Happy campers
Camp Magruder marks 80 years of making memories in Rockaway Beach
By Chelsea Yarnell
For the TODAY
Songs, stories and s’mores around a campfire. Sounds like some good ol’-fashioned summer camp fun. And where better to make memories than at the beach?
For 80 years, Camp Magruder in Rockaway Beach has been the site and facilitator of adventure and friendship, and the public is invited to two events this month to celebrate and experience what’s made the camp special for decades.
The camp will host an 80th Anniversary Celebration from 10 am to 7:30 pm this Saturday, May 24. Guests can reconnect with fellow alumni, explore the campgrounds and participate in classic camp activities such as singing around the campfire and storying-sharing sessions.
“For 80 years, Camp Magruder has been a place of adventure, reflection and lifelong friendships,” said Camp Magruder Director Troy Taylor. “We can’t wait to welcome campers past and present to celebrate this milestone together.”
Visitors at the 80th Anniversary Celebration will be treated to a special one-hour evening train ride aboard the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad from Camp Magruder to Garibaldi and back.
A complimentary lunch will be served in Carrier Dining Hall, followed later by a dinner offered for a fee.
The event is free to attend, but donations are encouraged.
To help the camp prepare, guests are encouraged to RSVP at bit.ly/Magruder80th.
“This will be a time to remember and be in community with people who have been at camp and walk down memory lane,” Assistant Director Hope Montgomery said. “It’s going to be about a community of people who have loved this place as well.” The following weekend, the public is invited to Camp Magruder’s Community Open House from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, May 31. The event will be an opportunity for locals to experience what makes the camp so unique. Guest can participate in camp activities like archery and boating, get a tour of the campgrounds and cabins and learn some insights about the camp experience.
“Camp Magruder has been a special place for campers of all ages to experience nature, adventure and community,” Taylor said. “We’re excited to welcome our neighbors and friends to see what makes camp so unique.”
Since its origins, Camp Magruder has continued its ties to the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church with dedicated spaces of Christian hospitality and learning.
“Our camp and programs that we offer are faith-based and we have a real pride in that,” Montgomery said. “But they are accessible to anyone whether you have a faith background or not. We’ve been known for a really long time as a place that helps people do good in the world.”
The community open house is a free, family-friendly event and open to all.
“We hope to make it an annual event,” Montgomery said, “because we see the need for people to know who we are and want to be a bigger presence in the community.”
Camp Magruder is located just south of Rockaway Beach at 17450 Old Pacific Hwy. For more information, go to campmagruder.org.
A Camp Magruder History
Based on excerpts from the 1995 book “A Camp Magruder History” by the Rev. Marvin D. Jones, the Methodist Church purchased the land for the camp on March 19, 1943. Its namesake is Frank Magruder, a professor of political science and international relations whose avocation was writing textbooks. Magruder viewed the future camp site property in 1937 and was convinced of the need for a youth camp. It’s reported that Magruder offered a sum of $6,000 to the longtime owners, which they accepted. In the summer of 1945, the first official Methodist Youth Institute was held at the camp. Two years later, the site was officially named Camp Magruder.