Unca Lou and Omer

On a cool and misty morning in the year 1936, a red canoe glided silently across the still waters of South Tea Lake. In it were two young men; one with a dream, the other with the skills to make it real.

Naturalist Lou Handler and legendary canoeist Omer Stringer had come to this part of Algonquin Park looking for some very special land -- a place that would make the perfect campsite. And as the morning sun burned away the early mist, they approached the northern shore of this two-mile lake with their hopes high . . .

The sparkling clear waters revealed a firm and sandy shoreline without any steep drop-offs as it sloped gently up to meet the land. These would be safe swimming waters . . .

The men left the canoe and scrambled up the embankment. Under the tangle of century-old windfalls they saw that the land was flat, and the sandy soil promised clear drinking wells . . .

The location -- just a quick jaunt around a bend from the main park road -- was close enough for quick access. But the men thought its distance far enough to assure that this, indeed, would be a wilderness camp . . .

The sun was high when they returned to the bluff where they had entered the forest. They looked out over the lake as the barest of breezes rippled across the sapphire blue waters. Finally they turned to each other and grinned. Their search was over.

This was to be the campsite. This was to be Tamakwa.

Today, this is Tamakwa. It has been over 60 years since 'Unca' Lou Handler and Omer Stringer brought the first 27 campers across South Tea Lake. Tamakwa has grown to a camp of 220 boys and girls -- ages 7 to 16 -- and over 100 experienced staff members.

Rising out of the forest, Tamakwa is a "children's village" -- a wooded habitat where campers live comfortably and play safely. It is a creative, nurturing, pressure-free place where children can do what they do best: be themselves.