Camp Fire Girls Binder of Sue Murphy of Hood River, Oregon, with Letters from Pen Pal Kathleen Wyatt in Chesham, England

Hood River, Oregon, 1952. Very good.. A binder filled with ephemera and manuscript material that comprises a remarkable record of one girl's time as a Camp Fire Girl in the mid- to late-1940s in Hood River, Oregon. Belonging to Sue Murphy, the binder (11" by 9.5") is made of green cloth and has been hand-painted with the Camp Fire Girls logo. Inside, a printed logo with Sue's name in manuscript ink has been pasted to the front pastedown, along with two printed sleeves containing Certificates of Membership. Other items include: four rank certificates ("Wood Gatherer", "Trail Seeker", "Torch Bearer", "Fire Maker"); a ten-leaf book bound with string, each page with specimens of feathers or leaves; Sue's bound folder of periodical cuttings and manuscript notes, which she submitted for the rank of "Torch Bearer in Home Making"; and a number of loose leaves with typewritten or handwritten notes relating to her Camp Fire Girl activities. There is also a grouping of 5 letters from a pen pal named Kathleen Wyatt of Chesham, England, including one relating news of the death of King George VI ("I felt most sorry for Princess Elizabeth, who had started her tour, it must have been an awful shock..."). Camp Fire Girls was established in 1910 to encourage young girls to engage with nature and self-improvement. It became co-ed in 1975, and added an inclusion clause in 1993 supporting LGBTQ+ children.