Chief Noonday Outdoor Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chief Noonday Group Camp Historic District
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chief Noonday Road (County Road 434) east of Briggs Road, Yankee Springs Township |
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| Area | 130 acres (53 ha) |
| Architectural style | NPS rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001481 |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1996 |
The Chief Noonday Outdoor Center, also known as the Chief Noonday Group Camp Historic District, is a fun place for outdoor activities. It's located on Chief Noonday Road in Yankee Springs Township. This special place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. This means it's an important historical site worth protecting.
History of Chief Noonday Camp
The land where the Yankee Springs Recreation Area is now was first settled in the 1830s. By the 1930s, the soil was wearing away, and many farms were struggling. The United States government bought a large area of this land. They started planting new trees to help the soil recover. This process is called reforestation.
During the Great Depression, a time when many people had no jobs, the National Park Service started a program. It was called the Recreation Development Area (RDA) program. This program helped create jobs. It also built many organized camping places across the country. Four of these camps were built in Michigan. Two of them were in the Yankee Springs Recreation Area. These were the Long Lake Group Camp and the Chief Noonday Group Camp. The Chief Noonday camp was first known as the Mud Lake Camp.
Building the Chief Noonday Group Camp started in 1936. An architect named Ernest F. Hartwick from the National Park Service designed many of the buildings. Theodore N. Zaetsch, a landscape architect, planned how the land would be used.
The camp was used a lot for many years. Around 2013, a decision was made to fix up the cabins. They planned to refurbish, or renovate, them one at a time. One cabin, called the "Crane House cabin," was made available for rent after it was fixed up.
What the Chief Noonday Camp Looks Like
The Chief Noonday Group Camp is part of the Yankee Springs Recreation Area. The camp has four "villages" where groups can stay. These villages are built around a central fire pit. There is also a main area with a dining hall and kitchen. Other buildings for camp services are also there.
Most of the buildings are single-story. They are made of wood and have sloped roofs called gable roofs. The outside walls are covered with rough-cut wooden boards. The buildings sit on concrete foundations. These foundations are covered with natural fieldstones. Many of the bigger buildings have large chimneys made of fieldstone.
