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Discovering Lincoln Hills: Camp Nizhoni

African American

Special Collections

Four African American teenage campers stand by a truck at Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. One camper holds a patterned, wide-brimmed hat. The license plate on the Ford truck reads: "Colo. 1937 1-82702."

African American teenage campers wear swim suits and swim caps as they splash in South Boulder Creek in Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. A campground building and flagpole are in the distance.

View of the dam at the entrance of Big Thompson Canyon (Larimer County), Colorado. Water flows over the dam, and a small concrete building near large pipes is shown.

View of the sun shelter at the Sunken Gardens near West High School in Denver, Colorado. Shows a pillar made of large stones, stone bench and wooden roof. Spruce and pine trees are in the background.

Pictured are Declora James, Zudora Blakey, Mary E. Wood ("Woody," the Camp's Director), Marie Anderson, a camp counselor (later Marie L. Greenwood), Ruby Hawkins, Ethel Wood, Marie Yarbra, and Eleanor Hawkins ("Hawky, " a camp counselor) African American females from Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. They stand and sit in the South Boulder Creek while wearing swim suits and swim caps; some hold large sticks.

View of the souvenir shop on a fox farm in Boulder County, Colorado. Shows a wood frame building with a porch railing made of tree branches. A man and a woman stand on the porch. A woman walks away from the porch. Signs over the doorway read: "Dolley's," and "Welcome."

Text and annotations on album page read: "[ARL-169], [ARL-170] and [ARL-171] Camp Nizhoni." The photographic prints on album page show: group of African American campers by a truck at Camp Nizhoni; group of African American campers as they board a D.& R.G.W. train; four African American campers posed near a Ford truck at Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado.

A group of African American teenagers at Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado pose atop a tailings pile near either a silver, gold or tungsten mine. They wear dresses, pants, overalls, stockings, hats. Two have on sombreros, one wears a pith helmet.

View of the headframe of a tungsten mine and large metal tanks. African American female campers and counselors from Camp Nizhoni stand by the mine, probably in Gilpin County, Colorado. Shows ore car tracks.

View of the Administration Building at the Y.M.C.A. Camp Conference Headquarters at the YMCA of the Rockies near Estes Park in Larimer County, Colorado. Shows men, women and children in front of a two-story, wood frame building. Cars nearby include Model "A" Fords.

African American teenage campers and their counselor from Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills hike along Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks near Rollinsville (Gilpin County), Colorado. The buildings of the town are in the distance. The hikers wear coats, sweaters, pants, boots and hats. One carries a box camera; another carries a cup.

Four African American teenage girls stand at the foot of Alberta Falls (Larimer County), Colorado. They wear overalls or pants, sweaters and boots. A sign on a tree reads: "Alberta Falls."

Two shepherds and A large flock of sheep walk along a dirt road near South Boulder Creek in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado.

A group of African American campers from Camp Nizhoni bathe on the bank of South Boulder Creek in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. The teenage girls wash clothes and wear swim suits and caps. Camp buildings are in the distance.

Text and annotations on album page read: "[ARL-106] Boulder Creek as it flows through Lincoln Hills, [ARL-107] Entrance to the Chapel, [ARL-108] 'Divine Love' Our little secret high up in the Rockies." The photographic prints on album page show: South Boulder Creek; the entrance to the chapel; view of rocks placed in the shape of a cross within a circle at Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado.

A group of African American female campers, who include Zipporah Parks, pose together on the grounds of Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. Their counselors (including Marie Anderson, later Marie L. Greenwood) are in the background.

Six African American campers of various ages in the "Andy" family (Andy is counselor Marie Anderson, later Marie L. Greenwood) pose near a wire fence on the grounds of Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. Some wear dresses, two wear hats, and one wears a long skirt. Camp buildings are in the distance.

Seven African American teenage campers from Camp Nizhoni pose in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. They all wear pants and blouses; one has on overalls, one wears a straw hat and three others wear sailor-type pants with large buttons.

Four African American women, Katherine Patton (Pat), Mary E. Wood (Woody), Marie Anderson ( Andy, later Marie L. Greenwood), and Mrs. Wilson pose together at Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. Woody has a broken leg and leans on one crutch. They all wear dresses; two of which have a print pattern. Mrs. Wilson holds a purse.

Passengers look out windows as a group of African American campers and their counselors from Camp Nizhoni (Gilpin County), Colorado stand near a D.& R.G.W. Railroad train near Lincoln Hills. The campers and counselors wear pants, shorts, dresses and wide-brimmed hats. The train car reads: "Railway Express Agency Baggage 561."

Three African American camp counselors identified as: "Smitty" (Eleanor Smith), "Woody" (Mary E. Wood) and "Hawky" (Eleanor Hawkins) stand in South Boulder Creek wearing swim suits and swim caps on the grounds of Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado. "Smitty" leans on a large stick and holds a box camera; "Hawky" also leans on a large stick.

Camp Nizhoni

African American women, staff members and visitors pose together (includes "Mother" Gross the camp cook, and Mary Wood aka "Woody") at Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County) Colorado. They wear dresses, pants, shorts, blouses; one wears a scarf.

Camp Nizhoni

Seven African American campers from Camp Nizhoni in Lincoln Hills (Gilpin County), Colorado either stand in South Boulder Creek or sit on a wooden bridge. They wear swimsuits and swim caps.

View of rock formations probably in Loch Vale (Locke Vale) in Rocky Mountain National Park (Larimer County), Colorado. Shows evergreen trees.