Summer Camp: Filibert Roth

The facilities at Lost Lake deteriorated to such an extent that they were no longer safe. The U.S. Forest Service was not willing to invest the $1 million it would have taken to rebuild them. FNR was also not willing to do so either, so a new facility had to be located. A possible alternative was Camp Filibert Roth (CFR). The camp was familiar to the faculty because for many years a competition was held with the University of Michigan forestry students at CFR.

The CFR was closed in 1980’s. It took lots of pleading, but UM agreed to reopen their camp for us if long time camp director Mac was willing to come out of retirement to be our host. He was and CFR became our summer camp facility from 1985 until 1991. The rustic pine lumber cabins dated to the 1930’s, but a modern dining hall, kitchen, and student center had been built. As with all the previous camps, the director was fully responsible for hiring cooks, purchasing supplies, and dealing with the students, and sometimes faculty members.

Golden Lake provided much better fishing than Lost Lake. Golden was deep enough for lake trout. Hybrid trout were also stocked. There were no attractions in the vicinity of the camp, requiring a long drive to Iron River to the east, or Watersmeet to the west.

Reminiscences of Summer Camp at Camp Filbert Roth
Schoeppel, Mary J. 1989. “Summer Camp.” Purdue Forestry & Natural Resources 75th Anniversary Log. p. 60-63.

Thompson, Amy. 1990. “Forestry Summer Camp.” The Log 1990. P. 27-31.

Howard, Samantha. 1991. “Forestry Summer Camp.” The Purdue Log 1991. p. 50-52.