History of North Camps
The Gibson family has owned and operated North Camps since 1950 when Elwin “Gibby” Gibson Sr. bought the property.
Our start
Gibby was born and raised in Worcester, MA. He was an avid fisherman and hunter and like many people who visited Rangeley Maine, fell in love with the area. Eventually, he purchased North Camps and a legacy began.
Since then, North Camps has been run by three generations of Gibsons with the forth and fifth generations currently assisting in the operation. Glenn Gibson Sr. is currently heading the day to day operations
Fun Facts!
Three of the cabins at North Camps were bought elsewhere and dragged across Rangeley Lake. This occurred during the 1970s and involved sliding the buildings across the frozen lake during winter.
Hummingbirds are frequent visitors to the camps due to the diligent maintenance of hummingbird feeders around the main lodge and planting of attractive flora around the camps.
In the fall, all the docks are pushed down the lake using one of the boats and are stored in the cove for the winter to protect them from the ice. They are pushed back to camp in the spring.
Every year, our first guests on the grounds are the ducks. They quickly become friends with the guests over the summer and enjoy being fed cracked corn.
Some years the Land-dock needs to be rebuilt due to winter ice forcing the supporting logs to push into the shore.
The camps have been passed from Elwin “Gibby” Gibson to his son, Elwin “Sonny” Gibson Jr, and then to his sons, Elwin “Franny” Gibson III and Glenn Gibson Sr.
The names of the camps came from a “Name the Cabin” contest in the 1990s during the 50 Year .Anniversary. People staying at the camps could enter suggestions and winners received a free week at North Camps. Most of the Gibson family members still refer to the camps by their original numbers.
Some of the families that annually stay at North camps have been staying for upwards of 50 years and are on their fourth and fifth generations