For decades Camp Maqua girls made jokes about the Camp Mahn-go-tah-see boys’ camp across the lake; how maybe they would swim over to see them; or the boys would boat over past them, so they could see them. And as many of them that dreamt of that, there were thse girls who said they were […]
Kathy Baker
Dating At Camp–
A rabbit, in front of the Maqua flag, peers through the woods through binoculars toward the Camp Mahn-go-tah-see flag on the cover of a 1951 edition of the “Loon”. The girls would agree—the boys camp across the lake held campers and staff alike at Camp Maqua fascinated and interested for centuries. Meg Dahlem, early twenties […]
Nicknames–
Nicknames were a way to make girls feel included with a sense of intimacy and camaraderie. “Magot” (or maybe Maggot) would not be the cutesy nickname a young girl would pick, but Karen Magidsohn won that name. It was very common for girls to be christened with new or short names at camp. Sue Purdue, […]
Hut Happenings–
From the fifties to the seventies, the “Loon” newsletter included the activities each session from each hut. Each cabin would contribute a few sentences, and the compilation of the different years added up to a diary (of sorts ) for the camp experience. There was backwards day, tin can stove making on the rifle range, […]
The Legend Of Princess Maqua
“Long ago when the trees stood tall and waters ran clear, two Indian tribes lived on the shores of Loon Lake. The tribes were called the Oyiesas and the Tawankas. For many moons the two tribes lived in peace and friendship. The evil spirits came among the Oyiesas and the Tawankas. Many were the […]
The “Loon” Newsletter Over The Years
Copies of the “Loon” in the early years, with their tissue paper thin pages, were preserved in the archives at the “Y”, along with other memoribiia. They were written and published by campers and staff in each session, usually reviewing activities at camp, anecdotes of the day, confessions of the campers, humorous stories, vignettes of […]