Camp Comak

Camp Comak was a summer camp in heavily forested Haliburton County, Ontario. The camp occupied a large island in Lake St. Nora.

Approximately 120 campers, aged 6 to 15, lived at the camp. Campers learned swimming, boating, and, particularly canoeing. All but the youngest campers would go on a canoe trip, at least once per summer. The older the camper the more challenging the trip. Algonquin Park was nearby, and older campers would go for trips in the very large park.

Unlike other similar camps research was done before trips, and campers would visit the sites of cabins and other facilities used by loggers when the entire region was logged, around the turn of the 19th century. Artifacts were collected and the best were displayed in the camp's logging museum.

In those days the forests of Haliburton, Muskoka County, and other heavily forested counties were protected by tall observation towers where forest rangers would scan the horizon for signs of smoke. Campers were allowed to pay a visit to the tower at the ranger school.

The camp was founded by Ed Devitt, a high school teacher, who had experience in camp direction after spending years as an assistant director at Camp Kilcoo.

In 1947 he bought the Island Comak used. A hunting lodge had hosted hunters there, and it served as the camp's dining hall. Two original log cabins remained on the Island. One was used as the camp museum.

The camp closed in 1970.