Beltrami Camp was built in 1942 by the Works Progress Administration on Lake Bemidji just beyond the Bemidji Country Club. A board of directors was selected and tentative rules were outlined in July 1942 as the recreational camp prepared to open. It became a popular gathering place for family reunions and civic groups, and the Albert Forness family held 17 reunions there beginning with the first in 1962. The camp was turned over to Beltrami County in 1942 and to the State of Minnesota in 1957. Its dorms were finished with palisade siding, a style popular in rustic Adirondack structures of the time. All of the buildings except the dining hall were removed between 1978 and 1980, and the dining hall remains in use by the Girl Scouts and other groups, continuing a tradition of more than 50 years.