Postcards from Donovan! #1

Well I arrived home from my travels to the farm, got the mail and low and behold a postcard from Donovan!  Made my night (Bridget's too as I took this photo and emailed it to her.  She spent the last night with Julie celebrating her birthday and the completion of PALM 2013.

We received a magazine from Bay Cliff telling the Story of the "Big House" and how the camp was formed and survived.  This is their 80th year in business.

The Big House is the original farm house that a farmer built on the cliffs overlooking Big Bay.  It was named as it was a big house and people referred to is that way and the nick name stuck.  The house has grown and been renovated several times but the original foundation, made from the sandstone from the cliffs nearby, survives as it reaches 100 years old.  The house is 18,000 square feet with big porches and the original field stone fire place!

Bay Cliff camp almost shut down in 1958 due to being $10,000 in debt.  Elba Morse (one of the founders) convinced the executive committee to stick it out one more year trusting "God would provide".  The next year the movie The Anatomy of a Murder, was filmed in Marquette and Big Bay.  A member of the executive committee, Willard Cohodas, arranged for the wold premier to be shown in Marquette and Ishpeming.  The were awarded a check for $10,000 and Bay Cliff was safe.  Today their annual budget is $1,080,000 which is still raised from individuals, foundations and businesses.  86% of the funds raised is used to serve the kids (i.e. 14% covers administration).

The 1934 budget was $4,781.17.  :)