Timber Lakes began in 1995.  Timber Lakes draws from a colorful history and stands on the shoulders of the old time camp meeting which started in the 1930’s for the Midwest District of the Missionary Church.  The previous Midwest Camp location was in Weeping Water, Nebraska where the town eventually grew around the facilities. The old location became land locked and too small for the growing attendance in the many camp meetings.

The current location used to be owned by the Girl Scouts of America, and was built in 1963.  The girl scouts built the pool, the 2 lakes, the dining hall, open beam lodge meeting room, administrator’s home, shelter houses and wooden floored tents they called chalets, which they slept in.

In 1995 the Midwest District of the Missionary Church purchased the facility.  From then to now they built a large shower house and motel by the pool; improved the chalets to beautiful cottages and dorms with a/c, heat, and bathrooms; brought in 2 new rural water mains; built a new waste water system; brought in high voltage electric; expanded the natural gas pipeline; built a new multipurpose building with gym; built a new pavilion; added a water slide and improved the 66,000 gallon pool; painted and roofed the existing facilities; developed over 200 acres of hiking trails and quaint foot bridges; built public restrooms and a concession area with deck onto the dining hall; and developed more lodging to house over 290 people.

The area is loaded with history!   Timber Lakes has an historic stage coach bridge, civil war history with a cannonball found in the excavations of the motel, a western boundary line of an old Indian reservation, a colt 45 revolver found nearby, a cave where Jesse James and his band hid out nearby, and carvings in the limestone cliffs from the 1800s.