Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs! IV

Our last sign is the iconic, but now gone, Highway 109 Hanging Entrance sign. We’ve showcased this sign before, but those photos were before Camp Craig arrived. This week you’ll note a cedar plank bearing the name “Camp Edwin W. Craig” is added to the very bottom of the sign. The hanging sign graced the entrance of Boxwell for approximately thirty years, 1964-1995.

You’ll note from the photo the large embankments on either side of Creighton Lane. Turning in to Boxwell from the two lane Highway 109 was entering a different world. To showcase how different the entrance was from today, we have included all six photos in this series taken by Michael Seay in 1974.

To see other photos of the sign, follow these links:
https://virtualboxwell.org/v3/blog/2018/07/22/from-the-archives-july-22-2018/
https://virtualboxwell.org/v3/blog/2018/07/25/from-the-archives-july-25-2018/

Car turning into Boxwell Reservation, passing the hanging cedar sign, 1974. Photo by Michael Seay.

Highway 109 Hanging Cedar Sign looking north toward Gallatin with a truck on the highway, 1974. Photo by Michael Seay.

Highway 109 Hanging Cedar Sign with dirt embankments. Highway 109 running north into Gallatin, 1974. Photo by Michael Seay.

Highway 109 Hanging Cedar Sign looking north up Highway 109 into Gallatin, 1974. Photo by Michael Seay.

Highway 109 Hanging Cedar Sign from Creighton Lane. “Camp Craig” is clearly visible here, 1974. Photo By Michael Seay

Highway 109 Hanging Cedar Sign. This photo is an edit to focus on the sign itself with all cedar planks clearly visible, 1974. Photo by Michael Seay.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs! III

The signs series continues this week with a rarity. Seen here is the sign that graced the road split to Stahlman and Murrey. A version of this sign exists today, but of course “Murrey” is gone, replaced with CubWorld.

This particular sign has seen quite a few revisions over the years. This is the original sign, but after 1975, “Boat Harbor” was removed as the harbor was closed. After the 1994 capital development campaign, “Boat Harbor” was remade and readded, but “Camp Murrey” was removed for Gaylord CubWorld. In the early 21st Century, the current roof was added and this is the sign we have today.

The Murrey-Stahlman Crossroads sign, 1970. Photo by Chris Eckert

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs! II

The signs series continues this week with a classic. Seen here is the original directional sign at the top of the hill. The core of this sign still exists today, but it has been covered, expanded, and the cedar planks refurbished and repainted.

Taken in 1970, this was the sign that greeted people as they stopped at the Crippled Crab. At the time, _everything_ on the backside of the reservation was Camp Light. Interestingly, you can just barely make out the next sign in the bottom right with three planks: one for Parnell, one for Light, and one for the Chapel, which was completed in 1965.

The camp directional sign at the Crippled Crab as it appeared in 1970. Photo by Chris Eckert.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs! I

Not having done a series in awhile, we thought it might be nice to take a look at some of the Reservation’s signs. Some are gone, some have changed, but all are very “camp.”

The first sign this week is a relic of a by-gone age. When Parnell was a working resident camp, for many, many years it had a “fenced” area near the dining hall. A picnic table was placed here every summer and for a number of years a “Visitors’ Rest” sign was hung here. The Visitors’ Rest sign was unique though in that it was made of twisted vines and branches.

Here is the sign in its final days. Taken in 2002, the sign was left up after Parnell stopped being a resident camp. Much like the “Greater Camp Parnell” sign, the Visitors’ Rest sign has receded into the shadows of history. For a time though, it was an important marker of a place for staff meetings, breaks from basketball, or a place to just hang out.

The Parnell Visitors’ Rest Sign, 2002. Photo by Kerry Parker.