CAMP ROSS - Camp Ross is a few miles Southwest of Mt. Morris, Illinois. To get there, you’d take Illinois Route 64 to Mount Morris then, near the West edge of this community of 3,100, you would turn South at S. Reynolds Avenue. (Turn at the green sign that reads, “White Pine State Park”.) S. Reynolds Avenue proceeds seven blocks south then becomes North Lowell Park Rd. after the road turn to the right. (A driving map is provided starting from IL Route 64 and S. Reynolds Ave. For those who have access to a computer or have a GPS the address is: 940 N. Moose Road, Mt. Morris, IL 61054.) Continue on S. Lowell Park Road for two more 90 degree turns, Left then Right each about ½ mile apart, to Moose Road on your left identified by a small green sign on top of a single pole. Turn left (South) onto Moose Road and go about ½ mile to the entrance as shown in the picture above. Total distance from IL Route 64 to this entrance is 2.6 miles.
The history of this scenic area dates back to 1849 when Mr. Hitt and Mr. Coffman laid claim to the area. Through the 1890’s when power was needed for a mill, a dam had been constructed. The dam created lakes on either side of Pine Creek which flows through a twisting letter “S” on through White Pines State Park and into the Rock River near Grand Detour. Only remnants of the dam are visible as a ditch hewn through the rock and at one point, may be found a fragment of masonry where a gate could shut off the water. That dam created lakes along the ‘S’ shaped spring-fed brooks. The land was not well suited for agriculture so it was later sold and better farm land was bought in the area near Polo. Eventually the land – long used by many as a picnic area – was placed for sell.
The area of about 75 acres has mostly pine trees (planted in 1941) but also about 3,000 hardwoods, oak, ash and wild cherry to provide food for the birds. It was purchased by Harold Ross in 1937 and in 1939 an additional 10 acres became available so Harold purchased that also. The Ross’s boys grew up, married and moved away and the use of the farm was no longer needed. Harold thought that rather than sell it at a give-away-price, he would rather donate it to Mooseheart so the children there could enjoy it. Negotiations were started in 1956 with the Supreme Lodge (now Moose International) and resulted in transfer of the property as a gift, in six parcels, one each year through 1961. Mooseheart added utilities and a well approximately seven hundred feet deep. Later on, two more parcels were added to the property. Lillian Eager of Rockford donated land which allowed for the impressive entrance and eliminated a long-way around entrance. The site of the present “winter cabin” centered between the camp property and entrance gift was owned by a member of the Mount Morris Moose Lodge and he sold it to the Loyal Order of Moose. With the land additions, Camp Ross is now comprised of about 95 acres. This area had been used by practically every civic and religious group in Mt. Morris. On one occasion, eight-hundred Boy Scouts, including those from Mooseheart, carried out the pageantry of “The Order of the Arrow”. Their concentric circles filled the lowland expanse to form an aisle for the torch-bearers and tom-tom corps during the ceremonial to be so elegantly displayed.
One of the reasons Harold Ross wanted to donate his farm to Mooseheart was that he hoped its location, conveniently near the Child City, yet far enough away to give the atmosphere of an outing.
This information was condensed from the web site: http://moose1551.com by Lynn Folgate on September 26, 2009. The original five pages of information with six photographs were compiled by Dorothy (Mrs. Harold D.) Ross, 1967 and provided to the web site by Archie Burke of the Mt. Morris Moose Family Center 1551.