Welcome to beautiful, historic Orchestra Camp Colony. Established in 1930, the Colony legacy is rich with traditions of music, canoeing, sailing, environmental stewardship, bird watching, fishing, camaraderie, and fun. Established by Dr. Maddy, the co-founder of what is today Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Colony enjoys a shared common conservation park area with 1453 feet of sandy-bottom beach in the woods by Duck Lake (Wabakaness). Hearing the calls of the returning loons from the waterfront are a right of passage for Colony members each summer, along with viewing the wildlife such as the deer that cross State Park Highway to our common area waterfront.
The original history of this property is connected to the Interlochen Center for the Arts. In 1930, Dr. Joseph Maddy had four cabins built by the Interlochen cabin builders to provide lodging for several summer faculty members and their families. These historic cabins are still in the Colony. in 1944, the Colony was officially platted and dedicated. The roads are named after now-famous summer faculty: Maddy, Heermann, Zimmerman, Torno, and Tuthill.
Today, some of the descendants of the original faculty are still Colony members. Some families still have connections to Interlochen, and other simply enjoy the breathtaking woods and lakes of Michigan in the summer.