A Brief History of Summer Camps in Kerr County

Heart o' The Hills Camp for Girls, on the South Fork of the Guadalupe River
in Kerr County, Texas.
Click on any image to enlarge.

Camp Mystic, Hunt

Last month, the world learned about summer camps along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, because of the tragedy which occurred on July 4th, 2025. A nine-mile-high column of water fell in the Divide region of our county over a very short time, causing a wall of water to rush downhill and crash through everyone and anything in its path.

We are grieving. We are shaken. But we are not broken.

Camp Mystic suffered terrible losses, losing campers and my friend Dick Eastland. Heart o’ The Hills Camp for Girls, though thankfully not in session that morning, lost its longtime director, my friend Jane Ragsdale.

So many families have lost loved ones – from Hunt to Kerrville. My heart breaks for each of them.

Heart tennis court

If you’re not from here, you might have questions about the summer camping industry. Perhaps I can help. What is the history of those summer camps? What is their story? Here’s a brief history:

When the first sleepaway youth camps in Kerr County opened, in the 1920s, there were no Interstate highways and air travel was extremely rare. Most campers came from Texas's largest cities -- but especially from Dallas and Houston -- and they arrived by train or bus. Leaving the cities in the heat of summer, and then arriving here, where it's cooler because of the elevation, would have been a welcome trip. Then campers were taken from town to camp, traveling unpaved roads which dipped into the riverbed here and there. Higher and higher the campers would travel, winding their way deeper into the green hills, following the ribbon of river. 

When they finally arrived at their camp, and settled into their cabins, tired and hungry, a type of paradise greeted them. The green river beckoned. Horseback riding was available. Campers were taught to shoot guns, arrows; they were instructed in athletics; they learned to paddle a canoe. 

Rec Hall, Camp Mystic

And more than one camper wrote home to tell how good the food was at camp, how it was piled high on the tables, and how, after a day busy with camp activities, the food tasted so good.

Why wouldn't campers, even later in life, think of Kerr County as paradise?

Summer youth camping in Kerr County began in 1921 when Herbert Crate opened Camp Rio Vista between Ingram and Hunt. Crate was the CEO of the Houston YMCA. Knowing the "Y" had established camps along the eastern seaboard, Crate was certain the idea would work in Texas.

According to an article written by the late Jane Ragsdale in the "Kerr County Album," Crate called Rio Vista the "Summer Character Camp for Boys."

Crate's first summer was not what he expected: "100 men promised to send their sons if he opened a camp -- yet the first summer, Crate found himself with 21 counselors, and only 16 boys." His words of wisdom for those who followed: "Never start a camp from scratch."

Despite his advice, other camps soon followed.

Heart o' The Hills Inn

Edward J. "Doc" Stewart, the head football and basketball coach at the University of Texas at Austin in the early 1920s, is responsible for the beginning days of three well-known Kerr County camps: Camp Stewart for Boys, Heart O' the Hills Camp for Girls, and Camp Mystic.

Stewart started his first camp here, "Camp Texas" in 1924, using the old West Texas Fairgrounds, between today's Junction Highway and Guadalupe Street in Kerrville. Not surprisingly, the camp's colors were orange and white.

For three summers Stewart operated his camp in Kerrville, offering two 30 day terms. In 1927 the camp moved to its present location, 16 miles west of Kerrville, on the north fork of the Guadalupe River.

"Doc" Stewart started another camp in 1926, Camp Stewart for Girls, on the south fork of the Guadalupe; a year later it became Camp Mystic for Girls. In those early days, Camp Mystic had 1400 acres, and the girls were housed in 18 log cabins constructed from cypress logs cut on the camp.

Camp Mystic waterfront

Sensing another opportunity, Stewart also built "Heart O' the Hills Inn" as a place for parents to stay after they'd dropped their children off at camp. This inn later became Heart O' the Hills Camp for Girls, under the leadership of Kenneth and Velma Jones, opening for campers in 1953.

Another pioneer in Kerr County camping was Miss Ora Johnson, who founded Camp Waldemar in 1926. Miss Johnson was the principal of Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, and many of her early campers were from that city. 

In 1928 Miss Johnson brought in from Mexico a "Russian-born German rock mason, Ferdinand Rehbeger." It was Rehbeger who constructed many of the stone and cedar buildings that give Waldemar its distinct architecture.

Miss Johnson died in late 1931; ownership fell to her brothers, and eventually a niece, Doris Johnson, became director in 1934. She continued in this role until 1978.

Waldemar was noted for its horseback program, and was, for a time, known as "the Texas Horseback Camp for Girls." Connie Reeves, a noted instructor and rider, was hired in 1937 and continued with the camp for many decades.

Other notable camps begun during this time include Camp La Junta, Camp Arrowhead, and Kickapoo Kamp. Later additions include the much-needed Texas Lions Camp, Camp Loma Linda on the grounds of Mo-Ranch, and Echo Hill Camp in Medina.

Summer camps in Kerr County are a paradise for children and young people, a paradise with a long history. They provide jobs, help the local economy, and, in many cases, they bring Kerrville and Kerr County new residents. 

It is my hope the summer camping industry survives. Please know I am working hard to ensure it does.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead July 31, 2025.

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