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Camp Tosebo
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| Location: | 7228 Miller Road, Red Park, Michigan |
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| Nearest city: | Onekama, Michigan |
| Built: | 1914-1918 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 00000644 |
| Added to NRHP: | December 21, 2000 |
Camp Tosebo, on the south shore of Portage Lake in Onekama Township, Michigan, was established in 1912 by Noble Hill, the headmaster of the Todd Seminary for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois, as one of the first summer camps in the United States. The name of the camp is an acronym derived from the school's name, TOdd SEminary for BOys, and meant to sound like a Native American Indian word.
Noble Hill was a pioneer in progressive education as a teacher and then headmaster/owner of the Todd Seminary for Boys. Hill wanted to create a summer camp program as an extension of the school program. Originally planned for a Wisconsin site, his son Roger insisted on the Portage Lake location because of its excellent lake with access to Lake Michigan for larger sailboats. Camp Tosebo opened in 1912 and operated until 1977. The Hill family operated the camp through three generations from 1912 to 1962. Many stories exist about Orson Welles attending Camp Tosebo. While he did attend the Todd School, he only visited the camp. Today the camp operates as a resort rental on its 56 acres (230,000 m2) wooded and fully restored buildings.
Camp Tosebo, also known as Old Camp Tosebo Inn, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as District #00000644.[1]