In 2021, the Mount Holyoke College Outing Club (MHOC) celebrated its 100th birthday. To commemorate this landmark year, we have created this website with memories shared from alums and the Mount Holyoke Archives. We would like to thank Deborah Richards from the Archives, Lindsay Freer from LITS, and all of the amazing alums who made this project possible. Please enjoy exploring the timeline below along with the rest of the site.
-Jess Moskowitz ’22 and Maddy McAlexander ’23 (MHOC Co-Chairs 2021-2022)
1920s
The Outing Club was established in 1921 by history Professor Nellie Neilson as part of the athletic association. The first cabin was built after senior Marion Emerson Dekkers raised $1,000 from selling Christmas cards and hot dogs, and with help from Trustee Joseph Skinner and in 1929 the org split with the athletic association.
To the left is the announcement in the July 1921 Alumnae Quarterly introducing the Outing Club.
The first cabin was finished in 1928 and students were encouraged to bring pillows, books, and furniture from home to furnish the cabin along with staple foods like sugar and flour. The original cabin was wooden and located on the Connecticut River. In 1929, Joseph Skinner, dubbed the “fairy godfather of the Outing Club” became the landlord of the Outing Club Cabin, and the Outing Club was able to rent the cabin while upkeep and general costs were being taken care of by Mr. Skinner.
1930s
The Outing Club continued to grow during its second decade of activity. The May 1932 Alumnae Quarterly describes new activities planned by the club including a photo contest, snow gear rentals, and an ice carnival. The Outing Club started its gear collection when members went through every dorm looking for sleds, skiis, and other gear left behind by graduating seniors. Renting the cabin cost $0.50 a night, or $0.10 a night with a $1.00 yearly membership. A new path to the cabin was created and named Emerson Trail after Marion Emerson ’29 who helped to raise money to build the cabin and grow the club. The cabin hosted over 500 guests per year including alumnae, faculty, and scout groups.
In 1937 the Outing Club’s first station wagon, named “Mountain Time” was purchased through the selling of the Outing Club calendar with photos of scenery around campus. In 1938 the club hosted the seventh annual Intercollegiate Outing Club Conference that was attended by more than 30 colleges.
To become a Leader, club members began as Heelers in their Freshman year, where they had to put in ten hours of work, attend three overnights, and one Saturday hike. In 1938 there were 60 heelers and 390 members of the club.
1940s
Swing dances within the intercollegiate community were a popular activity for MHOCers. The Outing Club organized swing dances with other outing clubs from Smith, Springfield College, UMass, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, and Holy Cross. The cost to enter never went over $1.00, all students came ‘stag,’ meaning all had to pay for their own tickets, and there was a six-piece orchestra. Visiting male students were often hosted in the cabin which could hold up to 40 students.
1950s
The 1950s were the golden years of the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association, with students coming together from schools including Amherst, Dartmouth, Radcliffe, RPI, UMass, Vassar, Wellesley, and Yale.
The club also hosted various speakers including world-renowned badminton player Ken Davidson and Douglas “Neil” Brown of the Appalachian Mountain Club both in 1954.
Unlike today when the Outing Club takes the Seven Sisters trail to Skinner Mountain on Mountain Day, the Outing Club of the 1950s organized trips to many different places on Mountain Day including Mount Greylock, the Quabbin Reservoir by bike, Mount Tom, a section of the Appalachian Trail, and a section of the Holyoke Range. Outing Club Leaders wrote reports for each trip that summarized the trip experience, how much was spent, and included suggestions for the future (like bringing song books for the bus ride!).
In 1950 a Chevrolet truck named “Chug-a-lug II” was purchased to replace “Chug-a-lug I.” It included both a radio and heater and picked out by Lillian Cramer, MHOC President at the time.
In 1958, exactly 29 years after its opening, the beloved Outing Club Cabin burned down in a fire when no students were present, destroying the wooden cabin and over $2,000 worth of property within it.
1960s
A document written by Mary Grace Fowler, the Head of Mountain Day in 1966, that one member of the Outing Club found out the date of Mountain Day the May before the fall semester began. They were sworn to secrecy and only the Head of Mountain Day, the Dean, and the bus company were aware of the date.
1970s
In a note about the Outing Club from 1972, an Outing Club member wrote that “The college normally never questions what goes on on normal Outing Club trips, but on Mountain Day, the administration wants to know everything about the Outing Club trips!” Four trips were planned: an easy, moderate, and difficult hiking trip and a biking trip. During Mountain Day the Outing Club cabin was open and MHOCers served cider and doughnuts there.
