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Lions of Wyoming District 15
"We Serve"
Lions of Wyoming -- District 15
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Allen H. Stewart Lions Camp
The Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp on Casper Mountain has its roots in the Depression
when it was founded to assist impoverished youth.
Thanks to the generosity of a Fremont County Donor in 2011, the Camp will be able to
make needed repairs, add to the infrastructure, and contribute to the annual Summer
School for the Visually Impaired. Theresa Margaret Neiberger passed away on February
20, 2010. Perhaps inspired by a picture of Theresa and her Sister’s donor tiles that hung
on her living room wall, the Neiberger’s Trust distributed $100,000 for the local Lion’s
Camp for the Visually Impaired.
“The Blind Wall at the Camp mentioned in the Trust is a visual reminder of those who
have contributed to the Camp,” said Lion’s Camp Director Al Parmely.
The local Camp for the Visually Impaired was started by the Lion’s Club of Casper in
1926. At that time the day camp located on the Kimball Ranch on Elk Horn Creek was a
“milk camp,” summer program for undernourished children. Thirty to forty children
attended each day to enjoy a good meal that included milk and outdoor games. Most
children who attended gained weight and were in better health after a summer spent at
the camp. In 1928, Lion Ed Murane arranged for a lease on a more accessible site, 14
acres of property located 11 miles outside the city limits on Casper Mountain. The new
site became the camp’s permanent home in 1935 when the Lions Club of Casper
renewed their lease with the City of Casper for approximately 16 acres for a period of 99
years.
Local Lions and community volunteers bulldozed a road, and built dormitories, a cook
shack, nurses’ quarters, a 500-gallon water tank and other buildings. From 1933 to
1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration
(WPA), depression-era federal programs built a few buildings that are still in use and
made improvements to the site.
The camp continued to be used for underprivileged children until it closed during WWII.
The camp reopened in 1946 as a camp for the blind under an agreement with the
Wyoming State Department of Education. The first blind camp was held in 1946. In
1966, the Casper Lions renamed the camp after Allen H. Stewart, a Lion’s Club Past
President, District Governor, and International Counselor who died in a snow storm in
the Big Horn Mountains. The Camp became a Wyoming Lion’s Club project in 1979; the
usage of the Camp expanded from a three-week summer camp for the visually impaired
to include camp rentals to community groups. The Camp now consists of 14 buildings,
including a furnished dining room with fireplace, a commercial kitchen, separate men’s
and women’s dormitories with showers, and a 5,000 square foot multipurpose building.
An open air covered picnic area within the commons is complete with tables, benches
and a grill. The Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp, when not in use for the school, is open for
group rentals from June 15 until October 1 each year.
The Department of Education discontinued funding the summer school for the blind in
2007. Since that time, the Lions Club of Casper, Lion’s Clubs from around the State, and
the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank have funded the free summer program for children
who are visually impaired. Financial support is from club donations, grants, memorials,
rentals, and personal support. A wall of red and white bricks and stones located in front
of the dining hall is a permanent display of the names of contributors who made tax
deductible donations from $100 to $1,000 to the nonprofit Camp. The donation from
Neiberger’s estate is the largest ever given to the Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp,
according to Al Parmely.
The financial boost from Neiberger to the local organization will provide enough funding
to complete the renovation of the couples/nurses’ quarters building at the Camp.
Completion of the project will make it possible for the Lions to again offer a camp for
adults who are visually impaired. The adult camps were discontinued when State
funding ended in 2007. The remainder of the money will be used to finish rewiring the
camp, complete other camp upgrades and give a boost to the Camp’s reserve fund.
For information about the Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp, contact Lion Al Parmely, 262-
2321 or the camp at P.O. Box 1335, Casper, WY 82602...
when it was founded to assist impoverished youth.
Thanks to the generosity of a Fremont County Donor in 2011, the Camp will be able to
make needed repairs, add to the infrastructure, and contribute to the annual Summer
School for the Visually Impaired. Theresa Margaret Neiberger passed away on February
20, 2010. Perhaps inspired by a picture of Theresa and her Sister’s donor tiles that hung
on her living room wall, the Neiberger’s Trust distributed $100,000 for the local Lion’s
Camp for the Visually Impaired.
“The Blind Wall at the Camp mentioned in the Trust is a visual reminder of those who
have contributed to the Camp,” said Lion’s Camp Director Al Parmely.
The local Camp for the Visually Impaired was started by the Lion’s Club of Casper in
1926. At that time the day camp located on the Kimball Ranch on Elk Horn Creek was a
“milk camp,” summer program for undernourished children. Thirty to forty children
attended each day to enjoy a good meal that included milk and outdoor games. Most
children who attended gained weight and were in better health after a summer spent at
the camp. In 1928, Lion Ed Murane arranged for a lease on a more accessible site, 14
acres of property located 11 miles outside the city limits on Casper Mountain. The new
site became the camp’s permanent home in 1935 when the Lions Club of Casper
renewed their lease with the City of Casper for approximately 16 acres for a period of 99
years.
Local Lions and community volunteers bulldozed a road, and built dormitories, a cook
shack, nurses’ quarters, a 500-gallon water tank and other buildings. From 1933 to
1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration
(WPA), depression-era federal programs built a few buildings that are still in use and
made improvements to the site.
The camp continued to be used for underprivileged children until it closed during WWII.
The camp reopened in 1946 as a camp for the blind under an agreement with the
Wyoming State Department of Education. The first blind camp was held in 1946. In
1966, the Casper Lions renamed the camp after Allen H. Stewart, a Lion’s Club Past
President, District Governor, and International Counselor who died in a snow storm in
the Big Horn Mountains. The Camp became a Wyoming Lion’s Club project in 1979; the
usage of the Camp expanded from a three-week summer camp for the visually impaired
to include camp rentals to community groups. The Camp now consists of 14 buildings,
including a furnished dining room with fireplace, a commercial kitchen, separate men’s
and women’s dormitories with showers, and a 5,000 square foot multipurpose building.
An open air covered picnic area within the commons is complete with tables, benches
and a grill. The Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp, when not in use for the school, is open for
group rentals from June 15 until October 1 each year.
The Department of Education discontinued funding the summer school for the blind in
2007. Since that time, the Lions Club of Casper, Lion’s Clubs from around the State, and
the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank have funded the free summer program for children
who are visually impaired. Financial support is from club donations, grants, memorials,
rentals, and personal support. A wall of red and white bricks and stones located in front
of the dining hall is a permanent display of the names of contributors who made tax
deductible donations from $100 to $1,000 to the nonprofit Camp. The donation from
Neiberger’s estate is the largest ever given to the Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp,
according to Al Parmely.
The financial boost from Neiberger to the local organization will provide enough funding
to complete the renovation of the couples/nurses’ quarters building at the Camp.
Completion of the project will make it possible for the Lions to again offer a camp for
adults who are visually impaired. The adult camps were discontinued when State
funding ended in 2007. The remainder of the money will be used to finish rewiring the
camp, complete other camp upgrades and give a boost to the Camp’s reserve fund.
For information about the Allen H. Stewart Lion’s Camp, contact Lion Al Parmely, 262-
2321 or the camp at P.O. Box 1335, Casper, WY 82602...
