Our Heritage

The North Country Camps - Lincoln for boys, Whippoorwill for girls - were owned and operated by the Gucker family for close to 100 years. As the camps transitioned to a nonprofit organization in 2018, we have continued to value and respect the traditions the Gucker family, and the generations upon generations of camp families who have entrusted their children to the care of the North Country Camps.

Camp Lincoln was established in 1920, and Camp Whippoorwill in 1931 by Colba F. "Chief" Gucker. His son Peter L. Gucker and his daughter Janet G. Farrington, directed Lincoln and Whippoorwill for decades, beginning in the late 1950's. Pete's daughter, Nancy Gucker Birdsall, directed Whippoorwill from 1984 and then served as Executive Director of North Country Camps through 2017. Lincoln and Whippoorwill are "brother/sister" camps, organized independently from one another, with seperate dining, sleeping and program facilities. Yet the camps operate on the same schedule and join together for a variety of activities.

 Unique among children's summer camps in the United States, our program offers children real wilderness adventure blended with the development of many athletic, creative and social skills; strong community spirit that emphasizes working together and doing your share; the freedom and accompanying responsibility of learning to make your own choices; and the sheer joy of simple, down to earth, outdoor living and playful fun!