There was “The Great Hay-riding Accident” of 1956, which was a stand out memory for more than one camper. The injuries were varied, according to each girl’s recall of the fifty or more girls who piled atop either one or two hay wagons pulled by tractors.
“In, 1956 the camp sponsored a hayride on a wagon towed behind a tractor. As we started over a bridge or some overpass, the wagon tipped over in a ditch. We were all able to slip off in slow motion, with the exception of one poor girl from my cabin. I cannot, unfortunately, remember her name. As she tried to slide off, the wagon tipped over and pinned her leg, breaking it. We walked back to camp, obviously shaken, with the counselors having us sing songs to keep our spirits up. I remember that I was very upset, and my counselor rubbed my back as I tried to get to sleep, to get me to relax. I have never forgotten her kindness. I think her last name was Webber, but I don’t remember her first name. I think it was Rickie Webber’s older sister and she was a doctor’s daughter,” wrote Dawn Waits.
Jane McKinley, Pamela Watson and Jody Tripp were also on the hayride. Jane recalled the wagon lost a wheel and a counselor broke her arm. Pam thought one of the girls might have lost some teeth. Jody thought there were two wagons of girls singing camp songs. Different memories from different girls.
“All of a sudden, the back trailer turned over and dumped the girls into the ditch. Those who could– walked two miles back to camp. Most of the girls just had scrapes and scratches, but one girl did end up in the hospital,” said Jody.
There were never any fires at Maqua, aside from the campfires, but Ann Meisel (1962-66) was leaning on the case that held all the “nature critters’ in the nature hut and her elbow went through the glass and broke it.
“I felt awful. And one night, did I freak out! I was in a partial dream state and I thought my cabin was on fire. I was screaming fire! Fire! Well, I was in cabin four and it was not far from the campfire where the counselors would sit after hours and I think it incorporated itself into my dream.”
Around 1970, there was the infamous “Phone Credit Card” incident. Tricia Sautter and Kathy Carney were part of the phone scandal. “Someone got a hold of one of those cards where you dialed a number and could talk to anyone, anywhere for as long as you wanted.”
“I remember when it all caved in on us. Either the police or the telephone company called and Barbara Haggart answered the phone. They asked what her name was and she said “Barbara Bag-It” and hung up the phone. It did catch up with us, though. They traced the numbers back to the call and I know my Mom had to pay for my calls, “said Tricia.
Kathy believed it was the card of a famous movie star and called friends successfully. “But one day a call came to my parent’s house and they were investigating calls with that card dialed from our house. We never got arrested, but I honestly don’t remember what the ending was.”
Carrie Norris (1972-73) had a fight with a girl during a horseback riding lesson. (I am quite sure there was more than one fight at camp over the years!) It was her first time learning to ride and she learned to bridle, saddle, ride the ring and the road.
“There was one big black and very beautiful horse and you had to get up very early to get that horse. It was the biggest horse. There was a girl who always wanted that one horse and she was older than me, probably ten, and I had realized that she had been on that horse three out of the five days and I had not been on it at all that session. So, I got up early and we got into a fight and she hit me!”
Do you recall any fights or incidents that involved a call home, intervention from the staff or law enforcement?