Camas: A History

Last week we had a group of adults at Camas (new members to the Iona Community to be exact), an eccentric, but lovely group of individuals. During our first reflection (where we introduce this place and a bit) one of the older fellows said something that I think describes Camas perfectly; "It's a very old place, but it's not a museum."

Inside the Chapel of the nets (where many of our reflections take place)

And it's so true. Camas has been around for quite a while (thousands of years I suppose I if you want to get all technical with the geology stuff, rock formations, volcanoes erupting, dinosaurs hanging around and all that jazz) and there is so much rich history here, but it's a very much alive history. It's the opposite of a museum. 

The story of this place really got started in about  the 1830s when the Stevenson family (Yes, THAT Stevenson family, Robert Louis Stevenson being the most famous member)  decided to use the lovely pink granite from Camas Bay to build a lighthouse out on Skerryvore reef.

The construction of the lighthouse took about 10 years and thus the quarrymen and their families had to first build housing for everyone to live in during those years. And the buildings they built 180 years ago stood the test of time are the very same buildings I am living in right now. (Which is pretty exciting for a girl from western Canada where if a building is over 50 years old it's considered ancient)

After the lighthouse was built the quarrymen left and fishermen and their families moved in.  And there was fishing going on at Camas for about 150 years. (that’s like about the 1840s to 1990s if you're a dates kind of person).

The Iona Community switched things up a bit in the 1940/50s when George MacLeod acquired Camas and starting bringing up young men from the rough areas of Glasgow. His intent was to get these guys out of difficult situations back at home, during a time where jobs were scarce and teach them the practical and useful skill of fishing.

Leaving a mark on the rafters

This meant you had these young tough lads living alongside fishermen and their families, ahh those would have been interesting times!  (I've heard stories of the fishermen sitting downstairs in their quarters and looking up only to see trails of urine trickling down their walls from the boys upstairs who figured the walls of their rooms made great toilets.) 

So, eventually when the Salmon stocks ran dangerously low due to overfishing  Camas stopped operating as a fishing station and became more or less what it is today, an activity centre. And the focus still aims to bring out youth from central Glasgow and bring them out to this wild place and introduce them to a different way of life. We do this now through kayaking, abseiling , hiking and camping rather than fishing, but it still serves the same purpose. And it's truly amazing to see how much this place changes people, even in just a weeks time.

Like I said, this place has a rich history. A history that's growing and alive. And I can't even express how honored I feel to be a part of it.