Culver time capsule opening offers glimpse into Woodcraft's past, future

A time capsule buried at Woodcraft Camp during America's Bicentennial in 1976 was opened this week, giving Culver Summer Schools & Camps participants and alumni a look at what life was like at camp a half-century ago.

A concrete marker near the flagpole at Woodcraft has reminded generations of campers that something from the past was waiting beneath their feet.

The time capsule was assembled by Jim Resnick, a counselor in Division 5, in 1976, who collected contributions from staff members and campers. The capsule contained name tags, signatures, model rockets and arts-and-crafts projects made at camp.

Also included were division rosters, photographs, promotion orders and snapshots of daily camp life. The collection provides a detailed picture of Woodcraft in 1976.

Col. Jacqui Young SS’96 W’93, Woodcraft Camp director, said she intentionally avoided learning about the capsule's contents before it was opened.

“I wanted to be surprised like everyone else,” she said.

The capsule originally was scheduled to be opened Aug. 1, the date stamped on the marker. Organizers decided to move the opening up one day because Aug. 1 was the last day of camp and many campers would have left before it was opened.

“We decided to open it a day earlier so more of the campers would be involved,” Young said.

While the opening provided a look at camp life in 1976, the ceremony also focused on the future. Young said staff and campers gathered photographs, patches, rosters and other items to create what she describes as a snapshot of Woodcraft in 2026 for the campers who open the time capsule in 2076.

"We really want to try to give them a slice of what life was like at camp in 2026, so they can see how it is different from camp in 2076," Young said.

Each unit contributed an item for the new capsule, including a Kline Relay T-shirt signed by campers.

Young said she hopes the time capsules help today's campers better understand their place in Woodcraft's long history.

"One of the coolest things about Culver is just the history and the continuity. Woodcraft has existed in some form since 1912," she said. "I want them to understand that we belong to something that spans more than 100 years. That’s a cool thing to be part of.”

More than 60 alumni attended the event, underscoring the significance of the occasion for alumni.

"Generations of Woodcrafters have walked by this concrete block that's stamped, ‘Open in Aug. 1, 2026,’ so there's just a lot of excitement,” Young said. “It's part of our common knowledge test that campers have to pass. So every Woodcrafter knows the date of the time capsule opening.”

Young, who graduated from Woodcraft in 1993, was among those eager to see what was inside the time capsule.

“I love everything about camp,” said Young, who as an Upper School camper was voted Most Likely to Come Back and Work as a Culver camp counselor. And she did, starting in 1999 as an assistant counselor for Deck 1.

“I hope campers 50 years from now are just as excited as campers were in 2026,” she said.

As one time capsule revealed a snapshot of Woodcraft in 1976, another was sealed to preserve memories of 2026 for the next generation of campers.

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