History

It all began more than 70 years ago when Fr. William Ryan, SDB was taking a group of students from St. Francis School, an orphanage for boys run by the Salesians in Watsonville to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. They saw a stalled car on the road and stopped to help. Later the owners of the car, the Leonard sisters, invited the priest and his charges to visit them at their beachfront home.

The sisters were so impressed by the boys and Fr. Ryan that they allowed St. Francis School to use their property. By 1946, 5 acres of the Leonard property with its magnificent location on Monterrey Bay was deeded to St. Francis School.

In 1951, the Salesians received from Frank Leonard, the brother of the Leonard sisters, 9 acres of the Leonard property as a gift.

Camp St. Francis has come a long way since those early days. Over time Camp went through several renovations, but all the while, young people continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of Camp St. Francis. God has truly blessed Camp St. Francis over the years with truly Salesian pioneers who possessed vision, a servant’s heart, a genuine love for the Lord, and a desire to see that young people had a safe place to grow in God’s love.