My impression of the kids that came to Camp Tosebo was that they attended the Seminary during the school year and their parents shipped them off for 8 weeks in the summer making it seem as if the boys at the seminary and camp was their family.
“The camp consisted of different activities during the morning hours each week of the camp. Such activities included lake front (swimming, boating, sailing), horsemanship, fine arts, theater, crafts, and sports. The afternoon was free time which could mean any of the above. I especially enjoyed lake front and horsemanship.”
“The first year I was assigned a cabin with five other boys and a counselor. The second year I was assigned a tent with three other boys. Toilet facilities were a standard outhouse; showering was in a gang shower near the dining hall. We dined at set hours; the entire camp ate together in a large dining room.
I have fond memories of the director of the camp, Coach Roskie. He was gentle, soft spoken, and seemed to be everywhere. When another boy and I took a hike after dinner to meet with some campers who were camping a short distance from Tosebo, we didn’t make it back by bedtime. Two counselors on horseback found us and told us to get our butts back pronto. This was a major violation! The punishment from Coach Roskie was waxing his car. At age 12 that was not fun and hard work. I doubt the finished product was very good.
Besides memories of sailing, archery, and horsemanship, I remember a canoe camping trip where I made abundant contact with poison ivy. Upon returning to camp, I was put in the infirmary where I was attended to by a nurse. She, a matronly woman, made sure that I didn’t scratch and applied a lotion frequently. I probably was there for three or four days. I had hopes that one of the college women who worked in the kitchen might be my nurse. I could only dream.
On the lakefront there were canoes and a variety of sailboats. The beginning training for sailing was in a pram built for a single occupant. We were able with several prams to compete in an obstacle course and races. We graduated next to a snipe which held two or three sailors. When sailing the snipe with another kid we were able to go all around Portage Lake. “Portage Lake connects to Lake Michigan via a short canal which was dug by hand by local residents in the late 1800s. The purpose of that connection to Lake Michigan was to afford ships a refuge from dangerous storms on Lake Michigan.” I remember on one occasion a US Navy or Coast Guard ship was anchored in the lake. We sailed next to her and greeted the sailors with shouts of joy.
“One of the best things about Camp Tosebo were the competitive events where the entire camp population was involved. These events included sailing, canoe, swimming races, and a greased watermelon event. A team attempted to grab the watermelon and get it up onto a raft. Different age groups competed while everyone else “watched” accompanied by lots of booing, screaming and yelling.
We conducted a rodeo of sorts. I recall competing in the barrel race. After our week in theater, we performed a play for the camp audience. A counselor was our theater director, and our rehearsals took place over the week. I remember our play involved guys adrift on a raft without food. We had a pistol and were able to shoot a seagull to stave off starvation. What a thrill at age 12 to fire a blank round from a pistol!
After dinner we often played “capture the flag.” On one occasion, I discovered the enemy flag in some bushes. I raced downhill through the bushes, grabbed the flag and celebrated a great victory. When I calmed down, I realized my arm was covered in blood from the thorny bushes I just ran through. Needless to say I was a bloody hero.
On a couple of weekends, we loaded into the camp truck and went to Manistee for a movie. No seatbelts!
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Camp Tosebo was one of my most memorable experiences as a kid.
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