Description:
In 1920 Glenn Ellis and a friend were coming back from a
retreat in Black Mountain, N.C. They ended up camping out beside a new
lake named Ocoee that had just been formed a few years earlier by the Tennessee
Electric Company. As they sat around the campfire that night, Mr. Ellis (Chick)
had the idea that this location would make a wonderful place for a boys camp
for the Chattanooga YMCA. In 1923 his dream became a reality when the first
group of campers from the YMCA came to Ocoee.
In the early
years campers stayed in tents and water was carried by hand from a spring which
is still at camp. The activities were mainly swimming and nature. As the idea
and camp proved it's worth, buildings began to replace the tents. More and more
people started using the camp and getting involved in the idea of YMCA Camp
Ocoee. As time went by a two week girls camp was begun at the end of the boys
camp; then in 1967, Camp
Ocoee became coed.
The camp has
grown to the point where facilities are open 8 months a year with Ellis Dinning
Hall being available year round. Glenn Ellis retired in 1958 seeing his dream
come a reality not only for children but families, church groups, civic
organizations and other individuals who use the location in the outdoor setting
to appreciate God's work. At the present time, the camp serves over 1200
campers during the summer camp and over 8000 a year from families and rental
groups. The same Christian ideals and spirit that Glenn Ellis had when he found
Camp Ocoee are still prevalent today
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