In 1920 Glenn Ellis and a friend were coming back from a retreat in Black Mountain, N.C. They ended up camping out beside a new lake named Ocoee that had just been formed a few years earlier by the Tennessee Electric Company. As they sat around the campfire that night, Mr. Ellis (Chick) had the idea that this location would make a wonderful place for a boys camp for the Chattanooga YMCA. In 1923 his dream became a reality when the first group of campers from the YMCA came to Ocoee.

In the early years campers stayed in tents and water was carried by hand from a spring which is still at camp. The activities were mainly swimming and nature. As the idea and camp proved it's worth, buildings began to replace the tents. More and more people started using the camp and getting involved in the idea of YMCA Camp Ocoee. As time went by a two week girls camp was begun at the end of the boys camp; then in 1967, Camp Ocoee became coed.

The camp has grown to the point where facilities are open 8 months a year with Ellis Dinning Hall being available year round. Glenn Ellis retired in 1958 seeing his dream come a reality not only for children but families, church groups, civic organizations and other individuals who use the location in the outdoor setting to appreciate God's work. At the present time, the camp serves over 1200 campers during the summer camp and over 8000 a year from families and rental groups. The same Christian ideals and spirit that Glenn Ellis had when he found Camp Ocoee are still prevalent today

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