Camp Honed Responsibility–

Confidence, self-esteem, fearlessness, self-sufficient, and nurtured were other common words that campers and staff used to describe their experiences found at Maqua. Karen Selby, seventies camper and staffer said,” As a camper, I tried everything I could not do in Bay City. I rode a horse. I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow. […]

Happy Mail!

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 […]

Taking The Plunge–Lake or Pool

Swimming for some came naturally  because they grew up with a pool at their house or belonged to private swim clubs. It did not ease the shock of the cold lake water, and for some a pool felt more secure with walls and known depths in clean, clear water. . Phoebe Atha (1947-48) was never […]

Counselors Share Their Stories #2

The boathouse was the place Barb Rehmus loved as a cabin counselor in the seventies. “ I still have memories of the little girls I had. One Dad said he would give me $5 for every pound (she) gained that summer. I knew she would never gain any weight with all the activities and running […]

My (Friend) Went There! #3

Laurie Cullen attended in the late sixties at a time when camp registrations were overflowing. She was ten and had camped at another camp from age eight to ten. “I met a little girl by the name of Jennifer. It was such an unusual name back then. I was so homesick and her Mom found […]

My____Went There! #1

One of the first questions asked of each camper interviewed was-“Did you go with a friend or relative, and did your mother, aunts, or cousins attend?” Barely a girl asked answered no, because generally girls were influenced by relatives and friends, and it was almost impossible not to know someone. But, if by chance you […]