05/13/2022 - 05/15/2022 — 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Pioneer Family Campground
New Location, Same Great Programs
America’s oldest, original survival and preparedness training event—founded in 1968—has moved from Tippecanoe River State Park to the Pioneer Family Camp Ground in Lake Village Indiana. We can do everything we did at Tippecanoe, and some activities that we could not do before. In addition to indoor programs, we will be doing more outdoor survival activities, such as Soft Air combat training, archery, fire extinguisher training, and field navigation. We encourage family participation. Participants are encouraged to come in Friday (5/13) and camp Friday and Saturday night to enjoy networking and special classes. Activities will start at 9:00 AM central time on Saturday.
Tickets
Tickets are $20 for an Individual, and $25 for a family.
Camping Rates:
- Day pass: $6.00
- Camp site rates: $20—$30
- Tent site with electric: $35.00
- 30 amp and 50 amp electric and water hookup sites available
- Make reservations on line.
- Live Free USA has reserved a limited number of Scout Hill sites available to members on a first come basis $20.00 to payable to Live Free
Please note that camping fees are entirely separate from Live Free and our event. Please visit the camp’s website for detailed information.
Directions
From US Highway 41:
- Take State Highway 10 East to County Rd. 100 East.
- Turn right/south on 100 East to County Rd. 900 North.
- Turn left/East on 900 North.
- The camp ground entrance will be a short distance on the right.
From Interstate 65:
- Take State Highway 10 West to County Rd. 100 East.
- Turn left/south on 100 East to County Rd. 900 North.
- Turn left/East on 900 North.
- The camp ground entrance will be a short distance on right.
Camp Independence is the nation’s oldest and original preparedness gathering. The event started in 1968 with a small group from Chicago renting a single cabin at Tippecanoe River State Park in Indiana, and conducting outdoor survival training.
The event grew over the years until Live Free USA rented the entire Group Camp facility including 32 cabins, a dining hall, and a variety of training buildings. The programs expanded to include more emergency preparedness, defense, self-reliance, and disaster survival programs. Full scale disaster drills, and scenario based training involving scores of families and groups were a frequent part of the program.
The event—and Live Free USA—garnered national attention in the 1980’s with media vans and even helicopters landing at the park. The end of the Cold War brought a false sense of security and a decline in support for survival and preparedness education. Live Free struggled to continue operations and participation in Camp Independence drew smaller crowds. Recovery was underway, when the Indiana DNR elected to close the Group Camp facilities five years ago. We tried some other venues, but eventually elected to use the remaining Tepicon Hall at the same park for events, while we seek to raise funds for our own facilities.
Of course, Camp Independence was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. Some felt we should postpone the 2021 event, but we felt it was important to reestablish our commitment to survival and preparedness in the wake of the very kind of disaster we have been predicting and preparing families for, for over fifty years.
List of classes and instructors. Nice new cite. Richard Rock
When purchasing the tickets for Camp Independence on this site, will the name paying be the contact information needed for proof of purchase?
is there a list of the classes that will be available yet?