Kay, her brother Dick and father Merton all worked at camp, teaching and caring for the horses. The horses belonged to her father and Kay taught riding at Camp Maqua in 1950, as a high school student, after helping from 1947-1949. Merton loved the girls, and they loved him. Dick, who was four years younger than Kay, was in “girl heaven” with all the female attention, and was a gentle wonderful brother.
Although she never attended camp, Kay felt like it was her second home. “We lived on Long Lake, and I could go over and saddle up all the horses, go home for lunch and come back to unsaddle them”, she said. “In a way it was good I didn’t stay. Even though I ate lunches there as an instructor, those girls had to eat everything on their plates. I hated peas and liver. They had to eat the peas and liver. I would sit at that table every noon, and while the other counselors dashed out back for a smoke, I was back taking care of the horses. I never felt like I was missing anything. “
She believed the Webb horses were probably at camp until 1970, as her sons used to help their grandfather and stepmother Olive. Merton was also caretaker for a short time, doing whatever needed to be done.
“I can still remember my brother getting caught in quicksand down near the lake on his horse”, said Kay. “ Geri Fleming heard him screaming and pulled him and the horse out with a rope.”
She also recalled a funny story about her friend Alice and herself riding into town, following some of the girls from camp, who were “posting”. “We would ride behind them and make fun of them as they lifted themselves out of the saddle to post. Years later I had to teach that!” she laughed. She taught on “Dixie” and the girls loved that horse.
“I rode from the time I was eight or ten. My grandparents had homesteaded on Esmond Rd. and when girls were working as waitresses in restaurants for money, I was working with the horses. When I married in 1950, I sold my horse and in the sixties, I bought another one and kept it out at my Dad’s place, so my daughters could ride, too.”
“The girls at camp always made me feel very welcome, but it was a job and as much as I liked the girls, when I got married, it was over”, said Kay.
Kay’s scrapbook from the year she was an instructor (1950) is filled with candid black and white snapshots, letters from the “horse crazy girls” and mementos. One letter from the Bay City Y.W.C.A. dated June 15, 1950 agreed to pay her $125.00 for the season, if she would agree to take over as the riding instructor and the noon meal was included. She was also assigned a junior counselor as an assistant. Tucked neatly between the aging pages is a camp coupon book, pieces of birch bark, a riding photo in the Bay City Times, copies of “The Loon” newsletter and attendance sheets for her riders.
Letters from Molly Appleford, Pat Hubbard, Marsha Immerman and Judy Kessler were testaments to their love of the horses, their instruction and to Kay. Molly wrote in 1950,” Say goodbye to Salt for me. Give him a kiss or two”. Pat wrote inside the envelope flap “ Take care of the horses for me and say hello to all of them. Even Major.” Marsha wrote, “Thank you so much for letting us ride Trixie and Salt bareback. That was the best ride of all!”
Almost every one of the letters made a reference to returning, hoping the time would pass quickly until the next summer and the tears they shed at leaving the horses and Kay. (Photo features Kay on the left.)
Picture shown, Kaye Webb with (pretty sure) Bea Pursell standing in front of the tack house. Anything to do with the horses,for many of us campers, was of the utmost importance! Loved hanging out near the tack house, sitting on bales of hay, cleaning tack, grooming the horses, just being near them. I remember one time Molly Olson and I just put bridles on 2 horses and rode bareback through a field just off the main road going into camp. It was full of wild raspberries.We spent hours hanging off the sides of our patient horses, eating our way through the field! Across the road from the tack house was an arena where we had classes and I remember one horse show we had. I won a blue ribbon! Oh Happy Day that was!
Kaye Webb and Jerry Fleming were SO important to all of the “horse girls”.of my era. We really were in awe of them, and probably had a few girl crushes going on. I know several of us kept in touch with them over the years. I hike with Kaye the summers I’ve been lucky enough to return to Maqua. And I recently painted a portrait of Jerry on Gay.
Does any one remember riding the horses down Suicide Hill to a road along the Lake that went to a field with an abandoned old house? I used to have dreams of that ride and house! So many wonderful memories! We were all so lucky to have found Camp Maqua.