The nucleus of the national Square Dancers and Campers had its beginning in the late 50's when a group of callers and families of the Wolf River Area Callers' Association (WRACA) began a series of weekend workshops for callers.

Square dance clubs in some areas had been having week-end gatherings and dancing at free or inexpensive campgrounds and, needless to say, word got around to some of these campers that a group of callers, at their retreat, didn't mind having visitors come to their workshops. These combined meetings were so successful that, in 1958, a combined camporee was held at Shawano Lake, WI, and again in 1959 and 1960.

The minutes of the 1961 WRACA meeting approved a motion to organize a committee to study samples of pins. By the end of 1961 a badge designed by Jim and Mitzi Bero was approved. In 1964 NSDCA was incorporated as a non-profit, non-stock organization, and the badge design was registered in Wisconsin.

In March 1965 a group of 17 families in New Jersey met and the Garden State Square Dance Campers came into existence, applied for membership to NSDCA and were accepted. They became Chapter 001 of NSDCA. Chapters formed so quickly that the charter members of NSDCA could do no better than become Pioneer Chapter 010, the tenth chapter to form.

It is commendable that the callers and dancers of the original nucleus had the foresight to see the enormous potential in organizing NSDCA. There are chapters throughout the United States and Canada.