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Fairlee, Vermont
Established: 1905
Camp
Details
"Imagination necessary. The very fabric
of human civilization depends on it." Harriet
Farnsworth Gulick wrote these words in a notebook
of ideas for assembly talks at Aloha Camp, a camp
for girls, which she founded with her husband,
Edward Gulick in 1905.
Next, the Gulicks turned their imagination to
opportunities for women "age eighteen to
eighty," opening Aloha Club in 1910 on the
secluded shore of Lake Katherine in Pike, New
Hampshire. The success of Aloha Camp and Aloha
Club inspired the Gulicks to imagine how camp
could benefit younger girls. Having purchased
400 acres of farmland on Lake Fairlee in Ely,
Vermont, they developed Aloha Hive, which opened
in 1915.
After launching Hive, the next question for the
Gulick's imagination was "what about all
the little brothers of Aloha and Hive campers?"
Far from the military camps that prevailed for
boys in those days, they envisioned Camp Lanikila,
a camp that promoted a spirit of adventure, discovery,
creativeness, respect for others, and individual
growth.
After Edward Gulick's death in 1931, Harriet
Gulick continued for twenty years as the central,
caring presence for all the camps. She passed
away in February 1951 at the age of 86. In the
mid 1960s, the camps faced a major challenge as
members of the Gulick family's next generation
followed pursuits other than the management of
Aloha, Hive, and Lanikila. The Aloha Foundation
was formed as a nonprofit organization that would
continue operating the camps and endeavor to sustain
the Gulick traditions.
(Adapted from "Aloha Family Celebrates
100 Years" by Kathy Christie, Camping Magazine,
July/August 2004)
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