internet-based correspondence to their campers. And when the summer ends, friendships that once depended on handwritten letters and an occasional phone call can continue through social media, texting, and cell phones.
So much about the way we live has changed in 100 years. Yet the fundamental values and mission behind the Camp Lake Hubert experience have remained remarkably consistent.
The Next 100 Years of Camp Lake Hubert
The future is bright for Camp Lake Hubert.
For nearly a century, strong friendships, meaningful relationships, and shared camp experiences have been central to our success. We hope those things will continue to define Hubert in a world that may need the values of camp more than ever—including the opportunity to step away from cell phones, screens, and technology and be fully present with one another.
Under Stacey Dyer's leadership, Camp Lake Hubert continues to evolve. We add new activities, update buildings and facilities, adapt to modern communication, and educate our staff using current research in child development. At the same time, we continue to focus on something that has always mattered at Hubert: building relationships, developing confidence and independence, and creating friendships that can last a lifetime.
What Camp Lake Hubert will look like another 100 years from now is difficult to imagine.
Think about how much has changed since those first campers stepped off the train in 1927. What will the next century bring? Will artificial intelligence become a game changer affecting camp? Will robotics become an important part of camp operations? Will our understanding of community and youth development change the ways we help our campers grow? What new adventures, traditions, and activities might become part of the Hubert experience?
We cannot know what Camp Lake Hubert will look like in 2127. But I believe the opportunity for girls and staff to learn, grow, build community, and experience the natural lake and Northwoods environment on the shores of Lake Hubert will remain a fundamental part of who we are.
"The details may change. The world certainly will. But the reasons
girls need camp may be more important than ever."
What Do You Remember?
One of the best ways to celebrate 100 years is to hear from the people who helped make those years part of Hubert's story.
If you are a former camper who now has a child or grandchild attending Camp Lake Hubert, what do you remember being different from the experience campers have today? What traditions have remained the same? What do you remember that today's campers might find hard to imagine?
What are your favorite memories of Camp Lake Hubert? Do you have photographs that capture your summers here—the people, cabins, activities, traditions, or moments you still remember years later?
As we celebrate our centennial, we hope you will share those memories, stories, and photographs with us. Every generation has added something to the story of Camp Lake Hubert, and we would love to preserve those stories as part of our 100-year celebration.
And, if you can, we hope you will join us for the Camp Lake Hubert 100-Year Alumni Reunion, August 27-29, 2027, to reconnect with camp, revisit old memories, create a few new ones, and spend a special weekend with Hubert friends.
More information can be found here or send questions to Hubert100@lincoln-lakehubert.com
