Red Pine Camp was founded by Richard and Helen Wittenkamp in 1937. Mr. Wittenkamp, the District Forester for the Wisconsin Conservation Department, bought the Red Pine land from two brothers who ran a fishing camp on the property. The following summer, the first twelve campers arrived and "Mr. and Mrs. Dubs," as they were fondly called, devoted their lives to building Red Pine and establishing the traditions and values that still form the foundation of camp life. In 1953, their daughter, Sarah Wittenkamp Rolley, joined the staff. Sarah and Irene Boudreaux became directors after the Wittenkamps retired in 1976, and served Red Pine for 53 years. In 1995, Sarah's daughter Robin and her husband Jim Thies began the third generation of family operation. 

A New Era Begins

In 2007, after 70 successful years of family ownership and operation, a group of alumnae expressed interest in owning the camp. With their encouragement, Red Pine was purchased by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation of Madison, WI. Ms. Rowland is an alumna of Red Pine. She is a noted educator, author of children's reading and language arts textbooks and the creator and founder of American Girl®, the popular collection of books and dolls. Upon purchasing the camp, Ms. Rowland sent the following letter to the Red Pine community