Buildings and Property

More Brownies Please!

Published on by Kathy Baker

The Health Department Sanitation Record and Report form for the summer camp dated June 7,1960 listed Alice Bishop as the director. Under the toilet, lavatory and shower facilities heading, fourteen flush toilets were listed, with good ventilation, lighting and drainage.

The camp committee met in June 1963 and authorized the purchase of one more Bradley Basin, and repair the existing one. (The money from the nursery school donation paid for the sink.) The sink cost $265.63, with an installation fee for plumbers of $135.00. Mr. Watson, the caretaker, took care of all the details for hiring and installation.

Copies of the “Loon” were inserted into the back of a report in 1966 and one was titled “New Brownie Installed” and read: “On arriving at camp this year we found to our delight and surprise a new “Brownie” had been built down by Senior Village. Campers can now take hot showers for the first time this year. What a difference from our cold scrub dips in Loon Lake.”

The second period of the “Loon” or “Maqua Magpie” dated July10-23, 1966 headlined “Behold! Senior Village Has A New Brownie!” It was open in time for second session and it had hot showers. Of course, the girls were delighted! Mary Obey (1965-66), Marcia Michelson (1963-71) and Gail Schulthiess (1966) were all at camp that summer, and took advantage of the new facilities, as they had distinct memories of the bathrooms.

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Brownies and Bradley Basins

Published on by Kathy Baker

Campers Margot Homburger and Judy Sherman remembered a time at camp when there was no hot water and no indoor plumbing. They had both camped in the late forties’ and early fifties’.“I hated using the available toilets, which were smelly holes in the ground,” said Judy, who was happy when the large centrally located bathroom with real toilets and a circular sink were built.

“There were no flushing toilets when I was there. It was just a hole in the ground in the outhouse,” laughed Molly Olson (1946), as she told her funny story about apricots. “I ate the whole box. I loved apricots! But, I spent a lot of time in that outhouse. There were also our baths on Saturday night, where we had skinny dips near the boathouse because there were no showers.”

Notes found from the camp committee in 1951 stated the sanitary system was always unsatisfactory and always and expense. A new septic system had been installed in 1950, which had been approved by the Health Dept., “but which were almost useless.”

In 1951 the “Brownies”, which were essentially holes in the ground surrounded by a wooden outhouse, were converted to “privies”. Funds, which were contributed for camp improvements, were earmarked for a new “Brownie”.

An editorial in the July 10-24, 1952 issue of the “Loon” read: “Camp Maqua has a new building, nicer than ever before. This building is the Brownie. It has a fountain where many girls can wash their hands at the same time and it has two showers. Some of the campers did ont take good care of the toilets or hand washer, so the staff of counselors had a campaign to make the campers realize the privilege they were abusing. We hope the campers in the years to come will take care of this building and its equipment, so they will be as good as they were when they were new.”

Girls that had done without these fine facilities were excited with this new concept. “It had a foot bar all around the circle that you depressed to activate the water out of the faucets. It was extremely impressive to a seven or eight year old,” said Judy Sherman.

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“Primyland”

Published on by Kathy Baker

The girls who braved the elements and had the courage to camp in Primitive remembered their adventures with fondness. Lori Fobear(1975-76) recalled the one great trip into the woods when they spent the night on cots under a big tent.“I know it rained like crazy and the next morning we tried to cook eggs in paper bags in some way, which did not work out,” she laughed.

Sally Allen (1968-73) camped in Primitive under director Sue Patenge, who had a way with kids and made everyone feel comfortable. “We slept on the ground and pitched a tent. I remember we had chicken to cook in a cast iron skillet and it rained and we couldn’t cook it through, so we were hungry, but it adds to the memories. I think one of the Pennington girls pinched apart the chicken and it was still bleeding, so we ate chocolate and marshmallows on graham crackers for dinner or maybe banana boats.”

“Primyland” was the title to the “Loon” July 1975 article about the primitive campsite. (M.Foss, A.Falvey, M. Moore, J. Bernard, B. Hickner, S. Vater, S. Shepard, P. Shepard, S. West and A. Johns were on this adventure.)

They had a taste of “stalking the good life” and eating –especially peanut butter and jelly—were big favorites. They had good intentions of getting an early night before their big backpacking trip, but instead stayed up till 1:00 trying to remember Beth Hickner’s favorite song. The trip to Alcona Dam Pond brought new and interesting people into their life, as well as new skills at backpacking. “Expressions like “Mind if I have a bowl” and “M-OK” remind us of the days at Primyland,” ended the article.

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Outpost with Tricia!

Published on by Kathy Baker

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 she had enlisted the help of Mert, the caretaker, to build the platform and brace the tent, which was built over a gulley. When it rained, leaks appeared in the tent, so Mert and Patricia rechecked the cement blocks under the perimeter, and checked the slack of the tent to make it fit better.

Succint directions were given to find the unit in her report: “When going by the road to find the site, one goes completely out to the end of the road leading into camp and takes a right turn. About a quarter of a mile down this road, one will find a tractor path on the right side. Turn down this path and follow it, and it will eventually take a big swing to the right through an opening in a wire fence. One should continue along this path for approximately another hundred yards. After this, one should come into a little clearing, which will be as far as one is able to drive. The campsite is just a ways ahead of this clearing, and our tent platform and orange outhouse will be good guides to help one find the unit.”

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Primitive Camping

Published on by Kathy Baker

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 waned over the years.

It was decided by the camp committee to establish three new postions as junior counselors in October 1963, with a new primitive site to be established, complete with all the necessary equipment and a salary for the counselor.

On November 14,1964, a list of suggestions was made to the camp committee. “Primitive Camping-Miss Balaskas will again attempt primitive camping with restrictions upon the primitive camp leader,” the notes read.

“I recall a survival night where we ate only what we found in the woods,” said Shelley Harris (1965-75). “I can still hear Dorthe reminding us that there were hot dogs in the kitchen if we came back hungry. She was nervous, but we ate dandelion soup and Queen Anne’s Lace root, which were nothing but wild carrots, and we didn’t die.”

The last couple years Karen Magidsohn (1965+) camped in Primitive. “If I remember correctly, it was past the riding stables There was a platform with a big green tent. It was our cabin and we cooked all our own meals and stayed out there the whole time. We had a pit toilet, built our own campfires and it was pure camping,” said Maggie, who to this day camps every summer somewhere in the U.S.

Jeanne Kiltie (1966-71) also loved the primitive camping past the tennis courts, where they slept in tents and ate their breakfast and lunches, but dinners back at the lodge. “We ate Queen Anne’s Lace roots and strange soups made from greens, but I have to say what I learned there I have used all my life.”

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Games and Activities In The Rain–

Published on by Kathy Baker

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For the most part, it seemed that there was always someone singing or playing the piano in the lodge. Sometimes, aside from the pre-planned programs, the weather would force a change in plans for camp activities, whether it was games or overnights. It was never boring, by any stretch of the imagination.

“Lodge Transformed as “Unfair” Weather Pushes Maqua Fair Indoors” was the heading of an article on July 13, 1965 in the “Loon”. The weather was unpredictable, but caused no worries for the girls who set up water fights, a spook house, a jail with slaves, dice throw, ball throw, peanut roll, sponge throw, golf, a piñata and a fortune teller.

“The whole camp would sometimes be in the lodge or outside playing capture the flag, running races, or having a big sing-a-long, depending on the weather,” said Judith Moore (1970-71). “Some nights we would take the girls out and sleep out under the stars. I can remember two little hot bodies sliding into my bag one night. It was just too open for some of them. Some nights I would stay up with the counselors and we would build a fire and stay up till one or two in the morning, just talking,” said Judy.

Sue Robson remembered one night all the girls camped under the stars in the field. (She laughed as she recalled one of the counselors had a son named Hans, but she nicknamed him “Horkie”.)

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