Without the donors and volunteers, camp would have never survived. Camp committee minutes in the fifties included references to roof and hut repairs, toilet seats, kitchen necessities and a new cook stove. A washing machine had been donated to the camp in 1954, but “another list of wants and needs was to be posted on the bulletin board, in hopes that other individuals would contribute”.

Sometimes the repairs had to wait until the ground frost was thawed, (such as the well), and sometimes the items were beyond repair, (such as the sailboat), which was sold in 1954. New tents, bedspreads, paddles, and the lists were endless, In the late fifties there was not enough money in the treasury, so each member of the committee was asked to bring in a dish towel, campers were asked to bring their own canoe paddles and old bedspreads instead of new ones were hunted down.

In the late fifties, caretaker Tom “Pops” Watson was building a new raft and submitted bids for a shed to be built. Sails, riflery and archery equipment had to be procured from the Yacht Club and Rifle and Archery clubs, as well as a piano tuner, bullets, ping pong balls, and food supplies. Goodeynes appeared to be the favored store for many of the camp’s purchases.

Work weekends on the grounds were an invaluable way for volunteers to help with maintenance projects. In 1958 the minutes mentioned the committee members were scheduling a trip up for a weekend to clean out the weeds in the swim area–a yearly chore.

Sometimes, the committee received donations from companies, such as Resistance Welders Co., which bought kitchen equipment. Occasionally, money that was earmarked for one project was moved to another project that took priority, especially in the case of major repairs to buildings. In 1960 two fiberglass canoes and two old rowboats were sold to buy two new aluminum row boats.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce accepted the camp as their “Fix-Up, Clean-Up” project for the year in 1960. For two weekends in May, the lodge floor was covered with fifty mattresses for the weekend and the camp fund paid for their meals. Camp slides, brochures and other literature was used to encourage this group to volunteer their time and skills each year, which appeared to be successful.

In June of the same year the Central “Y-Teens” camped out to wash windows, rake leaves and fix docks, and consistently the Junior Chamber of Commerce and “Y-Teens” were the dependable groups. They painted, worked on minor cleanup jobs, washed dishes, mowed grass, graded roads, cut firewood, screened windows, painted docks, cut brush, moved boats and did whatever was needed to keep the camp in order.

The April 19, 1961 camp committee meeting had a photographer present to take photos of the “April Shower” items donated by their members. This was the summer the new Infirmary was equipped, which created a need for larger items, including a washing machine and refrigerator.

The “Loon” outlined improvements in their August 1961 issue, which included the Infirmary relocation to the building near the tennis courts, a new riding ring next to the softball diamond, and Dutton’s makeover into the nature center. There were new horseshoe pits, plus new seats, podium and a cross on Chapel Hill.

In 1961, the Junior Chamber of Commerce recruited 25-30 enthusiastic volunteers for a three-day work weekend. They continued to be a reliable source of help for many years, working on the construction of a ping pong table, plus rebuilding and covering two sets of sofa seat and back cushions in 1962.

The lists of needs grew, but never shrank. Kitchen equipment, mattresses, cushions for the lodge sofas in 1962 were given a yes, but no to a camp craft table and a cabin in place of Dutton. Office supplies, rifles and sports equipment, and boxes for the sports and archery equipment needed to be made. The committee had to give authority to Consumer’s Power to install power to a dryer, add “hospital supplies” and rent a station wagon.

In 1963 they cleaned up the lodge roof, cleared branches after timber cutting, cut firewood, painted buildings, constructed steps for #3 hut and screened #2 hut. They furnished their own ladders, brushes, wiping clothes and wives cooked the food. In a report by the president of the JCC’s, Tom Hurkett, suggestions were given and the group “seemed real interested in the camp”.

That same summer the retaining wall by the lodge had to be repaired, as well as the truck and decks of a few sailboats. Some things could not wait and $450 worth of repairs had to be taken care of immediately.

What do you remember about the conditions of the buildings and property? Were you ever a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce or the Y-Teens committees that helped on the camp property?