In the mid-1960s, the Lucky Spice Nudist Camp in Embers, Oregon was the epitome of serenity, a haven for those who sought a natural lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of the city. But behind the camp's facade of peace and tranquility, a dark and dangerous operation was at work. Little did the campers know, the camp was serving as a front for a West Coast stolen car ring that had been operating for years.
The ring had stolen over 40 motor vehicles, ranging from motorcycles to small trucks, and transported them to the camp to be stripped down for parts. Their operations stretched from Arizona to Washington State, and the stolen cars were hidden in the Lucky Spice garage before their parts were shipped for sale in Central America. The ring's activities had gone unnoticed for far too long, with crimes spanning eight states.
Detective Sam Becker of the Embers police department was tasked with cracking the case. His investigation gradually closed in on the area around the camp where the cars were being stripped down. Posing as a camper, Becker infiltrated the camp and slowly gathered evidence of the illegal activity taking place. He noticed that the staff acted suspiciously, and eventually managed to sneak into the garage where the stolen cars were being stripped down. But as he dug deeper, he discovered that there was a shadowy figure lurking in the background, believed to be the gang leader, Val Estragon.
As the investigation continued, the tension grew. The detectives closed in on the Lucky Spice Nudist Camp, ready to bring the criminal enterprise to justice. In a dramatic raid, police officers in plain clothes and uniformed officers driving paddy wagons swooped in to arrest the suspects. Four of the criminals complied with the officers' instructions to dress before being taken to headquarters. But the fifth suspect believed to be Val Estragon, refused to comply, and had a towel draped over him instead.
Despite the beautiful surroundings of the Lucky Spice Nudist Camp, it had been a cover for a criminal enterprise that spanned multiple states. The tireless work of Detective Becker and the Embers police department brought the stolen car ring to justice, and the identity of the elusive Val Estragon was finally revealed. The peaceful facade of the camp was shattered, and the criminal enterprise was brought to its knees.
Or at least it would be if anything in that story was real.
There is no Lucky Spice Nudist Camp, Val Estragon, or even an Embers, Oregon.
It's just a made-up story published in some tabloid called the Mirror (probably the Miami Mirror) in 1964. But this false story was circulated among official nudist groups. The American Nudist Association’s official newsletter, The ANA Essay, uncritically published the story and many others in its newsletter. In the January 1965 issue of the Essay, editor John Dawson addressed his error.
Call me naive if you will but, honestly, thought that news items you read in the papers were true. After Hidden Valley wrote to me and told me that the tale of the nudist lost in the forest wearing his watch was a serious distortion of truth I decided to check out what I had on hand ready for the next issue. Mail from Sunny Grove, N.J. and Merideth, Alabama was all returned marked "No Such P.O. in the State but I haven't had time to check out the other two items yet. Is there a town of Embers, Oregon? Also, notice that on the item about the girl getting arrested for wearing a topless suit they don't even mention the name of the town. I never saw news item do that before, did you?
My apologies to Hidden Valley and, in the future we'll be a little more careful to check these things out before we reprint them.
Ironically enough, Dawson's uncritical republishing of news articles would eventually lead to him being excommunicated from American nudism in its entirety. But that’s a story for another day.
Thank you to the Nudist Research Library Consortium for providing me with access to this information. They’re an invaluable source in determining fact for fiction.
Here is a copy of the original news article if you’re interested.
NUDIST CAMP COVER UP FOR STOLEN CAR RING
Embers, Oregon, police raided the Lucky Spice Nudist Camp last week, because it served as a cover up for the operation of a West Coast stolen car ring. The dozen police officers, completely out of uniform, arrested five members of the camp staff.
A spokesman for Embers police told the MIRROR: "The gang has stolen well over 40 motor vehicles, ranging from motorcycles to small trucks. Their operations ranged from Arizona to Washington State. They transported the vehicles to Embers and hid them at the Lucky Spice Nudist Camp.
There, in a garage at the camp, they stripped down the stolen vehicles, and shipped the parts for sale in Central America.
Aside from the staff, the nudists knew nothing about the function of the camp as a front for illegal operations."
Police of the eight states, in which the thefts had occurred, noted similarities in the crimes. Traces of several of the thefts vanished within 50 miles of Embers. Oregon police instituted an investigation which gradually closed the area, in which the stripping of the autos was apparently being done, to a small circle around Embers. Feeling reasonably sure that the operation was not in Embers, proper, police concentrated on the surrounding wooded areas.
Plainclothes detectives, posing as campers, hikers, and picnickers, scoured the area for clues. Detective Sam Becker, in more informal garb than is usual for plainclothesmen, enrolled at Lucky Spice. The well-tanned detective told the MIRROR: "I guess I've come to truly hate volleyball. I once told the captain I'd give the shirt off my back to serve justice, but never believed he'd take that remark literally. The job wasn't completely unpleasant, however, but now my wife thinks I volunteered for it, and isn't talking to me.
"At first I thought it was silly to be posted at the nudist colony. I mean, everything seemed out in the open there. But I noticed that the staff seemed to act a little funny. Eventually, I got to sneak into the garage and got the evidence that will convict them. I'm probably the first cop in the state to get a promotion for being out of uniform."
The raid was staged last Wednesday. Several police cars closed in on Lucky Spice. The first policemen to arrive infiltrated the camp unclothed. Then uniformed police drove paddy wagons in. Five arrests were made. Arresting officers instructed the five to dress before being taken to headquarters. Four of the criminals complied, but the fifth, Val Estragon, thought to be the gang leader, refused. A blanket was placed around him.
Thank you to my supporters and thank you for reading Nudistory!
This story could be a great movie.
As the late American newscaster Paul Harvey would say... "And now you know.....(long pause)....the REST of the story!!!"