Northern Tier is our most northern High Adventure Camp in Scouting.  Located outside Ely, Minnesota this beautiful territory features outdoor skills in the interaction with the 10,000 lakes of picturesque Minnesota.

A Diamond in the North, by Gene Felton writes,  "In 1923, just 13 years after the birth of Scouting in the United States, organized Scout groups made their first scorties into the Minnesota-Ontario border wilderness country.  At least, 1923 is the first year with a historical reference point for a Scout trip.

When Region Ten canoe trip operations moved to Moose Lake in 1933, no one foresaw that the lake would become etched in the memories of thousands of Scouts as the place where they began and ended a wilderness experience of a lifetime. The Region Ten Canoe Trails got a big time boost in 1935 with the cancelation of the first National Jamboree in Washington a week before it was scheduled to begin. This twenty fifth anniversary celebration was altered due to a national concern about polio.  Scout groups that had been headed to Washington turned northward instead to Moose Lake. Canoe Trails attendance jumped to 205, more than four times that of the year before!!

The base was dedicated in May, 1942. A special guest was the chief Scout executive, James W. West. Charles Sommers was the honored guest. From his St. Paul business base in wholesale general merchandising, he had become on of the most prominent Scouters in the nation.While he had been part of the decision to build the base, he didn't know early on that it was to be named for him.

When the base did come under National in 1972, Sandy Bridges lost the support system that the base had had for years in the Region Ten office in St. Paul. The period of 1970-72 was a serendipitous time for the then almost 50 year old Sommers Canoe Base.  There was a new director with a thorough knowledge of base operations to use as a springboard for his ideas and vision.What evolved were the satellite summer canoe bases near the towns of Bissett, Manitoba, and Atikokan, Ontario, and the winter Okpik program at Moose Lake. 

                             
                                                     
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