Oak Bay Camp

An annual Oak Bay tradition for twenty years

Fletcher Bros photo courtesy Patricia Johnston . . .

Oak Bay Camp (1878–1908) Campers and guests

In the late 1870s, eight enterprising young men conceived the idea to build a summer camp — not just for themselves, but also for guests on special occasions. The campsite consisted of individual tents for the campers and a kitchen — complete with cooking range and Chinese cook! The Camp's annual "At Home" gala became an Oak Bay tradition, with hundreds of invited guests dancing on the beach and sailing in lantern-lit boats on the bay.

PHOTOGRAPHS

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ARTIFACTS

courtesy Patricia Johnston . . . .

Invitation to Oak Bay Camp "At Home" 1889–1900 (11th season)

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RECOLLECTIONS

Recollections may be abridged for length and/or clarity

My great grandfather Philip T. Johnston and his wife Agnes had seven children — four sons and three daughters. ... the four sons, Phil, Purcell, Robert and James, along with four other young men formed the Oak Bay Camp, which consisted of tents set up on the beach beside Haynes Park, opposite the steps and path leading from Prospect Place to Beach Drive.

I believe that Granny donated that park, named after her second husband, Ernest Haynes, who was a founding member of OBC.

— Phil Johnston, great grandson of Oak Bay Camp co-founder

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SUBMISSIONS

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