Lyr Req: I ride to the canyon wall (camp song)

Subject: I ride to the canyon wall
From: Pat von Schwerdtner
Date: 05 Nov 96 - 10:14 AM

Learned this as a child at Henderson's Camp on Lopez Island (one of the San Juan Islands in the Straights of Juan de Fuca)about forty years ago.I remember part of the tune, & the words I remember go like this:

I ride to the canyon wall,
To the place where the river did fall,
But now on the valley floor
Lies an Indian Sea from shore to shore.

It's a beautiful haunting melody, and I'd love to know the rest rest of it.

Subject: RE: I ride to the canyon wall
From:
Date: 01 Sep 01 - 09:17 AM

This one sounds interesting....

Subject: Lyr Req: Camp Song
From: GUEST,Pat Guyton
Date: 18 Jul 09 - 12:12 PM

Learned this about 50 years ago (Yikes!) at Henderson's Camp on Lopez Island (one of the San Juan Islands in the Straights of Juan de Fuca). I remember part of the tune, & the words I remember go like this:

"I ride to the canyon wall,
To the place where the river did fall,
But now on the valley floor
Lies an Indian Sea from shore to shore".

It's a beautiful haunting melody, and I'd love to know the rest rest of it. Periodically, I Google it, but nothing yet.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Camp Song-ride to the canyon wall
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Jul 09 - 02:09 PM

Hi, Pat - I didn't find the song, but Googling took me to this page (click) of Seattle Times articles on the camp. Apparently, it was purchased by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and the whole peninsula may soon be closed to the public. The camp was at the southeast tip of Lopez Island. I rented a vacation house on the southwest tip of the island a couple of times, and it was wonderful.
Lopez Island is one of those places where people wave as they pass each other on the highway, even if they're strangers.

Good luck finding your song. Were you the Pat that requested this song back in 1996? I combined the threads.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Req: Camp Song - I ride to the canyon wall
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 09 - 01:37 AM

Hi Pat,
    I too have hummed that haunting tune since the early 50's. Here are the words as I remember them...mind you, I'm trying to remember words that I'm not sure I understood then!

I ride,'neath the western skies,
Where snow-capped moun-tains stand nearby,
My old six gun hasn't smoked for years.
For we've buried the days of blood and tears.

I ride 'neath the canyon wall,
To the place where the river did flow,
There's an inland sea, from shore to shore,
I ride....

Subject: RE: Req: Camp Song - I ride to the canyon wall
From: GUEST,Pat Guyton
Date: 19 Jul 10 - 04:59 PM

I was von Schwerdtner until 1997, when I traded in the name for Guyton.
I'm delighted to have another verse, or chorus. The new lines don't fit the tune I have for the lines I already had (I ride to the canyon wall . . .").

Will continue the search. This is the only song, of dozens I learned over six summers at Henderson's camp, that I haven't been able to track down. Even found a tape cassette with a few songs by Tim Lamont (son of Bill, the Lamonts were a musical family that accompanied songs on a variety of instruments after lunch and dinner). Did my research on the camp too. Lopez was a wonderful place for a camp - too bad it couldn't continue as one.

Subject: RE: Req: Camp Song - I ride to the canyon wall
From: maeve
Date: 19 Jul 10 - 05:45 PM

I'm looking for more information, Pat. I found these camp-related links:

http://norwester.org/about/history-1946.html

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lopezislandhistory/

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I ride to the canyon wall (camp song)
From: GUEST,Pat Guyton
Date: 14 Jul 15 - 11:33 AM

Was watching a documentary a few nights ago on the building and (now) tearing down, of dams in the Pacific Northwest. Got me thinking about my quest for this old Henderson Camp song and wondering if the song had anything to do with the building of the dams.
There was a segment in the show about beautiful indian fishing grounds which were buried underwater when one of the dams was built.

I ride to the canyon wall,
To the place where the river did fall,
But now on the valley floor
Lies an Indian Sea from shore to shore

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I ride to the canyon wall (camp song)
From: GUEST,Chan Bartlett
Date: 16 Jul 17 - 12:49 AM

Hello, Pat and Other Friends:    I have Henderson Camp history too: My parents knew the Hendersons, probably from the Unitarian/Universalist community in Seattle in the 1940s. (Another person in that network was the famous architect Paul Kirk, who, I believe, designed some structures at the camp, including the lodge/dining hall). Later my sisters and I attended the camp as campers or worked as staff, from the Henderson through the Nor'wester years.

As per Pat's initial posting above, recently I recalled and wanted to track down this song. I haven't had much luck, but am delighted to find what is written here.

As I recall, the song had two sections, one faster and one slower. This may be why "the new lines don't fit the tune I have..."

There was, by the way, a camp song book. I was too young to take the initiative of buying one, but presumably there are copies somewhere,
and maybe this song is in it.

Best regards,
Chan Bartlett

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I ride to the canyon wall (camp song)
From: GUEST,Pat Guyton
Date: 24 Jul 17 - 05:19 PM

I actually had a copy of the Henderson Camp Songbook, but have no idea what happened to it. I'd pay good money to have a copy today.

Never knew that the Hendersons were UUs as I am. Most interesting. Don't remember much about the Sunday chapels out in the open. I do think the Lamont Family was quite religious

I've looked for a lot of the songs on iTunes, because I have most lyrics and even scores & chords, but want recording of someone singing. Part of probem is that some songs (e.g.,Desert Silver Blue) go by many names or I get many hits, but none with right tempo, tune and lyrics (e.g. Frozen Logger - & only 3 sung by women though it's a woman's song about her logger lover).

Have tried Youtube too, but with little luck.

Another ongoing quest is to find all the
graces we sang before each meal. I think there were three or four.

Thanks so much for your post.