The Hawkeye Recreatory program was a one-week camp experience sponsored by the Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service in Agriculture and Home Economics. It started in 1952 as a laboratory to help promote recreational activities to the people of Iowa. In 1953, the first group met at the State 4-H camp in Madrid, Iowa, naming the experience the Hawkeye Recreatory (a combination of recreation and laboratory). The group grew to 44 members within four years, and by 1971, attendance ranged from 35 to 60 participants. Activities included crafts, music, drama, nature, and discussions about recreation ideas and philosophies. Attendees were youth leaders, church leaders, extension workers, and others interested in promoting recreation in Iowa. This collection (1955-1972) contains notebooks from the yearly Hawkeye Recreatory program. The notebooks contain crafts, skits, songs, poetry, dances, puzzles and other projects completed by the participants in the program, along with rosters of attendees and committees who helped put the program together.

The collection is organized chronologically.