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.
“When you had to go to the bathroom, there were toilets on the left side and toilets on the right side and a small area for showers. The Bradley Basin, where you pressed your foot down to get the water, was large enough for a good number of girls around it. I also remember the baths and shampoos in the lake, but people treated the water with respect.”
A photo from the Bay City Times in 1952 featured Judy Alcorn, Pat O’Tool, and Pam Farley with towels around the new circular washbowl. “Pride of the camp is a new sanitation building called a “Brownie” by Maqua-ites”, it read of the Bradley Basin.
Geraldine McDonald (1954), Jane McKinley (1956) and Kayleen Jacques (1956-59) loved the idea of stepping on a bar to brush their teeth or wash their hands and faces. “Why, you could get ten or fifteen girls around that thing,” laughed Geraldine.
What do you remember of your outhouse days at camp?