Photo By Scott Sturkol | A scene at Pine View Campground is shown July 28, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Pine View...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) will be celebrating 50 years since Pine View Campground’s creation with a birthday celebration Aug. 20 from 2-10 p.m. at the Whitetail Ridge Ski Area chalet, which is part of Pine View Recreation Area.
The Pine View Campground 50th birthday celebration includes children’s events from 2-5 p.m. with the Fort McCoy biologist, such as archery, a turtle display, and a rock wall, DFMWR officials said.
There will also be inflatables and yard games for everyone to enjoy, and there will be a sawdust pile dig as well.
“We’re excited to celebrate the 50th birthday of Pine View Campground,” said DFMWR’s Business and Recreation Division Chief Scott Abell. “It’s going to be a great day of activities for everyone to enjoy.”
At 7 p.m. during the celebration at the chalet, the country music duo Wester will play a free concert for all event-goers. According to newmusicweekly.com, “Wester is a new brother and sister country music duo comprised of Pearl Clarkin and Rafe Wester. Born and raised on the Redneck Riviera on Pensacola Beach, Florida, they pack a fun, fresh and explosive punch for the young country music audience. Pearl brings the glitter, Rafe brings the grit, and together they bring the party wherever they go. With 40 shows performed around the country and 40 new songs written in a year, they released their debut single ‘Redneck Roller Coaster’ on Aug. 13, 2021.”
“We’re really excited to have them here from Nashville,” Abell said. “This will sort of begin a tradition of a concert environment we want to have at Whitetail in the future.”
Looking back 50 years, Pine View Campground was officially opened in June 1972 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony as Squaw Lake Recreation Area. Then-Camp McCoy Commander Col. Richard Crecelius and 416th Engineer Command Commanding General Maj. Gen. Cyrille LaPorte cut the ribbon opening the area.
In an article from the June 30, 1972, edition of The Real McCoy newspaper, it states the 416th had units that “were responsible for more of the construction done in the area. The 385th Engineer Group and the 367th Engineer Battalion were represented by their commanding officers” at the ceremony.
The article also states the “Squaw Lake recreational site offers the camper a total of 49 of the ‘trailer pads’ complete with electric hookups situated on 189 acres of wooded land. The area is bordered by ‘good fishing country’ of Squaw Lake (now Suukjak Sep Lake) on the east with two circular driveways providing easy access to all prime camping areas.”
Then, nearly 20 years after ribbon-cutting ceremony for the area, Squaw Lake recreational site was renamed to the Pine View Recreation Area in March 1992. In a March 13, 1992, article in The Real McCoy newspaper, it states that a Sgt. Archibald F. Buchanan with the Military Personnel Service Center submitted the winning entry to rename the area.
“The name was chosen from 159 entries as the new name,” the article states.
Fifty years after opening, Pine View Campground has definitely evolved to offer more than 49 camping spaces, Abell said.
“The campground now features 170 campsites, of which 32 are nonelectric tent sites and 12 are electric only,” Abell said. “The remaining 126 have full hookups for water, sewer, and electricity. Pine View also has 17 full-service cabins available for those who prefer the next level of comfort.”
Other features at the campground are picnic and playground areas (one handicapped accessible), a camp store, a recreational equipment checkout center, miniature golf, hiking trails, and a beach.
Members of the Fort McCoy community and the public may use the campground and the Pine View Recreation Area. Pine View is operational year-round, although only cabins are available from December to April. Approximately 65,000 people make use of the area annually.
The campground reservation office is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To reserve a site or a cabin, call 608-388-3517. For additional information, such as rates and fees, go to https://mccoy.armymwr.com/programs/pine-view-campground.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
(Public Affairs Specialist Kaleen Holliday with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office assisted with historical research for this article.)
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2022 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 426886 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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