Treasure Island OR Redhead Island? There are differing opinions on this island on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. Treasure/Redhead Island lies to the Southeast of Sleepers Island.
A camp had been established on Treasure Island called "Camp Mishe Mokwa" (the name for "great white bear" in Hiawatha) and it operated as a boys camp between 1913 and 1950. In 1950, the island was sold to the Girl Scouts of America and it operated as a Girl Scout camp for about ten years. During this time, Ivar Swenson (owner of Sleepers Island at this time) engineered a power cable for Treasure Island. After the cable was installed, Ivar was made an honorary Girl Scout!
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 wood 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.
