Where is Camp Mystic, the Christian girls camp hit by flooding in Texas?
More than 750 girls were at the camp, which is located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, where rain of up to 12 inches an hour fell, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a press conference Friday afternoon. Flash flooding occurred as river waters rose 29 feet rapidly near the camp, officials said. At the time, about 20 girls were missing, Patrick said.
Parents and relatives have been posting on social media as they have learned about the deaths of young family members who had been attending the camp. At least three girls have died, based on reports from family members.
Live updates: Texas flooding death toll rises to 27; children among the dead
Camp Mystic for Girls was founded in 1926 by Edward "Doc" Stewart, who was the football and men's basketball coach at the University of Texas, according to an Internet Archive's capture of the camp's website (much of the site was overwhelmed with traffic on Saturday).
The camp has been in operation since then. However, during World War II it served as a "rehabilitation and recovery camp for army air corps veterans," according to the site.
"Campers and counselors join together to sing songs, listen to scripture, discover ways to grow spiritually, and learn to apply these lessons to their daily life at camp and back home," according to the site. Religious activities include: Bible studies, Saturday evening Catholic Mass, Sunday morning devotionals along the river, Sunday evening Vespers services, and, once during each two-week or four-week term, a sunrise communion service.
Other activities include cooking, dance, basketball, horseback riding, lacrosse, swimming, soccer and yoga.
Camp Mystic for Girls, is in Texas, about six miles south of Hunt, Texas, in Kerr County. That's within Texas Hill Country, about 80 miles northwest of San Antonio.
The original camp and a second camp, opened in 2020 near Cypress Lake, is bisected by Cypress Creek.
YouTube videos show the camp facilities nestled within the tree-filled landscape at the two camps, one along the Guadalupe River and the newer camp near Cypress Lake.
Contributing: Reuters
Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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USA Today
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- USA Today
Why the flooding tragedy at Camp Mystic is hitting so hard for many parents
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As of July 6, Larry Leitha of Kerr County, where the worst of the flooding occurred, said authorities recovered the bodies of 40 adults and 28 children. What happened at Camp Mystic? A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a tableau of devastation, the walls marked with slashes of mud several feet from the ground, showing how high the flood waters reached. Photos taken on July 5 show a damaged building at the camp missing an entire side, others with broken windows, and personal effects of the young campers strewn about alongside overturned furniture. Anguished parents were waiting for word on July 6 on the children still missing from Camp Mystic, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remarked on the scene after visiting the site. The girls' camp was "horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster," the governor said July 5, adding: "The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking." Abbott, who issued a disaster declaration for nearly two dozen Texas counties, said: "We won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins." One Camp Mystic camper, 8-year-old Sarah Marsh of Alabama, was confirmed among the dead, according to Mountain Brook, Alabama, Mayor Stewart Welch. Janie Hunt, 9, was also among the dead, The New York Times and CNN both reported. Other campers were also reported dead by news outlets on Saturday. Where is Camp Mystic? The Christian girls camp hit by flooding in Texas? Why the Camp Mystic tragedy is hitting hard for many parents While the families of those missing and dead reel from the tragedy, the emotional aftershocks of the July 4 flood are reaching throughout the state. The camp has a storied history in the state. The daughters of three former Texas governors summered at the camp, according to Texas Monthly, and three generations of girls in former President Lyndon B. Johnson's family attended. Former first lady Laura Bush was once a camp counselor at Camp Mystic, the Texas Tribune reports, and a current Republican Congressman announced Saturday that two of his daughters were among those evacuated over the weekend. "Camille, Vivian and I are now reunited with Caroline and Juliana who were evacuated from Camp Mystic," U.S. Rep. August Pfluger posted on X. "The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors." Generations of Texas families have sent their daughters to Camp Mystic, former camper Clair Cannon told USA TODAY, where lifelong friendships were formed. The camp's effects are intergenerational for Cannon, as both her mother and daughter have also attended Camp Mystic. For many summers, Cannon has driven Highway 39 as it hugged the Guadalupe River on her way to the campgrounds perched on the riverbank. 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During a press conference on Sunday,Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 68 people are confirmed dead, including 40 adults and 28 children. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said another 10 people were killed in the broader central Texas. Officials said 10 children and one counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp along the Guadalupe River, remained unaccounted for. In areas affected by the flooding across the state, there are still 41 known missing people. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes on Friday as torrential rain battered the region. The National Weather Service said the river reached the second-highest height on record. The agency on Sunday extended a flood watch for parts of central Texas through 7 p.m. local time. Here are some images showing the impact of the flooding and ongoing search and rescue efforts.
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