The mail and packages created as many memories as the camping experiences and many of the girls saved their letters from home. Some, like Janet Dixon (1951-52) had a surprise waiting for her in 1991, after cleaning out her parent’s home. Her father had just died and she came across an envelope marked “Camp Maqua 1951”.
“It was in a fireproof file box where we kept important papers like insurance policies and tax records,” wrote Janet. “In the envelope were letters I had written home from camp. I was amazed that they meant so much to my mother that she had chosen to save them in this way. I am also amazed at how clearly I can remember my experiences there.”
Janet was ten the first year of camp and eleven the second year, with her birthday in September. “That (year) maturity is actually visible in my handwriting in the letters I sent home from camp—my handwriting in the letters from the first year was very childlike, with carefully controlled letter formation and uneven slant. In the second year, the letter formation is very fluid and the slant consistent. Very adult. It is hard to believe these letters were written by the same person.”
In the early years, the little camp store was located inside the lodge on the right as you entered the door. Beverley Schlatter (1944-49) remembered it was just a counter with storage shelves, where the girls could purchase stamps and postcards, as well as bathing caps, tee shirts and other items. Receiving mail was a huge deal, and the girls waited expectantly for their letters and packages from loved ones.
Ruth Wiesen (1957-59) recalled the rituals of letter writing at camp. “We would have quiet time for a rest period after lunch and we wrote a lot of letters home. We would leave the letters at the lodge and they would mail them.”
The letters from home were always welcome for Anne Schupak (1966+), who said the girls would stand around the flagpole for mail call. She laughed as she recalled a letter from her Dad telling her to stop complaining about the food, since she had never been in the Army.
“After lunch we would go to the canteen,” said Dana Foote (1974-77). “We would get candy and eat tons of candy and have pillow fights back in the cabin. It was fun eating all that candy. We had rest time after lunch and had to write letters home during that time and we loved getting letters from home.”
The mail was especially important for the girls who had never been away from home. Marcia Michelson (1963-70) felt that way and loved getting mail from home and Susan Prieskorn (1966-72) didn’t miss home, but loved getting letters from her grandmother. Susan Bradford’s boyfriend wrote to her in the sixties, and Karen Kaunitz waited for mail from her sister in 1945.
“My Dad would write a letter to us, cut it in half and mail each of us half,” said Pat O’Tool, who said it was up to them to find each other (sister Nan) at camp and piece it together to read it.
Anne Moore’s Dad sent her Snoopy postcards in the sixties, which she treasured. Her sister Maureen said her Mom was an avid letter writer and sent a letter every other day. Did your friends or family write to you at camp?