Camp Mystic, a haven for generations of Texas girls, becomes a center of tragedy

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

---

Right along one of the Guadalupe River’s bends, the Christian camp Camp Mystic has been a summertime haven for generations of Texas girls.

But after a sudden flood came crashing through in the early hours of July Fourth, it’s become the site of a tragedy pulling on the hearts of Texans across the state.

Green-roofed cabins housing hundreds of campers and staff dotted the area, which is lush with cypress and live oak trees. This summer, Camp Mystic hosted 750 girls between 7 and 17 years old — that’s more than half of Hunt’s population of around 1,300.

Campgrounds span over 700 acres in the heart of Texas’ Hill Country, making it a peaceful place for girls to spend weeks singing campfire songs and making ceramics. Since they’re right by the river, in between church services, they also learn how to kayak and fish for bass.

By Saturday afternoon, the scene was grim. While buildings were still standing, cars overlapped each other. Inside the cabins, campers' belongings that had been left behind were smashed against the windows or strewn on the ground.

That river reached catastrophic levels in less than an hour overnight with little warning, rising 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Fast-moving flood waters swept homes and cars away, and for Camp Mystic, made it difficult for staff to move hundreds of girls to safer ground in the dark.

Camp Mystic confirmed Monday 27 campers and counselors died in the floods. The search continues for girls that are missing. As of Monday evening, the flood’s death toll in Kerr County had risen to 84, including at least 27 children, officials said. Another 15 deaths were confirmed in surrounding counties.

Among those who have been confirmed dead is Camp Mystic’s director Richard “Dick” Eastland, according to a Facebook post by his nephew. Operations of the 99-year-old camp have been passed down through four generations of the Eastland family. It’s currently owned by the sons and daughter-in-laws of Dick and his wife, Tweety Eastland.

U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, a San Angelo Republican, said two of his daughters were among those that needed to be evacuated from the camp.

"Camille, Vivian and I are now reunited with Caroline and Juliana who were evacuated from Camp Mystic," Pfluger posted on X. "The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors."

Social media sites have been full of posts with photos of the missing girls, asking people to keep eyes out for survivors. Former campers are also sharing beloved memories and expressing heartache for mourning families. Just last week, Camp Mystic posted a video on Instagram recapping group dance performances from the girls.

“We will do anything humanly possible to find your daughter,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said to parents on Friday, adding that search and rescue teams are looking for survivors. A total of 14 state helicopters, 12 drones and 400 to 500 people on the ground helping with the search.

On Friday, the camp office sent a desperate message to families saying they sustained “catastrophic floods” and were working with rescuers. All power, wi-fi and water had been shut off at the facilities. The message stressed that parents of all children who were missing had been contacted.

“The highway was washed away so we are struggling to get more help,” the message said. “Please continue to pray and send help if you have contacts to do so.”

A little after 7 p.m. on Friday, the Texas Game Wardens announced they had reached the camp and were beginning to bring campers out. But the fate of many those unaccounted for remains unknown.

Camp Mystic, which offers two 4-week terms and one 2-week term over the summer, has been the go-to summer camp for daughters of Texans for nearly a century — especially the state’s political elite.

“Mystic girls,” as campers are called, include the daughters of former Texas governors Price Daniel, Dan Moody and John Connally, according to a 2011 article by Texas Monthly. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters also attended.

First Lady Laura Bush was a camp counselor. Counselors typically are college-aged, some work there right after graduating high school.

Because the river cuts through Hunt, it’s a popular place for summer camps. Camp La Junta, an all-boys summer camp, is just a 7 minute drive north of Camp Mystic. Camp La Junta has confirmed that all campers are safe.

Young Camp La Junta camper Ruffin Boyett told KSAT “the cabins were flooding” and walls “broke down” in the middle of the night. He said campers waited on rafters before swimming to safety. Ruffin’s younger brother had to swim out of his cabin since floodwaters reached the top level of the bunkbeds.

“We had one choice and we had to swim out of our cabins,” he said.

Hunt is home to just over 1,300 people, but when summer comes around, the small city’s population multiplies because of young campers. Summer camps are one of the most lucrative businesses for Hunt, with close to a dozen clustered along the Guadalupe River.

Girls summer camp Heart O’ the Hills is just a mile north of Camp Mystic. “Thankfully, camp was not in session,” according to the camp’s Facebook page, and everyone who was on campgrounds over the weekend have been accounted for.

But Heart O’ the Hills confirmed that its camp director, Jane Ragsdale, is one of the flood’s victims .

“We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful,” the post reads.

Brenda Bazán and Berenice Garcia contributed to this report.

Disclosure: Facebook and Texas Monthly have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.