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Brief History of Camp Au Sable

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The year was 1947. The place was a hotel in Saginaw, Michigan. The date was December 3. It took only a stroke of a pen and a check for $30,000 and 840 acres of woods with a 100 acre private lake belonged to the Michigan Conference of SDA. It was there that the story of what we call Camp Au Sable began.

Here is a brief history of some interesting events through the years:

  • 1948 – The dining hall and two cabins were constructed
  • 1949 – First camps at Au Sable:
    • July 31- August 7 – First boy's camp
    • August 7 – 14 Second boy's camp
    • August 14- 21 – First girl's camp (almost everyone stayed in tents)
  • 1951 – Medical building and three more double cabins
  • 1953 – Staff building and Chapel in The Woods
  • 1954 – Craft building erected
  • 1955 – First permanent caretaker moved onto camp property
  • 1957 – First wilderness camp and winter camp
  • 1965 – Forest fire which destroyed only about 2 acres
  • 1966 – Cedar village built and first year both boys and girls had camp at the same time.
  • 1970 – New shop built
  • 1971 – A busy year when the barn was built and the horse area was established
    • Fort Shellenbarger completed – Mission Village cabin built across the lake
    • First wedding performed at Chapel in the Woods – Athletic shed built
    • Saw mill constructed – Camp Director's cabin erected
  • 1973 – Nature Center opened
  • 1975 – Cedar Lodge built
  • 1977 – New entrance sign over road
  • 1978 – New home built for camp manager
  • 1979 – Parking lot and part of road paved
  • 1980 – New road built from entrance on M-72
  • 1981 – Entrance sign moved to M-72 entrance – road paved from highway to dining hall
  • 1982 – 1986 Mini-Mac bridge built – barn enlarged and horse shed constructed
  • 1987 – Nature Center enlarged and new modern rest rooms built
  • 1991 – Updated tack shed with classroom for teaching horsemanship
  • 1993 – Forest Lodge built
  • 1994 – Auditorium completed
  • 1997 – Go Cart track finished
  • 2001 – Astronomy Observatory
  • 2002 – Fort rebuilt with treated poles
  • 2003 – RV Park built
  • 2008 – Store remodeled and expanded
  • 2009 – New docks for swimming area
  • 2009 – New kitchen
  • 2009 – 2010 and beyond (Stay tuned – much more to come)

If you would like to read the entire History from Elder Harold Jewkes, please download this pdf file.