Camp History

Camp History

The 1920s

The 1920s

  • 1927 – Carrie “Shorty” Fournier establishes Fournier’s Camp, a bass fishing resort, on the north shore of Franklin Lake

  • 1927 – Deerpath, iconic to Camp Nicolet, is constructed

The 1940s

The 1940s

  • Georgianna Schrader Starz, second-generation to-be Owner & Director is born
  • 1944 – Founders Ann & Wendall Schrader purchase and establish Camp Nicolet for Girls

  • 1945 – Camp Nicolet opens for its first summer

  • 1948 – Forest Lodge is constructed

The 1950s & 60s

The 1950s & 60s

  • Mark a significant period of growth and development for Camp Nicolet

  • The Schrader family, with assistance from dedicated Staff, establish many of Nicolet’s present programs & traditions
  • Many structures and cabins we know today are constructed

  • Camp Nicolet is the first camp in the North Woods to offer Water Skiing – early 1950s

  • The Canadian Canoe trip becomes a Camping/Tripping (now Northpoint Adventures) tradition

  • Marathon Day is begun by Program Director Barb “Bog” Hollmann in the mid-1960s

The 1970s

The 1970s

  • Third-generation to-be Owner & Director Jeremy Starz is born
  • 1971 – Camp Nicolet for Girls, Inc. is established as a registered Wisconsin Corporation
  • 1971 – Ann & Wendall Schrader retire as first-generation Owners & Directors

  • 1972 – Georgianna Schrader Starz and Jeff Starz assume day-to-day camp operations

  • 1972 – The Swiss Challenge program is offered to Senior Campers (1972 only)

  • 1975 – Georgi and Jeff build their permanent home at Camp Nicolet

The 1980s & 90s

The 1980s & 90s

  • Third-generation to-be Owner & Northpoint Adventures founder Christopher Starz is born
  • 1985 – Georgianna Schrader Starz assumes full Directorship of Camp Nicolet for Girls
  • 1987 – Heart Friends becomes a tradition at Camp Nicolet
  • 1991 – Hosting programs in addition to traditional resident camp, Camp Nicolet for Girls, Inc. becomes Camp Nicolet, Inc.
  • 1996 – Camp Nicolet hosts a post-season one-week resident camp for the Woodson YMCA of Wausau, WI (through 2009)

  • The 90s mark a period of growth in camp programming, with consistent three, four, and seven-week sessions

The 2000s

The 2000s

  • 2002 – Christopher and Jeremy Starz rejoin Georgianna Schrader Starz as colleagues at Camp Nicolet, Inc.
  • 2002 – The Camp Nicolet Foundation is established in honor of founders Ann & Wendall Schrader
  • 2002 – The first Isle Royale Backpacking trip takes place, with a full trip of seven Campers & three Staff
  • 2004 – Christopher Starz establishes the Northpoint Wakeboard & Water Ski School.  The Mobius is purchased.
  • 2006 – Christopher Starz passes as a result of an automobile accident in Wyoming
  • 2006 – The Christopher Starz Leadership Memorial Fund is established in his honor and memory
  • 2006 – The Canadian Canoe trip returns as the Voyageurs Wilderness Canoe trip
  • 2009 – Northpoint Adventures is established and begins operating in memory of Christopher Starz
  • 2009 – Pictured Rocks Backpacking departs, as the first-ever Northpoint Adventures trip

  • 2009 – Chickadee Lodge is constructed, replacing Deerpath, for Leadership Program campers

The 2010s

The 2010s

  • 2010 – Camp Nicolet returns to an eight-week resident camp summer, with various session options
  • 2011 – Cookie Cup I – a new all-Camper versus all-Staff soccer game is played in early August

  • 2014 – The first Rocky Mountain Backpacking trip with Northpoint Adventures departs in mid-July

  • 2017 – The one-week Northpoint Wakeboard & Water Ski Camp begins annual operation (through 2022)

  • 2019 – Camp Nicolet celebrates its 75th Anniversary

The 2020s

The 2020s

  • 2020 – Due to the pandemic, camp operates only Family Camp, Ski Camp, and Rocky Mountain Backpacking
  • 2020 – Jeremy Starz assumes Director of Operations & Finance responsibilities
  • 2021 – Mid-pandemic, Camp Nicolet reopens for one six-week resident camp program & Family Camp
  • 2022 – Camp Nicolet maintains a six-week resident camp program with two sessions, Ski Camp, & Family Camp
  • 2022 – Georgianna Schrader Starz assumes Director Emeritus and Social Media Coordinator responsibilities
  • 2022 – Jeremy Starz assumes full Owner & Director responsibilities in November
  • 2023 – Camp Nicolet returns to a seven-week resident camp program with various sessions & Family Camp

  • 2024 – Camp Nicolet celebrates its 80th Anniversary with special events and an Alumni Reunion in August

Camp Nicolet is family-owned and operated for eight decades. The Schrader & Starz families are grateful for the continued support of and the amazing working relationships with camp families, Campers, Staff, and Alumni. Thank you for helping make camp the wonderful place it is today!

Testimonials

Testimonials

Because of camp, I have been able to meet so many different people with all different backgrounds. Camp is just a magical place where girls from all over come to be girls, and I can honestly say there has not been a day at camp out of all my years that I did not feel like I had best friends who really cared for me.

Alumni

Everyone was so kind and attentive. I enjoyed getting the letters and seeing the excitement in our daughters handwriting. She survived without her phone! We have camp as a reference now, as we remind her of how much she accomplished without devices or streaming media

Parent of Camper
Camp means more to me that you will ever know. My best friends/sisters are the most important people in my life. I am forever grateful to you for providing me (and my mom!) with nine wonderful summers. I would not be who I am today without Nicolet.
Alumni

The fact that you are able to slow these girls down, detach them from their electronics, and show them all that Nicolet has to offer is amazing to me and very lucky for them. You have not only kept the very special legacy of Nicolet going, but you have added to and changed camp in such a way that you have kept it relevant to this next generation. Thank you for that.

Alumni
Our daughter would not be the strong, confident person she is today without the experiences she had at Camp Nicolet. Thank you a thousand times over!
Parent of Camper

As a preteen who struggled to find her place in school— I absolutely flourished at camp and was forever changed. Camp Nicolet helped me discover who I was and how powerful one girl could become.

Alumni

Camp Nicolet is a tremendous gift, not just for our daughter, but for our whole family. It’s always nice to remind our daughter that her favorite time of year is the one month she doesn’t have a phone in her hands. Camp is a huge part of who our daughter is – for that we are thankful.

Parent of Camper

Cannot begin to thank you enough for giving my daughter a chance to have the most amazing summer of her young life. she thoroughly enjoyed her time at camp, made so many nice friends, and had so many wonderful experiences (including the backpacking trip along Lake Superior) that she can’t stop talking about it.

Parent of Camper
One day, I will return to gather Nicolet up into my arms. One does not forget, ever, being so very lucky to have grown up with such a friend as Nicolet. I treasure it always.
Alumni

My 9 years at Camp Nicolet are some of the highlights of my life.  I think of my time on Lake Franklin, laughing, singing, learning new skills, and making lifelong friends. The memories are a source of pure joy and happiness buffering the inevitable challenges of life!

Alumni