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YMCA Camp Onyahsa Celebrates 125th Anniversary

By Christopher Blakeslee 4 min read

DEWITTVILLE -- Nestled in the northern basin on picturesque Lake Chautauqua is a long-standing bastion of fun, fellowship, nature, education and healing.

YMCA Camp Onyahsa has been welcoming children, families, military veterans and campers for more than 125 years. Long known for its innovative programming and combining elements of education, social acceptance, nature and fun, Camp "O" has blazed a trail both nationally and internationally, during its 125 years of existence.

"Camp Onyahsa has been living out the YMCA's mission for decades and decades, and from generation-to-generation," said John Barber, the Jamestown Area YMCA's vice president of operations. "People come from all around the nation and world to attend our camp and work at it."

Commanding, leading, developing and managing Camp Onyahsa through the years is its longest serving camp director and locally tenured college professor, Jon O'Brian.

"Not only am I the longest serving Camp Onyahsa director, but I am now among the longest serving Y-Camp Directors in the U.S.," O'Brian said.

O'Brian, a local historian and college history professor, has been passionate and matriculas about maintaining and researching the camp's storied existence. O'Brian, himself, attended Onyahsa on a scholarship due to family circumstances as a youth, as did his siblings, and the scholarship program is still essential to the camp's mission, serving over 25% of its youth today.

"In 1897, camp was in the planning stages and local-area women not only helped plan, pick the camp sites, but also helped raise the funds to get it up and running -these were real progressive women for their times," O'Brian said. "Keeping in mind, that camp was only going to be for boys to use -at the time-, and Camp Onyahsa was initial named The Jamestown YMCA Boy's Camp."

However, as with all things, time will change and alter people, places and things.

"In 1924, the camp's name was changed to Camp Onyahsa by Director Roy Wagner, then in the 1950s the camp implemented a family-based camp (allowing women and girls), then during the mid-1960s, the camp was split between the two genders. Meaning, the first half of the summer only girls could attend camp and the second half of summer then the boys would attend," O'Brian said. "Finally, in 1972, under Director Spiro Bello, the camp became fully integrated."

Additionally, Onyahsa has continued to evolve to meet the challenges that people face in today's modern times, coming to serve participants from varied ethnic, cultural, and national backgrounds plus those with developmental disabilities.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for a safe, quality day camp was apparent, so we started the Joheh-goh program, which now constitutes approximately one third of the camper population," O'Brian said. "Camp is for the campers; as we see needs, we adjust and try and meet those needs."

However, innovative programing is constantly on this former camper, now director's mind.

"Camp offers a year-round, all-inclusive camping experience," O'Brian said. "We have ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant cabins, we run several specialty camps to meet the needs of those deemed 'at-risk', 'low-income', 'medically challenged' or have 'special needs', and we focus on collaborative efforts with other non-for-profit organizations and agencies not only around us, but world-wide."

The camp offers summer youth day and resident camping, year-round youth and family programming, partnerships with other organizations, and September through June site rental opportunities. O'Brian also has some lofty goals and projects for the near future.

"We've added a new playground and accessible Challenge Course elements last year, and we're looking forward to an updated and viable health center that could possibly facilitate a bereavement camp or cancer camp," said O'Brian. "We currently service children with special needs during our Kids and Sibs Camp, and we have several veteran/disabled veterans, and their family members camp several times a year, along with a special diabetes camp." said O'Brian.

For those who'd like to help facilitate the youth scholarship or Year 125 Inclusive health center project, donations can be made online at www.onyahsa.org/donate-to-camp-onyahsa or call the camp office at 716-664-2802, ext. 238. Camp also welcomes Estate donations. Contact the camp director for more information.

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