History of Treasure Island - or is it 'Red Head Island'?

[Lakeflier]

Originally Posted by anne154

Treasure island was owned by the Boston Council of the GSA during the 50s. The camp was accessed from a dock near the end of the small bay on the east side of Sleeper's Point. The camp had a Navy double ended whale boat and a large 30 or so passenger boat for transporting people. One small outboard was used for daily food runs and taking counselors back and forth to mainland for time off.



The units where the campers stayed did not have electricity or septic systems. Campers cooked breakfast and lunch over wood fires and washed cooking pots and dishes in water boiled over the same word fire. All wood was cut by the campers from deadwood on the island. The loos were outhouses, lit at night by kerosene lanterns.



Dinner was served in the dining hall, a building that did have electricity and commercial cooking facilities.



The small island (Cub) between Treasure and Sleeper Island also housed campers (a counselor-in- training group, later the sailing unit). All transportation back and forth between Cub and Treasure was via a 12 person canoe.

Just as I remember! I started as a camper in 1956 in the Spyglass unit, and went to TI every summer, later as a CIT and in my last year as a counselor in 1963 in Crow's Nest.

The double-ended whaling boat, which I recall as lapstrake wood construction, was named "Cookie," and the cabin cruiser (steel hull?) was "Bunny." Especially if it was raining when they arrived, most of the girls were transported in Bunny and their bedrolls and duffels in Cookie. We called the Cub Island canoe the "War Canoe." When I was in the sailing unit that was our transportation to the main island. At boating time the girls who were beginner swimmers used the wooden rowboats, and more advanced swimmers used the canoes. The sailing unit had two Cape Cod Knockabout sailboats. Nice and heavy and stable.

In my sailing year (1959) the director hired a counselor/sailing instructor from Japan named Nakane Hiroshi. It turned out upon arrival that he was a man! Sleeping arrangements had to be modified, but Hiroshi turned out to be a fun and competent instructor. Sometimes he and Rusty, the other instructor, had "philosophical differences" which were entertaining, as Hiroshi's English deteriorated as he got excited, and he wasn't ready to accept a young red-haired woman as his equal.

Sorry to be joining this conversation so late, but I am a new forum member. Would love to hear memories from other TI campers or counselors.




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