Found!In the Spring of 2014 an old man showed up with a box of super 8 film shot in the 1950s at camp.It was all his childhood summer vacations spent here.Its confirmed what we have always thought – not much has changed here in 70 years.This is him and his mom. The shots are stills from the film, last one is a clip. Full film on profile line today.He wrote us this letter – the last line made me cry.”My memories are very vivid…THE VISITOR:At night, people gathered at the dining hall- there was scratching at the door & in would walk a raccoon. They found him abandoned. When he reached maturity, they returned him to the wild, but he came back for pretzels. when he had his fill, he’d scratch to go back out.He had it real good.THE PATCH: The grass at the entrance to the dining hall frequently saw people on their hands and knees- there was a clover patch that yielded 4-leaf clovers. I never found a 4-leaf clover anywhere other than Lake Wandawega. FIRE PIT: There was a fire pit at the west end of the resort, and some evenings there would be a roaring bonfire – the kids loved to sit there, watch the fire, tell stories. I really looked forward to those evenings.MY DAD:Bet someone that he could swim to the other side of the lake, but was smart enough to have someone in a row boat follow along just in case.He won $5.00.THE OWLS:My dad and the owners son, Hank, were in the bar one night- there were baby owls just outside. After a couple of beers, they got the idea to shine a light in their eyes to catch them. So they got a flashlight, ladder & a fishnet. To the dismay of my mother, once they got in the tree, the birds took off – dad & Hank almost fell out of the tree.Everyone had a good laugh.THE OWNER:A stocky man with squinty eyes and a hard, leathered face, like Charles Bronson, but he was very friendly. He had pictures of when he was in the Army in General Pershings expedition chasing Pancho Villa in the 1900s.Well, thats about all I can recall as of now, but I do remember how much we enjoyed being at Lake Wandawega. They say you cant go home again, but the memories are still nice.Sincerely,Bob
March 7, 2021 • Published by Tereasa Surratt