People
Need and place came together in 1900, when Luther Wishard arrived at Lake George, scouting for a conference location where the Young Men’s Christian Association could conduct leadership training. A close friend had recommended his uncle’s new hotel on Lake George.

Silas Paine had recently purchased the Silver Bay Hotel where he offered guests a “sylvan fairy-land…invigorating as an elixir.” Wishard’s proposal to reserve the hotel for Christian conferences met with Paine’s full approval, provided they paid their own way. The first summer’s program proved so successful that the Silver Bay Association incorporated after the second season of conferences, in 1904.
Construction crews took pride in working on the distinctive architecture of the Silver Bay campus. In 1909, the new Shingle-style Auditorium arose almost from the ashes of its predecessor, but with a slate roof to deter fire. Like many of the pivotal buildings on the campus, it featured local materials fashioned in a rustic style.

The affectionate term “Emp” has identified the special staff at Silver Bay since the 1920s. They throw themselves into the program with zest and imagination. In return, they find camaraderie, self-worth, and encouragement in their questioning search for life’s lessons.

Training
The YMCA used the Silver Bay campus as a training center for their staff who worked in factories, foreign missions, college campuses, and in urban social centers that could keep young men away from saloons. The program here modeled the organization’s objective to nurture every individual in Spirit, Mind and Body. Today YMCA professionals come to Silver Bay for Staff Retreats.  Annually, YMCA management modules are held at Silver Bay.

After Sir Robert Baden-Powell organized the Boy Scouts in England in 1908, the idea quickly took root in many places and forms around the United States. Recognizing that the movement needed to be organized on a national level, the YMCA stepped in to help shape the process. Just six months after the formation of the Boy Scouts of America, Silver Bay hosted an experimental training camp for Boy Scout leaders based on nature studies, woodcraft and camping skills.

Teaching
In 1918, Silver Bay opened a boys’ school founded on principles of cooperative education. In addition to rigorous academics and athletics, the boys worked at building paths and bridges, cutting and storing ice, and hauling timber from the woods. Cooperative work earned them tuition credit.

The Missionary Education Movement, begun as the Young People’s Missionary Movement, brought together religious leaders from fifteen denominations to restructure the training of young people for foreign and home missions. The ecumenical approach envisioned a century ago has expanded to encompass philosophies and beliefs far beyond those envisioned by the founders.

Conferences
From the outset, conferences at Silver Bay favored small group study and discussion, conducted in cozy rooms or in the great outdoors. This pioneering approach pleased YMCA and YWCA leaders, student delegations, and even worked for “industry conferences” aimed at improving the working relationships in factories and corporate offices. Groups keep coming back year after year. The Human Issues in Management seminars, now the Leadership Forum,  began in 1918; Lutheran Conference in 1932; New York Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends in 1948.