Postcard from Summer Camp, 1967

Today is Earth Day, and what better way to observe this occasion than to feature a postcard sent home from camp?

This card was written in 1967 by Nancy Ipsen, a 17-year old high school student from rural Fresno. Nancy attended Camp Gaines first as a camper, and then as a counselor. Located in Sequoia Lake, in the Sierra Nevada range of California, Camp Gaines was opened by the YMCA, and recently celebrated its 100th year of operation. It is now under private ownership but still welcomes campers every summer.

Postmarked from Kings Canyon National Park, August 30, 1967

Dear Friends,

I’ve been promoted to handicrafts, which is nice because I couldn’t do nature crafts!

I’ve got chapped lips, a hoarse voice, a runny nose, a bloody toe, a gash on my ankle, and a swollen finger where I ran into a bush.

xxooxx (including some for Tramp and Dirty Roy)
Nancy

Makes camp sound very appealing!

Ed.’s note: Tramp was a dog, Dirty Roy a cat.