By Troika Brodsky
As I embark on my twenty-third summer at Camp Nebagamon, I realize that many of you may not be aware that I also once spent an entire winter living in the Village of Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. Back in the fall of 2005, I collaborated with Nardie and Sally Stein to devise a plan for digitally archiving the extensive photographic history of Camp Nebagamon, which comprised nearly 20,000 images spanning over 80 years. The proposal was simple: I needed a cozy place to stay close to the Big House, where the photo albums were stored, a reliable scanner, warm clothing, and ample time.
With the support of Nardie, Sally, Adam, and Stephanie and a group of dedicated alumni including Gene Dattel, Jerome Dattel, Kasper Rorsted, James Pritzker, Andy Tisch, Dan Tisch, Jim Tisch, Tom Tisch, John Altshool, and Joe Kirkish, the plan was approved and the perfect winter residence was located at the old Lake Nebagamon marina, now a charming single-family home located just steps away from the lake on E. Waterfront Drive. The panoramic winter views of Lake Nebagamon from what was once a building used to refuel and repair boats were captivating. I officially became a resident of Lake Nebagamon in November 2005, marking the beginning of our ambitious project. We procured a high-end scanner from the Duluth Best Buy and I further equipped myself for the long winter ahead with a pair of used cross-country skis, a very large television, a Netflix subscription, and a PO Box at the Nebagamon post office… to receive DVD’s from Netflix [note to younger readers: Netflix used to be a company that mailed out physical media for watching movies and tv shows called DVD’s].
The task was straightforward but time-consuming. I would drive to the Big House once or twice a week to retrieve and replace around twenty photo albums at a time. Starting from the summer of 1929, I meticulously scanned each image, careful not to scratch the glass pane of the flatbed scanner with the metal spiral binding of each album. It took an average of 2-3 minutes per photo to scan, name, and save each digital image file, explaining why the project stretched over nearly a year.
Despite the intense focus on archiving, my winter in Lake Nebagamon was enriched by memorable experiences. I forged friendships, honed my pool skills, went ice fishing with Adam Fornear and Andy Mack, developed a fascination for Olympic curling (there we five “curlers” on the Olympic team from Bemidji, MN to root for!), and worked towards competency in cross-country skiing on the trails maintained by Caretaker Joe and Tony Coletta. I also immersed myself in local culture, attending both Daisy and Leo Mack’s roller skating birthday party and a community “dinner theater” production at the Lake Nebagamon Auditorium. This winter proved to be one of the most meaningful chapters of my life, and I remain deeply grateful for the generosity of our alumni and the warm embrace of the Lake Nebagamon community.
Claim your CampMinder Camp Nebagamon alumni account so you can login and browse, tag, download high resolution photos and update your contact information so we can reach you with newsletters, emails, and mailings.
In November 2006, I completed the scanning of the final photo albums and returned home to St. Louis, Missouri. While the archival project ultimately expanded to include additional documents such as cabin lists and staff rosters, the digitization process for these documents was streamlined and outsourced. By spring 2009, the Camp Nebagamon website hosted the first iteration of a searchable online database, providing access to the entire photographic archive spanning from 1929 to present. Today, every Camp Nebagamon alumnus already has an account to access the Photo Archive through CampMinder, a platform many of you are likely already familiar with. CampMinder also functions as our primary alumni database for managing how we connect with the Camp Family when we want to send out the latest Arrowhead or let you know about upcoming events or reunions. Of course you can always just drop us an email when you have a change of mailing address, email address, or phone number, but you can also update your contact info with us yourself by logging into CampMinder. If for any reason you ever have trouble accessing or logging into CampMinder, please just contact the Camp Office and we will happily assist you.
Today, the Photo Archive boasts nearly 20,000 searchable images, thanks to the dedication of our alumni in tagging faces and subjects. If you want to start tagging photos, you can click the “TAGS +” button next to any photo to send a tag to the camp office for approval for publication before it populates in the archive. While there’s still work to be done, the archive remains a valuable and engaging resource for our Camp Family, offering searchable, free downloads of high-resolution images suitable for printing and reminiscing. Although nothing compares to flipping through physical photo albums in the Big House, the ability to access our memories from anywhere in the world is a remarkable consolation prize.
To visit the Camp Nebagamon online digital Photo Archive click here or navigate to the “Camp Family” section of the Camp Nebagamon website.
To tag names, cabins, or subjects just click the “TAGS +” button and type in the appropriate text and press return. Tags will be sent to the Camp Office for approval and population. Thank you for your help!