Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew
Encyclopedia
Des Plaines Valley Council is a Boy Scouts of America
local council headquartered in La Grange
, Illinois
, United States. It was formed through the merger of West Suburban Council and Thatcher Woods Council in 1993. The council operates Camp Shin-Go-Beek near Waupaca, Wisconsin
and Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew near Elcho, Wisconsin
. The council operates The BSA Adventure Camp in Rochelle, Illinois in a joint venture with Three Fires Council. The council sold Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi-Knolls in Huntley, Illinois
to the Kane County Forest Preserve District as of January 1, 2007. Des Plaines Valley Council is served by Pachsegink Lodge.
, Clarendon Hills
, Darien
, Downers Grove
, Hinsdale
, Lemont
, Westmont
, and Willowbrook
.
Twin Lakes District services Bellwood
, Broadview
, Elmwood Park
, Forest Park
, Franklin Park
, Leyden Township
, Maywood
, Melrose Park
, Northlake
, Oak Park
, River Forest
, River Grove
, and Stone Park
.
Voyageur Trace District services Berwyn
, Bridgeview
, Brookfield
, Countryside
, Hodgkins
, Indian Head Park
, Justice
, La Grange
, La Grange Highlands
, La Grange Park
, Lyons
, McCook
, North Riverside
, Riverside
, Stickney
, Westchester
, Western Springs
, and Willow Springs
.
, in Langlade County, Wisconsin
, United States
, on Enterprise Lake
, a.
The camp operates two weeks a year, from the last week of July to the first week of August. Scout troops stay for 7 days at a time, checking in Sunday, checking out Saturday.
Major parts of the camp's program are its merit badge
classes. A wide range of merit badges are offered. Other activities include hiking, fishing, a bog hike, boating, rifle, shotgun, climbing, swimming and livesaving.
Mach's facilities include a waterfront area, a field sports area (comprising rifle, shotgun, and archery ranges), thirteen campgrounds, several piers, a campfire bowl, a climbing tower, a forge , a water slide, a shower house, and a chapel. However, the camp has no dining hall, so the Scouts cook all their meals with supplies provided by the camp (except for the first and last dinners.)
The extensive waterfront area is located on a beach along Enterprise Lake. It consists of a large swimming area, a lookout tower (known as "Gloria" ), a boat dock, and a water slide. The camp owns a fleet of boats, consisting of kayaks, sunfish class sailboats, catamarans, an inboard motorboat for waterskiing, an outboard motorboat, rowboats, canoes, a dinghy, and sailboards. The camp also has two smaller lakes "Big Apple" and "Little Apple" within its borders.
The Camp Cup is a competition between the troops visiting the camp. The scoring for the Camp Cup is derived from campsite inspections and competitions in scout skills (e.g. archery). One major competition is Monster Camp, in which troops decorate their campsite using scout skills. Judges search in the temporary sets for good use of scout skills, such as lashings.
Because the Boy Scouts of America
maintains a "Leave No Trace
" philosophy, the Scouts that attend Camp Mach attempt to preserve the camp's natural environment. The only island in Enterprise Lake is owned by the camp. It is maintained as a wildlife sanctuary, therefore no person can set foot on the island. Other natural features include two small lakes, a bog, and a marsh.
on Big Twin and Little Twin lakes. The camp is close to the chain-of-lakes area of central Wisconsin, the Crystal River and Shadow Lake (used for camp canoe trips), and many outdoor recreation areas including the Wolf and Fox Rivers. The small hamlets of the area are just waiting for camp staff members to discover another excellent eatery or a well stocked hardware store while meeting the local residents. College towns of Oshkosh, Appleton, and Steven's Point are nearby. The camp is serviced by Order of the Arrow
Pachsegink Lodge.
Both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts use Camp Shin-Go-Beek. The camp operates for several weeks in late June and early July, then the staff moves to Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew for two weeks.
The camp offers prepared meals, a waterfront for swimming, an archery
range, a shooting
range with new shelter, an amazing observatory
with refracting telescope, handicrafts, pioneering exercises, and an Order of the Arrow
call-out ceremony every week. The Lodge uniquely provides for the elected to undergo their ordeal during their camp week.
Camp Shin-Go-Beek (a native American word for scrubby pine trees) is kept in a mostly natural state. All alterations to the existing property are done with extreme care. The crafts area of Camp Shin Go Beek is made entirely with lashings and remains in a completely natural state. The camp is home to chipmunks, deer
, coyotes, and many endangered birds, such as the bald eagle
, the sandhill crane
, and the blue heron
.
A concern of the camp is the fact that Little Twin Lake has completely dried up. The water level in Big Twin Lake has also dropped noticeably. However, this cycle of the twins is not completely without precedent as little twin was nearly dry in the early 60s and called by the campers "Bounce Land." The nickname was both a tribute to the bouncy feel of the lake bed, but also a tongue in cheek reference to a trampoline amusement park in Melrose Park, IL.
The camp has a rich heritage having been in constant service since 1948. With a foot in two states, Illinois Scouts who have camped at Shin-Go-Beek for those sixty years are quick to point out the amazing things they accomplished and the wonderful brother Scouts the met in a camp week. For older Scouts who became members of the dedicated, knowledgeable, and mature camp staff, they learned leadership and explored new horizons in Wisconsin while learning the very best of legend and lore of one the midwest's very best youth camps.
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
local council headquartered in La Grange
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States. It was formed through the merger of West Suburban Council and Thatcher Woods Council in 1993. The council operates Camp Shin-Go-Beek near Waupaca, Wisconsin
Waupaca, Wisconsin
Waupaca is a city in Waupaca County in the state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. The city is believed to be named after Sam Waupaca of the Potowatomi tribe....
and Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew near Elcho, Wisconsin
Elcho, Wisconsin
Elcho is a town in Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,317 at the 2000 census. The census-designated places of Elcho and Post Lake are located in the town.-Geography:...
. The council operates The BSA Adventure Camp in Rochelle, Illinois in a joint venture with Three Fires Council. The council sold Camp Tomo-Chi-Chi-Knolls in Huntley, Illinois
Huntley, Illinois
Huntley is a rapidly-growing village in McHenry and Kane Counties, Illinois. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the village's population to be 22,923. As of the 2000 Census, the village had a mere 5,730 people, meaning the village's population has more than tripled in eight years...
to the Kane County Forest Preserve District as of January 1, 2007. Des Plaines Valley Council is served by Pachsegink Lodge.
Organization
Tall Grass District services Burr RidgeBurr Ridge, Illinois
Burr Ridge is a suburb of Chicago, in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois. The population was 11,560 at the 2008 census.-Geography:Burr Ridge is located at ....
, Clarendon Hills
Clarendon Hills, Illinois
Clarendon Hills is an affluent village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,610 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Clarendon Hills is located at...
, Darien
Darien, Illinois
Darien is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, USA. The population was 22,086 at the 2010 census.A suburb of Chicago, Darien was named after a town in Connecticut.-Popular culture:...
, Downers Grove
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
, Hinsdale
Hinsdale, Illinois
Hinsdale is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois; it is located partly in Cook County and mainly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 17,349 at the 2000 census. The town's ZIP code is 60521. The town has a rolling, wooded topography, with a quaint downtown and is a 30-minute...
, Lemont
Lemont, Illinois
Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is roughly southwest of Chicago. The population was 16,625 at the 2007 Special Census.-History:...
, Westmont
Westmont, Illinois
Westmont is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211...
, and Willowbrook
Willowbrook, DuPage County, Illinois
Willowbrook is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,967 at the 2000 census.-History:Willowbrook grew from the Ridgemoor subdivision...
.
Twin Lakes District services Bellwood
Bellwood, Illinois
Bellwood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,535 at the 2000 census.There is a railroad station with commuter service to Chicago.-Geography:Bellwood is located at ....
, Broadview
Broadview, Illinois
Broadview is a village in Cook County, Illinois west of Chicago. The population was 8,264 at the 2000 census.-About Broadview:Broadview was incorporated as a village in 1914. It is located in Proviso Township along the western edge of Cook County....
, Elmwood Park
Elmwood Park, Illinois
Elmwood Park is a village bordering the northwest side of the City of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,405 at the 2000 census. The community has long maintained a large Italian-American population, with a more recent influx of Polish-American and Hispanic...
, Forest Park
Forest Park, Illinois
Forest Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census...
, Franklin Park
Franklin Park, Illinois
Franklin Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,800 at the 2004 census.-Geography:Franklin Park is located at ....
, Leyden Township
Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois
Leyden Township is one of thirty townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 94,685.-Geography:Leyden Township is located just northwest of the city of Chicago, an edge of which lies within the township but as a separate entity...
, Maywood
Maywood, Illinois
Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It was founded on April 6, 1869 and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 26,987 at the 2000 census.-Overview:...
, Melrose Park
Melrose Park, Illinois
Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a "near-in" suburb of Chicago. The population was 23,171 at the 2000 census. Melrose Park has long been home to a large Italian-American population, though now it is majority Mexican-American. It was the home of Kiddieland...
, Northlake
Northlake, Illinois
Northlake is a city in suburban Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,878 at the 2000 census. The city's moniker is "The City of Friendly People".-Geography:...
, Oak Park
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, River Forest
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
, River Grove
River Grove, Illinois
River Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,668 at the 2000 census.-Geography:River Grove is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of ....
, and Stone Park
Stone Park, Illinois
Stone Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,127 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stone Park is located at ....
.
Voyageur Trace District services Berwyn
Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
, Bridgeview
Bridgeview, Illinois
Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois in the United States. It is located approximately from the Chicago Loop. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 16,446...
, Brookfield
Brookfield, Illinois
Brookfield is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, west of downtown. The population was 19,085 at the 2000 census...
, Countryside
Countryside, Illinois
Countryside is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,991 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Countryside is located at ....
, Hodgkins
Hodgkins, Illinois
Hodgkins is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,134 at the 2000 census.A large United Parcel Service sorting facility, known as CACH, is located partly in Hodgkins and partly in nearby Willow Springs on the outskirts of Chicago...
, Indian Head Park
Indian Head Park, Illinois
Indian Head Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois slightly north of the intersection of Interstate 294 and Interstate 55. The village is south of Western Springs, north of Burr Ridge, and west of Countryside. The population was 3,685 at the 2000 census...
, Justice
Justice, Illinois
Justice is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States established in 1911. The population was 12,850 as of 2006.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.A major road running through the town is...
, La Grange
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, La Grange Highlands
La Grange Highlands, Illinois
La Grange Highlands is an unincorporated community south of La Grange in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is known for being a very nice wooded area with large residential properties. It is located close to I294, I55 and I355 which make it a convenient place to live....
, La Grange Park
La Grange Park, Illinois
La Grange Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village, which is a suburb of Chicago, population was 13,295.-Geography:La Grange Park is located at ....
, Lyons
Lyons, Illinois
Lyons is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,255 at the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1888, Lyons is steeped in earlier historical roots. In 1673 French Explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit missionary Father Pierre Marquette left Green Bay, Wisconsin by canoe...
, McCook
McCook, Illinois
McCook is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 254, which is the lowest population of all municipalities in the county. It was named for John J. McCook, a late 19th century director of the Santa Fe Railroad and a former...
, North Riverside
North Riverside, Illinois
North Riverside is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,688 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Riverside is located at ....
, Riverside
Riverside, Illinois
Riverside is an affluent suburban village in Cook County, Illinois. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population was 8,895 at the 2000 census...
, Stickney
Stickney, Illinois
Stickney is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,148 at the 2000 census. It was well known in the 1920s and early 1930s as the home for several bordellos linked to mobster Al Capone's empire....
, Westchester
Westchester, Illinois
Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,824 at the 2000 census. The current Village President is Sam D...
, Western Springs
Western Springs, Illinois
Western Springs is a suburb of Chicago located in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 12,493. It is twinned with Rugeley, United Kingdom....
, and Willow Springs
Willow Springs, Illinois
Willow Springs is a village in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,027 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Willow Springs is located at ....
.
Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew
Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew (popularly known as Camp Mach) is located near Elcho, WisconsinElcho, Wisconsin
Elcho is a town in Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,317 at the 2000 census. The census-designated places of Elcho and Post Lake are located in the town.-Geography:...
, in Langlade County, Wisconsin
Langlade County, Wisconsin
Langlade County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 20,740. Its county seat is Antigo.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on Enterprise Lake
Enterprise Lake (Wisconsin)
Enterprise Lake is a lake in Wisconsin, United States. It has a maximum depth of . Part of its shoreline, and only island, belongs to Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew....
, a.
Major parts of the camp's program are its merit badge
Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)
Merit badges are awards earned by youth members of the Boy Scouts of America , based on activities within an area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to...
classes. A wide range of merit badges are offered. Other activities include hiking, fishing, a bog hike, boating, rifle, shotgun, climbing, swimming and livesaving.
Mach's facilities include a waterfront area, a field sports area (comprising rifle, shotgun, and archery ranges), thirteen campgrounds, several piers, a campfire bowl, a climbing tower, a forge , a water slide, a shower house, and a chapel. However, the camp has no dining hall, so the Scouts cook all their meals with supplies provided by the camp (except for the first and last dinners.)
The extensive waterfront area is located on a beach along Enterprise Lake. It consists of a large swimming area, a lookout tower (known as "Gloria" ), a boat dock, and a water slide. The camp owns a fleet of boats, consisting of kayaks, sunfish class sailboats, catamarans, an inboard motorboat for waterskiing, an outboard motorboat, rowboats, canoes, a dinghy, and sailboards. The camp also has two smaller lakes "Big Apple" and "Little Apple" within its borders.
The Camp Cup is a competition between the troops visiting the camp. The scoring for the Camp Cup is derived from campsite inspections and competitions in scout skills (e.g. archery). One major competition is Monster Camp, in which troops decorate their campsite using scout skills. Judges search in the temporary sets for good use of scout skills, such as lashings.
Because the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
maintains a "Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
" philosophy, the Scouts that attend Camp Mach attempt to preserve the camp's natural environment. The only island in Enterprise Lake is owned by the camp. It is maintained as a wildlife sanctuary, therefore no person can set foot on the island. Other natural features include two small lakes, a bog, and a marsh.
Camp Shin-Go-Beek
Camp Shin-Go-Beek is located near Waupaca, WisconsinWaupaca, Wisconsin
Waupaca is a city in Waupaca County in the state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. The city is believed to be named after Sam Waupaca of the Potowatomi tribe....
on Big Twin and Little Twin lakes. The camp is close to the chain-of-lakes area of central Wisconsin, the Crystal River and Shadow Lake (used for camp canoe trips), and many outdoor recreation areas including the Wolf and Fox Rivers. The small hamlets of the area are just waiting for camp staff members to discover another excellent eatery or a well stocked hardware store while meeting the local residents. College towns of Oshkosh, Appleton, and Steven's Point are nearby. The camp is serviced by Order of the Arrow
Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America . It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the...
Pachsegink Lodge.
Both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts use Camp Shin-Go-Beek. The camp operates for several weeks in late June and early July, then the staff moves to Camp Mach-Kin-O-Siew for two weeks.
The camp offers prepared meals, a waterfront for swimming, an archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
range, a shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
range with new shelter, an amazing observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
with refracting telescope, handicrafts, pioneering exercises, and an Order of the Arrow
Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America . It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the...
call-out ceremony every week. The Lodge uniquely provides for the elected to undergo their ordeal during their camp week.
Camp Shin-Go-Beek (a native American word for scrubby pine trees) is kept in a mostly natural state. All alterations to the existing property are done with extreme care. The crafts area of Camp Shin Go Beek is made entirely with lashings and remains in a completely natural state. The camp is home to chipmunks, deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, coyotes, and many endangered birds, such as the bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, the sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
, and the blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
.
A concern of the camp is the fact that Little Twin Lake has completely dried up. The water level in Big Twin Lake has also dropped noticeably. However, this cycle of the twins is not completely without precedent as little twin was nearly dry in the early 60s and called by the campers "Bounce Land." The nickname was both a tribute to the bouncy feel of the lake bed, but also a tongue in cheek reference to a trampoline amusement park in Melrose Park, IL.
The camp has a rich heritage having been in constant service since 1948. With a foot in two states, Illinois Scouts who have camped at Shin-Go-Beek for those sixty years are quick to point out the amazing things they accomplished and the wonderful brother Scouts the met in a camp week. For older Scouts who became members of the dedicated, knowledgeable, and mature camp staff, they learned leadership and explored new horizons in Wisconsin while learning the very best of legend and lore of one the midwest's very best youth camps.