History of ChaWiMa
History
In 1963 a local group of families, who shared the love of camping, joined together, organized themselves and became members of the New England Family Camper Association (NEFCA) Chapter 45.
The group originally leased a piece of land and labored it into a modest yet functional campground only to lose it when the landlord sold the property to a new owner. Undeterred by this setback, the group decided to purchase a piece of property that no one could ever take away. On 11/15/1970 a decision was made by the group to have each member make a $10 monthly contribution for a down payment on a piece property when found. On this date the first officers and board members were chosen.
In 1971 Co-op member Burt Sweet discovered a suitable piece of land, however the original Co-op members voted down that land as they were mistakenly led to believe it was only 6 acres when in fact it was later discovered to be 12.1 acres. At that time the membership voted to buy the land and start building a campground. Now that the land is secured a question arose about what to call their campground.
In 1971 Marge Bolduc suggested Cha-Wi-Ma which represents the three local towns where most members lived Chaplin, Willimantic, Mansfield.
Present Day:
Since its inception, throughout the years and to this very day, Co-op members have used their skills, talents and hard work for one common goal, the betterment of our campground.
This was a heavily wooded, raw piece of land and the original members had a huge task ahead of them. They had to clear the land of brush and trees, create and build the roads. They developed and recorded our large sites. They dug ditches to run the electrical power and water tubing underground and to each site. They dug a well first, then had a well drilled providing fresh water to the sites. A central bathhouse with showers was built and the large lodge was built.
After all of this work and more, one thing is for sure. By comparison today's campers at Cha-Wi-Ma, have it far easier than our pioneers did developing the campground we enjoy today.
We encourage you to find out more about Cha-Wi-Ma and visit us, talk to any member and find out why Cha-Wi-Ma is a better way to camp.