Before There Was Camp Ondessonk There Was Camp Pakentuck
By Pati Egan
Camp Pakentuck’s opening date can not be confirmed but patches from the 1940’s exist. It appears to be founded by Roy Manchester, a prominent Scout Leader. “In 1919 he became executive of the Paducah Council, which was renamed McCracken County (1920), Chief Paducah (1925), and Four Rivers (1940) during his tenure.” Wikipedia.org
“He remained a Scout executive for 34 years. The dining hall at Camp Pakentuck was named “Manchester Lodge” in his honor, and in 1979, the Four Rivers Scout Camp was renamed Camp Roy C. Manchester in his honor.[2]” –Wikipedia.org
His dream of a summer camp for Boy Scouts became a reality. It is not known how he chose the site or how he acquired the land. It is fortunate for Camp Ondessonk that this site was chosen. Camp Pakentuck was staffed by some scouts from Illinois. These scouts, perhaps, hiked outside of the boundaries of Camp Pakentuck. Older staff or campers might recall an old house called “The Deer Hunters Lodge” close to the Pakentuck turn off. This house originally belonged to the Durbins of Durbin’s Barn fame. The house was very close to what is now Kane Lake. It’s not unrealistic to think that some of these scouts hiked onto what is now Camp property. Camp Pakentuck was a thriving camp that offered all a Boy Scout could want! Swimming, hiking, woods crafts and living in the great outdoors.
Documents give clues to Camp Pakentuck’s existence.
Camp Pakentuck had an interesting way to pay your camp fee. Scouts could get a card and the Scout Leader would mark off an amount the scout paid. When the card was full – the Scout paid for camp. Perhaps they sold candy or something to earn money for this.
Camp Pakentuck’s closing date is not listed on the internet. It was before Camp Ondessonk was born in 1959. This table shows that it was sold to Camp Ondessonk but does not give a date.
| Camp Pakentuck | Egyptian Council | Ozark, IL | Closed | Egyptian Council built Pine Ridge Scout Reservation in 1953 and Pakentuck was transferred to Four Rivers Council. It was later sold and became Camp Ondessonk Catholic Camp. |
What doe’s Pakentuck stand for? It is named for Paducah, Kentucky. Pa – for Paducah – kentuck – for Kentucky.
Camp history and Pakentuck history are closely intertwined. If Ray Manchester hadn’t founded Pakentuck…perhaps the location of Camp Ondessonk would be somewhere else. The majestic Cedar Falls draws many people to Camp Ondessonk. If one looks on YouTube you will find many videos of the falls. It is truly God’s creation at it’s finest. 1,000’s of Campers have sat by the falls and just let nature take them away – no video games, no Virtual Reality, no phones, no distractions- just the wonder of creation all around.
Photos found on Facebook- Pakentuck
Click here to learn more about Camp Ondessonk History & Mission.
