The Camp Fire Girls on Ellen's Isle

In Short

Hildegard G. Frey’s 1917 young-adult novel follows the Winnebago Camp Fire Girls and their male companions, the Sandwiches, as they set up a summer encampment on Ellen’s Isle. Fleeing record-breaking city heat, the group fills their days with canoe trips, wildlife encounters, practical pranks, and local explorations. When a pair of spoiled, difficult twins is entrusted to their care, the outdoor life becomes a proving ground. The story endures for its buoyant portrayal of group camaraderie, hands-on resourcefulness, and the quiet ways nature and community reshape willful young lives.

The Story

The adventure begins during an unendurable June heatwave, when the Winnebagos—a tight-knit group of Camp Fire Girls including Hinpoha, Sahwah, Migwan, and Gladys—gather on a porch with cold lemonade, longing to escape the city. Relief comes when they embark on a summer camping trip to Ellen’s Isle, joined by their male counterparts, the Sandwiches, alongside adult guardians Uncle Teddy, Mr. Evans, and Aunt Clara.

Life on the island quickly settles into a lively rhythm of outdoor chores, informal cooking, and constant fun. Breakfast involves frying corn fritter batter in individual pans over open coals, sharing space with Sandhelo, a friendly donkey who shamelessly begs for toast. Days are filled with wilderness discoveries, such as Uncle Teddy luring a massive bull moose into a clearing using a birchbark trumpet call to give the campers a close look at the wild animal.

The harmony of the camp is put to the test when Judge Dalrymple arrives with his offspring: the snobbish Anthony and his tearful, easily frightened twin sister, Antha. Called away on business while his wife recovers at a sanitarium, the judge asks the campers to take the delicate twins off his hands. Though the council initially votes against taking in spoiled children, Katherine persuades them to give the pair a chance.

Throughout the summer, the campers take long canoe excursions up shallow rivers and explore surrounding landmarks. During one river trip, a prank involving a wooden mannequin named Eeny-Meeny goes awry when a well-meaning, wet-suited English hiker plunges into the water to "save" the floating dummy. On another excursion, several campers find themselves stranded at the top of an abandoned lighthouse when their boats drift off, forcing them to signal a passing liner for help. Between trips, the group eagerly hunts for historical relics around an imbedded forest rock.

Amid the play, real hardship touches the camp. Katherine receives word that her family's finances have collapsed and her mother's health is broken, forcing her to abandon her dreams of attending college so she can work the family farm. Though she firmly turns down offers of financial aid, her resilient spirit inspires those around her. Meanwhile, the outdoor routines subtly transform the twins. Anthony's boastfulness is checked by the older boys, while Antha conquers her fears, learns to swim, and snaps a crucial photograph during a crisis. When a fierce storm drives the liner Huronic onto a nearby reef, the campers battle punishing winds to deliver the warning to the life-saving station. By the time the stay is extended for a final week, the once-difficult twins are unanimously chosen by their peers to lead the council.

How It Unfolds

Escaping the heatwave Trapped in the city during a record-breaking June heatwave, the girls lounge on a shady veranda sipping lemonade until a stray bee startles the dog, sparking their eagerness to head north for the summer.

Breakfast on the beach Settling into camp life on Ellen's Isle, the campers cook corn fritters over open coals, sharing their meal with gulls and a tame donkey who begs for toast.

Calling the moose Uncle Teddy uses a birchbark trumpet to mimic a female moose, bringing a giant bull with wide antlers crashing into the clearing to the delight of the motionless campers.

Taking on the twins Despite strong initial reluctance from the camp council to harbor the tearful Antha and patronizing Anthony, Katherine convinces the group to take the spoiled pair in for the summer.

The river expedition Paddling small canoes up shallow waterways, the campers roll ponchos for overnight woods stays while Sahwah revels in the thrilling risk of capsizing.

An English hero During an evening by the river, a passing English walker leaps into the water to rescue a floating wooden mannequin, leaving the campers in fits of giggles when he discovers his mistake.

Stranded in the tower While exploring an empty lighthouse, the campers accidentally let their boats float away, leaving them trapped high above the shore waving towels at an unheeding cruise ship.

Digging for relics Inspired by local lore, the group carries hatchets and spades into the woods, heaving away heaps of dirt around an imbedded rock in hopes of finding buried Indian artifacts.

Katherine's heavy news Learning that her family's sudden troubles will prevent her from attending college, Katherine stoically refuses financial hand-outs, hiding her deep disappointment beneath a tough exterior.

Storm on the reef When the steamer Huronic runs aground off Sister Point during a gale, the girls and boys struggle through battering winds to reach the beach patrol and bring help.

The People

• Katherine acts as the camp’s informal culinary backbone and pragmatic anchor. Facing severe financial strain at home that threatens her college ambitions, she conceals her deep disappointment behind a sharp, no-nonsense exterior, steering the camp toward generosity when others hesitate.
• Hinpoha is an energetic, affectionate Winnebago girl whose impulsive nature and deep loyalty to her friends frequently land her in the middle of camp misadventures, from accidental bean explosions to foggy launch rides.
• Antha Dalrymple enters the story as a frail, perpetually crying city girl terrified of dark tents, wind, and spiders. Through continuous outdoor living, she develops true resilience, learns to swim, and earns the respect of the whole group.
• Anthony Dalrymple begins as a boastful, patronizing boy who belittles the group's canoe and brags about his wealthy city friends. The older boys gradually cure his arrogance by holding him accountable, turning him into a respectful, capable leader.
• The Captain is a dependable male camper and Sandwich member who leads practical tasks, handles boat logistics, and steps up during emergencies like the reef rescue.
• Uncle Teddy serves as the seasoned woodsman and mentor of the camp, using his wilderness lore to guide canoe trips, call wildlife, and manage camp governance with quiet humor.

In Its Own Voice

"The parched earth had split open everywhere in gaping cracks that intersected and made patterns in the garden like a crazy quilt."

— A opening depiction of the relentless city heatwave that drives the campers north.

"There are four frying pans; that's one to every four persons; they can each fry their own with neatness and dispatch. I belong to the Society for the Prevention of Leaving It All to the Cook!"

— Katherine establishing her practical, egalitarian rules for camp breakfast preparation.

"She's got grit! I thought she hadn't a speck. She's a Dalrymple after all! Praise be, she's got grit!"

— Judge Dalrymple reacting with proud astonishment at his daughter's transformation.

What It's Really About

Beneath its cheerful chronicle of summer pranks and outdoor skills, the novel explores how environment shapes character and how communal work fosters self-reliance. It contrasts the softening, anxiety-inducing effects of overindulgent city life with the steadying discipline of nature. The story asserts that capability is not an inherent trait but something forged through responsibility, physical effort, and unvarnished peer feedback. It also addresses the quiet dignity of facing personal hardship; Katherine’s refusal to indulge in self-pity or accept easy charity highlights a work-ethic code where self-respect is maintained through active resilience rather than complaint.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers looking for nostalgic, lighthearted youth fiction will find immense charm in this period piece. Frey writes with a crisp, rhythmic vigor that captures the sensory pleasures of northern woods—the smell of pine, the sizzle of breakfast batter, and the chill of lakeside fogs. The book offers a cozy window into early 20th-century youth culture, detailed with the specific rituals and vernacular of the early Camp Fire movement.

While contemporary audiences may notice dated elements—such as informal, mildly punitive peer discipline and occasional melodramatic staging—the core dynamics remain surprisingly fresh. The playful banter among the teenagers, the mild adolescent rivalries, and the sheer joy of unstructured outdoor freedom feel timeless. Readers who appreciate classic outdoor adventure series like The Boxcar Children or Swallows and Amazons will enjoy this engaging tale of summer companionship and personal growth.