Nearly two centuries ago a tribe of Potowattomi Indians enjoyed the peaceful woods and lakes around Camp Friedenswald.  They were led  by Chief Pokagon and his sons.  He was converted to Christianity by Catholic missionaries and became a pacifist.  When the white men came to take  their land, he told his tribe, "Find other happy hunting grounds."  (Records can be found in the Elkhart Historical Library, written on birch bark.)

Chief  Shavehead (in earlier writings, "Shavenhead") was the leader under Pokagon in the region around what is now known as Lake Shavehead.  He was a friendly chief until he was rudely taken advantage of  by a group of traders traveling from Chicago to Detroit on the Old  Saulk Trail,  now Highway 12.  They offered him "firewater" (whiskey), got him  drunk, and took all his furs and grain for practically nothing.  After that episode he was determined to get revenge and gained the dubious reputation for being one of the few Indians ever to raid and burn the village of Chicago.[1829 Map of Cass County]

In the 1920s and 1930s the General Conference Mennonites in the  Midwest began to look for ways in which youth could be taught the Christian faith and be given opportunities to renew or make new commitments to the faith.  As a result, the Mennonites began to send the youth to "camp" for a  week.  These camp opportunities were a special treat away from the day-to-day chores on the farm (for most Mennonite youth) and were eagerly anticipated and attended by those fortunate enough to be able to get away.

By the late 1940s the conference had expanded the program to include Junior High as well as High School students for several weeks each summer.  As a result of the vision people in the conference had for camping,  a movement aimed at purchasing and operating a camp within the  Central District gained momentum.

Thus in 1949, forty acres were purchased on Shavehead Lake.  In 1950 the first cabins were built (Cabin 8 still holds the first cornerstone inscribed "Dedicated to the Glory of God - 1950").  That year 12 cabins and two bathhouses were built.  In June of 1951 the first summer camp was held at Friedenswald.  The camp looked a little different back then as Cabin 7 served  as the dining hall and kitchen.  Campers ate under a tarp off of Cabin 7 and when it rained they lifted their feet to allow the water to run down the hill.