Camp LuWiSoMo began as a dream over 35 years ago as members of the SWD Lutheran Laymen’s League set their hearts on developing an outdoor ministry in the South Wisconsin District.  After a committee was set up to get the ball rolling, they sent out promotional questionnaires to the pastors and teachers in the SWD in April of 1958 which contained the following introductory quote from the Lutheran Education (April, 1957):

"Camping is here to stay in American life!  As our church grows, we must become aware of the tremendous possibilities camping offers our church in training our youth for intelligent Christian living. We must make use of every available means in preparing our children for combating forces of evil in the world today—organized camping is one of the significant contributions of American education. Yet, it is one of the most neglected areas in a church’s program of Christian Education."

The initial fifteen member Camp Committee was represented by LLL, LWML, Walther League, teacher representatives, District and Synodical representatives, and Gamma Delta LC-MS scout representatives. The first, and perhaps the most significant challenge was finding and selecting a suitable location. After inspecting numerous sites in southern Wisconsin, during the winter of 1960/61, they selected a plot of land 10 miles west of Waupaca which contained a lake rumored to have the best fishing around. However, when the ice thawed that spring, they discovered that the weeds in the lake, although great for fish, made swimming and boating rather impractical, pertinent activities for a potential camp. Then they set their sights on seven acres of land with 700 feet of lake frontage on Big Hills Lake and seven cabins already in place. Although it sounded like a good deal for $73,000, seven acres hardly seemed like enough land for a camp. The land owner directed them across the road to the farm of George Peacock for the possibility of purchasing additional acreage, and upon doing so, George Peacock offered them 340 acres with 800 feet of frontage on Round Lake for $60,000. On October 8, 1961, at a meeting in Watertown, the LLL voted 154 to 8 in favor of purchasing the Peacock farm (I bet you never knew that LuWiSoMo used to be a Peacock farm), and on November 1, 1961, LLL took possession of the property.

Herbert Jaeger, who was put in charge of finding a suitable name for the newly emerging camp, asked each of the Lutheran schools in the District to have their students come up with names. Each class was to select the best name submitted by the students, and each school selected one of the names submitted by the classes. Of these names, the first and second runner-ups were "Blessed Acres" and "Quiet Waters." However, in June of 1961, the Camp Committee named the camp "LuWiSoMo," a name submitted by a nine-year-old fifth grader from Bethany Lutheran School in Milwaukee, Karen Rieck (now Gromowski). "LuWiSoMo" is an acronym for Lutheran Wisconsin South (District) Missouri (Synod) (although some people are convinced that "LuWiSoMo" is a Native American name).

On July 22, 1962, more than 1,000 people gathered on the newly purchased property for the dedication of Camp LuWiSoMo. Again, in July of 1963, people gathered to celebrate Camp LuWiSoMo’s dedication. When they gathered again in July of 1964, they decided to serve a chicken barbeque which was provided by Brakebush Brothers, Inc. This evolved into an annual event which became known as "Family Day" (and even in recent years the chicken has been provided by Brakebush).

Work had begun immediately to fix up the property and shape it into a camp. Pages could be filled with stories of the sweat and determination of dedicated Lutherans giving their time and talents to create the foundations of an outdoor ministry. Trees were planted, roads were bulldozed, and farm buildings were transformed into usable camp facilities. A horse barn became a dormitory. A garage became an office. A machine shed became a dining hall and kitchen. The building which now serves as the arts & crafts center, staff lodging, and storage used to be the pig pens. In fact, this staff room today is affectionately referred to as the "Pig Pen." The largest building on the grounds (80' by 96') was a barn for beef cattle on the main level and hay storage on the second level originally constructed in 1943 for $33,000 (that’s a rather expensive barn for 1943). This became a chapel and recreation hall. Donations from a number of Lutheran congregations provided the chapel furnishings and stained glass windows, turning this structure into a unique landmark for LuWiSoMo. The huge stained glass cross (constructed by Lee Krenzke and Family) on the face of the barn is one of the first and often most memorable sites people see as they enter the camp. The cabins and shower house were built in 1966. In 1968, 80 acres of land was donated to LuWiSoMo which connected to the east end of the property (what is now the nature trail beyond the campground), bringing the total acreage to 420 acres of land. The cement platform for the outside crib feeders for the beef became the foundation for the metal maintenance building in 1971, and the shower house in the campground was constructed this same year.

After 20 years of outdoor ministry, LLL offered to give Camp LuWiSoMo to the South Wisconsin District, and on September 10, 1981 the SWD Board of Directors voted to accept the camp from LLL and take over its operation. Improvements to the camp continued. Groundbreaking began in June of 1988 for the Harvey Krueger Retreat Center which further expanded the ministry possibilities. In 1998, two tree houses and a picnic shelter were constructed. The Camp Board hopes to expand the Krueger Retreat Center to better accommodate families and adults.

Ed Goetsch served as the first camp director/ranger, living on the grounds from 1961 to 1968, and he was instrumental in helping the camp grow in those early years. He was succeeded by Harlan Limmer, who served from 1968 to 1974. Eugene Sattler became the first full-time Executive Director at Camp LuWiSoMo in 1975 and served until 1982. He initiated a number of new programs such as the Golden Agers Retreat, Pee Wee camps, Boundary Water canoe trips, and Colorado backpacking adventures. He was followed by Scott Hirssig, who served from 1982 to 1996. The current Executive Director is Kurtis Bueltmann and has served since 1996.

The first motto for Camp LuWiSoMo was "For a greater appreciation of God’s creation." The current Camp Board has articulated the mission of LuWiSoMo as follows: "Camp LuWiSoMo is dedicated to providing faith-growing opportunities in a Christ-centered outdoor ministry setting for all ages to refresh the whole person through the blessings of people, facilities, and God’s Word." Throughout the years, Camp LuWiSoMo has been a significant place for people to relax and rejuvenate physically as they enjoy the fellowship and outdoors, and to rejuvenate spiritually as the Gospel of Christ is shared through Bible studies, songs, devotions, and guest speakers. It is my prayer that God continues to bless the ministry at Camp LuWiSoMo so that more lives are touched with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

This article merely provides a brief summary of events in the history of Camp LuWiSoMo.  LuWiSoMo has been impacted by a great number of people and congregations throughout the years who have helped make LuWiSoMo what it is today, and it would be nearly impossible to mention all of them. However, I would be interested in putting together a more comprehensive history of Camp LuWiSoMo, so if you have any interesting facts, stories, or corrections you would like to share, please send them to Kurtis Bueltmann .