Keewaydin is the oldest private independent camp in the United States. We were founded in 1893 as a canoe tripping camp on Lake Caucomgomoc in Maine and soon expanded to include boys' camps on Lake Temagami in Canada and Lake Dunmore in Vermont. The Dunmore and Temagami branches have thrived to the present day. Since 1982 Keewaydin Dunmore has been owned and operated by the Keewaydin Foundation, a Vermont not-for-profit corporation set up by alumni of the camp. Keewaydin Temagami joined the Foundation in 2001.
Songadeewin was established as a Keewaydin camp for girls on Lake Willoughby in Vermont in 1921. Doc and Peg Harter took over as directors in 1929 and they and their family ran Songadeewin until it ceased operations in 1975. In 1995 the Keewaydin Foundation purchased the property of the former Camp Dunmore on Lake Dunmore and re-established Songadeewin. The new Songadeewin opened its doors in the summer of 1999.
Songadeewin combines the values of wilderness tripping with a strong in-camp program. The program draws on the rich traditions of the earlier Songadeewin camp and Keewaydin but is designed to meet the specific needs of girls today. We offer a safe, nurturing, fun-filled environment in which each camper is allowed to develop at her own pace. The program helps girls to build self-confidence, set personal goals, and learn new skills. At the same time, it stresses the merits of living and working cooperatively as a member of a diverse group.
Songadeewin is located on the north end of Lake Dunmore, around the peninsula from the Keewaydin boys' camp. Our campsite consists of sixty acres of gently shaded woods and spacious open playing fields.
Just across the lake are the Keewaydin hiking trails on more than 400 acres of undeveloped hardwood forest on Mount Moosalamoo.
