1920’s

Aladdin–The Preferred Builder

Published on by Kathy Baker

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Pictorial: Aladdin Homes – Bay City, Michigan : Bay-Journal

The Aladdin Company from Bay City was the primary builder of the huts or cabins, but it is unclear whether the lodge was built by the same company.

Founded by brothers W.J. Sovereign, O.E. Sovereign and Charles Munro in 1906, it was a pioneer for mail order pre-cut kit homes. Their best years were around the time the camp decided to build the lodge in 1924. Many of the huts were donated by the Aladdin Company, featuring their summer cottage style.

In 1937 the plans for the new counselor’s cabin were shown to Mr.Paul Thompson, president of the Rotary Club, with the suggestion the club may want to build it for the camp that year.

In 1955 the concerns of the camp committee revolved around different housing arrangements for the cook and whether two more tents (which would house eight each) should be procured, since camp leaders had determined it would be more economical to set up for one hundred girls. A staff cabin was also needed as soon as possible to “free up rooms used for sleeping in the lodge” for a nature room, music room and library.

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Onto The Property–

Published on by Kathy Baker

road to camp

Early photographs and postcards of Camp Maqua leave the viewer with the feeling that the property was a beautiful lakeside setting, but had very few trees. In later years, the trees matured with birch, oak, pine and other varieties creating a beautiful forested landscape.

A letter in the archival files from the State of Michigan Department of Conservation in Lansing, dated January 14, 1925, agreed to furnish 2,000 White Pine trees and 2,000 Norway Pines for the property. The letter also stated if more were needed, they would be amenable to providing additional pine trees.

The only other mention of trees on the property in the minutes was in 1963 when the caretaker agreed to check into timber cutting on the swampland of both the old and new property. (Forty-five additional acres had been purchased that year.) The estimate was $1,000-$1,500, but it was unclear if they were paying for it to be cut, or receiving payment for the timber.

The roads were always a constant source of maintenance and concern. As early as 1933 the minutes stated a need for improvements to the road into camp. For $35, they contracted someone to grade, crown and provide drainage in the low places. Other mentions of the road included adding gravel when needed.

Over the years not only the entrance of the road changed, but so did the signs. According to many of the women who were interviewed, the road came in from the east side of the property that wound around the curve of Putnam Rd. and cars entered at the back of the property.

Later the road entrance was moved to Putnam Road at the south end of the property, which was closer to the lodge. The first reference was in 1955, as the minutes stated a discussion held by the camp committee about the road, and a motion was made to build it. A letter in the files from 1956 offered $600 toward the road from Mr. Miller, but “ the board was not inclined to accept that offer or the possibility of leasing property between his and the camps”.

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Post-Camp Clean-Up–

Published on by Kathy Baker

Maqua scans_Jun60_4a-2A copy of the revised edition of the “Notes Regarding Closing Camp Maqua” for the season, dated 1954 and updated from August 1950, listed the elements required to successfully close up camp.

The surplus food, that was unopened and would not keep until the following season, had to be returned. The kitchen had to be cleaned well enough that the mice would not have an attraction to it. Bedding had to be stored with paper supplies in Dutton. The screen doors and shutter ropes were removed from the huts for security. The supplies in each area had to be stored safely. The furniture inside and outside the lodge were positioned, rugs were rolled, poison was spread for rodents, windows were latched or shuttered, doors were padlocked, planks were nailed, screens were removed, water was drained, and pumps were covered. At the waterfront, ropes, buoys, riggings, rafts, and anchors were stored inside the boathouse, huts or lodge.

According to Dorthe Balaskas’ 1966 notes, post-camp days were a busy time for the caretaker and a time for the counselors and directors to list repairs needed in their areas. Mert and Ollie Webb were the caretakers at that time and she was always confident of their abilities to handle the general maintenance, but enlisted the help of “Pop” Watson to deal with some of the larger issues to be delegated to the appropriate services, since he was familiar with what had to be done to close up camp.

She had a banquet style meal for the staff after they had packed their bags. All the living areas were checked and counselor notes had to be handed in before she passed out their checks. The frozen food, record player, library books, mimeograph machine, medications and station wagon were taken to the “Y”; the guns were put into storage or repaired, and surplus food was returned to Schwanbecks in Saginaw.

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Where The Girls Are–

Published on by Kathy Baker

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Girls who came from homes as an only child, homes with all boys or even a house filled with children—the reasons were varied as to why campers loved being with all girls for an extended period of time.

Elaine Levinsohn spent three wonderful summers from 1927-1930 and loved being away from home. She had one brother and no sisters, and like many of the girls camp was appealing because she could be around other girls her age.

“I was the only girl out of four kids in my family,” said Sarah Smith, whose mother Joyce was President of the YWCA board and main fundraiser in the seventies. Her mother had attended Holyoke, which was an all girls’ college, and had valued those friendships. “She sent me on purpose to an all girls camp, so I would understand the world was not all about men!”

Beverley Schlatter (1944) spent four summers there. Her friends had gone and she begged her parents to go. “I had never been away from home and I was an only child, which was a lonely life, since I really had no one to play with. Many of my friends tried to go at the same time as I did, and I begged to go back after my two weeks there.”

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