Walls That Talk–

Published on November 9, 2016February 21, 2017 by Kathy Baker Category: 1940's, 1960's, 1970's, Blog, Cabin Life, Traditions

The walls did talk, or at least the girls felt like they did, as a tradition developed to write their names on the walls in toothpaste or lipstick. “My Mom always wondered why we wanted extra toothpaste”, laughed Kim Moore (1968-1972), “but you know we just had to write our names on the cabin walls!”

Priscilla Johns saved the little bit at the end of the tube, in the sixties, to end her session with her signature. Others wrote in lipstick. Some of the campers had no recollection of names written on the walls and were horrified at the thought of defacement, but others say the tradition developed early enough that their previous generations had left their calling card.

“I remember putting my stuff on the cross bars of the wall, but we would have never written our names or put graffiti on the walls. There would have been hell to pay”, said Mary Lou Goggin, who was a horseback riding instructor in the sixties and one of the artists who created the muslin wall map of the camp. (Her way of leaving a piece of history still hangs on the walls today.)

Honor Banner or Shame Flag?

Published on November 7, 2016February 21, 2017 by Kathy Baker Category: 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Blog, Cabin Life, Camping Life

Harriet Crumb’s friend Margaret Dahlem,who had also been an inaugural camper on the Loon Lake site, stopped by in 1987 to see if the camp still existed. I took notes on her memories, which included cabin inspections.

“There were no counselors in the cabins, but there was always an inspection in the morning and beds had to be made with square corners. Fingernails were also inspected. If you did not make your bed, you received a demerit. It was not a good thing to have points off.”

In 1947 a new way to inspect the huts was instituted, with excellent, good and fair ratings. Inspections were conducted, in later years, by a camp nurse. Zoe McGrath, fifties camper, found herself on the other end of cleanliness as the camp nurse in 1967. An Honor Cabin banner was hung on the outside of the cleanest cabin.

Judy MacNichol’s memory from 1946 included an attempt to have the cleanest hut and win the contest for some extra privileges. “We took some girl’s washcloth and scrubbed the entire floor with it. I cannot imagine what that mother thought when she washed it.”

Rest Time=Quiet Time

Published on November 2, 2016February 21, 2017 by Kathy Baker Category: 1920's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Blog, Cabin Life, Camping Life

“Things ended up as any Sunday would, and I am thoroughly exhausted,” wrote an anonymous girl in an article in the “Loon” in 1947. “As I lay on my bunk, it is quiet except for the kids bellowing; it’s dark except for the flashing flashlights; and it’s peaceful, except for the individual under me, who is bouncing me.”

Dawn Kober (1977), who was in a cabin with all her friends, had the loudest cabin in 1977. “We were supposed to settle down at night, and we got in trouble for making so much noise.” The bunk beds with springs may not have been the most comfortable in the world, but at the end of an activity filled day, the girls should have cared only about sleep. (Well, nighttime foolishness with girls? Pranks and talking? Maybe not)

Kim Hartwig (1976) must have been in with Dawn in the cabin renamed “Potawatami” at the bottom of the hill as you headed to the lake. “We were loud in that cabin and when the counselors left us to go down to the campfire, we were close enough they could hear us and they would yell “Shut Up Potawatami”, she laughed.

There was a quiet time after lunch, when girls would rest from their morning activities and staff would have a break from giggling gaggles of girls. The rest period began in the early years, encouraging an hour to rest before swimming. “I heard all my growing up years that we had to wait a half hour at least after eating before we could go back in the water or we would get cramps and drown,” said Mary Jo Rawlings, who loved swimming in the fifties.

Gail Schultheiss had distinct memories of rest period after lunch in 1966, where the girls were instructed to stay on their bunks and read, write letters home or nap. “Our counselors knew if we were up to any shenanigans,” she laughed. Many girls, like Minette Jacques (1955-57), always had a book in her hand during rest time.

Cabins And Tents–#2

Published on October 31, 2016February 21, 2017 by Kathy Baker Category: 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Blog, Cabin Life, Camping Life

Bonnie Kessler loved the sounds of the loons at night, which were “spooky”, but they would start the ghost stories in the huts, especially when the moon hung over the lake on those dark nights. She could not wait to be in Cabin Eight. “I don’ know why”, said this forties camper, who finally got in. “I guess I thought it was desirable because it was high, on a rise, with a long path nearby.”

Kathy Sullivan (1961) remembered the three wooden huts in Senior Village with the double bunks as being fairly large. “There were braces between the studs, where I could put my treasures on the shelf”, said Kathy, who was happy to be in the area where there were three cabins together close to the “Brownie”.

Senior Village was built in 1959, with three new cabins on a larger scale. Notes from the Department of Social Services in 1960 list the size as larger than the originals, with racks for suitcases and clothing, and a building sub-committee report in 1959 listed the new ones as 16 feet by 20 feet, with the total cost around $4,000.

“There was no Senior Village when I first went there,” said Jane Linder, who attended in the fifties, “ but I was one of the first to be in Senior Village and two of my friends went with me. It was a special time.”

Fresh Paint and Foliage

Published on October 31, 2016October 30, 2016 by Kathy Baker Category: Blog, Camp Envy, Traditions

I missed autumn at the lake this year, but my favorite little tree by the boathouse always gives me a hint of color before I leave for Florida.

My years growing up in Michigan meant there were always wonderful seasons to enjoy, and autumn with the changing foliage was always one of my favorites. It meant the end of summer, school starting and heavier clothes. It meant hayrides, Halloween fun and bonfires. For the Maqua campers, it probably saddened many with the knowledge that camp sessions were done for another year.

Around Camp Maqua and the lake, the leaf color this year was splendid, but all I got to see were the photos from friends who remained longer than I or who live year round in Hale. I cannot feel sorry for myself, as I enjoyed a beautiful balance of warm and cool weather this summer!

While the leaves were turning, our Maqua Association members voted on the repainting of the Craft Hut, along with some repairs, and the painting of the “Brownie”. I thought you might enjoy seeing the results! Our plans for the spring include some grassing near the beach areas and the re-staining of our decks to keep everything looking up to date and in good working order. But, for now association members have stored the docks, picnic tables, kayaks, water toys and chairs until the spring. Goodbye summer!

Cabins And Tents–#1

Published on October 26, 2016February 21, 2017 by Kathy Baker Category: 1920's, 1940's, 1960's, 1970's, Blog, Cabin Life

EPSON MFP image — “Thirty four years ago in the spring of 1924, Camp Maqua, the YWCA camp for girls on Loon Lake, near Hale, Michigan opened for the first time”, a press release dated February 5, 1958 read. “Sixty-two girls enrolled that first season, though camping facilities were meager and living was rustic as cabins were non-existent. Tents were standard shelter—for it was not until the following year on May 11, 1925 that eight cabins and the main lodge were completed and dedicated.”

Tents were also standard accommodations for the many girls who camped the previous years from 1916-1924 at Aplin Beach, Killarney Beach and Sand Lake locations. Notes from minutes in 1945 noted that a new hut was to be built with a $500 gift and “will house occupants of the worn out tent”.

The Aladdin Company of Bay City provided the many cabins over the years, building new ones as the demand for more space came with increased enrollment. The bare board cabins, sized 14 feet by 18 feet, were large enough to accommodate four bunk beds for the girls and one cot for the camper, footlockers and a meager walkabout. The wooden front door, screen door and eight screened windows with pulley windows kept out the elements or allowed for cross ventilation on hot summer days.

“I remember how the cabins were isolated and to use water, we had to walk to a separate building. I used a flashlight and I was uncomfortable and scared walking in the dark by myself. The cabins themselves were spartan, with bunk beds, and we had not reason to stay in the cabin except to sleep. I just remember a lot of brown inside and outside, dark and not much sunlight,” said one camper, whose description fit that of many.

Many of the girls had their favorite cabins, chosen for the proximity to the bathrooms or lodge, or chosen to be as far away from the counselors as possible. Beth Taylor could recall each hut and where they were located in the sixties. The younger girls stayed in huts 1,2 and 3 closest to the lodge; 4,5, and 6 were for middles and the older girls were in 7,8 and 9.

Girls of Camp Maqua

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