Figure 1.--Here we see a scene at Camp Tosebo. The Camp was located on Portahe Lake and there was a heavy emphasis on water activities. Click on the image for a view of the Council Fire at the Camp. Indian lore was another important activity. |
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Camp Tosebo was located on Portage Lake near Manistee, Michigan. The camp was founded in 1912 (one source says 1915), one of the first summer camps in America. The boys' camp appears to have closed about 1970. The site is now use as a senic camp for vacationers seeking a bucolic get-away. The founder was Noble Hill who was then the Headmaster of the Todd School for Boys. The Camp from the beginning was thus associated with the Tood School in Woodstock, Illinois--a tony boys' boarding school. The Camp was a kind of summer home for the Todd Seminary for Boys, a respected private school in Illinois. This explains the name Camp: To-Se-Bo. We thought a first it was an indican name. The School eventually dropped the term "seminary". The Todd boys traveled to the Camp by Pullman bus or Lake ferry. The Hill family operated Camp Tosebo from its founding in 1912 through 1963. Hill's daughter Carol Fawcett took over and then his grandson Ross Taylor. The Todd School itself closed in 1953, but Camp Tosebo continued to operate an 8 week summer program. The camp was then sold and operated by other individuals until finally closing in 1997. It was a well endowed camp have lake-side sight and extensives facilitiees for boating, camping, camp fire programs, horse-back riding, Indian lore, sports (especially softball), swimming, and a wide range of other activities. A major force at the Camp 1929 to 1971 was program director, Anthony “Coach” Roskie. He helped plan the activities program and was involved in Life Savers instruction, teaching Indian dances, or coordinating weekly softball games. The camp uniform in the 1950s consisted of a colored "T" shirt with the name of the school and short pants. This was common at private summer camps. We have some images from the 1950s.
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