One of the creepiest places in 2024, Camp Windigo in Windsor State Forest. One of the enduring curiosities of the camp is it’s name. To the Algonquin people, the word Windigo (also known as Wendigo, Witiko, Weetigo, and other variations) refers to a cannibalistic supernatural creature, a source of fear and dark tales.

The camp was founded in 1942, by Florence Ryder and Muriel Logan, both Physical Education professors at Smith College, on 75 acres of what had been the farm of John Decelles. The farm house itself dates to 1790.  About 30 boys and girls would spend July and August at Windigo each year, where they tried their hand at farming with various educational tasks.
“The daily activities which were of the most importance were tending to the animals,” said Karen Sawyer, attended there in the early 60s, “Every week there was an animal rotation so a camper got to experience feeding and cleaning up after each type of creature which included bantams, goats, sheep, pig, horses and Eeyore the donkey.”

There were six horses in total, and also ducks, laying hens, rabbits, dogs and cats around the little farming camp. The grounds also included a pond, blueberry field, and apple orchard. At some point in the 1970s, it was purchased by the Latter Day Saints and became a camp for young Mormons children, with a similar agricultural bent.  The camp closed in the early to mid 1980s. It was later deeded to the state and became part of Windsor State Forest. Courtesy Friends of Windsor

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