March 12thA Mennonite Icon?
If Mennonites could admit to having icons, I think the bell at Camp Valaqua might be one! Webster’s dictionary describes an icon as “a person or thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere”. So much more than a small symbol on the computer screen!
While never seen (other than on the cover of the 2025 Camp Calendar), the bell at Camp Valaqua has been heard by thousands of campers over the past 65+ years, and in many ways is the most enduring feature of the camp. Heard, but never seen! You will need to ask Ruth Bergen Braun what inspired her to take a picture of it for the Calendar! Its chimes ring out across the river valley and can be heard clearly from Ing’s Garden and beyond. I sometimes wonder if our neighbours appreciate it as much as we do!
(Click image to Ring that Bell)
So what is the story of the bell? Where did it come from and how did it become such an assumed part of Camp Valaqua? Can anyone remember a time before the bell?
I decided to dig into these questions and soon realized that most people I could think of who might know about the bell were gone. This pushed me to dig a bit further.
The quest to learn about the origins of the camp bell took me to the very beginnings of Camp Valaqua. The Alberta Mennonite Youth Organization (AMYO) had been running a summer bible school program at Mennonite Bible Institute (MBI) at Bergthal in the 1950’s. Around this time, a camping movement was growing. The AMYO was concerned that summer bible school wasn’t attracting youth and decided to explore the idea of establishing a Mennonite Camp. The concern was that youth from Mennonite churches continue to be raised “under a Christian influence”.
Cory Hildebrandt from Bergthal (Carstairs) was hired for the summer of 1957 to visit camps in the area between HIgh River to the south and Didsbury to the north. His mandate was to see what others were doing and to find a location for a Mennonite Camp. According to Alberta Mennonite Youth Organization (AMYO) minutes in the Alberta Mennonite Archives, the first site given consideration was in the Priddis area. I could only find one reference to this possibility before the focus shifted to the property Cory found at Water Valley. This became what we know as Camp Valaqua.
I was able to speak with Cory earlier this year about his role in the beginnings of Camp Valaqua and, more specifically, about the bell. The idea of a Mennonite Camp gained momentum as AMYO leaders visited churches around the province to promote and get support for the idea. While there were many people involved in this venture, 3 names stand out. These are Cory Hildebrandt, Jake Harder, and Walter Paetkau. From a review of the minutes, and according to Cory, these 3 men poured unlimited energy into getting the camp going. Walter Paetkau was the first director.
When I asked more specifically about the bell, Cory said that was his wife, Anna’s story to tell. Anna came on the phone and talked about having a dream or a picture in her mind of a bell for Camp Valaqua. She couldn’t shake this idea and and some point became aware that their neighbour in Didsbury, Dan Fry, worked for the railroad and had access to train yards and a bell.
Around this time Cory and Anna had a serious house fire and Cory was badly burned. While this had nothing to do with the camp, it connected closely with all the work that Cory, and his fellow committee members, Jake Harder had put into the camp. Anna asked that Coy’s name be engraved in the bell as a way of commemorating his work for AMYO and the camp.
The first thing Anna asked was if the bell was still at the camp. Hearing that it was and that is served to gather campers and announce activities through the summer brought her to tears. I could not answer her next question as to whether the bell was engraved. That will be explored in spring when the snow is off the roof of the lodge.
I believe there is more to the story of the Camp Valaqua bell. If you hold information about the bell, please let me know. Campers today and in the future should know something about this iconic symbol of Camp Valaqua!
Meanwhile, the bell will continue to ring, inviting campers to gather for meals, chapel, and other activities. When you hear the bell, think of those whose efforts made Camp Valaqua a reality.