Photo By Scott Sturkol | Visitors to the Fort McCoy Pine View Campground and Pine View Recreation Area 50th...... read more read more
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Hundreds of people visited Whitetail Ridge Ski Area on Aug. 20 for Fort McCoy’s 50th birthday celebration observing the creation of Pine View Campground and Pine View Recreation Area in 1972.
The celebration, organized by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, included children’s events from 2-5 p.m. in and around the Whitetail Ridge chalet.
There were crafting activities indoors for families, the Ten Point Pub was open for everyone to enjoy, and outside there were inflatables and yard games for everyone to enjoy as well.
There also was a sawdust pile dig, archery, and turtles and a slender glass lizard were available for viewing through the Fort McCoy Endangered Species Biologist Jessup Weichelt of the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
“I thought the event went very well, and we were blessed with good weather considering all week it was forecasted possible thunderstorms all day,” Weichelt said. “Both kids and adults were very interested in the Western slender glass lizard I was able to catch. I don’t believe anyone that was at the event even knew a legless lizard existed in Wisconsin. I personally think the slender glass lizard is by far the most intriguing species that I get to manage, and it was awesome to be able to catch one for the event considering I have only caught three this entire year.
“The kids really enjoyed getting to chase the turtles around in the grass and handle them while also learning about how we track them in the wild using telemetry,” Weichelt said.
Originally the celebration was also going to include a concert with the country music duo Wester. But because severe weather conditions were originally forecasted, that part of the celebration was postponed and the concert with Wester was rescheduled to be held Sept. 3.
“I thought the entire Pine View Campground team did an awesome job with this event, especially with some of the late changes needed due to the weather forecast,” said DFMWR’s Business and Recreation Division Chief Scott Abell. “We ended up with a sunny day after all and everyone seemed to have a great day.”
Food and drinks were available for purchase on site and youth and adults took full advantage of venturing around the space at the ski area. Some families were even climbing the ski hill and running back down together.
“I was extremely happy with how everything went,” said DFMWR Recreational Specialist Alex Karis who works at Pine View Campground. “The turnout was fantastic! Kids loved to have the different options and seemed to take advantage of everything we had to offer.”
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 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.”
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2022 16:35 |
| Story ID: | 427794 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 337 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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