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Camp History

Les Huston Geology Field Camp

 

Every summer since 1949, budding geologists have traveled from Stillwater to Cañon City, Colorado for an immersive five-week experience to learn alongside friends and spectacular rock formations. In its 75 years, OSU's Geology Field Camp has hosted thousands of students, each one adding to a rich history of scholarship and camaraderie. 

 

Learn more about OSU's Les Huston Geology Field Camp below, including vintage photographs and newspaper clippings featuring alumni of years past. 

 

Timeline:

1949 - OSU's Geology Field Camp welcomes its first class of students.

1991 - The Les Huston Geology Field Camp is donated to Oklahoma State University by Tiny and Ernie Striegel, to be used in perpetuity for geoscience field education.

2006 - Flooding along Eightmile Creek sweeps away several vintage cabins.

2020 - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, field camp is offered virtually.

2024 - The Boone Pickens School of Geology celebrates field camp's 75th anniversary.

 

Photo GalleryField Camp through the years.

Newspaper clipping from 1950
Newspaper clipping from 1950
A newspaper clipping from 1950 highlights the impact of the GI Bill on field camp enrollment.
Newspaper clipping from 1953
Newspaper clipping from 1953
A newspaper clipping from 1953 illustrates postwar attitudes toward female geoscientists.
Students in 1975
Students in 1975
In 1975 the cost of field camp was $600. Pictured at the center is geology professor Jim Puckette, who will retire from OSU in 2024.
Mixing bowl formation
Mixing bowl formation
Field camp students have the chance to explore various geological formations, including the Mesozoic section seen here found in the infamous "Mixing Bowl."
Cabins 1950s
Cabins 1950s
A vintage snapshot shows what field camp looked like in the 1950s.
Jim, Tiny and friends
Jim, Tiny and friends
Tiny Striegel (second from right) and her husband Ernie were an integral part of field camp for decades. Her father, Les Huston, originally opened the camp in 1949, and Tiny and Ernie donated the property to OSU to use as a permanent field camp in 1991.
Flooding at field camp
Flooding at field camp
Flooding has wreaked havoc at field camp in years past, inspiring the need for a new facility out of reach of potential damage.
field camp sign
field camp sign
painted cabins
painted cabins
Students now stay in modern cabins at field camp. Seen here are some of the vintage cabins, which have been given personal touches over the years!
Jim and Tiny
Jim and Tiny
Jim Puckette and Tiny, an Honorary Alumnus of the BPSoG and unofficial "Poet Laureate" of field camp. Tiny and her father, Les, each have portraits which are hung at camp every year to ensure their generosity is known to each crop of newly-minted geoscientists.
students mapping
students mapping
Students work together on mapping projects.
group photo 2022
group photo 2022
Field camp students gather for a photo in 2022.
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