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 camper recalled that they were allowed a great deal of freedom and could cross the lake in rowboats to meet the boys at Camp Mahn-go-tah-see.
There were mentions in the early editions of the “Loon” of spirited battles between both camps, meeting in the middle of the lake with their boats, but it was not just pranks that held the girls’ interests. The mere spotting of a male, whether it be near the shores of Maqua or the shores of the boys’ camp, could draw shrieks and giggles. Many of the staff had boyfriends who were on the staff across the lake. (As early as 1937, the camp committee had discussions about rules for smoking and dating at camp.)
“I remember a boyfriend stopping at the camp and trying to visit me. Because he was with his aunt and uncle, he was allowed to do so, but boy was I the talk of the camp!” laughed Carolyn Waits (1955-57). “We were not supposed to have any visitors, especially boys. It was long before cell phones and he was one of my earliest boyfriends. I can still remember his name—Jimmy Murray. It was cool. All the girls at camp asked me about him.” (She also recalled trying to figure out a way to accidently sail over to Mahn-go-tah-see, but never succeeded. When the girls would row over, they would sing the popular song “Hey Mambo” and substitute “Hey Mahn-go” as they rowed past the camp.)
“Dorthe was not very happy with one of my pranks when I was a counselor,” said Susan Kiltie (1960-68), who would visit her boyfriend on her days off. “I figured out how to get the paddles and a canoe out of the boathouse and my goal, with one of my friends, was to paddle over to the boys’ camp and undo their sailboats or rafts. I was dating a boy named Scott, who was camping over there at the time. When we got back to the waterfront, Dorthe was waiting for us. Here we were, with no life jackets, and we thought we had been quiet, but I’m sure the girls in the cabin above the boathouse probably heard us. Of course, I took full responsibility. I do remember they did fill out reports on us.”
One summer Marsha Immerman (1947-53) had a visit from some fellow canoers, but they happened to be her boyfriend Eldon Thompson and two friends from Bay City. They canoed over to the camp property and came looking for her, but the staff could not find her. (“I was probably at the horse corral,” she giggled.)
Bill Phillips, boyfriend of Carla Wilhelm (1945-49) admitted to sneaking into Camp Maqua as a young man, whenever he stayed with his friend Ed at his family cabin on Loon Lake. His sister, Mary Jo, and his girlfriend Carla were at Maqua and he confessed to a route where he snuck in the back way. (He was a counselor at Camp Iroquois and they have been married for sixty years!)
Yolanda Erickson (1945) drove herself up to camp the last summer, with a friend beside her to drive the car home. At the end of camp, her grade school/high school boyfriend Dick Pope picked her up. She eventually would marry the love of her life, Dick, after a long hiatus inbetween those years.
There were exciting times for little girls that loved the romance of a counselor on staff. Camper Audrey Graff (1948) recalled a counselor named Dawn. “I just loved her and her name! She had the night off and we settled down and went to sleep. When she got back, she had gotten engaged and we were all excited for her!”
Counselor Jennifer McLogan (1965-71) dated a boy from her school that used to drive up and take her to dinner, but Shelley Harris (1965-75) admitted she could never be serious about any guy until she took him to see Maqua, so he would understand her. “Finally, I took my boyfriend Steve and he understood. He’s now my husband!”
Did you ever have boyfriends visit you at camp or visit your boyfriend at Camp Mahn-go-tah-see?