Herbert Crate purchased 1000 acres of riverfront property on the banks of the Guadalupe River and established Camp Rio Vista for Boys. Crate's neighbor at the time was the Butt family, who owned and operated C.C. Butt Grocery store in Kerrville later becoming H.E.B.
The majority of the cabins are completed on camp along with clay tennis courts. The cabins are wood structures with wooden flaps to monopolize the breeze that comes off the Guadalupe River. The cabins are situated in the present-day golf course.
Cooking is done over a fire, but a long wooden structure was built to keep the young men out of the elements when they ate. To cool off they built a large floating dock complete with a high diving platform. On Sundays, service was held down by the river and the young men sat on the river bank.
"The Shack" was built, which later turned into the administration building. During the early years in the Texas Hill Country, it was popular for ranchers to raise angora goats. The Crates raised Angoras along with horses and donkeys.
Rio Vista campers take their first trip to Mexico on horseback. Activities that were popular in the 20s were: caving, boxing, tennis, track, riding, baseball, and donkey polo.
The Dining Hall is built, which is the oldest building still left standing today. By 1927, Rio Vista had a total of 12 cabins, the Cosmopolitan Lodge, the stables, the Tree House, The administration building, and several field tents for extra staff.
The start of The Great Depression.
