The Resort Years
Camp Iduhapi
Main Lodge
Credit: Maple Plain Museum
Throughout the 1920‘s, the Minneapolis YMCA’s leadership had been searching for a suitable location close to the Twin Cities for a rustic boys' camp. In 1929, they found a property fitting their criteria. (Until about 1910 the property and the island had been owned by the Youngdahl family; Luther Youngdahl later became governor of Minnesota and Reuben Youngdahl was the pastor of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.)
In 1929 the YMCA purchased the 31-acre Lawrence Tabaka farm from Mrs. Annie Forbes for $4,500. The property included 600 feet of shoreline suitable for swimming. Twenty-six days later the stock market crashed, the beginning of the Great Depression. The YMCA Board cautiously went forward with plans for the camp.
The camp opened on July 31, 1930. The winterized log buildings included a main lodge, 14 sleeping cabins, a dining hall, caretaker cottage and handicraft building. The camp was constructed with the latest features including a septic tank system and underground water, sewage and electrical systems. The fireplaces in the main lodge were built with rocks from 10 different Midwest states.
Originally it was called Lake Independence Camp. Around 1935 the name was changed to Camp Iduhapi, based on the Lakota word for “independence”.