Larry Stevens and Neal Schechter founded Walden in 1959. Both were public school teachers and experienced camp counselors with a love of kids and the outdoors when they decided to open their own children’s camp.

The partners bought the majority of the land that is now Walden from camp’s next-door neighbor, Ed Slezak. At the time, the property was home to a small girls’ camp called Michakewa Lodge. Its only buildings were eight small cabins, and portions of the Mess Hall, Arts and Crafts building, and Counselors Lounge.

Walden opened its first summer with approximately 60 campers. Early in its history, it became one of the first camps in the Midwest to offer children the opportunity to create individual activity schedules (as opposed to doing everything as a cabin group).

In 1989, Neal retired from the camping business. Since then, Larry and Ina
have continued to instill Walden’s
values and traditions in their
campers, and,at the same time,
keep up with kids’ current interests.

Their successes have won a loyal
following. As so many members
of the Walden family will eagerly
describe, the spirit, camaraderie
and beauty of Walden enriched
not just their summers but also
their lives. Year after year,
the Walden staff continues to
strive for that goal.