Katherine Bickford

Moorecroft was established in 1934 as a summer camp for girls by Gertrude Moore. She operated the camp until failing health necessitated the decision to sell the property in 1954. The United Church of Canada purchased the property for $50,000, and continued to operated it as a camp. With 2800 feet of oceanfront, the camp was an amazing summer retreat on the ocean.

The United Church decided to sell the 85-acre property in 2010 for $7.95 million, prompting fears that the property would be turned into a commercial housing development. The Regional District of Nanaimo and the Nature Trust of British Columbia had considered the areas for development as a park since the mid-1990s, and on March 2, 2011 were able to purchase the property for $4.8 million.

Although Camp Moorecroft grew to have 17 cabins, staff quarters, a caretaker’s house, a dining hall, a main lodge and a boat house. Few of those buildings still stand – most, including the cabins have been demolished and little remains of the camp.

The gathering point – all but forgotten

The park is managed under a Conservation Covenant held by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which requires ecological protection and enhancement as the highest priority and low impact recreation amenities within a natural setting.