      Campers for years have been attending the Nelson Lake Bible Camp located on the shores of Nelson Lake. This year marks a milestone for the camp with celebrations scheduled for the 80th birthday. The party is scheduled for August 14 with campers and community members encouraged to attend the celebrations.
           Saskatchewan is home to 100,000 lakes. One of them is named Nelson, a small body of water covering 87 acres surrounded by spruce trees and hills.
           For decades the calm undisturbed body of water remained secluded. The surrounding area was unpopulated and unproductive, according to a booklet written by Fern Mattison in 1988. But the desolate atmosphere of the unexplored was destined to change because progression of events was already in motion leading to the importance of the lake and property.
           The lake was founded by Nels and Anna Nelson when they settled on the northwest quarter section in the Preeceville district in 1906. Their land and two adjourning quarter sections encircled a reservoir of spring water. The lake had no outlet streams to feed or pollute the water. It was unknown to the settlers that the lake was furbished by subterranean springs that kept the water renewed and at a constant level.
           The family and their neighbours soon discovered the value of the lake, the booklet said. The water was clean and good for drinking for cattle and humans and the fishing was exceptional. Before long the lake was referred to as Nelson Lake and the name became permanent years later.
           The pioneer Nelson Lake campsite was one among many campsites in Saskatchewan but remained different as it was to become an established Bible camp.
           Church groups found camping relaxing and beneficial. The outdoors was like a healing balm to young campers as they could absorb lessons applicable to Christian ethics and principles, the booklet said. But a few people in the early 1920s and 1930s era considered camping a threat to the church and they voiced their disapproval. Nevertheless, the majority of church folks could see exciting possibilities for Christian education at a Bible camp.
           The Yorkton Circuit Young People’s Luther League in 1936 to 1952, in coherence with the pastors in the Yorkton Circuit were a vital part in the establishment of the Nelson Lake Bible Camp. Expansions were made through the years with the addition of a dining hall, kitchen and improved sleeping quarters.
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