The Camp Fire Club Of America was founded in 1897 by hunters and conservationists including Dan Beard, Ernest Thompson Seton and William T. Hornaday. Conservation giant Theodore Roosevelt was an early and influential Camp Fire member.

Camp Fire was created to bring together hunters, anglers, explorers and naturalists, individuals who subscribe to the principles of adventure and fellowship in the great outdoors, and to further the interests of sports afield and wildlife conservation.

For more than a century, conservation has been a prime directive of Camp Fire.  By the end of the 19th century, our founders realized our forests and wildlife were in danger of vanishing. Lawless deforestation, market hunting and mismanagement of the few remaining wilderness areas brought our natural resources to the edge of disaster.

Before both land and game were gone forever, Camp Fire committed both its reputation and resources to the protection and expansion of wild areas where all native fauna may have a lasting home, and to ensure a sustainable future for hunting, angling and outdoor pursuits.

This vision and effort has earned Camp Fire an unsurpassed reputation in wildlife and habitat conservation.  Our founders’ legacy lives on in state and federal game laws, our national parks, and the creation of numerous species-management organizations, all dedicated to the preservation and conservation of our natural resources.  Our commitment to carry on this legacy continues to this day.