Beginning in 1967 Francis Smith (TPFC #1), then Hobby Chairman of the Kansas City Council of the Charles S. Gleed Chapter NO. 38 of the Telephone Pioneers of America, organized two local campouts each year. These campouts became very successful with 50 to 60 persons attending from the Kansas City, Kansas Area, Sedalia, St. Louis and Missouri.

In 1971 a National Rally was held at Buena Vista, Colorado near Ruby Mountain. One hundred thirteen RV units from Missouri, Kansas and a few other locations around the Midwest area attended. Members distributed applications wherever they traveled and the word spread. By 1972, over 1500 members had joined. In that year Leo Daniels (TPFC #4) was looking for a place to hold another campout, near Niagara Falls. He contacted, Pete and Mimi Smith and Archie Fleming, Canadians, who had recently joined, to check camping locations. They volunteered to have the campout in Canada.

In July, 1972 an organized rally, billed as the "Honeymoon Campout" was held in Kitchener, Ontario where 194 people in various types of camping rigs (homemade, tents, back of the old station wagons.., not 5th wheelers, travel trailers or coaches) gathered from 10 states and also 3 Provinces of Canada. It was here in Kitchener that the International Telephone Pioneer Family Campers became a reality.

With the success of this rally, plans were formed to hold International rallies each year. The third week of July was picked so that the employees of Western Electric Manufacturing Plants, who were off for plant vacations could attend.

In 1972, by the time of the first TPFC International Rally the membership neared the 2,000 mark. In our 33rd year, we have registered more than 8,100 families with an active membership today of about 400 families representing 48 states and seven provinces of Canada, and, we're still being discovered almost every day!