Memories from Youth
By Judy Blase Woodruff
The date was July 30th 1965, and I was a first-year camper in the unit of Brébeuf when I attended with two friends from grade school. Marge (Vail) Downey was our unit leader. Even though that week began a bit shaky with a little homesickness, I came to love everything about Camp Ondessonk, and at the end of that first week, I pledged to come back every summer – even to the point of becoming a counselor.
In 1965, a Swinging Bridge ran from Brébeuf to the Rifle Range before Lake Echon was built. This was the site of an original train trestle when trains once travelled through the Shawnee National Forest before Camp was built (notice the two concrete pilings). The bridge at this same location is now called the Amantacha Bridge.
In 1966 (the week of August 18th through the 24th), I and my friends were again in Brébeuf with Marcia (Cricket) Dabb as unit leader. That was the last year that Brébeuf looked like it originally did in 1959. The unit sat high atop a cliff with cooling trees surrounding the cabins. One could look down into the canyon that surrounded the unit, and the beauty of it overwhelmed my child’s mind.
In 1967, a vast change awaited us as our group was again in Brébeuf with Jeanie (Reime) Heller as unit leader, but the landscape of Brébeuf had dramatically changed. The unit was now surrounded by water! That beautiful canyon where Garnier and Lalement used to be located, was flooded to make way for the new Lake Echon where watercrafts would be held. Echon is the Huron name for St. Jean de Brébeuf, meaning “He who carries a heavy burden.”
Brébeuf now sat on a peninsula, of sorts, jutting out into the new lake. Over the fall of 1966 and winter of 1967, miraculously, the lake had accumulated enough water to be used during Summer Camp in 1967. Echon had a shoreline of nearly five miles and its construction was the effort of 11 firms and countless dedicated volunteers. For the units on the east side of the lake (Goupil, Chabanel, Lalement, and Garnier), in order to get to the main area of Camp in less time, a bridge was necessary. The new bridge was designed by Jim Kathmann, Jr., owner of Kathmann Ornamental Iron in East St. Louis, Ill., and a member of Camp’s original Board of Directors. Weekend after weekend (actually 21 weekends in a row), Jim led the construction of what would eventually be known as the Larry Garner Bridge. 1st Lt. Larry Garner was one of the first counselors at Camp in 1959. He went into the army and was killed in action in Vietnam July 30, 1967.
The Garner Bridge stood 210 feet long with twin towers 50 feet high on each side. The bridge is named in memory of Larry for his competitive spirit, welcoming personality, and athleticism, and most importantly, for the fact that he gave his life for our country very soon after he worked at Camp. He was Camp’s first stable director in 1959, and in 1960, he was the unit leader of Lalement (at that time the unit was located in the canyon where Lake Echon would eventually be built). The most prominent memory of Larry is when he engaged in a week-long project leading his campers in the construction of a footbridge across the creek near their unit of Lalement. The bridge Larry and his campers constructed was in the exact spot where the Garner Bridge spanned Lake Echon years later.
The new bridge was dedicated and opened following the Blessing of Lake Echon May 19, 1968, by Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste, along with dignitaries attending the celebration. They included Lt. Governor Samuel Shapiro, Secretary of State Paul Powell, U.S. Congressmen Melvin Price of East St. Louis, Ill., Roger Zion of Evansville, Ind., and Kenneth Grey of West Frankfort, Ill. The United States Military Airlift Command Band played for the dedication. In addition, representing the National Forest Service was Supervisor of the Shawnee National Forest, Owen Jamison and George James, Regional Forester.
Campers have enjoyed crossing the Garner Bridge for years. I can remember crossing it to get to our overnight camping spot on a Wednesday night; carrying my sleeping bag and sometimes a milk crate that held the ingredients for our campfire dinner – either hot dogs or foil burgers. There was no vehicle to take all our supplies and bedding to our campout location in those days.
Some campers dreaded walking across the bridge because it was not very steady, especially with an entire unit crossing at the same time. One could easily lose balance even though the sides were made with chicken wire and the footing was lengths of sturdy boards. I, for one, dreaded crossing it. I will never forget that bridge. The last time I went across it was when I was going to stay in Lalement after Summer Camp (by myself) almost 40 years ago. By that time, the bridge had seen better days. Carrying my sleeping bag, duffle, and food from the main area was memorable and not the best experience bouncing up and down and side to side – so high above the lake!
The bridge was an icon at Camp Ondessonk – so unique, spanning Lake Echon which was considered the main feature of the entire property. A unique experience that every camper who crossed it remembers; good or not so good! It’s truly a shame that the bridge could not be saved. It was torn down in the mid-1980s; some say it’s at the bottom of Lake Echon under many feet of sludge. Now campers have to go around the lake to access their units on the east side of Camp – not a short distance. One day, I hope that Camp will be able to shorten that distance with a new bridge.
Click here to learn more about Camp Ondessonk’s mission and history.
