Camp Mak-A-Dream was founded in 1991 by Harry and Sylvia Granader, who donated 87 acres of their Montana ranch and seed money to begin construction of a new Camp facility. Harry was involved in building a Ronald McDonald House in their hometown of Detroit, Michigan. When he visited children in the hospital there, he decided he wanted to give them a chance to see a working ranch in Montana. He and Sylvia just happened to own one—the 6C in Gold Creek.

After building a coalition of business associates and community volunteers in Missoula, Montana, and raising enough funds to construct the Camp facility on the donated land in Gold Creek, Harry's dream of bringing sick children to see a working Montana ranch became a reality. Camp's doors opened for the first time in 1995, welcoming 46 kids with cancer. By 1996, the number of summer Camp sessions increased to four. Today, cost-free programs are offered year-round for children, teens and young adults with cancer, and their siblings. Since opening our doors, Camp Mak-A-Dream has welcomed more than 4,500 participants from across the United States, Canada, and several other countries.