Who needs Instagram to give their camp photos that nostalgic vibe? At Girl Guides of Canada, we’ve got lots of classic camp photos with that great hazy look that can only come from the 1970s and 1980s.

Our archives sometimes receives donations of photographs with very little accompanying information , so put our detective skills to work to determine the date of a photograph.

The Cabbage Patch kid and K-Way jacket in this photo point to the 1980s.

GGC National Archives APH 2213
GGC National Archives APH 2213

While this picture could almost have been taken this summer, the style of back pack and trefoil on one Ranger’s shirt provide us with a clue that this photo was taken in the early 1980s.

GGC National Archives APH 2431
GGC National Archives APH 2431

 

The gingham camp uniform shirt peeking out from under the jacket on the left helps us to place this photo in the 1970s.

GGC National Archives APH 2444
GGC National Archives APH 2444

 

If you look closely you can see a 60th anniversary patch on the camp hat in this picture, placing it in the early 1970s.

GGC National Archives APH 2436
GGC National Archives APH 2436

 

When we zoom in on the camp hats in this picture one of the patches has the year 1979.

GGC National Archives APH 2440
GGC National Archives APH 2440

 

3 responses to “Opening the Vaults: Retro camp pics”

  1. Audrey Forrest Avatar
    Audrey Forrest

    What a delight to see my daughter as the Ranger wearing the Trefoil shirt in the hiking photo! This photo has appeared in several places over the years, including a calendar when they were sold. The girls are hiking in the Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan and not in Alberta as once identified. The year is 1976 when Leslie-Anne was 15. She has never left Guiding since I enrolled her as a Brownie and is currently a Ranger Guider in Calgary with our granddaughter. Thanks for posting the photo!

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    The last photo is at sandy lake in alberta. The big patch one of the girls had is very similar to the patches Steele heights district made for all our camps. I would say this pic is 1980-82

  3. Tara Avatar
    Tara

    Great pictures! Thanks for sharing. I recently came across a black and white picture of me receiving my All Round Cord. I shared it with my daughters who are now in Guiding – one is in her second year of Brownie and the other is in her second year of Guides. I’m in my second year as a Guide Guider.

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