Camp Days

Camp Nagawicka

Through a fellow camper, I found a Facebook group from my camp days. I went to camp every summer from the age of 10 for ten years as a camper, then as a counselor. My camp was then sold and is now summer lake homes in Delafield, Wisconsin on Lake Nagawicka. I had no pictures from these days, and through this group found pictures from almost every year. 

The camp was eight weeks long. Can you imagine what that would cost today? I would get out of school in June and immediately start packing for camp. Kids came from all over the country - the largest contingencies were from Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, escaping the summer heat in the South for those cool Wisconsin summers. Campers would travel by train all dressed up with chaperones.

Can anyone find me in the photo above? I am in the second row on the far left.

Here I am the following summer at age 11 - I am in the back row, the second camper on the right (so six from the right).

Camp Nagawicka

It was so interesting going through old posts from the group and realizing how impactful it was to so many people. Fellow campers have bought or built homes on the site, have reunions all over the country, and some have had their ashes spread there. So many say those were the happiest days of their lives. Many relatives have recounted dying family members in their last days reminiscing about their days there.

I learned how to sail, play golf, tennis, ride horses, canoe, fish, you name it at camp. There was even an island with sailing and swimming. My first kiss and first boyfriend were there. It was at camp that I fell in love with musicals, as we put one on every summer. 

Thanks for allowing me this little trip down memory lane. Any other former campers out there with similar experiences?

P.S. I just looked out of curious at properties on Lake Nagawicka and there are lake homes going for upwards of $4 million. Wow!