Features
Celebrate
“50” at Camp Quien Sabe
50
Years Ago and Today | More
about Quien Sabe
Celebrate “50” at Camp
Quien Sabe
That camp you went to as a child or worked at as a youth is half a
century old.
Camp Quien Sabe, which has served the Monterey area since
the spring of 1952, is turning 50 this summer.
The City’s week-long
resident camp program marks its birthday with a special celebration on
Saturday, July 21. “Trailblazers” – past campers and staff – and community
members are invited to attend the reunion from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reservations are required (see contact info below).
As a tribute to
Quien Sabe’s 50th birthday, this issue of City Focus showcases photos from
the past and present of the camp as well as other areas and activities of
the City.
Congratulations to all the staff and campers who have
created these camping memories. Read more about camp and the history of
Quien Sabe inside on Page 2.
To RSVP or for more info on the Quien
Sabe commemoration, call 646-3866 (vierra@ci.monterey.ca.us) or
visit www.monterey.org/quiensabe
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50 Years Ago and Today
Top to bottom: Aerial view of Monterey Harbor, 1952; Downtown
Monterey in the 50s; Walter Colton Grammar School 5th & 6th grade
class, 1950-51.
Colton Hall
In 1949 Colton Hall was restored, repaired and
furnished to become the official history museum for the City. Today, we
are developing a plan to remove City offices from the building and restore
it to represent the original use.
Vasquez Adobe
In 1949 the City purchased the Vasquez Adobe and
remodeled the building. The City’s Recreation & Community Services
Department has operated from the building since 1951. The building was
retrofitted in 1997 for earthquake safety and some historic elements were
restored
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More about Quien Sabe
“Camp” began as a cooperative effort between the City and Monterey
schools.
In the early years, the City’s summer campsite moved from
location to location – Arroyo Seco, the Santa Cruz mountains, Big Sur
(photo top left) and on to Palo Colorado Canyon.
Known originally as
“Camp,” the program finally was dubbed Quien Sabe, which means “who knows”
in Spanish, since the location of the camp was typically in question.
Quien Sabe finally settled on a home 26 years ago in 1975 at the Youth
Overnight Area of Toro Regional Park.
How Quien Sabe works
Every
Monday morning during the six weeks of camp, 100 youngsters ages 7 to 15
board buses and head to Toro Park for a fun-filled week. There they
participate in activities that include hiking, singing, folk dancing,
crafts, camp skills, nature lore, swimming, boating, cookouts, group meals
and campfires. Each night they sleep outdoors under the stars.
On
Fridays the campers return and eagerly sign up for another session.
Each year Quien Sabe is “home away from home” for some 600 campers.
Thousands of youngsters from the Peninsula have participated in
Regular Camp, Environmental Team Camp and Work Experience Camp.
Quien
Sabe also features a Family Weekend Camp that provides the entire family a
weekend getaway filled with special nature activities, campfires and
outdoor fun.
Fire Department
Left: Monterey Fire Department vehicles and
personnel from 1947 (in front of the old Fire Station on Calle Principal)
and today (in front of Fire Station No. 1 on Pacific Street); top right:
Monterey fire boat from 1953 and today.
Police Department
Top: Monterey Police Department motorcycles and
personnel, 1959 and today; above: Sgt. Jim Copsey, 2001 (left) and Officer
George Devolis in the 50s (right).
Monterey Parks (San Carlos Beach Park/ Dennis the Menace Park)
In
1955, there were 12 people in the Parks Division. Today, dozens of staff
maintain about 200 sites in the City including the parks, cemetery, street
trees and beaches.
The first parcel of San Carlos Beach Park was
purchased in 1955. Dennis the Menace Park, designed by the late cartoonist
Hank Ketcham, opened in 1956. The giant slide (bottom) was a later
addition to the park.
Monterey Public Library
Librarian Delbert Jeffers shows the model
of the new library building to management engineer Dr. Lillian Gilbreath
in 1950. The building, as we see it today, was completed two years later.
At right, librarians from then (top) and now read to children.
Monterey Tennis Center
The Monterey Tennis Center opened in 1972.
The Center attracts a wide variety of players from former Mayor Jerry Fry
(1976) to youth from all around the Peninsula.
Monterey Recreation & Community Services
Monterey Senior Center
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