The Newman Bros Look Back

The Anderson Valley Historical Society sponsored another fun and informative Valley Chat on April 14th in the Rose Room at the Little Red School House Museum in Boonville. Brothers Marshall and Aaron Newman whose parents owned and operated the El Rancho Navarro Children’s Camp in Philo shared memories of the camp in the early 1960s.

Going back in time the property was first patented in the 1890s then Mary Ward and James Henan owned it from 1902 when it was known as The Pines. Charmian Blattner (nee Charmian Ward) lived at Highland Ranch (which was then part of the same property) when she was a child. In 1947 it was purchased by Joe and May Selwin. The Newmans and their partner Phil Rosenberg bought it in 1957. Both parents wanted to run a children’s camp according to their dreams and wishes. Their mother Edna came from a privileged background and had happy camp memories. Father Irv came from a family of nine kids raised in a two-bedroom walk-up. He aspired to be a Rabbi but ended up in social work and teaching with a dash of Rabbi work on the side. Both were idealists in an era when people who worked really hard and planned well could still afford to make their dreams happen.

In 1958 the main lodge with its eight bedrooms and three baths burned to the ground in 30 minutes. The insurance settlement made it possible for the Newmans to buy out their partner Phil and become sole owners. Nevertheless Irv worked in the off-season as a rabbi, a juvenile probation officer, a day camp director, and a teacher to “keep the boat afloat.” 

During this time Sheri Hansen (now a Historical Society board member) was one of Irv’s students. Edna was busy raising four children. During camp Irv was the Director while Edna supervised the swimming program, provided advanced first aid training, did the laundry and took over on the days off for both the cook and the registered nurse. Obviously, she was a busy lady. 

Interestingly and astoundingly access to the camp for at least 6 months of the year was limited to a swinging suspension bridge as there was no road access over the winter-swollen Navarro. All supplies had to be carried or wheel-barrowed across the bridge. Cars were kept on the far side of the bridge for supply buying forays and trips back to Marin.

The parents of the campers found the camp through ads in Sunset Magazine, word of mouth and constant hustling by Irv. The three-week sessions cost $210, which was serious money in those days. There were always some scholarships available. There were 80 campers, 7-15 years old. Camp buses picked kids up in San Francisco, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa on the their way to the camp. Campers had horses, archery, swimming, crafts, volleyball, tennis, hiking, campfires, sing-a-longs, and overnight camping to keep them busy. The counselors were recruited from universities and they made an effort to have different types including jocks, non-athletic and musicians. Food was considered very important and Irv said that the campers ate as much as a standing army.

Listening to the Newman brothers reminisce was engaging as they are both very smart and funny. An example: Aaron told us that his career as a camp counselor lasted exactly one day as he has no patience for children and likes them best “medium rare.” As a mechanically inclined youth his skills were put to good use maintaining the property (31 toilets), water system, etc. All the kids in the family were expected to work and they did work hard, cutting firewood, milking cows, wrangling horses, washing dishes. It was a three-hour commute from their home in Marin to the Philo Camp so until they moved there full-time it was many car-riding hours a week in those preparatory months before camp was in session. They remembered that it was still six to eight miles to the camp when they got to Art Gowan’s apple orchard. There was absolutely no danger of them becoming couch potatoes especially since there was no TV. In their isolation they fell back on reading, bridge and cribbage.

They credit helpful neighbors including the Van Zandts, the Wards, the MacDonalds at Tumbling McD’s, the Nunn’s and Sheri’s brother who helped with milking. They said that the Camp and Anderson Valley was a good place to grow up and a very “special place.”

The four years of continuous schooling for the Newman children in the valley was preferred to the time they spent in larger city schools. Easy hitchhiking was common; everybody knew everybody. 

In an article called “School Days” in the AVA a while back, Marshall said, “The student body was overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly from families who had lived in Anderson Valley for generations. Anderson Valley’s isolation meant a fair number were related in some way or another. Besides us and a few other newcomers, the only other outsiders were the children of millworkers, mostly from Arkansas and Oklahoma.”

It is hard to imagine those days now. With the property the camp occupied then, going for $12 million now the chances of it being devoted again to a children’s camp are nil. The word was that when eBay billionaire Jeffrey Skoll bought Shenoa in 2004 they paid around $6 million so real estate prices are rising fast. It is mind boggling to think how much times have changed. 

Anyway, thanks to the Newman brothers for a peek back into their past and with it the Valley’s past. Thanks also to the Anderson Valley Historical Society for making these programs available to the public at no cost. They really are fascinating. 

Look for upcoming Valley Chats at andersonvalleymuseum.org.