Most of his life Harold Hiken had wanted to own a boys camp. “h” (Harold set out to look for a place he could buy so that he could fulfill his dream. His biggest wish was that the place he bought had a large central building in which to hold meals and other activities. Each place he went to did not have this building and at that time “H” did not have the funds to build one.

In 1959 “H” found a place called Timberlane Fishing Resort. He fell immediately in love. The beauty of this place was so great that Harold bought it even though it did not have the large building he desired.

Later in that year “H” hired William Jarvis to clear a place for the lodge (which he had found the money for) and the first athletic field. After a place was cleared for the lodge three men were hired to build it. Camp Timberlane was now ready to open. Spring, 1960 rolled around and camp greeted its first bunch of boys.

Most of “H’s” staff were fellow teachers, some were friends, and others were simply people looking for seasonal work. Harold needed an Assistant Director that first year, and his friend Ron Silverstein suggested a man named Willy. Ron said he could get the job done, whatever it may be. Old “H” then called Willy and offered him the job. Without hesitation, Willy accepted.

WIlly was all that Ron said and more. He kept riding the staff like an overseer on a plantation. None of the staff liked him, and ‘h’ thought that a short talk with Willy was in order. They met one night in what is now the Faiwell house to discuss camp matters. When Harold felt the time was right, he very calmly told Willy what the other staff members had been saying. They were very upset, he said, over Willy’s behavior towards them. Willy’s reaction was violent rage, he yelled at “H”, “What business is it of yours how I handle my job assignments, I get it done!” Harold didn’t expect this kind of response, and said with increased volume, “If you don’t change your attitude, I’ll have to fire you!” “Then fire me as you wish, “ Wily replied with regret. Harold did, and had to begin the search for another Assistant Director. This all happened during the first week of camp, the date was June 21st. Willy’s last words were “I’ll get back at you somehow, Hiken!”

WIlly’s position was soon filled by a man named Hank Schwartz. Willy, on the other hand was plotting the demise of Timberlane in his cabin a half mile away from the camp. He lit a cigarette and thought of the ways he could bring the camp to ruin. He considered doing many small things that would add up to a large problem for the camp. He thought of things like putting holes in the canoes, wrecking the swim pier, ripping the screens off the cabins and stealing the athletic equipment.

He soon fell asleep and his cabin was ablaze in twenty minutes from the cigarette he had left lit. The fire departments of Arbor Vitae, Woodruff and Minocqua came to put out the raging fire. No sign of a body was found when they sifted through the ashes later.

The next year Harold recruited more boys and it appeared that Camp Timberlane would be a success. On June 21st of this year a camper found that he could not sleep so he decided to take a walk. He put on his shoes and his bathrobe and left Blackfoot cabin. Soon the camp was woken by a blood curdling scream. The counselors of Blackfoot and Dakota ran outside to find out what had happened. They soon found what they were looking for. On the bottom of the old pumphouse was the boy with his neck broken and strange ash mars on his neck.

The death was called an accident. According to the coroners report the boy could not see where he was going and fell into the pit that was the old pumphouse. The strange thing was that the hole had been covered and the board that covered it had been found fifteen feet away in the branches of a pine tree as if it had been thrown there.

Harold had to write one of those letters that no camp director likes to write. No other accidents occurred that year, and things went well.

1962: “H” built Apache and Cherokee cabins. The tennis and Basketball courts are layed in, and Stu Turnansky enjoyed camp.

June 21st-it’s recall time to the flagpole for supper. Harold asked each counselor to make sure all their kids are present. Sioux cabin staff members say that one boy is missing. After being questioned as to the boy’s whereabouts, the counselors reply, “He was just at the cabin getting dressed, and that he would be here.”

“Go to he cabin and get him,” a nervous Harold instructed.

When the counselors returned, they said the boy was nowhere to be found. An all camp search was started, as the camp divided up and organized into groups. Eventually, the unfortunate was found. The body of the missing camper was pulled out of one foot of water in the swimming area, fully clothed.

Upon inspection of the body, a bump turned up on the back of his head, and ash marks on his neck. The official death report stated, “Camper slipped while walking on the swim piers, hit his head, and drowned. Some of the strange circumstances of this case were the fact that this camper was a model camper, he never went to the swim area unless a guard was on duty, and he was one of the best swimmers in camp. This accident should have been avoidable. Again Harold had to write a letter to the parents to explain the tragedy.

1963: Because of the two deaths enrollment dropped slightly. Second athletic field was cleared and both trailers were added. Editors were born.

June 20th- The advanced Horseback riding class went on an overnight trail ride. The next morning (June 21st) one of the riders was missing. The rest of the riders mounted up and started a search for the missing horse and rider. At first they could only see the horse grazing in a field but when they came closer they saw the gruesome sight. Lying in the field was the boy with his head bashed in and his shirt in bloody shreds. Ash marks were found on his neck. Again strange circumstances prevailed. The dead camper was one of the best riders in camp and would have never gone riding without a counselor present. Also the body was found in a wide open filed. However, the official report said that the rider was galloping along and was hit in the head by a tree branch and dragged by the horse. Another letter, another drop in enrollment.

1964: Harold recruited in cities that had not heard of the deaths at Timberlane. The response was good. Two new cabins were built. The first two tramps were put in.

June 21st: 11:40, Another scream, Hank Schwartz runs out of his trailer to find a camper twisted and mangled in the springs of the tramps. No-one knew what the camper was doing out there, they only knew that the boy was one of the finest trampolist’s in his state. Ash marks were found on his neck.

1965: “H” built the weight shack and had electricity brought out to it.

June 22nd: A camper is found with his chest caved in and ash marks on his neck. No one knows how or why, but there was 200 pound barbell over the body. This accident would have been filed with the others except that the kid could not lift weights, and had not even signed up for it.

Harold’s suspicions were now aroused more than ever. In each of the past five years there had been a death of a camper, and each death occurred on June 21st. Then it came to him; he had the argument with WIlly on that date. However, he thought Willy had died in the fire at his cabin. Harold dashed to the press rooms of the Minocqua Herald Tribune Gazette, and rummaged through their clipping files. He was surprised to find out, to his dismay, that no body was found. Then “H”, being the sly, old fox that he is, figured that Willy must have torched the cabin and disappeared every year until June 21st, when he would embark on his killing rampage.

1966: Harold installed the all camp lights, and instituted the Officer-of-the-Evening (O.E.) program.

June 21st: Harold started a new day called “Buddy Day”, when everyone, including campers, staff and faculty stayed with their buddy all day. It took place on this day, and nothing unusual occurred.
1967 was the same, with the same precautions taken, as well as 1968 and 1969.

1970: Harold decided to let the O.E. off, because nothing had happened for the last four years on June 21st.

That year, a cabin was woken up at 11:45 p.m. on June 21. The staff came out of their rooms to check out all the commotion. They saw something trying to choke camper. One counselor turned on his flashlight, and what he saw startled him and the rest of the onlookers, burning an image into their minds that they would never forget. The light itself startled the person, or creature, and there stood the body, still alive and choking the camper, 1/2 burned, most of its hair was charred, the right arm was broken with a white bone sticking out, one eye hung loosely from its socket and a nose could be seen, the left leg skin was gone, and in some places, the raw bone could be seen. Willy was so startled by the light that he turned and ran into the woods. “H” was told the whole story the next morning, and the O.E. schedule went back into effect. He never wanted Willy to return.

--The End