History
Before 1943
1818: Oct. 18th, land Everton is on is sold by the Mississauga Indians to the government. This land was portioned out to settlers for free to attract them to Upper Canada, as long as they fulfilled several requirements.
1821: The first settler in the area was William Everts. He acquires deeds to the land adjacent to river. Reuben Butchart names him Charles Everts, not William, but in any case it is the same person. He was a late loyalist fleeing Pennsylvania and was given land as reward for his loyalty. His wife Irene (Irena) gets this land; he follows a year later in 1822.
1837: December 9th, Samuel Lount, Leader of the rebellions in Upper Canada with William Lyon Mackenzie, fleeing capture, hides in the cellar of David Oliphant, who lived in Everton. Today there is a street named after the Oliphant family. Samuel Lount is later captured and hanged.
1874: Rufus Everts, William’s son, who had taken over the mill, sells it to Henry Hortop.
1906: John Everts owns farm across from where cub entrance is today.
1934: Rufus Everts’ nephew, William Evert Jr., the last of the Everts in Everton, dies in February aged 76. He lived across the road from where the scout entrance stands today. He also owned and farmed the 200 acres on which the camp is today. After his death, the land was sold to Frank Day.
1943: In early December, the Boys Scouts Association of North Waterloo District purchase land from Frank Day with the intent of making it into a camp.
1943 to Present Day
Bill Evans Campfire Cirlce
The Cub Campfire Circle has been in use since the early 1950’s. Over the years it has grown, both in size and significance. Today the Campfire Circle is used as a gathering place for Cubs all year round, and is used nightly in the summers for fun, fellowship, and song.
In 1997 the Cub Campfire Circle was renamed the Bill Evans Campfire Circle, after Bill Evans, a Scouter who had devoted more than 35 years to the Directorship of the Summer Camp Programs. A group of Scouters, friends of Everton and of Bill restored the Campfire Circle and made it what you see today. Bill was an avid admirer of Native American culture and it is for this reason that much of the symbolism found in the current campfire is derived from First Nations art.
The white enclosure and gate symbolize peace, while the red figures above the gate represent shaman, or medicine men dressed in buffalo hide. Their presence keeps away unfriendly spirits. Each of the poles is decorated with a shield, each with its own story and significance. The shields each have two eagle feathers that represent bravery and perseverance. The double-headed Thunderbird sits above the Campfire chief’s chair and relays the fun and excitement of the circle upwards to the Great Spirit.
The Totem pole was erected in Bill Evans’ honour. An elephant facing westward towards the setting sun caps it. The elephant was Bill’s animal as almost all Cubs in North Waterloo District called him Hathi (the elephant from the jungle book). The shield on the pole represents Bill’s love of Everton forest, his strength, his wisdom, his profound spiritualism, and the love that all shared for him.
Since 1998 the Campfire Circle has been maintained by Rover Crews and other Friends of Everton, and will continue to be so for many, many years to come.
CAMP EVERTON THANKS YOU FOR USING THE BILL EVANS CAMPFIRE CIRCLE WITH THE RESPECT THAT IT IS DUE. BY SHARING IN THIS VISION, MANY MORE DARK NIGHTS WILL BE FILLED WITH ITS LIGHT AND LEGACY.
Camp Lore
Lonesome Pine:
This impressive, magnificent specimen of a tree has many legends surrounding it; like tales of a wicked witch living in its highest branches. The tree is also said to be the only survivor of a forest fire which swept through the area in the early 1900’s, which is why it is so large compared to the other trees around it; it is the only one left of the old forest. One final legend is that there is a plaque at the top of the tree, placed there by a rover crew many years ago. No one knows what it says except those brave enough to climb to its peak and read it. (The majority of the stories about Lonesome Pine are more myth than fact, but the tree still holds a place in the lore of Everton, and that makes it significant.)
Devil’s Pulpit:
This is the highest cliff at the camp. It gets its name from an outcrop of rock that jutted out over the Eramosa river at the top. The rock looked as if it were a platform from which someone (the devil perhaps) might give a speech, hence Devil’s Pulpit. It is actually a twin peak, further along the river is Angel’s Pulpit, which is less impressive and harder to get to. Although it is still a magnificent example of limestone cliff today, Devil’s Pulpit is less imposing and awe inspiring than it once was. In 1944, just one year after the camp opened, it was decided that the overhanging rock was unsafe. They worried that it might break off, and injure those swimming in the river below, where the camp swimming hole used to be. So in 1944 it was loaded with dynamite and this impressive natural wonder, the outcrop of Devil’s Pulpit, was blown up. Below the cliff you can still see the pieces left after the blast. Unlike the Lonesome Pine, the story of Devil’s Pulpit is entirely true, not a myth.
