Camp Mystic’s ‘littlest souls’ were nurtured in Bubble Inn. All the cabin’s girls and 2 counselors were lost in the Texas flood

What looked like a simple, one-story beige cabin near the banks of the Guadalupe River held the stories of generations of young girls marking a rite of passage.

It’s where shy, homesick 8-year-olds entered as strangers and emerged as confident young ladies equipped with new skills from the great outdoors and lifelong friends – bonds that would one day prove vital in the face of unfathomable tragedy.

Bubble Inn housed many of the youngest girls at Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old haven tucked in the foothills of Texas’ Hill Country.

A cabin unlike any other

For decades, Bubble Inn welcomed young girls from across the country and even overseas. Some of those girls later became mothers and sent their own daughters to Bubble Inn.

“I have watched my former campers grow into adults with families of their own,” said Lindley, who’s now a professional photographer. “I have photographed their weddings.”

There was nothing particularly special about the building itself. Rather, it was the lessons learned and the relationships fostered between the walls that made Bubble Inn so unique.

“The cabins are all very basic. They’re just one big open room,” Lindley said. “You have metal camp beds in a row. The girls would all pack a trunk and bring their trunk, and then at the back of every cabin is a community bathroom with two to three showers, two to three bathroom stalls and two to three sinks … depending on the size of the cabin.”