Camp 9 Engraving

About Camp 9

Thanks for visiting our site!

We’d like to tell you a little bit about ourselves and how we came to create our business of hand engraving glass. It is our desire to make hand engraved pieces that will allow you to give someone special in your life (or keep for yourself) a memorable and treasured gift from the heart…from Priest Lake.

We have often been asked why we named our business “Camp 9 at Priest Lake”. Camp 9 was a logging camp located at the head of Priest Lake, operated by the Diamond Match Company in the late 1940’s and 1950’s. John’s father, Jack, was the logging superintendent and responsible for running the camp and overseeing the 50 to 100 loggers who worked hard (and played even harder!).

Bud Vase

John was 2 weeks old when he was brought home and introduced to Priest Lake, beginning his life-long love affair with the pristine lake and breathtaking beauty of the area. He spent many wonderful childhood years swimming, fishing, huckleberrying and hanging out with his dog, Buff, and pet deer, Fauline.

John and his pet deer, Fauline After going to college in California and falling in love, he couldn’t wait to take “his California girl” back to Idaho and introduce me to the most beautiful place on earth…Priest Lake…where we spent our honeymoon (camping at the site of the old Camp 9)!

We spent all of our working years either living in Priest Lake or visiting often. John and I (and our 3 boys) have treasured memories of the many years we lived (and they grew up) in our little cabin in the woods. After many years of working in Montana in the education field, we took “early retirement” and moved back to Priest Lake… the place our hearts have always called home.

Finally having time to pursue my hobby of hand engraving glass, I kept busy in my “retirement”. After completing dozens of orders for people requesting customized, personalized and unique gifts, John and I realized that my art was no longer just a hobby. It has become a satisfying and rewarding “second career”.

When we started our “official” business in 2005, we knew the perfect name for it had to be “Camp 9 Engraving at Priest Lake”!