Camp brings history to life for Orland youth

Jul. 20—History came alive last week for a group of Orland youth during the 27th annual History Camp, held July 11-15 at the historic Alta Schmidt House Museum in Orland.

Camp Director Gene "Doc" Russell, who began the camp nearly three decades ago, said he was inspired to start the Orland-focused camp after seeing similar events take place at Bidwell Mansion in Chico many years ago.

"Orland has so many historic buildings and such great resources," said Russell. "We want the kids to appreciate Orland's proud history and bring earlier times alive for them."

Russell said he teamed up with the Orland Parks and Recreation Department to get the event up and running before the Orland Historical and Cultural Society took over the event two years later. Since then, the History Camp has been held annually with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To kick off this year's camp, Russell said he had the campers listen to the song "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days)," by the Judds, to get them thinking about how people of past generations lived.

Throughout the week, the campers attended several classes to discuss museums, genealogy, oral history, family traditions and more to further the discussion about local history.

Russell said the 17 campers also participated in chores each day that were commonly done in the early 1900s, including slow butter churning, using washboards for laundry, corn shelling, chopping wood, apple peeling, ice cream making and more.

"When all of the chores are done at the end of the morning, they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor — the ice cream," said Russell.

There were also old-time games, hands-on activities, show-and-tell, a fashion show and a walking tour of Orland.

To encourage the campers to get more involved in Orland's history, Russell said there was a puzzle board as well, filled with clues to 35 riddles about the city's rich history.

"We define a historian as a detective that delves into the past and we encourage the kids to be detectives themselves and solve these riddles," said Russell.

A camp representative, who is referred to as Professor Martin, said this has been a record breaking year for the number of puzzles that have been solved.

"The record was nine puzzles solved, but 12 have already been solved this year," said Martin on Thursday.

Russell said this boost in puzzle solving is due to the Baker Street Treasure Box.

"We have been adding treats, dollar bills and other incentives throughout the week and one camper will get to take the whole thing home at the end of the week," said Russell.

On Friday, the final day of camp, Russell said a picnic lunch was held and awards were given out to the participating campers.

The camp is offered each year during the week after the Fourth of July and is open to students in grades 3-6 who have an interest in learning about the history of Orland.

For more information or to sign up, call Russell at 530-513-3288.