Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, recent Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this first episode, I visit with Kathy Ragsdale, matriarch of Camp Stewart, the longest running continually operated boys camp in the Texas Hill Country. We talk about how she and her late husband Si came to purchase Camp Stewart, the history and prior owners of Camp Stewart, what the early days of their ownership was like, boys’ camping in the 21stcentury, the upcoming centennial of Camp Stewart in 2023. Most importantly why the Camp Stewart motto of “Don’t wait until you are a man to be great, be a great boy” is as important today as it was when I was a camper at Stewart. Some of the highlights include:
- What are the origins of Camp Stewart?
- What can you tell us about Uncle Bill?
- What do you remember about Si’s camping experience?
- What led to you and Si to purchase Camp Stewart?
- What was it like to move from Denton to Hunt Texas in 1967?
- How did you select the Counselors?
- What were some of your biggest challenges in the first 5 years?
- Why is the campfire such a part of the Camp Stewart experience?
- How did camping and Camp Stewart change in the 80s, 90s and 00s?
- The Ragsdale Family has now run Camp Stewart for over 50 years. What are the challenges you face in running Camp Stewart in the 2020s?
- 2024 Will be the 100th anniversary of Camp Stewart. What plans do you have to celebrate?
For more information on Camp Stewart, check out their website, here.
