Sunset Ranch Camp was founded by my parents, Roland “Bud” Durham and Martha “Pat” Durham, in Greenfield, NH in 1953. A second camp was added in Orford in 1955 after purchase of the property in September, 1954 from the Sorgs who had operated Camp Lauroweld. As of 1956, the entire camp was at the Upper Baker Pond location. The prior history of Camp’s Lauroweld and Norchunkaw at this location are written elsewhere in the East Orford History Collection. Even earlier, the George Trussell mill, shown in photos in 1907 and 1920, was steam powered, moderate size and located on the northwestern portion of the property. Charles Ladd reports that booms stretched from Prettyman Point to this mill to guide the floating logs across the pond.
Having visited Lauroweld with the family in 1948 and 1949, Pat and Bud Durham decided to start a coed camp of their own upon return East from a U.S. Navy tour of duty during the Korean Conflict. With a career as a high school vocational guidance counsellor, and with a rapidly growing family, Bud had a strong interest in the healthy and wholesome development of children. Being an athletic and enterprising leader, he made an outstanding camp director. For many years he was assisted by “Uncle Lin” Workman and “Aunt Jo” Workman, in charge of the waterfront and craft shop. In the early years, the camp recruited campers who often then referred cousins and friends to Sunset. “Uncle Bud” made many winter weekend recruiting trips to visit prospective camper families in the suburban New York area, show slides, discuss the camp and enroll new campers. That is how the enrollment was built. As with other summer camps, senior staff was drawn from public and private schools and owners’ families. Ownership and leadership is a full time summer job and a part-time second job the rest of the year. After years at summer camp the teenage campers could become ranch hands and counselors. To accommodate the camp’s growth, two interior lots were acquired as well as the nearby Ryan(now Griffin) cottage which served as another cabin and activity center.
Sunset was an active, lively summer community with many youngsters returning for years. In addition to many sports, riding, arts and crafts and waterskiing, camp was musical and social with evening and Saturday night socials and dances for the whole camp. Each Saturday evening, the Arts and Crafts group would present a themed dance social, such as the Masquerade, Carnival, Sadie Hawkins Day and Dance, and the Sunset Ball, as well as the Banquet on the last night of the season. At the Banquet, each camper would present a home made personalized parting gift and poem to a fellow camper. Of course, all this social activity sparked many summer romances and at least two marriages.
Riding was featured and a big draw for many. The stable supported eight horses and the corrals and local trails were heavily used. Supervised trail rides would go out Upper Baker Pond Road, East Cemetery and Prettyman Roads to various destinations including the former Appalachian Trail and Piermont Heights Road. This was an exciting activity allowing some independence, freedom and memorable rides. Some campers would devote half of each day riding, mentoring, caring for the horses and socializing at the stable.
The Arts and Crafts activity added to the décor, culture and tradition. Aunt Jo was very creative, attentive to the youngsters, and with Aunt Pat, led much of the spirited singing of camp songs at mealtimes. Campers followed their lead and wrote and sang comical songs about the camp and counselors. Irene Chase and Fran Davis prepared baked ham and fried chicken dinners, spaghetti and meatballs, tuna noodle casserole and other delicious meals for the appreciative singing and chattering crowd.
A daily project period had campers bailing the boats, setting dining tables, washing dishes; feeding, watering and caring for the horses and shoveling the stables. Campers became strong swimmers as the swim test requirement for waterskiing was to swim the one third mile across Upper Baker Pond.
Uncle Bud and Aunt Pat loved the camp and the camp families and took great interest in them for many years after the camp closed. Gert Miller and Winnie Torony, RNs, 40 boys and 40 girls, tuition $400 for the eight week season, summers 1953-1973.
Sunset’s contact with the local communities includes friendships with many who have worked providing vital services. Our athletic teams would compete with other camps and town teams. Most memorable was a long-standing baseball rivalry with the Warren town team in the 1960’s. Through the 1950’s and 1960’s Sunset Ranch Camp thrived. After the onset of “Uncle Bud’s” acute leukemia in 1971, Dale Durham and Gary Durham helped direct the children’s camp through its final year, 1973, and then through seven years as a campground. From 1980-2004, the property operated privately as a summer retreat for the Durham family and relatives. Each summer, former SRC and Lauroweld campers return to visit, stroll the grounds, soak up the beauty and reminisce.
In 2005, my siblings sold the property to me and, with the help of several Pease and Carter family tradesmen, renovated the better buildings and removed others to reconfigure Sunset Ranch as a summer vacation rental. Since 2008, Sunset Ranch has been such a vacation destination for many families and a source of additional work for local men and women.
Buddy Durham
January 4, 2023