Western Week (Then and Now)

This week was Western Week at Camp Doublecreek. In 1971, Western Week felt more authentic.  For one thing, in 1971 we were called Doublecreek Farm, not Camp Doublecreek.  To get to Doublecreek “Farm,” you went down Gattis School Road.  Louis Henna Blvd.  didn’t exist.  You passed maybe five houses, then turned on a dirt road which led to the farm.  Honestly, Doublecreek Farm was more suited to covered wagons than buses.

Actually, there wasn’t much difference between Western Week and any other week.  Many counselors wore hats and boots as part of their attire.  Today, the only cowboy hats you’ll find on our campus are in the skit closet, and half our cowboy hats are over-sized foam cowboy novelty hats.

Activities such as fishing and long trail rides were in our weekly schedule.  Yes, we had fishing.  If you caught a fish, you could take it home.  You were lucky to get four bites out of it, but you could still take it home.

Trail rides were a true adventure.  In 1971, Doublecreek Farm had approximately 125 acres and most of it was horseback-friendly.

About once a month, we had a horned-toad race.  Horned-toads were all over the place.  Campers would catch their horned-toad and put a number on its stomach.  Then we would put the horned-toads under a bucket. (That could be the most entertaining part of the race process.)  Uncle Carter would make a circle about 25 feet in diameter, lift up the bucket and off they’d go.  The first toad to cross the line was the winner.

Sometimes when we talk about the good old days, they sound better than they actually were.  We had fun in 1971, but we had maybe two trees, almost no grass and a pool without a sidewalk or diving board.  We traded in the old fishing hole for a playscape, rockwall, water slide (which will be repaired soon), shuffleboard, lasertag, mini-golf, low ropes course, and grass – lots of grass and trees!

No, Western Week isn’t the same as it used to be.  But, we will still have some kind of horse show.  And contrary to history, it’s Sam Bass, not A.W. Grimes, who gets shot.

 -- Joe Ray