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In the late 1950s a group of loggers stumbled onto a hidden lake in a secluded valley in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. It was obvious to them that this special location could, with a herculean amount of effort, be the perfect location for a remote kids camp, so they set out to do just that. First they obtained the needed permits to cut a road through the landscape to the shores of the lake. Then, people from 9 Central Oregon churches got together to form the Round Lake Christian Camp non-profit and a lease was secured from the Forest Service for the property. The original lodge was completed in the first part of the 1960s and the first camps began gathering, first in tents and then, over time, in lovely but rustic cabins. Later a shower house and small meeting hall and then an outdoor amphitheater were added. In 1999 the old lodge suffered extensive snow damage so it was reinforced and repaired, but in 2001 the snow again had it's way so the original lodge was de-constructed, the foundation was enlarged and our current log lodge was built. In 2003, just before the new lodge was finished, the B & B fire swept through the area, burning over 90,000 acres. It roared into our property on August 22nd and took out the old cabins and the meeting hall, but the brand new lodge was miraculously spared, even though the fire burned a towering pine tree just a few feet away from the corner of the lodge. The camp was closed down for 2 years as the lodge was finished and the site was cleaned up. Temporary bunkhouse rooms were established in the lodge basement and plans were laid to build a new log bunkouse where the old rustic cabins had once stood. The new bunkhouse was finished in 2008. A new name was established and Round Lake Christian Camp began doing business as Wilderness Lakes Retreat, as we transitioned from primarily a kids camp to a Retreat Center. That transition continues today as we lay plans to expand and refresh our facilities and widen our vision.
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