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Camp musician reviews N-Sid-Sen’s 90 years

Camp singer-guitarist John Eisenhauer took those gathered for N-Sid-Sen anniversary’s through 90 years of campfires while exploring what campers sang and the camp’s history.

John Eisenhauer offers overview of camp and song history.

John said Arthur and Margaret Ford “fell in love with this place on a Sunday drive in 1918 from Kellogg” where Arthur was pastor.” He bought it in weeks, and advertised for a farmer to move there to run the farm. He would provide chickens, pigs and a tractor.

After two years of discussion, a committee with many from Westminster—John and Mimi Forrester—the conference minister and area ministers—accepted the site as a gift from the Fords.

On a windy, rainy day 90 years ago, at a picnic in the cove, they decided, “This is the Place.” Anniversary campers sang, “I Come to the Garden Alone.”

In the Depression era, John said, people who wanted to hear music had to make music, so they sang familiar, nostalgic, patriotic songs around the campfire. Songbooks then included such favorites as: A Mighty Fortress, Faith of Our Fathers, America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) and Onward Christian Soldiers.

John no longer sings those songs, because they expressed Manifest Destiny and notions that cis-gendered white men are inherently “best,” that might makes right, and that love of country equals love of God.

He now believes those foundational concepts are wrong. They were hurtful and harmful cornerstones of an outdated, colonial, patriarchal, misogynistic and entitled national (and American Christian) ideology, he said, adding, “They are obstacles on our faith and we have to stop teaching them, because they are steeped in institutional racism, sexism, faithism and wealth-ism.

He noted that new songs may live to be old songs.

A barn in the meadow in 1938 was the boy’s dorm. Girls slept in the Ford Cabin. Forrester Lodge was built in 1939. In the 1940s, three boys cabins and an outhouse were christened: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the John. A Susie was dug for the girls. The Iris farm was purchased for back taxes in 1946. Electricity and running water were in place by 1949, he summarized.

Recovering from the Great Depression and World War II, folks sang songs about home, hope and family with a few hints of protest: You Are My Sunshine, Sentimental Journey, I’ll Be Seeing You, songs from musicals and the Crawdad Song.

The 1950s brought flushing toilets to N-Sid-Sen and “us” and “we” songs about fellowship and spirituality, said John, inviting the group to sing “Let Us Sing Together.”

“Campers also began singing Gospel tunes like Amazing Grace, Kumbaya and Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” said John, “and we’ve spent 50 years trying to resolve the tension between our love of them, and the pain and injustice some of their theology and words hold.

“New” songs were The Ash Grove, Peace I Ask of Thee Oh River and Now Let Us Sing.

In the 1960s, cabins 7 to 12 were built and songs shifted to sentimental/political, justice/peace and some minor chords

Campers sang protest, anti-war and worker-justice songs like: If I Had a Hammer, The Times They Are a Changing and Blowin’ in the Wind.

“We embraced love and longing songs like Moon River, Five Hundred Miles and Get Together, and new visions of religion with Lord of the Dance. We finally invited Woody to the campfire,” John said, introducing, This Land Is Your Land.

Even the new songs were about men, Jesus wearing a crown tho he called us loving siblings, and “not every American felt like this land was made for them,” John continued, challenging the anniversary campers to “constantly expand their understanding and evolve their vocabulary so that lyrics do not cause pain.”

The 1970s brought Spirit Lodge, and campers understood that any song could be sacred, like: Fire and Rain, Today, Sounds of Silence, Teach Your Children Well, Morning Has Broken, One Tin Soldier, Lean on Me and John Denver’s Sunshine on My Shoulders.

In the 1980s, campers began to think about inclusion and the global family. Clergy and spiritual leaders began to write camp songs. Jim Manley, Don Eaton, Jim Strathdee, Tom Chapin, Tom Hunter wrote  Part of the Family, Rock Me to Sleep, Jesus Is the Rock, We Are Drops of Water, Dance, Comin’ Home, Circle of Friends, Pass It On.

“We discovered other cultures offered amazing, inspirational songs like You Who Have Come to the Lakeshore,” John said.

In the 1990’s, campers started correcting lyrics to acknowledge a second gender, inclusive songs like: Little Blue Top, Little World Spinning Blue, Rainbow Connection, Jubilation, Place in the Choir, Bring Many Names and more.

John reflected back to 1939 when Ken Claypool, who was asked to name the camp, found Ignace Garry (“White Cloud”) of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. White Cloud said when youth, 12 or 13, prepared to enter the tribe, the leader would say, “Cross the valley, climb that mountain, stay in that place, be quiet, listen and after a while the Great Spirit will speak words of wisdom and guidance. You will learn what to do with your life and receive inspiration. Then you may return to the tribe as a member.”

The tribe calls that spot is an “N-Sid-Sen.” That story inspired John to write “A Place on the Planet…N-Sid-Sen.”

In the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, songbooks were revisited every few years, eliminating some songs with male-only pronouns, feudal references to Lord and Master, patriarchal language and songs that see gender and sexuality as binary and cis-gendered, he said.

“Many song lyrics evolved and survived,” John said. “Others were replaced in our hearts and songbooks with new songs for our evolving awareness and our widening circle.”

Syringa, the new shop and Stillwater were added.

John invited honoring the perpetual, faith-filled effort at N-Sid-Sen by singing, Somewhere to Begin, what Pete Seeger called a “Zipper Song.” Every verse is identical but one word “zipped” out or in.

John pointed out that the effort with songbooks is important bacause more than half of PNC clergy say camp was where they heard their call to ministry.

He attributes his inspiration to be camp musician to Bob Fitzgerald and Rusty Harper, professional musicians from the Montana-Northern Wyoming Conference. They spent time each summer when John went to the UCC camp as a youth.

The 2020s, John noted, were the last few years of Cis-gendered Old White Men mansplaining patriarchy and speaking for marginalized siblings.

Many new songs speak to today’s values. John has been weeding out well-intended and well-loved “COW-Men songs”—except his own—and seeks singable songs that allow other visions and voices to shine.

“Twenty percent of songs in the new songbook are from The Indigo Girls, Peter Mayer, Andra Day, Christine Aguilara, Holy Near, Jewel, Carrie Ann Newcomer, Iris Dement, Malvina Reynolds, Meline DeMore, The Wailin’ Jennys and one by Sara Bareilles, urging people to start speaking up.

Calling for new faces, voices, songs, instruments and attitudes, John said, “I pray some of you will be brave and agree to lead music at camp.” He offered training.

John sang a Native American version of “This Land:”

“...This land is my land, from California to the Texas border through Juarez mountains, with the migrant caravans, this land was made for you and me.

“... my land from piers of Charleston to fields of cotton, from the crowded prisons, the streets of Ferguson, this land was made for you and me.

“... my land from the Jamestown landing to Lakota badlands, from the trail of tears to the reservations, this land was made for you and me.”

John closed, leading, “If I Had a Hammer” and then quoted Arthur and Margaret Ford at N-Sid-Sen’s dedication on April 19, 1939:

“May [this] be in years to come a place where wills are strengthened, imaginations are kindled, and lives dedicated to the service of God, as well as a place where friendships are formed which will bring happy memories in the years to come”

John then led singing requests of anniversary campers.

 

Pacific Northwest Conference UCC News © copyright Fall 2025

 

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