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The following is taken from a pamphlet that described Camp Kawaga in 1919:
"We have built up a camp of which we are justly proud. There are thirty-one buildings devoted to the purposes of the camp. The boys sleep on Simmons beds, which are provided with comfortable mattresses. We are building an additional dock in the lake where we shall have a fine diving tower, a spring board and all other necessary appurtenances for a fancy diving and swimming. In the Reading Hall, we have a library will stacked with books of interest to the boys."
"The sanitary conditions of Camp Kawaga are excellent. The soil and subsoil are both sandy. Due to this fact, no matter how heavy the rain, a few hours after a downpour, the boys can beat play. NO lake water is used for either drinking of cooking. Our drinking water and the water used in the kitchen come from artesian wells."
"Every boy engages in boating, canoeing, swimming, baseball, volley ball, soccer, boxing, football, and sports of various kinds; hikes, canoe trips of several days duration, camp fires, and amateur theatricals."
"Camp Kawaga has grown in six years from fourteen to a camp of considerable size, and is just large enough to be interesting. THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE OF CAMP KAWAGA IS CHARACTER-BUILDING. FUN! YES. BUT ALWAYS WITH THE THOUGHT IN MIND OF ITS FINAL EFFECT ON THE BOY."
The following is taken from a section of the 1959 Pineneedle, which compares the Kawaga of 1959 to the Kawaga of 1919:
"Kawaga has become much bigger and more specialized through the years...The number of buildings has increased from 31 to 50. The significance of this change, however, can be appreciated only when one realized exactly what new buildings have been added. Seventeen new cabins, the Roost (headquarters of the cooks), the Outpost (home for counselor's wives), several new equipment and storage sheds, three
"Egypts" compete with modern sanitary facilities, trunk room additions to all cabins, and porch additions to the Rec Hall and Mess Hall are just some of the many improvements in this area."
"As Kawaga has grown in size, her equipment has likewise been extended and improved. Today on the waterfront Kawaga proudly owns a fleet of twenty rowboats, twenty canoes, five water bicycles, and four surfboards. Three sailboats and two speed boats make activities possible which were not associated with camping just a few years age. Kawaga can today boast of four docks for fishing or swimming. Bide-A Wee, Sunset, the "I" dock, and Kawaga or the "T" dock which is over 100 feet long. The tremendous amount of material for land activity can be ascertained by looking at the Athletic Equipment Shed and its wealth of supplies for every kind of sport."
"Yes, a great many changes have come to Kawaga. But in our pride of the present we must not judge the past. Dr. B. C. Ehrenreich was the spiritual founder of Kawaga and his philosophies of camping are carried on today by his son and present director, Louis S. Ehrenreich. This same philosophy is kept today because it is such a strong one. It does not merely strive for the visible and temporary rewards of camping but reaches the ultimate perfection-the Ideal Goal in every personality. Perhaps this stage can be reached only by a few- perhaps by none. But through a camper's years at Kawaga, he can find himself and make a promising start on the long journey to self perfection."
Today, Kawaga has grown to a community of over 225 campers each summer. There are more 5 & 10 Year Men and 2nd Generation campers and counselors than ever before. Record numbers of Braves have gained entrance into the Honorary Indian Tribes of Mawanda and Sachem. This summer over 100 Braves were tapped and nearly 50 made Sachem for the first time. In addition, new equipment has been acquired for enhancing existing activities and creating new ones. Great improvements to Kawaga's physical structure have been made such as modernized Crow's Nest, updated Kitchen, renovated Egypts, additional cabins, and expanded fields and courts. Kawaga continues to improve each summer, yet the philosophies that have made our camp unique still remains the same.
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