Patricia Sautter was given the opportunity to open the Primitive unit in 1970, after a two-year hiatus, and her report acknowledged a few rough spots, but she hoped that one more year would straighten out the program. The new site was located on the piece of property which was in the process of purchase and […]
Kathy Baker
Primitive Camping
The precursor to primitive camping at Maqua may well have been in the early twenties’ when Meg Dahlem talked of their trips overnight by truck to the AuSable. They would sleep on the ground on a hill with no sleeping bags, but probably makeshift bedrolls. The appeal for outdoor camping of this sort waxed and […]
Campcraft
The first mention of campcraft was in the “Loon” 1949, from a paragraph by Kay Cochran. They learned to make boiling kettles from no.10 cans, and stoves to fry their hamburgers. Nature lore and campcraft were combined that summer with Marian Musolf in charge. In the early sixties’, Bonnie Baker guided her campers to plan […]
Water Exhibitions and Carnivals
The Niedzielski sisters wrote about the 1947 “Water Carnival”, which took place on VisItor’s Sunday in front of campers and their friends and relatives by the boathouse. The carnival was directed by Ann Theilan and judged by Beth, Peg, Ann Thomas, Dona Johnson, K.J. Carroll and Mrs. Stuart. Each of the nine huts made a […]
What Is “IT”?
“After a lot of patient waiting and guessing we found out what “IT” was”, wrote the author of the “What Is It?” column in a copy of the “Loon” from 1952. “A real western day. We were all called down to the waterfront by a fire drill. Nan came riding down on her horse to […]
Cabin Days and Themed Events
The daily activity schedules were usually confined to Mondays through Fridays, allowing the weekends for schedules planned by campers and counselors. It is unclear when this format began, but it was a great way to expose campers to as many activities as possible. The first week was all the different activities (in the sixties’), and […]