When the Wolverine fire bore down on Holden Village in 2015, I was working as a counselor at Christikon Lutheran Bible camp in Montana’s Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness. I remember dramatic videos and photos of fire appearing on my social media feeds. I had been aware of Holden Village for years, but the summer of 2015 was the first time the community truly worked its way into my consciousness.
I’m the child of a Lutheran pastor. I grew up in Minnesota where Lutheran roots are strong. My family sang Vespers ‘86 at my home congregation of St. John’s Lutheran Church. At the time, I recognized the music only as “Holden Evening Prayer.” The booklet read, “written for the winter community of Holden Village,” and it captured my imagination. My mother told me about a place deep in the mountains only accessible by boat. She told me it was a refuge for artists and academics. I dreamed of a Village sitting snug against the lake, with autumn leaves reflecting on crystal clear waters. I pictured an island in the forest, a place of pilgrimage for canoers and outdoor enthusiasts in small, single-engine wooden boats.
This is how Holden Village existed in my mind for years, until 2015 when the idyllic community of my imagination— a place I had never been— snapped into reality. For the first time, I was confronted with the possibility of a world without Holden. I heard stories of woodland creatures taking sanctuary in the Village, on an island inside a ring of flames.
Courtesy: Chuck Hoffman, 2015
As a result of the Wolverine Fire, I discovered the real Holden Village. It didn’t match the Holden of my imagination— I saw no lake—but it brought the scope of the Wolverine fire into focus. I recognized real people working tirelessly to protect their community. I read reports of staff evacuating, leaving the sprinklers on, and praying the Village would still be there when they returned.
It was more than the community’s faith; it was the tangible action that resonated with me. I felt inspired by pictures of hotshot crews wrapping buildings in protective foil. I was drawn into the resonant writings of Holden Village staff and guests. From their passion I discovered a community truly worth protecting—not the romanticized version of my imagination, but a real place with all its beautiful quirks and idiosyncrasies.
Perhaps I owe those stories from the Wolverine fire for my own journey to Holden. I needed to see first-hand the community in the wilderness that faced calamity and found life anew on the other side.
Holden Village brings out the best in people and helps them discover what they’re truly capable of. Thanks to the relationships formed here— relationships with God, the earth, and each other— the community found the resolve to come together in defense and preservation of a place they loved.
I feel that love today. I’m thankful for the staff and firefighters who defended the Village in 2015. It’s a privilege to join that legacy and I hope I can pass that love on to the generations of Holdenites to come.
By Carl Norquist, Holden Village Advancement Lead
