Uncovering Widji’s Time Capsule: Charting the Early Days of Voyageur

Imagine digging in your garden, and suddenly your shovel meets resistance with a loud “thunk.” Some quick sweeps of your hands in the dirt reveal the top of a metal box. You pull it out of the ground, open the box, and see a scattering of various things. This is no basic metal box; this is a time capsule! Someone took the time to capture these mementos, and you feel inspired to do something to honor these memories.

Ok, minus the garden, shovel, and metal box, this is pretty much what happened to me via email.

One morning, my inbox held an email from Widji and du Nord alum John Shepard. John wrote, “I enjoyed the last issue of Letters from Camp. Somehow, it jogged my thinking about a photo album that emerged from a neglected pile in my office not long ago. I’ve been planning to return it, but I thought I’d let you know about it as it might make for an interesting article.”

The photo of the album that John included in that email revealed something magical, and I knew I needed to share this at our community campfire (i.e. this magazine). The album was a gift from the “Committee of Management” to Whitey Luehrs (Widji director from 1950-61). It chronicles the history of Widji’s Boy Voyageur (BV) program from 1955 to 1964 (the first Girl Voyageur trip was in 1956 but is not included in this book). 

The Origins of Voyageur

For 70 years, the Voyageur program has been the culminating experience for generations of Widjiwagan campers. Not all campers take this trip, but for those who do, Voyageur is a capstone experience where campers grow in confidence, deepen their connection to the natural world, and build lifelong bonds through shared challenges and accomplishment.

Trekking to some of the most remote regions of Northern Canada and Alaska, navigating rivers like the Coppermine, Kazan, Thelon, and Noatak, this program takes campers on 30- to 40-day expeditions. These trips are led by Widji’s most experienced and highly trained staff, emphasizing leadership, resilience, and wilderness skills in a dynamic and challenging environment. 

Tripping was part of Widjiwagan’s programming from the very beginning, but Whitey Luehrs established the Voyageur program during the first nine years, as commemorated in the scrapbook. Campers followed the route of the 18th century explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, the first European to cross North America in search of a Northwest Passage. His route spanned Canada, from Montreal to the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean. 

“The idea of following the route of the 18th century explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, across Canada from Montreal to the Arctic and Pacific Ocean had a touch of genius about it… with one stroke it embedded the history of the north country into the program and endowed it with a sense of tradition.” (Widjiwagan: A History)

In 2025, 17 campers participated in three Voyageur trips. There were also nine campers who went on two Mountaineering trips (an expansion of the Voyageur program focusing on backpacking instead of canoeing).

The Voyageur Legacy Lives On

Holding the beautiful leather book in my hands, I knew I wanted to share this piece of history in the magazine. Six issues later, I have heard countless stories from alumni about the impact of the Voyaguer trips. This program is part of Widji’s history and culture, a gem in present-day programming. Having a glimpse into where it all began and reading the stories of the people who charted the way is an opportunity to understand more deeply who and what Widjiwagan stands for. 

Although the scrapbook was made in 1965, my hope was to find someone to interview who had helped make it or who was present when it was presented to Whitey. I was curious to listen to Luehrs’ reaction to receiving the book and to see if he had shared his thoughts about the completion of this first era of the Voyageur program.

That was the story I thought I was going to write.

I started by emailing photos of the book to my go-to camp “historians”—the people who seem to know everyone and everything about camp history. Over the following months, I immersed myself in the Widjiwagan alumni community. In total, I exchanged emails with, and/or spoke with 37 people.

Nearly every conversation included the same elements: People were excited to see the photos I’d sent and interested in learning more about the book. They eagerly told me their own Widjiwagan stories and suggested other Widji alumni I should speak with. No one remembered anything about the scrapbook or who had created it, nor did they know who had presented it to Whitey. Everyone was confident, though, that someone could tell me the story I was after.

With months of no luck finding the direct ties to the album, I questioned whether I should give up and find a new story to tell. However, the enthusiasm, passion, and deep connections that all these alumni shared were as much a treasure as the artifact I was trying to learn more about. 

While I still think there is someone out there who knows the specific details I was looking for, months of sharing this book with the alumni community led me to this story. The scrapbook represents a program with a beautiful history that has remained strong for 70 years, growing, improving, and evolving, but the same today as in 1955, changing lives and significantly affecting the campers who participate. The result is a community of alumni deeply connected to one another and to Camp Widjiwagan. 

So many of the stories shared in a scrapbook from so long ago continue to represent what campers are experiencing today. It is a beautiful artifact that represents the magic, enormity, and true power of what camp is and has been for decades.

As director of alumni philanthropy, I am pleased to work with eight overnight camps, each with a rich history and passionate alumni community. Through this magazine, we preserve history, share stories, and celebrate both the physical and mental journeys we endure while on our adventures. Acknowledging these individual stories and highlighting similarities in our unique experiences allows us to connect the dots between past and present and feel part of something so much bigger than a moment or an individual trip. And to play a part in connecting those dots and bringing the generations together is truly magical.