Gypsy Camp for Girls, Siloam Springs

[jeff of pa]

According to Maggie Smith (author of Hico, a Heritage), the story of Gypsy Camp begins with a fishing trip. Around 1921, two brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma took a fishing trip on the Illinois River where it crosses from Oklahoma into Arkansas. They were immediately struck by the beauty of the area, and it was one of the first things they mentioned to their father when they recounted the story of the trip. Their father, J. H. McAllister, had a long standing desire to begin a girls’ summer camp with his wife, Weesie, as the camp’s director. McAllister promptly found land available in Arkansas along the Illinois River, visited it, and bought it.

Gypsy Camp for Girls Passes the Torch — Siloam Springs Museum

This week’s featured photo shows campers enjoying summer activities at Gypsy Camp for Girls. The camp was operational just south of Siloam Springs on Highway 59 from 1921 until 1978. Click the link to read about the camp’s history and its future.

www.siloamspringsmuseum.com

 

[russau]

Yep it sure looks like these girls are ready for roughing it in their hiheel shoes !