The Story of Castle Rock Camp Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Building A Camp

Paul Leslie, who pastored in Ennis for many years, still remembers the shock at seeing the buildings at camp the first time he visited.  “I had heard about Castle Rock Camp during my college days at Pillsbury,” he writes.  “The kids from out west talked as it if was the greatest place on earth.  In 1971 I married Deanna Strand from Laurel.  As we made our way up the Gallatin Canyon for my first taste of Castle Rock Camp, I was prepared to find something like a Holiday Inn Resort.  I was more than a little shocked when I first saw those buildings in the early 70s.  However, it only took a very short time to see what those kids from the west saw in Castle Rock.  The scenery is beautiful, especially for someone from Chicago.  More importantly though, it was the spirit and the devotion of the people who made it all happen that made it so special.  At Castle Rock people volunteered, even taking personal vacation time to devote to a spiritual week of training for the area young people.  That really made an impression on me.”

            Paul Talmage was involved with the construction of the camp nearly every summer since it first began.  He remembers the addition of the shower house in 1966, a tremendous improvement over the outhouse system.  It was in 1968 that the cabins were first assigned to volunteers from each church.  The plan was to have an individual church responsible for the repair, siding and painting of one cabin.  Plans for the new dining hall, which eventually became the Allen Lodge, were discussed as early as 1972. 

            “Castle Rock is not just a place to bring your children for religious training,” writes Talmage.  “It is a place for adults to have fellowship, to get acquainted with other Christians, to receive instruction yourself from the Word of God, a place to relax and enjoy yourself.  One of the greatest privileges was to attend the camp fire on Friday night and hear how God was working in the lives of the young people.  Many of these campers I saw year after year.  It made all my labor worthwhile.”

            Every summer Paul could be spotted around camp, balanced precariously on top of a ladder and swinging his hammer, even after suffering from a stroke.  Francis Talmage would be sitting down below patiently pulling rusty nails out of boards so they could be used once again.

            Harold Davidson remembers the poor foundations under many of the original cabins and how those were raised and stabilized.  He writes, “One of the things that came up yearly was the need to build a new dining hall.  The problem was always, how could we finance such a big project.  Pastor Nichols proposed the plan that enabled the camp to build.  Since the camp was really a ministry of the various local churches, why not have each church give $2000.00 toward the cost of getting it built to the point where it was weather proof and finish it from that point as we got the funds.  This worked out so that we were able in due time to have the fine building that we have.”

Arthur Coats, pastor of First Baptist of Dillon, recalls the work that was done on the first dining hall to make it usable until the Allen Lodge could be completed.  “Chet Brown arranged to set up power saws in a way that would let us push slabs of wood from a nearby sawmill through the blades to give square edges.  The slabs were then nailed to the sides of the cabins, the chapel and the rebuilt kitchen.  This gave the buildings somewhat of the look of being made of logs.  As the work progressed, Chet also engineered the building of the first shower building and the installation of a septic system.  A submersible pump had been installed in the original well, but as it pumped a heavy stream of water, the old casing collapsed.  As we gathered around the well for a prayer time, Chet found a way to work ten foot section s of large pipe down the hole.  Then the pump was lowered in the new casing and the tank was filled.   The showers could be used.”

Arthur Bigelow described the boy’s cabins as nothing more than “tar-paper shacks.”  “We felt the boys were rough and tough and could better take some of the inconveniences,” he added.  “For the most part they really enjoyed it.  When they scrubbed the floors they did not have to mop up the water for it all ran right through the cracks in the floor.  The cooks prepared many meals on wood-burning stoves.  Montana Power had only a five kilowatt transformer and the two electric ranges in the dining hall could not be turned on at the same time.” 

            As pastor at Livingston, Bigelow was the nearest to the camp.  He served as camp manager the first year and also dean of the first camp.  He requested that it be a junior high week so the young people could assist in making the camp useable for the rest of the summer.  The Lloyd Strands from Laurel moved a camper onto the grounds and took two weeks vacation to help get the grounds ready for the first week of camp.

“Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Gauger of Laurel purchased an old church bell from a deserted church in South Dakota and presented it to Castle Rock Camp in the summer of 1963.  A bell tower was constructed on one corner of the Runquist Chapel so the bell could be used in order to call campers to times of worship.  A one-half acre plot at the far end of the campground was offered to the camping committee by a private party.  Due to the outstanding debt still against the original site, the camping committee thought it unwise to encumber the churches with the additional cost.  This  small plot was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Phillips of Minneapolis.  They constructed a summer cabin on their site and they have been a blessing to campers year after year by their help and encouragement to all concerned.” (25 Years Under the Big Sky).

            Jack Phillips has a vivid recollection of how they came to acquire the property at the end of the meadow behind camp.  “Our former pastor of the Robbinsdale Baptist Church in Minnesota, Dr. Felix Runquist, was the Bible teacher for a meeting in Sandpoint, Idaho.  We were vacationing with our four children, Arlene, Jim, Ron and Cindy, in a small tent-trailer, so we visited the Runquists in Idaho.  Dr. Runquist exhorted us to return home through Montana and see the camp that the IMBF had just purchased.  When we arrived at the camp the only one there was an elderly gentleman by the name of Mr. Shafer.  He was acting as caretaker and took us on a tour of the camp property and allowed us to camp there overnight.  Looking down the meadow we saw a light at the other end and were told it was from an elderly couple’s cabin.  I told Mr. Shafer that if they ever decided to sell, to let me know.  His reply was that if they did sell the camp would want the property so that was the end of the conversation and of a dream home in Montana.”

            “In 1962 I received a call from Dr. Runquist asking if I would be interested in a piece of property at the end of the new camp that was for sale.  He didn’t know of my previous conversation and I asked why the camp was not interested in purchasing the property.    He told me that the owners had given Dr. Allen a verbal promise to sell to the camp and were honoring that handshake, but with a time limit because they had another bid on the property.  The camp was not able to buy, but was urgently looking for an immediate camp-friendly buyer.   So I told Lilas we had bought a ‘ranch’ in Montana and she began immediately to make plans.  It has been, no doubt, one of the most profitable investments anybody ever made anywhere.”

            That was the beginning of a real love relationship between the Phillips and Castle Rock.  Since that time, each summer from the middle of June until the first week of August they were found occupying their ‘ranch.’  They made improvements to the size of their cabin so that now through a large plate-glass window they have a beautiful view of Runquist Chapel and Storm Castle  Mountain.   They have supported the camp with endless prayers, financial gifts, work on the grounds and participation in the camping program.

            For many years Jack and Arthur Allen led the Junior campers on their

initial trek to the top of the mountain.  Not only did they teach them the etiquette of climbing a mountain trail, but also informed them of the joys and pitfalls of life as they walked the upward trail toward God.

            Jack and Lilas were well-known for their selfless hospitality.  To be invited to their cabin for a delectable feast of fresh mountain trout, grilled to perfection was an unforgettable experience.  Jack has, through the years, discovered most of the best fishing holes along the Gallatin River.  For the last several years he has been a leader in the growth of the senior citizens camp—Caleb’s Kin.

            Many people have contributed to the growth and development of the camp grounds over the years, far too many to mention all of them by name.  The beautiful rustic mail box, situated at the entrance road to Castle Rock, was constructed by the capable hands of Dan Marsich.  Dan has been with the Lord for many years, but his wife Jean and his children and grandchildren have enjoyed the blessings of Castle Rock through the years.

            Norman and Judy Cherry some years arrived three weeks ahead of the summer camping season to mow down the winter growth, including the meadow and get things ready for the arrival of the first campers.   Loren and Ferne Gibbons, of Great Falls, first began their involvement with the camp while members of the Bible Baptist Church in Missoula.  They have continued to volunteer over the years as well, contributing many hours to the upkeep of the buildings and grounds after moving to Great Falls.   Chet Brown has been a great help in providing expert plumbing assistance.  Ed Fenlason cared for the cooling generators.  Paul Leslie provided expertise in propane stoves. 

            “God as always provided the men and the money for the progress in His time.  The kitchen and dining room were used for the first time in 1984.  A full space above provides cooks quarters and classroom space.   Now we can plan for winter retreats for youth and adults.  Available men have numbered well over one hundred over the years.  Work days would be announced and sometimes dozens of willing workers would show up.  Some would drive literally hundreds of miles to come and work a day or two and then drive back home for Sunday services.” (25 Years Under the Big Sky).

            Tremendous changes have taken place since the days when a camper described the cabins as “looking like Christmas trees” as night.  When you turned on the lights, the cracks in the walls resembled the bulbs twinkling all over a well-lit Christmas tree.

            The days are long gone when you would brush your teeth in the ice-cold water which gushed from a lone spigot in front of the boy’s cabins.  But the memories of those early days will always be cherished.

            Recently a piece of property near camp on the Gallatin River was offered for sale at a price exceeding one million dollars.  Certainly God has been good to give to the churches of Montana this beautiful piece of property in the middle of the Gallatin forest, surrounded by the natural world which He created for the enjoyment of His people.