In 1956, with the need for an expanding, progressive Bible camping program and no place or space for it to take place, a committee was appointed by the Iron Range District of the Lutheran Church in America to seek adequate quarters for a three-week camping program. The committee went into action late in 1956. Camps from Mille Lacs to Vermilion, east to Week Lake, Wisconsin, and the Hanging Horn Lake near Barnum, Minnesota were visited and considered. Several resorts and camps were for sale. In the Spring of 1957, a District meeting was held at First Lutheran Church in Hibbing and delegates voted to establish the Hiawatha Church Camp Corporation at this meeting. It was also agreed to lease Camp Hiawatha for the 1957 season with the lease cost to apply to the purchase price if bought. Some renovation and new equipment was necessary. Several Corporation meetings were held in rapid succession. An offer of $27,000 was made, with a small down payment and future payments to be made from assumed support of the Iron Range District congregations.

In 1958, guided by the leadership of people like Pastor Reuben Johnson and Jim and Mary Bakke, Camp Hiawatha started its first full summer as a Bible Camp of the area Lutheran Churches. Owned by 26 Lutheran congregations in the region, the Bible Camp programs were offered for youth and families. Camp Hiawatha served as a base for churches to run thier own programs. The "Camp Dean" was usually filled by the pastor or a lay leader from the congregation and the camp was staffed by volunteers from the attending churches. In the 1980s, the model switched when the camp hired a permanent camp director and then hired college aged staff to run the summer program.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Camp Hiawatha saw some year-round upgrades to its facilities. The addition of the Lindberg and Gloria Dei dormitories and the new Baldwin Commons dining area allowed the camp to warmly welcome both our campers and our neighbors all year long.

Camp Hiawatha is known for its wonderful kid friendly facilities, large open ball field, and the crystal clear water and sandy beach of Deer Lake. In addition to introducing some of the youngest campers to a lifetime of camping, Camp Hiawatha offers popular Family Camps and our Rendezvous camp for Adults and their caregivers. A Hockey Camp was developed in the mid-1980s to offer youth hockey players the opportunity to hone their skills while having a Christ-centered Bible camp experience.

Today, the camp is a year-round ministry that offers space for Christ-centered summer youth programs, specialty camps, family memories, and group retreat opportunities. It is the ideal place to introduce a child to camp for the first time and strives to find new ways to welcome all to the shores of Deer Lake in God's great northwoods.

In the late 1950's, many Lutherans of the Lake Superior and Range Conference of the American Lutheran church, began to sense the need for a Bible camp in the area. In 1959, negotiations were completed for 44 Lutheran congregations to buy 168 acres on Wakemup Bay, on the south shore of Lake Vermilion for $72,000. The facility had been operated for many years as a private boy's camp. Melvin Bakk was hired as a part time manager, and pastors provided the program leadership. Originally the camp was named Lake Vermilion Lutheran Bible Camp. The name was changed back to Camp Vermilion, its original name when it was a private boy's camp, in 1969.

Since the early 60s, Camp Vermilion has also served as a canoe base for Christ-centered guided canoe trips into what is now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. For decades, the trained and dedicated staff of the camp have opened up the wonder and majesty of God's great northwoods to people from all over the country.

With the addition of some newer facilities in the 1970s and 80s, Camp Vermilion became a year-round destination for small groups to gather on the edge of the Boundary Waters. In the mid 2010s, the addition of Voyageurs Lodge has fully opened the site up for larger year-round groups, and safe, contemporary dining and trail shack spaces for our programs moving forward.

Camp Vermilion is known for its rocky granite, edge-of-the-BWCAW, location and the beautiful Lake Vermilion Shoreline surrounded by tall cathedral pines. In addition to gathering campers and groups in the quiet woods for a time set apart, Camp Vermilion acts as a base camp for people to explore the world around them. Campers build up to our canoe tripping program through programs like our onsite Canoe Camps for all ages of youth.

Today, the camp is a year-round ministry that offers space for Christ-centered summer youth programs, canoe experiences, new challenges, and group retreat opportunities. It is the ideal place to deepen faith and expand your horizons. Camp Vermilion welcomes all to the shores of Lake Vermilion in God's great northwoods.