Nestled in a mountain valley eight miles south of Colorado Springs, Colo., sits a little chunk of home for many University geology students.
The LSU Geology Field Camp, opened in 1928, sits at approximately 7,000 feet above sea level in the front-range of the Rocky Mountains — more than 6,500 feet higher than Baton Rouge. The camp occupies a meadow at the base of the mountains with a small river cutting through it. Just beyond the meadow are vast plains.
But the camp is more than a nice landscape — it serves a vital role within the Department of Geology and Geophysics, according to Department Chair Carol Wicks. He said every student is required to attend camp at least once before graduation. Most students attend camp between their junior and senior years, but the school also offers a camp for incoming freshmen.
“Freshmen take eight hours of introductory geology courses,” she said. “The senior field camp students earn six hours of credit. For both, it is beneficial because they have the opportunity to work in a real environment rather than in a classroom.”
Geology senior Gregory Keller said the camp is essentially a capstone for the first three years of school, but added that the living experience is as valuable as the classwork.
“There were wildfires right near our camp,” Keller said. “But during that, we almost started a fire when one of our vans caught on fire. Someone came in while we were eating and yelled, ‘vans on fire, get out of camp.’ Some of us grabbed fire extinguishers and ran to put it out. After the fires and the van, we just took it as a sign that it was time to go home.”
In total, the University owns approximately 1,500 acres of land, according to geology and geophysics professor Brooks Ellwood.
“It is an absolutely spectacular piece of land,” Ellwood said. “The camp is in a fairly isolated location.”
Keller said that as students enter into camp, when the van comes around a switchback in the road, the first thing that comes into sight is five flagpoles.
“It’s like a little chunk of Louisiana that just plops down in Colorado for the summer,” Keller said. “As you come into camp, you see the Louisiana and LSU flag flying. I guess they have to put the Colorado flag up there because it is in Colorado, but it really is just a chunk of home.”
Ellwood said these kinds of stories unite past and current students.
One tradition that has continued is the names of the cabins that students live in. Keller said his cabin became known as the Bowels of Hell.
Wicks said the cabins are currently in the midst of renovations to bring them back up to code.
The Board of Regents approved the proposal Sept. 27 at a cost of $475,000. The project intends to renovate five cabins and replace one.
