Tel Natan was the Camp Kvutza for the St. Louis and Cincinnati mahanot in 1947 and 1948. It was unique in having complete facilities.
Tel Natan was named for our dear haver, Nathan Kanter, who was one of the most sincere and dedicated members of the Labor Zionist movement and represented the best that is found in Habonim. Nate was killed in an automobile accident at about the time we were beginning to work on the idea of a camp for our area.
Tel Natan, which we had dreamed of for many years and talked about for several months came into existence early in 1947 when we found that there would be no camp in the Chicago area to serve the St. Louis mahaneh. In a matter of days, we contacted the movement in Cincinnati, formed the Habonim Camping Association of Missouri, examined and leased the camp site sixty miles west of St. Louis, bought a truck, two tons of dishes and pots, and printed application blanks.
The camp, known to the Missouri State Park Commission as Camp C-1, Quiure River State Park, Troy, Missouri, was located on a high hill in the heart of a 6,000 acre park. The camp and the setting were beautiful and the facilities excellent (two stoves, four sinks, an electric refrigerator, a walk-in icebox, plenty of hot and cold water, a large dining room, shower house, a recreation hall, office, guest house, hospital, ten large cabins, and several buildings we never used.
The first season was a success. Forty haverim spent four satisfying weeks at Tel Natan. We broke even, no one lost any weight (thanks to Havera Kanter, Nate's mother, who was our cook), and the two tons of dishes and pots did not arrive till fall.
We returned to Tel Natan for a winter conference. This was even more successful than the summer session. The cabins were warm, the food was good, and the activities and discussions excellent. All that we missed was the swimming, and since the swimming at Cheetham Pond was not too good anyway, no one complained.
After we shut down the camp for the winter, we were convinced that we had made a wonderful beginning as the first year-round Camp Kvutza in history.
We were wrong, and after one more season, the camp discontinued operation. I'm not sure why the camp failed or what lesson other camps can learn from Tel Natan. Perhaps it was too easy. We did not have to struggle and fight to establish our camp. Perhaps St. Louis was just not ready to conduct and sustain its own camp. I believe that Tel Natan failed because the leadership in the mahaneh, which was mainly older, went on aliya, to other movement assignments, or moved on to other personal activity, and left a void. This void, created by a slowdown in activity during the war, was probably the main cause of failure.
All that is left of Tel Natan is fond memories, some photographs, and a feeling of deep regret that the monument we began to erect in memory of Nate Kanter in 1947 was never finished.
Wil Schoomer, 1957