Long after the young girls left camp, the smells of the lodge and cabins, the fresh smell of the piney woods, the sound of the Loons and the lap of the waves on the lake left an indelible mark in their minds. So much so that the great outdoors called to them in many ways. […]
Bonnie Kessler
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. […]
Girls Unafraid–
Many of the girls had previous experience riding, and came to camp with some confidence and skills. A self-professed horse crazy girl, Kathleen Clements, lived near the Saginaw riding stable, and had ample opportunity to ride, but still loved riding at camp in the early sixties. “I had a niece and an aunt who were […]
Bloodsuckers, Mud Puppies and Swimmer’s Itch
“I grew up one block from the Saginaw Bay, so I learned to swim at the “Y”. I remember seeing my first leech at Maqua and I was mystified. The girls would swim under one dock to another and I can still hear the girls screaming don’t swim under there—there are leeches! I never got […]
Homesickness–#5
Knowing your bunk-mates or having a friend or relative at camp during the session was often the best security blanket needed for first timers who felt the pangs of homesickness. Marcia Michelson had three older sisters in camp in the early sixties and made good friends while there. Sisters Barb and Sue Utter convinced Jane […]
Cabins And Tents–#2
Bonnie Kessler loved the sounds of the loons at night, which were “spooky”, but they would start the ghost stories in the huts, especially when the moon hung over the lake on those dark nights. She could not wait to be in Cabin Eight. “I don’ know why”, said this forties camper, who […]