Camden
From Spearfish Lake Tales Wiki
Camden is a larger town than Spearfish Lake. It's where residents go if you cannot find something in Spearfish Lake. It is over an hour's journey south by car. The town of Decatur appears to be the only rival for title of nearby big town. The town of Spearfish Lake historically is one of those locations for summer homes of the Camden wealthy is times gone by, but that isn't the only link. At least one Spearfish Lake resident resident, James D. Moore, an attorney, commuted daily to Camden.
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Transportation
The big town of Camden has an airport, which is the nearest airport to Spearfish Lake that has scheduled airlines servicing it. Spearfish Lake residents will often drive down to Camden for flights or to pick up visitors. The town is large enough to have a bypass and appears to be the first location when driving from Spearfish Lake to anyplace else.
Camden is one end for the Camden and Spearfish Railroad, which is how its location is significant in Snowplow Extra. There is a river through Camden which has a railroad bridge that was not repaired for years. Otherwise, Camden is on the Decatur and Overland Railroad.
Education
Weatherford College is on the south side of Camden,BB36 which might not have the status of State, but is a well-respected private college.AF11
Camden St. Dismas is a high school in Camden that had a girl's softball team that was the state runner up in 1983, losing to Spearfish Lake High and Brandy Evachevski.AF27 St. Dismas might have been considered one of the "sandbagging Catholic schools from Camden that could, and did, recruit and give scholarships to promising athletes from all over",AF08 although the quote was talking about football. One such Camden Catholic high school football team beat the Spearfish Lake Marlins in the state quarter-finals in 1975.
Ackerman High School is located in Camden and is where Brenda Hodunk spent four uncomfortable years.AC03
Law
The Appeals Court to the Spearfish County Circuit Court is located in Camden.AC20 There are a couple counties between Spearfish County and Camden.AC22
Health
Camden is the location of Camden General hospital with better facilities than in Spearfish Lake. More than one cardiac patientDW58, including Ed Sloat,BAR42 in Spearfish Lake was transported there for better care.
Another named hospital in Camden is St. Catherine's, which has better physical therapy facilities than the Dohrman County Hospital in Geneva.NG04
Jennifer Evachevski travels to a Camden hospital for neonatal checkups. Carole Carter has her practice, Works Psychology Consultants, in Camden.AC01 Camden is also the location of a state mental hospital where Walt Archer's first wife spent the last years of her life.
Economy
Camden has shopping malls and a multiplex cinema, especially North Towne Mall which appears to be a favorite shopping place for Brenda Hodunk and Wendy and Carole Carter. Brenda was also of the opinion that she had to drive to Camden for a halfway decent bookstore or oriental restaurant that could do Japanese.AC01 It was to the movie theater in Camden that Steve Augsberg to Binky for their first date.AF22
Camden is the location of the printing plant for the Spearfish Lake Record-Herald.BAR01
Clark Construction has lost out on bids to a rival, Solkow-Warner, from Camden.BB06
In 1990, Camden had the closest dialup for Compuserve when Mark Gravengood decided to open Marlin Computer, correctly positioning for the growth of the internet.AF34
B&M Dog Food is a regional producer located in Camden that sponsors Run-8 Kennels and their dog sled racing.
Media
Camden has at least oneAF16 television station, channel 10.BB25 It is unknown whether this station can be received in Spearfish Lake.
The town's newspaper is the Camden Press which is a bigger newspaper than the Spearfish Lake Record-Herald, but does not compare well in the stories. It too often seems to employ Airhead State Barbies, but does hire Record-Herald alumni as they move on to bigger and better things. When news occurs in Spearfish Lake, Mike McMahon is known to sell photos to the Camden Press, although sometimes Mike is said to have sold his photos to the Camden Herald. BAR30
Recreation
It is implied that Camden hosts a minor league baseball team, as in 1987 the Toledo Mudhens were playing in the town.BAR41
There is a Camden Dogsled Association based in the town that was unknown to Mike McMahon and Mark Gravengood when they first got into the sport. They were surprised, but good natured when eclipsed by the growing prowess of Josh Archer and Tiffany Langenderfer-McMahon.
