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bought the property, which included Hetch Hetchy Valley and the camp's northwest corner. The Smith brothers purchased their property from the federal government for $ 1.25 per acre. Cyrill built a log cabin on the property, which still stands. The brothers acquired additional property and Cyrill later bought out his brother. The property ownership moved to Cyrill's son, Elmer E. Smith, when Cyrill died in 1900.
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7,000 people attended each of two long-weekend
Strawberry Music Festivals which were held the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. These were held at Camp Mather from 1982 until 2013 when the Rim Fire affected camping conditions. Campers did not use the cabins, but extensive tent and RV camping was
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Service the first year was family style. After that, service has always been cafeteria style. The main room extended west from the façade. A large addition was added to the north which terminated in a large fireplace. The original room included seating at the west end which overlooked the meadow.
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residents and property owners have first priority for summer registration for seven-day, six-night stays. A lottery is held to assign cabins and place others on the wait list. In 2022, approximately 1,500 cabin registrations were awarded and nearly 1,000 applicants were placed on the waitlist.
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Nature and historical hikes are offered by the naturalists. A ropes course offers several different challenges each day. A corral offered horse and pony rides on a concession basis through 2023. The swimming pool and Birch Lake are very popular with visitors: all open hours are staffed with
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Cyrill
Carpenter Smith (1827-1900) and his brother, Dorilas (1835-1882) arrived in the area around 1853, and secured rights to the property under certificates of preemption. Cyrill homesteaded his property in 1884. Cyrill's sister-in-law homesteaded her husband's property. Cyrill originally
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The brothers raised sheep in Merced and grazed them on their Sierra property during the spring and summer months. Federally-owned land in the area was freely-available for grazing as well. It is presumed that hogs and bacon sold at their Sierra ranch resulted in the area's nickname, Hog Ranch.
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reached the site in late 1917. The rail ran east–west through the camp and a branch line of the
California Peach and Fig Growers Railroad ran to the south where lumber was harvested for packing boxes. A large pit was dug for gravel: it later filled in naturally to form Birch Lake.
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In 2003, the San
Francisco Grand Jury recommended wider public outreach to San Francisco residents and full multi-language communications be made available. The Grand Jury recommended that efforts be made to make Camp Mather even more profitable for the Recreation and Parks Department.
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Senior Camp, a short-week camp for senior citizens has been held at the beginning and/or end of the regular family camp season. Inclusion Week is held during the regular family camp season and is designed to accommodate and encourage the participation of people with disabilities.
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Cabins 1 to 9, 11, 12, 14 to 34 and 47 are former San
Francisco Polling Booths. These were set up on empty lots for voting. When voting machines came into use, the structures were declared surplus and moved to Camp Mather. Canvas roofs have been replaced with structural
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When San
Francisco determined that there would be no water activities on the lake, the tourism dream evaporated. When the City of San Francisco offered to take over the lease, the Hetch Hetchy Lodge company quickly agreed, adding 22 cabins to the camp.
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With the construction of the dam and lake, tourism was expected to flourish. The Hetch Hetchy Lodge obtained a 20-year lease to operate a lodge and cabins The Lodge built the Jack Spring Dining Hall in 1921. The Lodge operated from 1921 to 1923.
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The camp is noted for an extensive program of activities. Crafts such as lanyard-making, friendship bracelet tying, shirt tie-dyeing and button-making have been offered. The staff and camper talent shows draw large crowds.
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The area now known as Camp Mather was originally inhabited by the Miwok people. Dozens of acorn mortar sites suggest the connection between the Miwok and this parcel of land goes back 2,000 to 10,000 years.
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The names Cyrill and
Dorilas are seen with double "L" and single "L" spellings. "Dorillus" appears as an unusual form. This article uses the preferred spellings as used by the Friends of Camp Mather.
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Free or lower-cost camping has been offered to enable participation by lower-income residents. Having operated for nearly a century, many families have come to Camp Mather for multiple generations.
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Note that the video incorrectly uses the long-A form of Mather and identifies Birch Lake as having come from the mill pond: the mill pond is now the location of the swimming pool, not Birch Lake.
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pandemic. Weeks 1, 4 and 5 (of 11 scheduled weeks) were lost during the summer of 2022 because of staff COVID-19 outbreaks. Part of an additional week was lost because of smoke from the
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Modifications cut off those windows and put a dish washing facility at the west end. A large deck was added to the north. Friends of Camp Mather installed awnings over many of the tables.
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burned to the edges of Camp Mather in 2013. Only one building was reported lost within the camp. The area which includes the
Carnegie Cabin and Hog Ranch Cabin did not burn.
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which welcomes nearly 10,000 campers each summer. Founded in 1923, the camp opened in 1924 and offers nearly three months of week-long camping experiences each year.
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who conducted studies of growing plants at various elevations. The cabin's elevation of 4,610 feet (1,410 m) was the intermediate of three elevations tested.
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which was named for Second
Lieutenant Carl Spencer Mather, Camp Mather uses the short-A form of Mather, while the Air Force Base uses the long-A form of the name.
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Mary
Margaret Morgan, sometimes reported as Margaret Mary Morgan, was the first female member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
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Cabins 99 to 120 are the larger, newer duplex cabins at the southeast part of camp. Cabin 121-122 is a staff cabin of the same design.
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After Hog Ranch was purchased by the city, it was transformed into a lumber mill and railway station to support the construction of
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The 1996 Ackerson Fire, which burned large areas to the north and east of Camp Mather, closed the Camp mid-August that year.
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Beitkis, Edvins (March 29, 1987). "Camp Mather: Softball, swimming and starry nights". San Francisco Examiner. p. T-3.
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The seven-night camp week (Saturday to Saturday) was shortened to a six-night camp week (Sunday to Saturday) in 2016.
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Seeking a reliable water supply, the City of San Francisco purchased their properties in 1909 for $ 550 per acre.
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536:"Camp Mather: A Place for Fun and Music or To Do Nothing". San Francisco Examiner. July 4, 1999. p. 75.
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Cabins 25 to 50 are noted for their central peaked roofs and casement windows on either side of the door.
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The Recreation Commission recommended improvements at Camp Mather in the amount of $ 3.1 million in 1933.
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In 2003, Friends of Camp Mather (FoCM) was founded as a not-for-profit organization to support the camp.
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The City of San Francisco recognizes his "Hog Ranch" cabin as the oldest structure owned by the city.
573:"MAYOR ROSSI RECEIVES FROM DEPARTMENT HEADS LIST OF CONSTRUCTION TO COST ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS"
128:, the first director of the National Park Service. The camp then adopted the railroad station name.
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867:"Fall Strawberry Music Festival canceled at Camp Mather due to lingering impacts from Rim Fire"
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Two new single-story staff dormitory buildings were added at the east end of camp in 2019.
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824:"S'more the Merrier / Elders get to run wild when Camp Mather bans tykes for a week"
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The railroad station was first named Hog Ranch. The station was then named for
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Polling booths were moved from San Francisco to form the original camp cabins.
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801:"Focus on Equity will Increase Access to Camp Mather for Low-income Residents"
615:"Sharing Camp Mather, San Francisco's Secret Jewel, with All San Franciscans"
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A viral outbreak thought to be norovirus affected campers and staff in 2011.
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The camp is operated by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.
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Promotion of a city camp was led by groups of hikers as early as 1921.
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Friends of Camp Mather - not-for-profit which supports Camp Mather
686:"Virus outbreak forces shutdown of S.F. family retreat Camp Mather"
594:"10 largest fires in Yosemite history — Rim Fire makes list (maps)"
663:"S.F.'s Camp Mather shortens visitors' week at summertime retreat"
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The camp was closed during the years 2020 and 2021 because of the
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Camps 1 to 9 were relocated between the summers of 2018 and 2019.
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On July 5, 2024, the 100th birthday of the camp was celebrated.
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The camp's operations were impacted by a viral outbreak and the
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Cabins #60 and #61 were replaced with a new design in 2001.
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Three full meals are provided in the dining hall each day.
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A camper drives through the entrance at Camp Mather in 2019
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Ten "new", larger lakeside cabins were added in 1955.
846:"Tuolumne Talk: Memories swirl as Strawberry arrives"
466:"SUPPORT GIVEN HIKERS' APPEAL FOR PUBLIC CAMPGROUNDS"
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511:"S. F. Has 5 New Supervisors Today; Woman on Board"
444:"John Joseph 'Jack' Spring -- S.F. parks veteran"
745:"S.F.-run Camp Mather cancels its entire season"
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39:San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
148:Campsites were also introduced prior to 1993.
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138:The Carnegie Cabin was built in 1926 for Dr.
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110:Jack Spring Dining Hall at Camp Mather 2022
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575:. Organized Labor. 24 June 1933. p. 1
620:. San Francisco Grand Jury. June 11, 2003
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708:"More evacuations as wildfires spread"
706:Cabanatuan, Michael (August 3, 2018).
371:The Evergreen Lodge Centennial Gazette
869:. San Francisco Examiner. May 5, 2014
803:. City of San Francisco. Jan 22, 2020
313:Schaadt, Richard (3 September 1996).
174:Camp Mather Campsite Number 6 in 2012
65:The Hog Ranch Cabin at Mather in 2022
7:
782:. San Francisco Recreation and Parks
513:. San Francisco Call. 2 January 1922
464:French, Harold (29 September 1921).
641:"Stomach bug hits 2 city-run camps"
1029:Summer camps in the U.S. state of
684:Rubenstein, Steve (July 7, 2018).
551:. Arcadia Publishing. p. 15.
14:
1257:1923 establishments in California
486:French, Harold (11 August 1921).
421:. Arcadia Publishing. p. 7.
396:. Trans-Anglo Books. p. 82.
394:Hetch Hetchy and its Dam Railroad
342:. Trans-Anglo Books. p. 60.
340:Hetch Hetchy and its Dam Railroad
205:Camp Mather map as posted in 2022
661:Rubenstein, Steve (6 Jan 2016).
639:Gordon, Rachel (July 13, 2022).
468:. San Francisco Call. p. 22
16:San Francisco Sierra Summer Camp
743:Vazin, Aldin (April 18, 2020).
490:. San Francisco Call. p. 6
442:Bowman, Becky (July 29, 2006).
549:Images of America: Camp Mather
419:Images of America: Camp Mather
364:"Peach Growers Railroad Grade"
29:is the 337-acre (136 ha)
1:
1045:Cazadero Performing Arts Camp
780:"Camp Mather 2022 Wait List"
730:Neil's Self-Guiding Walk #1
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904:Strawberry Music Festival
373:. Evergreen Lodge: 3. 2021
236:Camp Mather tee shirt 2022
18:
747:. San Francisco Chronicle
710:. San Francisco Chronicle
688:. San Francisco Chronicle
665:. San Francisco Chronicle
643:. San Francisco Chronicle
732:. City of San Francisco.
19:Not to be confused with
1252:Parks in San Francisco
1179:San Francisco Bay Area
1129:Groveland-Big Oak Flat
1069:San Francisco Bay Area
844:Harrelson, Partricia.
547:Buck, Michael (2008).
417:Buck, Michael (2008).
315:"Camp Mather Research"
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33:family summer camp in
21:Camp Mather-Camp Logan
1145:Mountain Meadow Ranch
1139:Santa Catalina Island
953:Mather Air Force Base
848:. Toulumne Enterprise
241:multiple lifeguards.
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83:Hetch Hetchy Railroad
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48:Camp Mather Sign 2022
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1220:Santa Cruz Mountains
1155:Stanford Sierra Camp
894:official camp video
119:Mary Margaret Morgan
822:Rubenstein, Steve.
728:Fahy, Neil (2020).
282: /
1206:Camp Cherry Valley
1165:The Painted Turtle
392:Wurm, Ted (1973).
338:Wurm, Ted (1973).
248:Camp participation
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140:Harvey Monroe Hall
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35:Mather, California
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1175:Vision Tech Camps
1135:Campus by the Sea
558:978-0-7385-5847-9
428:978-0-7385-5847-9
79:O'Shaughnessy Dam
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1216:Camp Chesebrough
1196:Camp Pico Blanco
1085:Camp Jones Gulch
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1055:Calvin Crest
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871:. Retrieved
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807:18 September
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669:21 September
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53:Area history
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1169:Lake Hughes
1159:Fallen Leaf
1109:El Sobrante
1075:Camp Gilboa
826:. The Daily
289: /
265:permitted.
37:run by the
27:Camp Mather
1246:Categories
1149:Susanville
1115:Camp Ramah
1105:Camp Quest
1031:California
873:2020-08-19
852:2022-08-20
830:2022-09-18
786:2022-07-07
751:2022-08-15
714:2022-08-15
692:2022-08-15
647:2022-08-15
600:2022-08-17
579:2022-08-10
517:2022-08-12
472:2022-08-10
450:2022-08-10
301:References
224:Activities
1099:Oceanside
494:10 August
446:. SF Gate
195:in 2018.
117:In 1923,
81:. The
1230:Longbarn
1089:La Honda
1059:Oakhurst
1049:Cazadero
488:"HIKERS"
277:119°52′W
211:COVID-19
183:Rim Fire
1200:Big Sur
951:Unlike
624:23 July
274:37°53′N
965:roofs.
596:. KPCC
555:
425:
400:
346:
1038:Camps
911:Notes
618:(PDF)
367:(PDF)
318:(PDF)
1119:Ojai
809:2022
671:2022
626:2024
553:ISBN
496:2022
423:ISBN
398:ISBN
379:2022
344:ISBN
325:2022
181:The
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