THE 
 
 ADIRONDACKS 
 
 • ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 NARRATIVE OF A TRIP THROUGH THE WILDERNESS, WITH DESCRIPTION OF THE NATURAL 
 
 FEATURES OF THE REGION; HINTS CONCERNING SUPPl lES AND GENERAL 
 
 OUTFIT FOR CAMP AND TRAIL ; COST AND MANNER OF REACHING 
 
 THE VARIOUS RESORTS ; HOTELS, WITH CAPACITY, PRICE 
 
 OF BOARD, ETC.; TABLES OF ELEVATION AND 
 
 DISTANCES ; MAPS, ETC., ETC. 
 
 S. R. STODDARD 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 TiCONDEROGA," " LaKE GeORGE, ILLUSTRATED," EtC. 
 
 TWENTIETH EDITION. 
 
 GLENS FALLS, N. Y.: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 1890. 
 
 Copyright, i8qo, by S. R. Stoddard. 
 
By transfer 
 22 A^'05 
 
im 
 
 ■'=4* 
 
 I^9G\dGr! 
 
 "A ivord wit J I you." 
 
 If you have started for the 
 wilderness and don't know all about the way, read this. 
 Within is the boiled down essence of a vast amount of infor- 
 mation, gathered from every available source, and arranged 
 on a carefully considered system. In the network of ways, 
 with their multitude of branches, continuity of progress may 
 not be. Here is the key to the combination. 
 
 The Adirondacks as a whole is considered on page xiii, 
 under head of " Gateways." Following each gateway are 
 lines leading to particular centres, giving distances and fares, 
 with references to pages where more extended mention may 
 be found. Places and specially noted features are indexed on 
 page IX; hotels, lakes, ponds and mountains are given in 
 special indexes. Expenses are touched upon at pages 6 and 
 208, various suggestions concerning camp and outfit on pages 
 208 to 215; fishing, page 216 to 223. The Advertisements 
 (indexed on page 221) are interesting, for therein each man 
 speaks for himself. 
 
 If there is some specific point about which you would 
 learn, consult the iftdex. If you would wander free as the 
 vagrant bee, gathering honey from every flower, throw the 
 
VI Greeting, 1890. 
 
 book away — you won't need it. If you are undecided as to 
 course follow the " Professor " and the writer through 
 the "Narrative" so long as the company please 
 you. It represents an erratic course that covers substantially 
 the most interesting and diverse interior portions of the great 
 wilderness, noting such changes by the way as time and im- 
 proved facihties for transportation have brought about since 
 the trip was made in 1873, and contrasting the old and the 
 new in the procession of changeful years. 
 
 The preservation of the forests, a question of vital impor- 
 tance not only to the Adirondack region itself but to the 
 State and country as well, has received another blow in the 
 crumb flung to visionaries in shape of legislative authority to 
 purchase wild land at the munificent rate of one dollar and 
 fifty cents per acre. Meantime, the club man and the ■ lum- 
 ber man and the charcoal man and the woodpulp man and 
 the man with a little money to invest for a rise, are each and 
 all quietly absorbing the valuable portions, and the little that 
 falls back on the State comes only after being robbed of that 
 which alone makes its possession a thing to be desired. The 
 legislature that voted and the Governor who signed the bill 
 knew, undoubtedly, at the time, that it was intended simply 
 as a mild sedative to quiet pubHc opinion, and as long 
 as the lumberman did not object, there was no harm 
 done. And the lumberman, engaged in an honorable (and 
 profitable) business, is not to be blamed for making what can 
 be made out of it, as, with dynamite and giant powder, he 
 clears away obstructions in mountain gorges and wilderness 
 streams, and, with dams, floods, and drains, the valleys, until 
 the retiring waters leave behind them decay and death. Then 
 comes the woodpulp fiend to strip the hills of the softer wood, 
 which the lumberman has pointed to with pride as showing 
 that he did not cut away the forests, and the forest duff, which 
 through ages past has slowly cUmbed the mountains, affording 
 support to the compensating vegetation that in turn deposits 
 more duff higher up, opened to the sun, soon becomes as 
 tinder \ then the fire, and after that — the deluge. 
 
Greeting, 1890. vii 
 
 It is curious that the section where the great Hudson River 
 rises and about its higher tributary streams, should be less 
 
 known t o 
 the general 
 public than 
 almost any- 
 other part of 
 the Adiron- 
 dacks, but 
 such is the 
 fact ; and is 
 also a fact 
 that it is 
 being grad- 
 ually strip- 
 ped of its 
 V a 1 u able 
 trees far up 
 into rugged 
 Indian Pass 
 and around 
 its wild 
 headwaters, 
 
 [Light portion shows Hudson River drainage.] CXCept a n 
 
 occasional narrow belt left untouched around the more im- 
 portant lakes. All this section, with a good part of the west- 
 ern watershed, should be under control of the State, and would 
 be cheap at almost any price, now, before irreparable injury 
 is done. How near that point has been reached cannot be 
 determined yet, but the gradual annual shrinkage in the water 
 supply of the Hudson, with its sudden floods and as sudden 
 drying-up of tributary streams, are warnings that should not 
 be ignored. The people of the State, outside the territory in 
 question, should take the matter in hand. So long as the 
 public rest content, legislators will ''swop" votes and the slaugh- 
 ter will go on, for no man can get to the legislature from the 
 
VIII Greeting, 1890. 
 
 mountain districts who is not in sympathy with the lumber- 
 men, and " legislative courtesy " forbids that members from 
 the city shall go poking their honorable noses into mountain 
 matters, under penalty of counter votes on their own special 
 little jobs. 
 
 I would enact a law prohibiting forever the cutting of any 
 tree under twenty- five inches in diameter, except with the ap- 
 proval of a commissioner appointed by the government, on 
 any land in New York State lying 1,800 feet above tide. 
 Then let clubs and individuals struggle for the acreage to their 
 hearts' content. In justice to all, the State should pay to the 
 present owners the market value of the standing timber com- 
 ing under this rule, less the actual cost of marketing. 
 
 Clubs acquiring large tracts of wild lands for private 
 grounds and fish preserves are unquestionably a benefit nex' 
 to State ownership, if (as the " Adirondack League Club," 
 owning a tract of nearly 100,000 acres of forest land in south- 
 ern Herkimer and Hamilton Counties, propose to do) they 
 allow the timber to be cut only in accordance with the most ap- 
 proved rules of scientific forestry which, under European gov- 
 ernments, have made waste sections not only self-sustaining 
 as to cost of management, but a source of revenue also ; or 
 like the " Adirondack Mountain Reserve," owning the land 
 around the Au Sable Lakes, which not only preserves the 
 forest but throws it open to all the world, with certain just re- 
 strictions, devoting a large part of the revenue thus obtained 
 to the construction of additional roads and trails, with the 
 idea that all the senses may be blessed with its loveliness, and 
 that beautiful nature should not be monopolized by those who 
 come with only the animal desire to kill. Other clubs are yet 
 to be heard from ; few make professions of philanthropic object, 
 and some are even suspected of a wiUingness to be led astray 
 by the blandishments of those who destroy. 
 
 Let the mountains keep their protecting forests, that they 
 remain a blessing rather than a continual menace. 
 
xisriDEix:. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Adirondacks 
 
 In general 1 
 
 Adirondack Club 130 
 
 Sanitarium 95 
 
 •^ Reserve 165 
 
 III ined Village. 127 
 A'lv 'Dture.flsh ball 101 
 
 Ad'- a-tisements 237 
 
 A;; -able Chasm .... 33 
 Bh < : e of Plattsburgh. 51 
 
 B;v e of Valcour 45 
 
 B-^ier River 207-b 
 
 Bi> y, Dr. G. F. .. 53 
 
 B!( mingdale 62 b 
 
 Bl. '; Mt. Lake 192 
 
 B); " Point 47 
 
 Bo.riville 206 
 
 BrU-htside-on-Raq'tte 203 
 
 B'-o.vn.John 75-82 
 
 Br.i.vn Tract 205-207 
 
 Burlington 31 
 
 Ca up, suggestions... 211 
 
 Ci.iiUon 22 
 
 Carrying experience. 118 
 Cedar Lakes (el. 2,529) 193 
 
 Cedar River 192 
 
 Chateaugay Chasm.. 52 
 
 Champlain Lake 14 
 
 Champlain, Sam'l de. 14 
 
 Chestertown 179 
 
 ChildvFold 109-c 
 
 Chubb River 93 
 
 Clinton Prison 57 
 
 Colden Camp 131 
 
 Crab Island 51 
 
 Crown Point Ruins.. 24 
 
 Cumberland Head 50 
 
 Downey's Landing .109-A 
 "Eagle's Nest," the.. 122 
 
 Elizabethtown 148 
 
 Essex 31 
 
 Ethan Allen 21 
 
 EubaDam 151 
 
 Expenses estimated. 6 
 Fishing, tackle, flies.. 216 
 Fish, where found.... 223 
 
 Franklin Falls 61 
 
 Forestry Laws 224 
 
 Fort Frederick 24 
 
 Fort Ticonderoga ... 19 
 
 Cateways.speci 
 
 pages xiii, xiv, xv 
 
 Guides, relating to.. . 214 
 
 Game Laws 222 
 
 Henderson, David... 126 
 Hotels.spe'l index, xi 
 
 Indian Carry 105 
 
 Indian Face 168 
 
 Indian Lake 191 
 
 Indian Pass (eL 2,937, 
 
 90) 132 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Insect Preparations . . 213 
 
 Keene 83 
 
 Keene Valley 152-256 
 
 Keeseville 44 
 
 Lakes, spe'l head., x 
 
 Lake Placid 89-92 
 
 Lake Pleasant 191 
 
 Long Lake Village. .. 114 
 
 Lowville 206 
 
 Luzerne 177 
 
 Lyon Mountain 59 
 
 Malone 56 
 
 Map, introduced 7 
 
 Marion River 203 
 
 Maps 
 
 Au Sable Chasm. .. 40 
 Au Sable Lake.... 166-c 
 Blue Mount'n Lake 199 
 Champlain Lake ... 16 
 Elizabethtown .... 166-a 
 
 Forked Lake 199 
 
 Gateways xiii 
 
 Keene Valley 152 
 
 Port Kent Route... 26 
 
 Raquette River 116 
 
 Raquette Lake 199 
 
 SaranacL'ke(low'r) 96 
 Saranac L'ke(upp'r) 105 
 
 Saranac Inn Co 107 
 
 Schroon Lake 181 
 
 Tupper Lake 116 
 
 Westport to Lake 
 
 Placid 166-A 
 
 Marcy, ascent of 170 
 
 Marion River 199 
 
 Medicine chest 213 
 
 Mineville (el 1,347, 15) 26 
 
 Minerva 189 
 
 Moose River 205 
 
 Mountains»spe- 
 
 cial head x 
 
 Narrative 9 
 
 NedBuntline 122 
 
 Newcomb 123 
 
 North Creek 189 
 
 North Elba 83 
 
 Old Mountain Phelps. 155 
 
 " On the tramp" 125 
 
 Outfit, suggestions ... 4 
 
 camp and woods 208 
 
 sporting 214 
 
 Phantom Falls 120 
 
 Peasleville 62-c 
 
 Pilot, the 13 
 
 Plattsburgh 51 
 
 Pleasant Valley. . .148-152 
 Ponds, spec'l head x 
 
 Potsdam. 181 
 
 Pottersville 180 
 
 Port Henry 24 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Port Kent 31 
 
 Railroads 
 
 Adirondack 189 
 
 Adirondack (Nor'n) 57 
 Au Sable Chasm & 
 
 Keeseville 32 
 
 Au Sable (branch). 62-d 
 Carihage & Adiron- 
 dack 207-B 
 
 Chateaugay.. 57, 222-238 
 
 "D. &H." 226 
 
 Fulton Chain 205 
 
 Hudson River : 225 
 
 West Shore....* 225 
 
 Raquette Falls Ill 
 
 Raquette Lake 121. 202 
 
 Raquette River 109-a 
 
 Ray Brook 94 
 
 Red Horse Chain. . .207-b 
 
 Riverside 179 
 
 Roaring Brook Falls. 163 
 
 Rock Dunder 31 
 
 Root's 187 
 
 Rouse's Point 54 
 
 Routes' to Gateways.. 225 
 
 Sageville 191 
 
 Sanitarium 95 
 
 Saranac Club loi 
 
 Saranac Lake 62-b 
 
 Schroon Lake 182 
 
 South Inlet 204 
 
 Split Rock 31 
 
 Sporting outfit. . 214 
 
 Stage Lines to 
 
 Adirondack Lodge. 149 
 
 Blue Mt. Lake 191 
 
 Elizabethtown 149 
 
 Keene Valley . . . . 149 
 
 Lake Placid 149 
 
 Long Lake nfi 
 
 Paul Smith's 60 
 
 Schroon Lake... 149, 180 
 St. Regis Lake 62-b 
 
 Steamboats 
 
 BlueMt. Lake 198 
 
 Hudson River 225 
 
 Lake Champlain, 
 
 10, 25, 28, 55 
 
 Stony Creek m 
 
 Sweeney carry 108 
 
 Tahawus (P. O ) 125 
 
 Ticonderoga, Fort... 19 
 
 Valcour Island 45 
 
 Vergennes ., 28 
 
 Westport 25 
 
 WhitehaiL 17 
 
 Willsborough Point.. 31 
 
 Wilmington . 62-d 
 
 Wilmington Notch. , , 71 
 Wood Creek 17 
 
Index. 
 
 LAKES AND PONDS. 
 
 ELEVATION. PAGE. 
 
 Albany Lake 1,704 207-b 
 
 Ampersand Pond 2,078 
 
 Augur Pond 45 
 
 Au Sable Pond (Lower).. 1,959 169 
 
 Au Sable Lake (Upper) . 1,993 169 
 
 Avalanche Lake 2,856 131 
 
 Beaver Lake 1,435 207-a 
 
 Blue Mountain Lake . . 1,800 192 
 
 Bog Lake 1,755 227-b 
 
 Boreas Pond 2,046 
 
 Bottle Pond 207-c 
 
 Calamity Pond 2,712 127 
 
 Canada Lakes (West).... 2.348 193 
 
 Cascade Lakes 2,038 83 
 
 Catlin Lake 1,583 124 
 
 Cedar Lakes 2,529 191 
 
 Chain Lak^ (Seven) 191 
 
 Champlain 99 15 
 
 Chapel Pond. 1,551 164 
 
 Chateaugay Lake ( Lower) . 56 
 
 Chateauga'y Lake (.Upper) 59 
 
 Chazy Lake 1,500 58 
 
 Clear Lake 2,159 86 
 
 Colden Lake 131 
 
 Cranberry Lake 1,540 207-B 
 
 Crooked L (Herkimer Co.) 2,022 
 
 Eagle Lake 1,800 199 
 
 Edmonds Ponds 2,0;38 83 
 
 Elk Lake (Mud PoQd).... 1,981 187 
 
 Forked Lake 1,753 120 
 
 Forked Lake (Little) 121 
 
 Francis Lake 1,457 207-b 
 
 Fulton Chain— First Lake 1,684 205 
 
 Fulton Chain- Eighth L.. 1,803 206 
 
 George 343 243 
 
 Giant's Watshbowl 2,2:33 164 
 
 Harkness Lake 131 
 
 Henderson Lake 1,874 131 
 
 Indian Lake 1,705 191 
 
 Lake Placid 92 
 
 ELEVATION. 
 
 Lewey Lake 1,738 
 
 LongLake 1,614 
 
 Long Pond 1,581 
 
 Loon Lake (Franklin Co.) 
 
 Luzerne Lake 
 
 Massawepie Lake 
 
 Meacham Lake 
 
 Mirror Lake 1,856 
 
 Moose Lake 1,787 
 
 Mud Lake I,7i5 
 
 Paradox Lake 
 
 Paradox Pond 
 
 Pharaoh Lake 
 
 Piseco Lake 
 
 Placid Lake 1,863 
 
 Pleasant 1,706 
 
 Preston Ponds 2,206 
 
 Ragged Lake 
 
 Rainbow Lake 
 
 Raquette Lake 1,774 
 
 Raquette Pond 
 
 Red Horse Chain 1,756 
 
 Round Lake 1,542 
 
 Sanford Lake 1,800 
 
 Saranac Lake (Lower)... 1,539 
 
 Saranac Lake (Middle)... 1,542 
 
 Saranac Lake (Upper) 1,577 
 
 Schroon Lake 830 
 
 Smith's Lake 1,725 
 
 South Pd. (Hamilton Co.) 1,769 
 
 Stony Creek Ponds 1,643 
 
 St. Regis Lakes 1,623 
 
 Tear of the Clouds 4,321 
 
 Thirteenth Lake 1,953 
 
 Titus Lake 
 
 Tupper Lake (Big) 1,.554 
 
 Tupper Lake (Little) 1,728 
 
 Utow ana Lake 
 
 West Canada Lakes 2,348 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 191 
 113 
 
 61 
 
 177 
 
 109-A 
 
 53 
 
 207-B 
 187 
 
 93 
 187 
 192 
 
 92 
 192 
 131 
 
 53 
 
 62-A 
 
 121-201 
 
 109-A 
 
 207-B 
 
 100 
 
 126 
 
 96 
 100 
 104 
 180 
 110 
 124 
 111 
 
 60 
 170 
 190 
 
 52 
 
 109-E 
 
 110 
 
 201 
 
 191 
 
 MOUNTAINS. 
 (Table of Elevations.) 
 
 4.NI 
 
 C. NAME. 
 
 ELEV. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 RANK. NAME. 
 
 ELEV. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 
 Ampersand 
 
 3,432 
 
 
 Mount Jo 
 
 
 86 
 
 
 Bartlett 
 
 3,715 
 
 169 
 
 19 Lyon Mountain.. 
 
 . 3,809 
 
 59 
 
 5 
 
 Basin 
 
 4,905 
 2,661 
 
 169 
 172 
 
 1 Macomb 
 
 2 Marcy(Tabawa8). 
 
 . 4,371 
 . 5,344 
 
 
 
 Black 
 
 ^171 
 
 
 Blue Mountain... 
 
 3.824 
 
 199 
 
 fSrv*- Mclntire 
 
 . 5,201 
 
 147 
 
 
 Catamount Mount'n 3,128 
 
 62 
 
 14 Nipple Top 
 
 . 4,684 
 
 171 
 
 
 Cobble Hill 
 
 1,936 
 
 151 
 
 Noon-Mark 
 
 . 3,548 
 
 157 
 
 11 
 
 Colden 
 
 4,753 
 
 131 
 
 North River 
 
 . 3,758 
 
 
 ?^ 
 
 Colvin 
 
 4,142 
 
 165 
 
 Owl's Head 
 
 . 2,825 
 
 113 
 
 
 Crane's 
 
 3,289 
 
 
 13 Redfield 
 
 . 4,688 
 
 
 4 
 
 Dix 
 
 . 4,916 
 
 156 
 
 Resagonia 
 
 16 Saddle 
 
 
 165 
 
 17 
 
 Giant 
 
 . 4,530 
 
 160 
 
 . 4,536 
 
 
 12 
 
 Gothic 
 
 4,744 
 
 160 
 
 15 Santanoni 
 
 . 4,644 
 
 
 6 
 
 Gray Peak 
 
 . 4,902 
 
 172 
 
 18 Seward 
 
 . 4,384 
 
 113 
 
 3 
 
 Havstack 
 
 . 4,918 
 
 169 
 
 7 Skylight 
 
 . 4,889 
 
 171 
 
 10 
 
 Litlle Haystack... 
 
 . 4,766 
 
 
 Snowy 
 
 . 3,903 
 
 
 
 Hopkins Peak... . 
 
 3,136 
 
 160 
 
 St. Regis 
 
 . 2,888 
 
 96 
 
 
 Hurricane 
 
 . 3,763 
 
 151 
 
 Wallface 
 
 . 3,893 
 
 146 
 
 
 Indian Face (.appr.) 
 
 . 2,536 
 
 161 
 
 8 Whiteface 
 
 . 4,871 
 
 67 
 
Index. 
 
 HOTELS. 
 
 PAQK. I 
 
 Adirondack House 
 
 (Keene Valley) . . • • • i^J 
 Adirondack House 
 
 (Saranac Lake).... ^b 
 Adirondack Lodge... 86 
 
 Algonquin, The 99-B 
 
 ArUngtonCotta^e 86 
 
 American H., ss.^*^- 
 
 Antlers, The J"^ 
 
 Bliss House W f^ 
 
 Beede House.. ^ i"- 
 
 Berkeley House g 
 
 llr^n^ke House fl 
 BlueMt.H.(Bl.M.L.) 195 
 Burlington Hotel.... ^- 
 
 CairsHotel..... ^l" 
 
 CaUade Lake House. 84 
 
 Castle Rustico. y| 
 
 Chasm House ....... ^^ 
 
 Champlam, Hotel.... 4i 
 
 Chazy Lake House... 58 
 Chester House .. ^9 
 
 ChildwoldPk H ...lOJc 
 
 ClearPondH.(Big)..^^^ 
 
 Corey's (Lem ) 
 Cranberry Lake H..~« 
 Crystal Spring H ..6~b 
 
 Cumberland . 
 
 Elba House ^- 
 
 Estes House ..^.•■- a^' 
 Fair View House. . 19o 
 
 Fenton House -07-a 
 
 Flume Cottage i^i 
 
 Forge House -"° 
 
 Fouquet House ^g- 
 
 Srv?PtH:(sVnL.)183 
 Grove H.CLmigL.).. 115 
 Grand View House... 89 
 Green Mt. View H.. 31 
 Hathorn's Golden Bh.20d 
 Hiawatha House ua 
 
 TAGB. , 
 
 Hotel Ampersand.... 97 
 Hotel Champlam.... 47 
 
 Hotel Emmet i»' 
 
 Hotel Flanagan • • ^ 
 H-lWindsor(Ro'8'sPl) 54 
 Indian Point House.. 61 
 
 mterlaken. The 45 
 
 keene Centre House. 83 
 Lake Placid House . 9. 
 Lake House (Schroon) 185 
 take Pleasant House. 92 
 
 Lakeside House 10^ 
 
 Lake View House.... 35 
 
 Lee House ^'^ 
 
 Leland Cottage.. • 
 
 Leland House 
 
 Lewey Lake House 
 Long Lake Hotel. 
 Loon Lake House 
 McCoy's Rustic L d e 105 
 
 Mansion House 14» 
 
 Martin's v.; «' ' 
 
 SLTLak^Ho^use 
 
 ^?S;;iakeHx;tei.;: 
 
 Moose River House 
 Mt. Morris House.. 
 , Mount Porter House 
 Mountain View (N. 
 
 Elba) ■,;■■•{; 
 
 Mount'nView(brank- 
 
 lin County) . . . • • • • ^^ 
 North River Hotel. .. 190 
 Ondawa House... . i»^ 
 Paul Smith s i^^- ^ 
 
 Re2is) ■ ■ t 
 
 Pleasant View House 
 Prospect House (Blue 
 Mountain Lake)... 
 Prospect H.(Schr'n). 
 Pottersville Hotel .... 
 [ Rainbow House. ... 
 
 XI 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Raquette Falls Hotel 111 
 Raquette Lake Hotel. 201 
 Eay Brook House.... 94 
 
 Ralph's.. • ^^ 
 
 RedsideCamp.. •••1^9-e 
 Rockwells Hotel.... 1-8 
 
 Richari 6 House ^^ 
 
 Riverside House ^J7 
 
 187 
 183 
 193 
 114 
 61 
 
 96 
 161 
 
 56 
 
 60 
 . 89 
 . 205 
 109-K 
 
 157 
 
 25 
 
 River View House... 178 
 Rush Point Camp -. 203 
 Rustic Lodge oo 
 
 Root's... ..•• ••■••• '°' 
 Sagamore (Long L.).. 114 
 Strnubert's Cottage. 162 
 St Hubert's Inn 162 
 
 ISnrcffke House 99.0 
 Schroon Lake House 185 
 Stevens H.(L Placid 91 
 Stevens H. (Verg'nes) 29 
 StorrsHouse .^.■- .ej-E 
 St. Regis Lake H....6--B 
 
 Tahawus House ibu 
 
 Taylor House i»^ 
 
 Tromblee's.. 108 
 
 TupperLakeH... 109-^ 
 Undercliff Cottage... 
 Van Ness House.... 
 Wawbeek Lodge. . 
 
 Wayside (Luzerne). 
 
 Westport Inn 
 
 Westside.... 
 
 Wells House ...... 
 
 Whiteface Mt. H. . . 
 
 Windsor (Elizab'htn) 149 
 
 Windsor (Schroon L.) 18^ 
 
 WitheriU House^.^-- 5^ 
 
 LAKE GEORGE HOTELS. 
 
 FortWm. Henry 230 
 Hundred Island H. 233 
 Burleigh House.... 2.W 
 
 Marion House 2^^ 
 
 Pearl Point ^^'^ 
 
 93 
 
 32 
 
 107 
 
 178 
 
 25 
 
 93 
 
 181 
 
 62-D 
 
GATEWAYS TO THE ADIRONDACKS. 
 
 !d M< 
 
 50 cents) ; L OQ Lake, I2.40 
 
 (Page reference refers to pages in •' The Adirondacks Illustrated.") 
 
 Please to consider Mount 
 Marcy the pivot on which mighty- 
 hands turn around over the dial 
 of the Adirondacks, and Platts- 
 burgh will fairly represent I 
 o'clock. Port Kent II, Westport 
 ril. For convenience, there- 
 fore, we will call Plattsburgh 
 Gateway No. i, and let others 
 follow in order as the hand turns 
 the familiar way around the en- 
 tire circle. Distances are given 
 here in black figures and are 
 reckoned from gateways in every 
 instance unless otherwise ex- 
 plained. Fares are also given 
 from " gateways " or point speci- 
 
 "O. 1, PLATTSBURGH, 
 
 3hateaugay R. R. toDanne- 
 . ' a, 70c,; Chazy Lake Sta- 
 tion, |i.2o ; Lyon Mountain, 
 
 $1.40 (stage to Ralph's a 
 (stage to Loon Lak : 
 House, socents); BlooiP- 
 ingdale, $3.00 (stage w 
 Crv-ral Spring House, 2 
 cents ; stage to Pan 
 Smith's, .$1.00); Saranac 
 Lake, $3.35 stage i< 
 Millar's, The Algonquin 
 and Hotel Ampersand. 
 50 cents each (page 96) ; 
 stage to Lake Placid, 
 $1.25 ; (page 89) ; stage 
 to Saranac Inn, $1.50 
 (page 105). 
 
 . From Plattsburgh via 
 Bi^ :h R. R. to Au Sa- 
 ble Station, $1.00; stage 
 (morning) to Keene Val- » '- 
 
 ky (page 153) Wilmington, |2.oo (pages '^i"and 62-D) ; Lake Placid 
 I3. 50 (page 89). 
 
 NO. 2, PORT 
 KENT, by K., A. C. 
 Sz L. C. R. R. to Au 
 Sable Chasm. (See 
 pag'-s 33 to 45). Au 
 Sable Station, (morn- 
 ing ;age), $1.50; Wil- 
 mix.{.^ton, $2.50 ; Lake 
 Placid, $4.00 (page 
 
Gateways. 
 
 N0.3,WESTP0RT, 
 
 stage (connecting with 
 
 all trains and boats), to 
 
 Elizabethtown, $ i . oo ; 
 
 (page 148). Stages from 
 
 midday train and after- 
 noon boat at Westport, 
 
 run to Keene Valley, 
 
 passing all hotels to St. 
 
 Hubert's Inn. Fare, 
 
 $2.50. (See p. 153). Keene Valley to Au Sable Lake morning and 
 
 afternoon. Stage fare, 75c. Stages from Elizabethtown, morning, 
 
 to Keen, |2. 50 ; Cascade House, $3.00 ; Adirondack Lodge, $4.50; 
 
 Ames', $3.50 ; Lake Placid, $4. (See pages 83 to 94.) 
 NO. 4, PORT HENRY, 
 
 stage (evening) to Mineville, 
 
 morning stage from Mine- 
 ville to Root's, $1.50; (Tues- 
 day, Thursday, and Satur- 
 day,) to Newcomb, $3.00. 
 NO. 5, CROWN POINT, 
 
 C. P. 1. R. R. to Hammondville, 60c.; stage 
 
 to Paradox, |i.io ; Schroon Lake, $2.10. 
 NO. 6, ADDISON JUNCTION, stages 
 
 meeting all trains run to Ticonderoga Vil- 
 lage, 2 miles, 25c. (Hotel, Burleigh House.) 
 
 Special to Schroon Lake, 20 miles, or Root's, 
 
 thence to Long Lake, same as No. 4. 
 
 FORT TICONDEROGA (station) ; train 
 
 through Lake George to 
 
 Caldwell. 
 NO. 7, SARATOGA, 
 
 to Luzerne, 69c. ; (page 
 
 177) Riverside, $1.50; stage 
 
 toChestertown,,$2.25; Pot- 
 
 tersville, $2.50; head of 
 
 Schroon Lake, (steamer), 
 
 $3.25. (See page 180.) 
 
 Saratoga to North Creek, 
 
 $1.74 ; (page 189) stage to 
 
 North River, $2.25; (page 
 
 190), Indian Lake. $3.50; 
 
 Blue Mountain Lake, $4-75 ; (page 193) 
 Long Lake, $6. 25 ; (page 
 1 14) through Blue Mt. and 
 Raquette Lake to 
 Forked Lake Carry, by 
 steamer, $6.50. (Pages 
 121 and 202.) 
 
 NO. 8, FONDA, Rail- 
 road to Northville, $1 00; 
 stage to Sageville, 13.00, 
 For "WoodhuU Lake and 
 Bisby Chain, leave the 
 
 R. W. & O. Railroad at Alder Creek Sta- 
 tion, special to White Lake, 9 miles ; to Wood- 
 hull Lake, 19 miles. 
 
 Baldwin, steamer 
 
Gateways. 
 
 NO. 9, BOONEVILLE. Stage daily 
 to Moose River, 12 miles, $1.00. Rail- 
 road to Minnelialia, 20 miles, i|2.oo. 
 Steamer to Forge House, $3.00. Steam- 
 er on Fulton Chain to head of Fourth 
 Lake (steamer 12 miles. |i.oo.) Page 
 206. 
 
 NO. 10, LOWVILLE, stage to 
 " Number Four," Beaver Lake, 18 miles (special 4 or 5 persons, 
 $6.) To Stillwater, |i2. (Page 211.) 
 
 NO. 11, CARTHAGE, Railroad to Lake Bonaparte, 17 miles, 
 54 cents ; Oswegatchie, 39 miles, $1.17 ; Benson Mines, 44 miles, 
 $1.32 ; Cranberry Lake overflow (trail) 48 miles ; Cranberry Lake 
 House, guide's boat, 54 miles. (See page 213.) 
 
 GOUVERNEUR, stage daily to Fine, 
 
 25 miles, $1.63 ; row-boat up the Oswe- 
 gatchie River to Cranberry Lake, (13 miles.) 
 NO. 12, DE KALB JUNCTION, stage 
 to Clarksboro, 22 miles, special conveyance 
 to Cranberry Lake, 36 miles. (Page 213.) 
 NO. 13, POTSDAM, stage daily to Col- 
 ton, 75 cents ; South Colton, $1. To Stark, 
 (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at 7 A.M.), 
 $1.75 ; Sevey, $2.75 ; Childwold, $3- (Page 
 
 ICQ- A.) 
 
 NO. 14, MORIA, R.R. to St. Regis Falls, 
 50 cents ; Santa Clara, 90 cents ; Spring 
 Cove, $1.15 ; (Blue Mountain House, 4 
 
 miles from Spring Cove, fare 75 cents ;) 
 
 Paul Smith Station, $1.50: Paul 
 
 Smith's (stage), $2. (Page 57.) Sar- 
 
 anac Inn Station, $2 ; (Saranac Inn 
 
 by stage ,$i) ; Childwold Station,$2. 50 ; 
 
 (Childwold Park House, by stage, $1 ; 
 
 page 109-C.) Tupper Lake Station, 
 $2.50 ; (Wawbeek 
 Lodge, by stage, $1.) 
 Steamboat to Tup- 
 per Lake House, 
 $3.50; page 109-E. 
 
 NO. 15, MA- 
 LONE, stage (Mon- 
 day, Wednesday and 
 Friday) to Duane, 
 $1.50; Loon Lake, 
 $3. (Page 55). 
 
 NO. 16, CHATEAUGAY, daily stage to the 
 foot of Lower Chateaugay Lake, 50 cents. A 
 steamer runs daily, making the excursion of the 
 two lakes, $1. See pages 55 and 59 to 62. 
 
 
THE IDIRONMCKS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 In General. 
 
 N wings of thought swifter than the light- 
 ning's flash we sweep away across the drowsy- 
 earth, over smoke -polluted cities, sun- 
 scorched meadows, burning plain and high- 
 ways with their flaunting skirts of sand, nor 
 rest until the fragrant odor of wild flowers 
 and the dewy breath of forest trees come 
 like incense wafted to us from below. 
 
 Come with me up into a high mountain. 
 I cannot show you " all the kingdoms of 
 the world," — but "the glory of them." Over a rippling 
 ocean of forests first, in long, swelling waves now rising, 
 now sinking down into deep hollows ; here in grand moun- 
 tains, crested as with caps of foam, there tormented by 
 counter currents into wildly dashing shapes, like ocean bil- 
 lows frozen by Divine command, their summit-glittering 
 granite, their deep green troughs, gleaming with threads of 
 silver and bits of fallen sky. 
 
 Now the trees of the valley glide away behind us, then 
 come dark spruce and pine and the sturdy balsam climbing 
 the mountain-side — tall and graceful at first, but growing 
 smaller as they rise, -gnarled and twisted, and scarce above 
 the surface, sending their branches out close along the 
 ground, their white tops bleached and ghastly, like dead 
 roots of upturned trees, the hardy lichens still higher ; then 
 comes naked rock, and we stand on the wind-swept summit 
 
2 The Adirondacks. 
 
 of the monarch of the Adirondacks — '' Tahawus," the 
 cloud-sphtter of the Indian. 
 
 Around their chief, cluster the other great peaks — east, 
 west, north, south, hmitless, numberless, a confused mass of 
 peaks and ridges, crowding close up to the base of the one 
 on which we stand, and receding in waves of green all down 
 through the scale of color to its blue and purple edge. Pen 
 cannot convey an idea of its sublimity ; the pencil fails to 
 even suggest the blended strength and delicacy of the scene. 
 The rude laugh is hushed, the boisterous shout dies out on 
 reverential lips, the body shrinks down, feeling its own little- 
 ness, while the soul expands, and, rising above the earth, 
 claims kinship with its Creator, questioning not His 
 existence. 
 
 Standing on this, the highest point in the State of New 
 York, 5,344 feet above tide, we will glance at the country 
 around. The term, at first applied to this cluster of moun- 
 tains, which occupy less than one-quarter of the region, has 
 come by usage to mean the entire wilderness, an area of 
 over 8,000 square miles of almost unbroken forest. The 
 grand mountain region is in the center on the east, dropping 
 off suddenly into Lake Champlain ; around it, and sweeping 
 away to the west, is a vast, comparatively level plateau, 
 nearly 2,000 feet above tide, with here and there a moun- 
 tain peak overlooking the plain., the two regions differing in 
 every respect, save in the dense forests that cover both. If 
 you are given to muscular exercise, climbing and viewing 
 nature from high places, choose the eastern portion. If con- 
 stitutionally tired, or inclined to dream away the quiet hours, 
 then go to the magnificent west, where lakes and streams 
 are so closely connected that almost every mile of that vast 
 tract may be traversed by boat, save short carries from one 
 water system into another, or around some fall. Camping 
 even is not necessary if you prefer hotel life, for there are 
 but few wilderness routes that do not have halting places 
 less than a day's journey apart. 
 
In General. 3 
 
 The Adirondack wilderness, as known to the pubHc gen- 
 erally, may be divided into three general divisions or sys- 
 tems, which collectively entertain the great bulk of visitors, 
 and are representatives of the whole, namely, the Saranac 
 and St. Regis waters of Franklin county, whose natural gate- 
 way is Plattsburgh and Port Kent ; the mountain region of 
 Keene, North Elba and Lake Placid, in Essex county, with 
 entrance at Westport ; and the Blue Mountain and Raquette 
 waters, in Hamilton county, reached by way of the Adiron- 
 dack railroad from Saratoga. 
 
 Of these sections the first-mentioned has become the 
 more widely celebrated as a region where fashion and fish- 
 ing is admirably blended, and has its patrons who are 
 looked for as regularly as the seasons. The second is less 
 known in fact, but its grand mountains and lovely valleys 
 have become familiar on the canvas of great painters ; while 
 the Raquette region has an air of newness and morning 
 freshness, as if just awakened from a long and refreshing 
 sleep, and is making rapid strides in popular favor. Each 
 section, while possessing something of the characteristics of 
 the others, has its own individual attractions; and while 
 connected by natural highways, over which the nomad often 
 goes, they still to a considerable extent preserve their indi- 
 viduality, and each is complete and sufficient unto itself. 
 
 Among the less noted divisions are the Grass and Oswe- 
 gatchie region, in St. Lawrence county, which probably 
 contains the most game, because less visited; the Bea\^er 
 and Moose river region, in Herkimer, somewhat tame, bat 
 affording excellent hunting and fishing; and the Lake 
 Pleasant region, in southern Hamilton county, all of them 
 with more or less local interest and a patronage derived prin- 
 cipally from the cities of Central and Western New York. 
 Keene Valley is a favorite resort with artists. Raquette 
 Lake has the most elaborate, and the Upper Saranac the 
 greatest number of private camps occupied during the season. 
 
4 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Places of entertainment, from the well-appointed hotel on- 
 the border to the rude log-house and open camp of the 
 interior, are found at intervals throughout the entire wilder- 
 ness, all waiting with open doors to receive the stranger, the 
 consideration being from $3 per day down to $5 per week ; 
 for particulars concerning which see under heading of 
 " Hotels," following index. 
 
 A peculiarity of the Adirondack region is its freedom 
 from rough or vicious characters. Evil finds nothing con- 
 genial in its bright skies and pure, fresh atmosphere. Con- 
 ventionalities that obtain at other resorts are not held 
 binding here; the fact of actual presence is accepted as 
 guaranty of the possession of those mutual sympathies and 
 qualifications which here, at least, make the whole world kin, 
 and makes it possible for gentlemen to wear blue shirts and 
 old hats, and ladies to travel without male escort from one 
 end of the wilderness to the other. Indeed, it is no uncom- 
 mon thing for parties of ladies to make the tour of the 
 woods, accompanied only by the necessary complement of 
 guides to furnish motive power, spending day after day in 
 their boat, and at night reaching one step farther in the 
 extended system of hotels. 
 
 Outfit. — Full dress is seldom seen, even at the mos' 
 fashionable resorts, and is exceeded in absurdity only by th( 
 conventional stage trapper, who occasionally bursts upoi 
 the astonished wilderness in fringed buckskin, and ismarkec 
 at once as a " fresh." Your right to enter the best societ^ 
 will not be questioned because of dress. Clothing ordi 
 narily worn is sufticient for all occasions, with perhaps tht 
 addition of a soft felt hat and roomy walking shoes or boot 
 for boat or tramp. 
 
 Camp and Sporting Outfit, clothing, supplies, etc., ar 
 given in a special chapter, with various suggestions ; how 
 ever, a complete list of articles considered necessary or con 
 venient should be made out, in advance of the time fo 
 departure, by each individual; then, in committee of th' 
 
In General. 5 
 
 whole, decide on what is really necessary or suitable, taking 
 into consideration the nature of the trip and means of 
 reaching the appointed camping ground. If it be not over- 
 difficult of access, carry anything which will contribute to 
 your reasonable comfort, in the way of blankets, clothing, 
 etc. Do not sleep in the clothing worn during the day, if 
 it can be avoided — it is a positive luxury to be able to 
 make an entire change for night use. 
 
 The gloriously healthful air of the wilderness will unques- 
 tionably give you new Hfe and vigor, but it labors at a ter- 
 rible disadvantage, if at the beginning your bed of boughs 
 affords no rest; where sleep comes only with complete 
 exhaustion, as is often the case in the first few nights of 
 camp life, and where the early morning finds you pitiably 
 weak and languid, and ready to move simply because motion 
 is a relief to the poor bruised body and aching joints. 
 " Roughing it " is grand in theory, and sounds well in after 
 history, but is bad in practice and often impedes, if it does 
 not entirely defeat the object for which it was undertaken. 
 You are presumably out for pleasure, do not, therefore, 
 make severe labor of it; have paid help sufficient to do 
 camp work, if, at any time, inclination tempt you to watch 
 the zenith from some mossy vantage ground, or to drift idly 
 among the still waters, absorbing with newly awakened 
 instincts the subtle lessons taught by nature. 
 
 If your party can afford the expense, take your cook 
 along. Guides, as a rule, can prepare an acceptable forest 
 meal, and some are very skillful In that line, but the very 
 qualities which contribute to make the successful guide — 
 *'the mighty hunter" — often renders him indifferent to the 
 quality of his food, and incapable of understanding the 
 cravings of a delicate appetite ; at all events, carry a cook 
 book. Camp fare is apt to become monotonous after a 
 time, and although familiar with a hundred dishes, when 
 brought face to face with the appalling necessity of prepar- 
 ing a straight meal, your mind becomes a blank and you 
 
6 The Adirondacks. 
 
 drop weakly back to the same old stew of yesterday — and 
 the day before — and life becomes a burden. 
 
 Expenses cannot be fairly estimated, varying so widely 
 with the habits and requirements of different individuals. 
 If you travel simply in channels having public conveyance, 
 the cost may be accurately determined by referring to fares, 
 etc., found under their a.ppropriate heading in this book. 
 If you go outside the public lines of travel, or camp, you 
 will require the service of a guide. 25 to 30 cents per day 
 will supply the table with necessaries, and some luxuries 
 even, for each person while in camp. 
 
 Guides, terms for service, suggestions, etc., page 214. 
 
 Hotels. — Information relating to hotels is gathered an- 
 nually, and prices charged for board given with notice of 
 house in " Hotel Directorv," at back of book, for which see 
 special index, page vii. 
 
 " Gateways " will lead you from circumference to centre 
 of the wilderness, with line, distances and fares ; while under 
 the heading of " railroads, steamboats and stages," will be 
 found approaches and general information — for all of which 
 see index. 
 
 Trout, their habits and peculiarities, with suggestions aj 
 to outfit, fishing, etc., is treated at length in chapter XIX. 
 The article is from the pen of A. N. Cheney, of Glens 
 Falls, an enthusiastic votary of the gentle art, and authority 
 in the matter whereof he speaks, and gives, in readable 
 shape more solid information ot use to those who would 
 enjoy the same than a dozen of the ordinary fishing 
 romances of the day, with their sensations, impi^'ssions, 
 tingles, thrills and frills. 
 
 Finally, bear in mind that this volume is designed to give 
 its readers, in convenient sha} e, information of general 
 interest to the ninety and nine concerning points and places, 
 roads and regions visited by them, with hints and sugges- 
 tions of the deeper mysteries of camp and trail that may 
 
In General. 
 
 serve to pilot the one-hundredth to points where the inteUi- 
 gent guide becomes an absolute necessity, and beyond which 
 direction in book form would confuse, rather than instruct. 
 For the sake of clearness, therefore, we have omitted descrip- 
 tion of the multitude of minor lakes, ponds, streams and 
 trails which duplicate each other over the entire wilderness, 
 and which cannot be followed without the aid of an experi- 
 enced guide. To those who would have a comprehensive 
 idea of the whole region, it is hoped the map, designed to 
 supplement the information contained herein, will be a wel- 
 come companion until it can be safely laid aside for the more 
 specific knowledge of the guide, whose office neither book 
 nor map can ever fill. 
 
 As the map of the wilderness is introduced, it may not be 
 
 entirely uninteresting to ex- 
 plain its manner of build- 
 ing. A large portion of the 
 great Adirondack region has 
 never been surveyed with 
 chain and rod, and probably 
 will not be for years to come, 
 but the rapid development 
 of portions and the grow, 
 ing importance of the 
 whole as a summer resort 
 makes necessary a map made 
 specially to meet the re- 
 quirements of tourist and 
 sportsman. 
 
 In its construction, all available sources of information 
 have been brought into requisition. Important points 
 outside the wilderness proper were determined in 
 accordance with official surveys, and connected with 
 the mountains of the interior, whose principal peaks 
 were accurately located by triangulation made expressly 
 
 MINIATURE SKETCH OF MAP. 
 
8 The Adirondacks. 
 
 for this work. Access has also been had to important sur- 
 veys made under State patronage and by private parties, 
 which are now, for the first time, given to the pubUc in map 
 form. In addition to this absolutely reliable material, draw- 
 ings of small sections on an extended scale, covering in the 
 aggregate the entire region, were sent in duplicate to men 
 familiar with the various localities for correction, and were 
 made as full and complete as possible — careful attention be- 
 ing given to proportion and distance — with wild trails, car- 
 ries, ponds and streams, many of which are now for the first 
 time laid down on any map. Reduced to an uniform scale 
 by photography, the result, it is believed, approaches per- 
 fection as nearly as can be, short of actual trigonometrical 
 survey. It gives altitudes, as determined by late measure- 
 ment ; the location of all hotels and principal camps, with 
 roads leading thereto ; shows distance in figures on roads, 
 trails and streams, and indicates also the nature of the latter 
 in important instances. All roads within its limits are care- 
 fully laid down, the leading ones distinguished from those 
 less important by being in solid black fine, and altogetheir 
 showing, by their number or entire absence in places, the 
 cultivated or wilderness nature of that particular region. 
 
 To the gathering, compilation and reduction of the mass 
 of material made use of, and its final redrawing for the 
 engraver the entire autumn and winter of 1879 were given 
 and finally, with a feeling of tenderness which can be 
 appreciated only by those who, in a labor of love, have seen 
 its object growing under their hands from day to day until 
 
 completion, it was sent forth for such welcome as it miejht 
 find. 
 
 Since its completion in 1879, as above, annual editions 
 have been issued, revised, and corrected, to keep pace with 
 the changes in road and trail, and for the addition of camp 
 or hotel in this rapidly-growing region. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Narrative. 
 
 ING up the curtain to low, sweet music, the 
 music of a September night, the blending of the 
 myriad voices of the swamp into one long mono- 
 tone, that seems to make you, wherever you 
 stand and listen, its center. The scene is a dark 
 waste of water, up out of which grow reeds 
 and coarse grasses, that sway back and forth 
 with the surging waves ; over at the west is a 
 low range of bluffs ; on the east are mountains; 
 near by, dusky white strips run here and there, 
 beyond which a broader one reflects the 
 cloudy sky, dark bodies are moving slowly 
 along and lights twinkle as they pass to and 
 fro ; beyond, and to the south, a high hill rises up, belted with 
 strings of stars ; at its base they hang in clusters ; they sepa- 
 rate and pass up and down, are swung in circles, disappear and 
 appear again in a most curious manner, and faintly comes the 
 voices of the boatmen, the drivers, the lock-tenders, and the 
 busy hum of the distant village. At the north, where the 
 western wall comes down, the solid rock is notched out, ovei 
 which rises the rocky crests of a mountain range, while away 
 beyond winds the marsh-embordered rock-hemmed waters of 
 Lake Champlain. 
 
 A low, rumbling sound comes from the south, then the solid 
 wall that shuts us in on that side seems riven asunder, and from 
 out the ^arth, with breath of flame, and eve of fire gleaming 
 
TO The Adirondacks. 
 
 out ahead, thunders the night express. Across the manh, 
 it comes, bringing in its train a host of lesser lights, and 
 with a shriek that dashes sharply and is broken into a con- 
 fused din of echoes, it plunges into the northern wall, through 
 the narrow cut to the other side, and with the hiss of escaping 
 steam, the noisy clanging of its beli, the rattling of iron rods 
 ind links, the trembling, jerking and swaying of the long 
 coaches, as the brakes are drawn hard against the moving 
 wheels ; then with the dying roar of its subsiding power, the 
 iron monster rests at the end of its journey. Just for the mo- 
 ment we feel the hush. 
 
 *' the rest of the tide between the ebb and the flow/* 
 
 Then the nature of the sounds change, the quick, sharp 
 words of command, of shouting and confusion, the shut- 
 fling of feet, as streams of life pour out from the various 
 coaches, and convergirg, flow over the broad plank on to 
 the boat that has been waiting to re( eive them ; there is no 
 need of asking the way ; it is plain to all, for while on the left 
 is nothing but darkness and a dingy, uninviting pile of build- 
 ings, on the right rises a great mass of white, with moving 
 forms and flashing light ; windows bright, with stained glass 
 and frosted silver, rising tier on tier, begirt with beams 
 and rods of iron, and above all. coming up from the fires be- 
 low, wave banners of flame, whose fiery particles separating, 
 dance away and are lost in the darkness. Whew ! What a 
 storm, not a thunder storm exactly, although there are indi- 
 cations of the sulphurous in the language sometimes heard, but 
 a shower of baggage ; it rains trunks, boxes, satchels, bun- 
 dles, bags, from the car which has been brought to a stop 
 directly in front of the gang-plank, and a double stream of 
 trucks, drawn and propelled by stalwart men, go down undei 
 huge loads, and, coming up empty, run and wheel and dodge 
 about, appearing always on the point of, but never actually 
 getting run over. 
 
 Through all the confusion the man who seems to have the 
 least to do stands quietly by the rail, seeing every thing, but 
 savinor nothing, unless occasionally to give a command in a 
 xfW tone ; then, as the last truck load is on the move, he 
 
Under Weigh ii 
 
 touches a cord at his hand, a bell up in the pilot house tinkles, a 
 few quick strokes on the big bell follows, the last man rushes 
 over the plank, which is pulled aboard, and the great hawsers 
 are cast oflf ; then, again, the little bell, up where the pilot stands 
 signifies that the boat is from thence out under his control, 
 and he is responsible for her safety. Now, down along the 
 wires to the engine-room the message goes ; we hear the long 
 hollow breathing of the steam as it rushes into the cylinder; 
 the ponderous beam above tips slowly on its center; the 
 wheels seem stepping on the water as they revolve ; the great 
 mass swings out into the channel, and moves away through 
 the night like a great pearl surrounded by a luminous atmos- 
 phere. A little shining world all alone by itself.* 
 
 Thus we saw it one night in 
 the autumn of '73. We means 
 the professor and myself. Who 
 the professor is, or what he pro- 
 fesses, doesn't matter, as long 
 as this is a non-professional 
 
 trip ; but it may be of interest 
 considering the field selected 
 for our observations to know 
 that the professor is not actually 
 stupendous, either in length, 
 breadth or thickness, and not 
 particular about his diet; perish the thought I He simply 
 abstains from the absorption of that mysterious compound 
 known as hash, on account of the uncertainty of its origin. 
 Revolts at sight of sausages, as it is unpleasantly suggestive 
 of a dear little dog that he once loved. Can't endure cream 
 in his coffee, because it "looks so, floating round on top," 
 and whose heart bleeds and appetite vanishes if an unlucky 
 fly chances to take a hot bath in his tea. To these peculi- 
 arities, add a disposition to see the fun in his own foilornness, 
 and with boyishness dyed in the wool, the professor stands 
 before you. As for the author of this, perhaps the least said 
 the better. He hasn't the heart to say any thing bad, and a 
 determination to confine himself strictly to facts, interferes 
 Bomewhat with the glowing eulogy struggling to find vent 
 
 'Tbe boat is now taken at Ticonderoga, making 4ay trips only, leaving PkttaiMiixIi in 
 the morning and returning in the afternoon 
 
12 The Adirondacks. 
 
 suffice it to say, that nature was very lavish in the bestowal 
 of longitude, although not noticeably so in regard to latitude, 
 giving also a disposition to dare, and a physical develop- 
 ment capable of enduring a vast amount of arduous rest 
 Going — the dainty professor and ease-loving writer, enthu- 
 siastic sportsman, with neither gun, rod, umbrella or other 
 instrument of death, armed only with sketch and note-book, 
 ind hearts to drink in the glories of the great wild woods 
 — to the mountains for health and strength to frames not 
 over strong. 
 
 We found ourselves on board the " Vermont," the largest 
 of the Champlain steamers ; and as it swung out into the 
 channel, went out forward, up odd little pieces of stairway 
 and canvass side hills ; ducked under and climbed over iron 
 rods and groped along in the darkness on the hurricane deck 
 to the pilot-house. 
 
 As we entered, our eyes becoming accustomed to the dark- 
 ness, made out the form of Rockwell, the chief pilot, with 
 two assistants, wrestling with the many-spoked wheel, which 
 throbbed and trembled as they forced it over to one side 
 while the lights ahead seemed to swing swiftly past as wt 
 «wept around a sharp bend in the channel. 
 
 A quick, low word of command, and the chain rattled and 
 the wheel spun around like lightning as they jumped awa^ 
 from it. 
 
 "Now," said the pilot. 
 
 Six hands pattered on the polished spokes, and the aif 
 seemed full of clawing, jumping shadows. 
 
 "Over with her." 
 
 The wheel creaked and snapped with the strain brought to 
 bear on it ; the lights away out ahead, that had passed acrosf 
 to the right, now raced wildly back to the left, and we circled 
 around in the darkness, out of which, into the circle of light 
 that surrounded us, came reedy shores and low lines of 
 bushes, seeming almost to brush against us as we passed. 
 
 "Steady now. Good evening, gentlemen." 
 
 The last half of the sentence, while it was friendly, was evi- 
 dently intended as a sort of reconnoissance. It had inquiry 
 in it, and said plainly, " I want to hear the sound of youi 
 voice." 
 
The Pilot. 13 
 
 We said, " Good evening." 
 
 * Up a little — steady — let her run — Oh, yes ; I didn't 
 recognize your voice — hard over that Hght's out again — 
 you are a little hoarse ; ought to take something for that." 
 
 ** We were ; a trip to the mountains ; " and he said it was 
 an excellent plan — ]et her chaw ; the reaction will clear her 
 — .wished he could — luff a point — among the grand things 
 — said she was light aft, and clawed to starboard ; asked if 
 we could fully indorse Tyndall's theory of nebular hegira ; 
 thought the Greek slave a perfect figure ; said she sucked 
 mud through here, sometimes, and they had to be careful 
 of her flues ; wanted to know if we had given the evolement 
 of solar faculae much thought ; descended with Darwin to 
 our remote progenitors ; gyrated among the wheeHng con- 
 stellation ; floated through eternity ; touched on the crea- 
 tion ; paddled around with Noah ; got lost with the children 
 of Israel ; skittered along down through the dark ages ; said 
 it wasn't going to rain, which suggested Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah ; admired Joan of Arc — said she carried an awful head 
 of steam, but her boilers were good ; wanted our opinion as 
 to the probable origin of creative energy and of the cohesive 
 materialism of latent force. Shades of Egypt ! the professor 
 wilted, and we had to admit that Moses himself couldn't 
 have taken us out of the scientific wilderness, and Rockwell 
 thought Moses wasn't much of a pilot anyway. 
 
 Thus he mixes art, science and physics while demonstrat- 
 ing perfection in navigation ; peering out into the darkness, 
 seeming to feel rather than see the channel ; now circUng 
 around a lamp hung out as a guide, then away toward others 
 that seem to pass and repass each other, as we sway to and 
 fro, where in places a deviation the width of the boat to the 
 right or left would bring it on the muddy banks ; at times 
 seeming to hang out over the reeds, anon waking a whole 
 swarm of hissing, chuckling echoes as we run close under a 
 rocky wall ; then onward, into broader strips of water, under 
 the frowning promontory of Ticonderoga; then -vwe went 
 below. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Lake Champlain. 
 
 HE first white sporting man that ever visited 
 the Adirondacks was Samuel de Champlain, a 
 Frenchman, who, in 1609, joined a company of 
 native tourists on a gunning expedition to the 
 southern borders of the future State park. 
 where he fell in with a party of Iroquois and 
 succeeded in bagging a satisfactory number. 
 Samuel, besides being an enthusiastic sports- 
 man, was of a vivacious, happy disposition, as 
 witness his felicitous description of the mannei 
 in which he, at the first shot, brought down 
 three out of four Aborigines, who broke cover, 
 then pursued and killed some others; he 
 should, however, receive no credit as a marksman, for he 
 used a beastly arm called an "arquebus," a remote progeni- 
 tor of the terrible blunderbuss — a shot-gun, which same, I 
 think, all will agree is beneath the dignity of a true sports- 
 man to point toward such game. After this adventure, 
 which happened the same year that Hendrick Hudson sailed 
 up the river that now bears his name, and eleven years 
 before the original pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock, he 
 returned home and wrote an interesting account of the 
 affair, calling the sheet of water explored after himself — Lake 
 Champlain. Just two centuries after his passage in a canoe, 
 the first steamboat was launched on the lake. When he came, 
 the Indians called it Cam adtre quaranU, spelled in various 
 ways, and said by learned authorities who copy it from some 
 one else, to mean "the lake that is the gate of the country." 
 By the early French who did not choose to recognize Cham- 
 plain's right to the name, it was known as Mer^ Us Iroquois, 01 
 "Iracosia." A book published in 1659 speaks of it as "the 
 lake of Troquois, which, together with a river of the sinwi 
 
The Adirondacks. 
 
 name, running into the river of Canada, is sixty or seventy 
 leagues in length. In the lake are four fair islands, which are 
 low and full of goodly woods and meadows, having store of 
 game for hunting. Stagges, Fallow Dear, Elks, Roe Bucks, 
 Beavers, and other sorts of beasts." In shape it is very like 
 a long, slim radish, with Whitehall at the little end ; then 
 comes the long root and outbranching river fibers. At Bur- 
 lington, quite a respectable radish, then blotches of rock and 
 island, and, beyond that, the leaves spreading out on either 
 side and toward the North. 
 
 On the east is Vermont, sweeping away from the lake m a 
 broad, cultivated plain, then gradually ascending to the ridges 
 of the Green mountains ; along the southern and central por- 
 tion of the lake, the rocky western shores step down to the 
 water's edge and backward, rising up peak on peak the high- 
 est, misty with distance or hidden by the clouds that gatnei 
 around ; then wild, broken and grand, the Adirondack moun- 
 tains. Here and there are little bits of cultivated land and 
 breaks in the mountain-gateways to the wilderness, then as 
 you near Burlington, they fall away back into the interior, and 
 a level, well-cultivated country presents itselC 
 
 According to the Uaited States coast survey, the distance 
 from Whitehall to Fort Montgomery is 107 J miles; its 
 greatest width across, from the outlet of Ausable river, 12 J 
 miles, and greatest depth (at a point i| miles south-east of 
 Essex landing) 399 feet. Measuring down into Missisquoi 
 bay, on the east side, extending into Canada, and separated 
 from the oudet by Alburgh Tongue, the extreme length of 
 the lake maybe found at about 118 miles. Its elevation 
 above tide is 99 feet. 
 
 It contains a number of beautiful islands, principally near 
 the north end, the two largest known respectively as North 
 and South Hero, and collectively as Grand Isle, a county of 
 Vermont. 
 
 The New York & Canada R. R., extending along the 
 west shore of the lake, is the missing link in the air line 
 chain between New York and Montreal, supplied by the 
 
IIMI 
 
 ^" 
 
 «^ 
 
 m 
 
 '/I 
 
White PI ALL. 17 
 
 Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, in 1875, and m con- 
 nection with the Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad and 
 Hudson River at the south, and a section of the Grand 
 Trunk from the Canada line north, is the main artery of 
 travel between the two great cities. At various points, rail 
 or stage routes diverge, leading to the central portions of the 
 wilderness. 
 
 Whitehall is at the head of Lake Champlain; 219 miles 
 north of New York, 78 from Albany. As we break through 
 the ledges and approach from the south, the valley spreads 
 out toward the east in a fertile plain ; at the right, toward the 
 north, is quite a mountain, girded with outcropping ledges 
 that run up from the east at an angle of about thirty degrees, 
 and are broken off precipitously on the west ; all along this 
 front, houses cling one above another like rows of martins' 
 boxes, and wooden stairways run zigzag up the sides, which, 
 if bought by the acre, would bring the most measured per- 
 pendicularly. Climbing the stairway we look down on the 
 business portion of the village, close, compact and city-like 
 below and thinning out gradually up the hill on the west. 
 Going still higher, a pathway is found leading to the summit 
 which is comparatively clear and affords a wonderfully fine 
 mountain view for a little exertion. 
 
 Whitehall was originally called Skeenesborough, after CoL 
 Philip Skeene, who accompanied Abercrombie in 1758 ; waa 
 wounded in his attack on Ticonderoga and, after Amherst's 
 victorious advance in the following year, was appointed com- 
 mandant at Crown Point, at which time he projected the set- 
 tlement. In 1765, he obtained a grant of the township and, 
 in 1770, took up his residence here. On the breaking out ol 
 the Revolution he took sides with the Royalists, accompanied 
 Burgoyne in his expedition against Ticonderoga and was 
 captured with him at Saratoga ; his property was confiscated 
 by act of Legislature in 1779. 
 
 Wood Creek, that fi-om its very head, has flown sleepily 
 along, seems to have awakened suddenly and with a quick 
 start, a joyous little run, a little foam and a little racket 
 plunges over the rocks, and dies out in the muddy lake at 
 
1 8 The Adirondacks. 
 
 our feet. Close to the falls the canal boats and gmall steam- 
 ere come, and line the banks of the bayou-like lake that leads 
 away to the north through what seems a basin scooped out 
 of the mountains, its marshy bed filled here and there with 
 pieces of "made" land on which are steam mills, and long 
 piles of lumber, representing the principal business of the 
 place. 
 
 At Whitehall, the train divides, — a part going east and north 
 via Castleton and Rutland, the remainder north, down along 
 the principal street, through the tunnel, out at the north edge 
 of the village to the lumber district, and across the marsh- 
 bottomed basin toward a notch cut out of its farther rim. 
 
 Just before entering the rock-cut alluded to, we see on the 
 east a short double crook, in the narrow channel, known as 
 the Fiddler's Elbow, where the large steamers were com- 
 pelled to send a line ashore and " warp " round into a proper 
 position to proceed; here, under water, are the hulks of some 
 of the vessels engaged in the battle of Plattsburgh, in 1814. 
 On the high point of rocks just over and slightly to the north 
 of the Elbow is Fort Putnam, where the old colonial general, 
 — Israel — ^lay in ambush, waiting for the French and Indians 
 under the command of Marin. 
 
 The steamboat dock, formerly the northern terminus of the 
 road, with its half-demolished sheds and old elevator, is, par- 
 adoxically speaking, left on the right as the train skims over 
 the surface of the marsh on the long trestle, straight as the 
 arrow flies, for over a mile, and over the draw at the outlet 
 of South bay, along which Dieskau led his men to attack 
 Fort Edward, failing in which they turned toward Lake 
 George and fell in with Col. Williams on that memorable 
 8th of September, 1755. 
 
 Winding in and out we continue along the west shore 
 breaking through rocky points and cuts, where the clay has 
 been sliced down and removed like huge chunks of cheese, 
 revealing on their face horizontal strata that must at some 
 time have been the bed of the lake. On the east, at inter- 
 vals, are the odd, little light houses and posts where lanterns 
 were hung to mark the tortuous channel. Low reedy islands 
 
TiCONDEROGA. 19 
 
 and points float outward from the shores, and the grand, 
 
 rocky gateways opening up as we advance, reveal vistas of 
 wondrous beauty, strips of far-reaching water, and the blue 
 of distant mountain peaks. Between the solid points we 
 cross on trestle work or made land, and which same openings 
 have proved a delusion and a snare to the unfortunate con 
 tractor doomed to wrestle with them. 
 
 Twenty-two miles from Whitehall, our rope of travel is 
 divided in three strands, the one at the left branching off 
 around Mount Defiance to the foot of Lake George, the mid- 
 dle continuing on by rail along the west shore, and the remain- 
 ing one proceeding in nearly the same direction by steamboat, 
 touching at the principal points by the way. * 
 
 Fort Ticonderoga is 24 miles from Whitehall on a bold 
 promontory between the waters of Lake Champkin and the 
 outlet of Lake George. 
 
 Here were enacted the principal events in the play of the 
 ake ; here savage tribes contended for the country on either 
 nand ; here three great nations struggled for the prize of a 
 continent, and precious blood flowed like water for this, the 
 key to the "gate of the country," by its position elected to 
 become historic ground ; as such, let us glance briefly in 
 passing. 
 
 Claimed by the Hurons and Algonqulns on the north, and 
 the Five Nations, on the south, Lake Champlain was perma- 
 nently occupied by neither, but the gateway between two 
 sections that were continually at war with each other, the 
 bloody middle ground over which each party in its turn swept 
 carrying ruin in its path. This had driven all who would 
 have occupied it beyond the mountains, and the lovely shores 
 remained in unbroken solitude. Thus Champlain found it 
 when, in July, 1609, he sailed south with the Indians from 
 the St. Lawrence to make war upon their southern enemies, 
 and " encountered a war party of the Iroquois on the 29th of 
 the month, about ten o'clock at night, at the point of a cape 
 nrhich puts out into the lake on the west side." They each 
 retired until the morning, when a battle ensued. Champlain 
 
20 IHE ADIRONDACKS. 
 
 was kept out of sight until they marched to the attack. H* 
 says: "Ours commenced, calling me in a loud voice, and, 
 making way for me, opened in two and placed me at theii 
 head, marching about twenty paces in advance until I was 
 within thirty paces of the enemy." 
 
 " The moment they saw me they halted, gazing at me and 
 I at them. When I saw them preparing to shoot at us, 1 
 raised my arquebus, and aiming directly at one of the three 
 chiefs, two of them fell to the ground by this shot, and one ol 
 their companions received a wound, of which he died after- 
 ward. I had put four balls in my arquebus. Ours, in witness- 
 ing a shot so favorable to them, set up such tremendous 
 shouts that thunder could not have been heard ; and yet there 
 was no lack of arrows on one side and the other. The Iro- 
 quois were greatly astonished, seeing two men killed so 
 instantaneously, notwithstanding they were provided with 
 arrow-proof armor, woven of cotton-thread and wood. * * < 
 They lost courage, took to flight, and abandoned the field and 
 their fort, hiding themselves in the depths of the forests, 
 whither pursuing them I killed some others. * ♦ ♦ Tha 
 place where the battle was fought is 43 degrees some minutei 
 latitude, and I named it Lake Champlain."* Ticonderoga if 
 \yA degrees north latitude and probably the cape referred to 
 •which puts out into the lake on the west side." 
 
 The French claimed the country by virtue of Champlain's 
 discovery, and in 1731, while at peace with Great Britain, they 
 advanced to Crown Point and erected Fort St. Frederick. 
 
 The English claimed this territory by right of purchase and 
 treaty with the Five Nations, and feeling that something 
 must be done to prevent further encroachments of the French 
 on British soil. General Johnson was sent, in 1755, to drive 
 them away, going by way of Lake George, where he halted 
 for a few days, when Baron Dieskau made a dash around 
 French mountain, defeated Col. Williams' party and attacked 
 the main army, in which he was defeated. He then returned 
 to Ticonderoga and began the erection of a fort which he 
 c^Vri "CartUonr 
 
 * Documentary History of New York. 
 
 t Ur. G. F. Bixby, whose researches among historical matters relating- to the 
 Champlain VaUcy has made him an authority, in a paper read before tlie N. Y, 
 State Hisiori. ;il Society in 1889, brought evidence to show that '* the cape ' re- 
 ferred to by Champlain is the one on which Crown Point ruins now stand. The 
 evidence was accepted by the Society as conclusive. 
 
TiCONDEROGA. 21 
 
 In 1757, it was occupied by Montcalm, who marched thence 
 to the capture of Fort William Henry. 
 
 In 1758, Abercrombie made his unsuccessful attack on the 
 Did French lines, which resulted in his total defeat, with a 
 loss of nearly 2,000 killed and wounded. 
 
 The following year Amherst entrenched before the lines, 
 and the French, feeling that they could not successfully resist 
 him, abandoned and set fire to the works, which the English 
 took possession of in the morning. They then advanced on 
 Fort St. Frederick, the French retreating down the lake ; their 
 hold on Chaniplain gone forever. 
 
 Amherst repaired and enlarged the works at Ticonderoga 
 and Crown Point, on a scale of great magnificence, but never 
 a shot from the frowning embrasures was directed against an 
 approaching foe. Peace between the nations soon followed 
 and the forts were allowed to fall into a state of ill repair and 
 were poorly garrisoned when the revolution broke out. 
 Crown Point had only a sergeant and 12 men and Ticon- 
 deroga 50 men all told, when in the gray of the morn- 
 ing of the loth of May, 1775, Ethan Allen and 83 of his 
 "Green Mountain boys," stole in through the wicket gate 
 and demanded its surrender '• in the name of the Great 
 Jehovah and the Continental Congress." Crown Point was 
 on the same day taken possession of by a party of Allen's 
 men under Seth Warner, and soon after a sloop of war was 
 captured by Benedict Arnold, by which the colonists gained 
 command of the lake. 
 
 The following year Arnold, in command of a small flotilla, 
 was defeated near the Four Brothers* islands by General Carl- 
 ton, who advanced as far south as Crown Point, then retired 
 into Canada. 
 
 In 1777 there came sweeping from the north the conceited, 
 the pompous, the brilliant Burgoyne with 7,500 men and laid 
 siege to Ticonderoga. St. Clair, then in command had barely 
 sufficient troops to man the principal works, and when the 
 English took possession of Mount Defiance, from which they 
 could drop shot right over into the fort, he decided to aban- 
 \<>u it and did so on the night of July 4th ; all the stores that 
 ciMihi be taken were removed, guns were spiked and at mid 
 
^2 The Adirondacks. 
 
 night a dusky throng moved away across the chain bridge 
 
 Unfortunately for the Americans, a house on Mount Inde- 
 pendence was set on fire and the light revealed the fugitive 
 army to the watchful enemy, who immediately pursued. The 
 greater part retreated toward Castleton and were followed, en- 
 gaged and beaten ; the English, however, suffered terribly, it 
 is said, losing ten to one of the Yankees. The rest moving 
 up the lake toward Whitehall were pursued by the British 
 who broke through the chain bridge and reaching the head 
 of the lake almost as soon as they, captured most of the 
 stores and ammunition, the men retreating to Fort Ann ; after 
 this Burgoyne moved south to Saratoga, where his march ol 
 triumph was changed to one of defeat, for he found the 
 Gates too strong for him to pass. 
 
 After •• Saratoga " the British retired into Canada, but in 1780 
 the old fort was again occupied by the troops under General 
 Haldiman, at which time occurred those bloodless battles of 
 diplomacy, where Allen plotted treason with such con- 
 summate sagacity, that his country's enemies rested on their 
 arms and '* peace reigned throughout her borders." 
 
 Then came another enemy, silent, but resistless as the 
 march of time. Rain and sunshine, frosts to rack and tem- 
 pests to beat upon the old walls, until they totter and fall 
 away, disappearing, one by one, and pointing to the time 
 when naught shall remain but the name it bears, and that 
 uncertain in the mists of the past. 
 
 "Ticonderoga"* — the generally accepted extract and 
 boiled down result of over a dozen different Indian names, 
 all, however, having something the same sound — as Tunde- 
 roga, Cheonderoga — meant to them the coming together ^ or 
 meeting of waters,^ instead of the generally accepted version 
 of •• Sounding waters." 
 
 Carillon, the name given it by the French, meaning music, 
 racket, a chime, may have been suggested by the " Sounding 
 waters " near by. 
 
 The old battery on the bluff, at the steamboat landing, it 
 
 t ColdM, ty«s. PowatO, 1774. 
 
Crown Point. 23 
 
 said to have been the original Carillon. Back on the higher 
 ground are the barrack walls, trenches, two bastions, and the 
 best preserved portion of the ruins — a bomb-proof room, 
 which some people say was the magazine, while other author- 
 ities contend that it was the humble but equally necessary 
 bakery. On the east, by the side of the road, is the old fort 
 well. Leading from the south-east corner of the parade to- 
 ward this, is the covered way, through which Ethan Allen 
 went in the gray of the morning, in 1775. On the west is 
 Mount Defiance. Between it and the fort the outlet of Lake 
 George enters Lake Champlain. Opposite the point at the 
 south-east, the lake is narrowed down by the near approach 
 of Mount Independence, which was also fortified while St. 
 Clair held command. Between the two points ran the chain 
 or floating bridge. 
 
 The lake here turns toward the north, thus washing three 
 sides of the promontory. Among the oaks, just west of the 
 tunnel, is the old French lines, reaching over the ridge and 
 nearly across the peninsula. The trenches and embankments 
 are clearly defined, as are also the outlines of several re- 
 doubts, cast up at about the same date. Across the locust- 
 covered flat, just north of the ruins, from a point near the 
 drawbridge, lay Ethan Allen's route in 1775; and on the 
 plain, near Addison Junction, according to the best author- 
 ities, occurred the encounter between Champlain's party and 
 the Iroquois. 
 
 Crown Point is it miles north of Ticonderoga. Here, 
 on the shore, are the furnaces of the 
 Crown Point Iron Company, and the ter- 
 minus of a narrow-gauge railway, which 
 extends back 13 miles to iron mines at 
 Hammondville, 1,300 feet above the lake. 
 Thence, by stage, to Schroon Lake. 
 
24 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Crown Point Ruins are about six miles north of Crown 
 Point landing. The lake is here narrowed down by the land 
 extending from the west on which the ruins stand, its point 
 marked by a stone light-house, Chimney Point approaches 
 from the east side. Beyond the light-house, at the narrowest 
 place in the passage, are the scarcely visible remains of Fort 
 St. Frederick, built by the French in 1731. This point be- 
 came a noted trading post, where the savages came to ex- 
 change peltry for civilized fire-water and other necessaries. 
 Under the protecting guns of the old fort it developed into a 
 village of 1,500 inhabitants, the remains of lines of cellars and 
 flagged walks, extending back toward the west, still showing 
 signs of its old-time prosperity. 
 
 The ruins of Crown Point proper are seen farther over at 
 the west, as the boat passes through the narrow opening to 
 the broad lake. It was commenced by Amherst in 1759, ^"^ 
 completed at an expense of over ten million dollars. The 
 extensive earth-works, and the walls of the barracks, still in a 
 good state of preservation, indicate the strength and extent of 
 the fortification, from which, however, no gun was ever fired 
 at an approaching foe. Dr. Bixby designates the shore of the 
 peninsula west of the ruins as the probable site of Champlain's 
 battle with the Iroquois in 1609, given in the explorer's own 
 words on page 14. 
 
 Fort Frederick (landing) is just north of the light-house. 
 A board walk extends from the dock back to the ruins. Re- 
 f eshment rooms, a public pavilion, etc., have been built here 
 1 y the Champlain Transportation Company, for accomodation 
 and entertainment of excursion parties that may land here. 
 
 Port Henry, two miles north-west of Crown Point Ruins^ 
 is exceedingly picturesque, 
 with a number of elegant 
 private residences, occu- 
 pied by the iron magnates 
 of that section. 
 
 The Lake Champlain and Moriah R. R. is seven miles 
 /)ng, extending from Port ITenrv to the ore beds at Mineville, 
 
We ST PORT. 
 
 25 
 
 1,300 feet above. The grade at one point ,s 256J feet to the 
 mile. The average is 2 1 1 feet. It contains three "Y's," 
 where the nature of the ascent renders a curve impracticable. 
 Mineville is the centre of the mining operations of the region, 
 and is a wonderful revelation to the novice in mining scenes. 
 The Chever Ore Bed is two miles north of Port Henry, near 
 the lake shore. The Adirondack Springs are situated on the 
 mountain slope, midway between Westport and Port Henry. 
 Westport is a pretty little village, on a deep bay, setting 
 into the western 
 shore, fifty miles 
 north of Whitehall. 
 It is the natural gate- 
 way into the moun- 
 tains, 77V; Elizabeth- 
 town a n d Keene 
 
 Valley (see page 149), and possesses attractions of its own 
 that recommend it strongly to the summer visitor. 
 
 The Pleasant View House, at the depot, is open the year 
 round, and affords a convenient stopping-place for parties 
 arriving by night trains, or who may not choose to go to the 
 village; capacity thirty. Rates, $2 per day ; $8 to $10 per 
 week. C. A. Fordham, proprietor. 
 
 The Richards House has been long established, and has 
 a host of friends. It is situated at the northern border of the 
 village, overlooking the picturesque shore that circles toward 
 the north, and terminates in the point where the luckless 
 steamer Champlain was wrecked in 1875, The immediate 
 surroundings are pleasant, the accommodations of the hotel 
 proper being increased by its annex, the quaint, historic Man- 
 sion House, that has done duty in old times as a hotel; being 
 in fact, the first one built at Westport, and now refitted for 
 the use of summer guests. The requirements of boating and 
 fishing have not been overlooked, and everything necessary 
 for the sport can be secured at the office. Saddle horses also 
 and comfortable rigs for shore rides or more extended trips 
 
26 The Adirondacks. 
 
 into the wilderness can be had at fair prices from the hotel 
 livery. The proprietor is really what all hotel men are sup- 
 posed to be — affable, courteous, and obliging ; and by sheer 
 pluck and enterprise has built up a thriving business. Ac_ 
 commodations are here offered for 75 guests. Rates, $2 per 
 day; $8 to $12 per week. M. A. Clark, proprietor. 
 
 The V/estport Inn stands on the brow of an abrupt em- 
 inence a hundred feet above the lake, and overlooks a wilder- 
 ness of orchard and shrubbery, the picturesque steamboat 
 landing, and the great sweeping amphitheatre of the hillsides 
 that lead away to right and left in the circling shore of the 
 bay. The house without is very attractive, with broad piazzas 
 and plenty of shade. Within, it is neat, well, even richly, fur- 
 nished and supplied with bath-rooms, electric bells, etc. The 
 table is spoken of in the highest terms of praise, the service is 
 kindly and efficient. Accommodations in the "Inn" and its 
 cottages are sufficient for seventy guests. There is a pure 
 water supply and perfect drainage. The drives up and down 
 along shore or westward into the mountains offer great variety 
 with every varying change of scene, and excellent livery rigs 
 may be secured here under the patronage of the house. It 
 also offers the usual variety of boating and fishing facilities, 
 with boats for sailing or for comfortable rowing in the shallow 
 water and charming inlets along shore. There are bathing 
 places also, with good bottom and convenient bath-houses. 
 A circulating library is at the command of those who may not 
 have provided themselves with desirable reading matter. The 
 Post-office is but a few steps from the door, the telegraph of- 
 fice ten minutes' drive distance. Omnibusses run to and from 
 all trains and boats, and stages depart for the Adirondacks 
 twice daily. The Inn will be under the management of Mrs. 
 O. C. Danniell, late of " The Michewaug," Petersham, and 
 Mrs. Henry C. Lyon, who rendered such efficient service here 
 in 1889. 
 
 Steamer Chateaugay, Capt. Baldwin, leaves Westport at 
 7 A. M. daily, Sundays excepted, and touching at Cedar Beach, 
 Essex, Burlington, Port K-nt, Biutif Point, Pfattsburgh, Gor- 
 
28 We ST PORT. 
 
 don's and Adams', reaches North Hero at 12:20; returning, 
 touches as above, and arrives at Westport 6:45. 
 
 This boat belongs to the C. T. Co., and was launched at 
 Shelburn Harbor, November i, 1887. It is 203 feet long, 
 and 59 feet wide over all. Water line, 195 feet; beam, 30 
 feet. The hull is of rolled steel plates, made from Chateau- 
 gay ore, with a wrought iron frame, braced in the most sub- 
 stantial manner, and provided with water-tight compartments. 
 The engine is a vertical beam, jet condensing engine, 44-inch 
 cylinder, 10 foot stroke. The paddle wheels are of the new 
 "feathering" pattern, 23 feet in diameter. The boat draws 
 four and a half feet of water, and will make 20 miles an hour. 
 
 Steamer Vermont, Captain Rushlovv, is of the same line, 
 is a graceful vessel, designed specially for pleasure travel. 
 This boat leaves Plattsburgh at 7 a. m., touches at Bluff 
 Point, Port Kent, Burlington, Westport, Port Henry, Fort 
 Frederick and Crown Point, and reaches Fort Ticonderoga 
 about noon, connecting there with trains for the south and for 
 the steamer on Lake George, returning over the same route 
 reaches Plattsburgh about 7 p. m. Steamboat and railroad 
 tickets are interchangeable between Ticonderoga and Platts- 
 burgh. 
 
 The " Water Lily," a small steamer, runs from Westport 
 to Vergennes daily on arrival of steamer Vermont from the 
 south, returning in the morning to connect with the south- 
 bound boat. The Water Lily is notable among steamboats 
 as having a lady at the wheel, in the person of Mrs. Captain 
 Danniels, who is said to be the first and only regularly li- 
 censed lady pilot in the United States. It affords a delight- 
 ful afternoon trip across the lake and up the picturesque Otter 
 Creek to the city of Vergennes. Fare $1.00; round trip 
 $1.50. This route forms an interesting link in the line of 
 travel from Boston to the Adirondacks, and is deservedly 
 growing in pubHc favor as it becomes better known. 
 
 Vergennes, the eastern terminus of the Water Lily's trip, 
 is eight miles back from the lake following the course of the 
 river — which by the way is the longest stream in Vermont — 
 although in an air-line but little more than half of that dis- 
 
Vergennes. 29 
 
 tance. Vergennes is one of the oldest cities in New England, 
 dating its organization back to 1789, and is celebrated as the 
 smallest incorporated city in the country. It has a population 
 of about 2,000 inhabitants, with all the honors and added 
 dignity of a mayor and board of Aldermen. It stands on the 
 hills sloping to the stream, its streets regularly laid out, at- 
 tractive and picturesque in its New England simplicity. Its 
 freedom from malaria is proverbial. It is healthful and de- 
 lightful, while the quiet loveliness of its surroundings, with the 
 grand outline of the Green Mountains on the east, and the 
 Adirondacks across the lake at the west, offers a combination 
 that is duly appreciated by the artist and the lover of restful 
 nature. 
 
 The Stevens House was the one thing needful to make 
 this a desirable resort for those who enjoy the mixture of 
 country air and freedom, with the pleasant and social advan- 
 tages of a town and good hotel accommodations. The house 
 is owned and under the personal management of Mr. S. S. 
 Gaines, and ranks among the best in New England. It is in 
 the centre of the city facing the park, and has accommoda- 
 tions for about 100 guests. The proprietor possesses execu- 
 tive abiUty that is felt on every side, showing itself in the neat- 
 ness and order maintained throughout the establishment. 
 There are very pleasant drives about the city, which may be 
 extended indefinitely over the hills and through the valleys of 
 this picturesque country. Guests of the hotel with their bag- 
 gage are carried to and from train and boat for 25 cents 
 the round trip. Telegraph, telephone, and express offices are 
 in the house. Board costs from $8.00 to $12.00 per week. 
 
 Passengers leaving Boston in the morning (Fitchburgh de- 
 pot), reach Vergennes in the middle of the afternoon. Leav- 
 ing New York in the morning, arrive in time for supper. 
 Trains for New York and Boston, with sleeping car attached, 
 
 pass Vergennes at about 9 p. m. 
 
 ******* 
 
 Calamity Point is on the west, about two miles north of 
 Westport. Here the steamer Champlain was wrecked in 
 
VIE\a(S ON THE NEV YORK AND CANADA RAILROAD 
 
BURLINUT^ON. 31 
 
 1875 while running north on her regular nigHt trip The im- 
 mediate cause of the disaster has never been explained, as 
 the night was no more than ordinarily dark, but since that 
 time, day or night, when running, the pilot houses of the sis- 
 ter boats invariably contain two competent men. Captain 
 Rushlow of the Vermont was then in command of the Cham- 
 plain, and it was due to his cool self-possession that no panic 
 ensued to lead to loss of Hfe. 
 
 Split Rock is at the northern termination of the mountain 
 bearing the same name, north of Westport. It is a rough 
 fragment of perhaps a half acre in area, separated from the 
 main rock by a narrow passage. 
 
 Essex is a small village on the west shore, 10 miles north 
 of Westport, where the steamer touches, then passes out into 
 the broadening lake, gradually nearing the Vermont side in 
 the approach to Burlington, Back, inland, are the two high- 
 est peaks of the Green Mountains — Mansfield, 4,350 feet 
 above tide, and Camel's Hump, the Leon Couchant of the 
 French. A prominent object, as we approach the city, is 
 Rock Dunder, a sharp cone of rock 20 feet high, believed to 
 be the famous "Rock Reggio," so frequently mentioned in 
 colonial records. Farther out in the lake is Juniper Island, 
 and still farther the Four Brothers, where \ occurred Arnold's 
 second engagement with Pringle, resulting in the total defeat 
 of the former. Away across, on the west shore, is Wills- 
 borough Point, a low peninsula about four miles long by one 
 mile wide. The Green Mountain View House stands here ; 
 capacity about sixty. Back of this is Willsborough Bay, with 
 its precipitous western shore, along which high above the 
 water, runs the " D. & H." Railroad. 
 
 Burlington is a city of nearly 15,000 inhabitants. It is 
 one of the largest lumber marts in the country, standing 
 fourth in the order of business. The firms represent a capital 
 of $4,000,000.00. One hundred and fifty million feet of 
 lumber are sold annually from this market. The Champlain 
 Transportation Company has its general office here. The 
 Lake Champlain Yacht Club has an elegant club house a little 
 way north of the steamboat landing. 
 
32 
 
 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Among public buildings of note are The University of 
 Vermont, the Medical College, Billings Library Building, 
 Vermont Episcopal Institute, St. Joseph's College, Park 
 Gallery of Art, Fletcher Free Library, Mary Fletcher Hos- 
 pital, and The Young Men's Christian Association building. 
 
 On the high land back of the city, overlooking Winooski 
 Valley, in the Green Mountain Cemetery, lies the body of 
 Vermont's famous son, Ethan Allen. A monument of Barre 
 granite, 50 feet in height, surmounted l)y a statue of Allen, 
 marks the spot. • 
 
 Hotels. Hotel Burlington, a new house, capacity 100, 
 rates, $2.00 and $2.50 per day, $10.50 to $15.00 per week, 
 Delaney & Harrington, proprietors. The Van Ness and 
 American Houses, rates, $3.00 to $3.50 per day. L. S. Drew 
 and H. N. Clark, managers. 
 
 Port Kent is 10 miles from Burlington, the steamer 
 running almost due northwest from the latter point and veer- 
 ing only slightly from its course to pa s around Trembleau 
 Point. Below, the town is not very attractive; but above, 
 
 along the brow of the 
 hill, are several very 
 pleasant, comfortable- 
 looking houses. 
 Among them is the 
 old home of Elkanah 
 Watson, whose ac- 
 count of travels in 1777 contains the best record we have of 
 the towns and villages at that period. The house may be 
 identified by the tall columns along its front. 
 
 Au Sable Chasm, three miles distant, is reached from Port 
 Kent over the new K., A. C. &L. C. R. R., which crosses over 
 just below Rainbow Falls, to Au Sable Chasm Station, and 
 continues along the west side of the river to Keeseviile, for 
 which see page 44. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Au Sable Chasm. 
 
 U SABLE CHASM is the Yosemite in 
 miniature. The Au Sable River, coming 
 out from the mountains of the south, 
 through the valley past Keeseville, breaks, 
 after many a rush and tumble, over the 
 rocks into Au Sable Chasm, in the beauti- 
 ful Rainbow Falls, then hurrying downward 
 through devious ways, creeping under 
 towering cliffs, resting in dark places where 
 the sun never shines, finally emerges from 
 the gloom into the broad willowy way to 
 mingle later,' after many twists and turns, 
 with the quiet waters of Lake Champlain. 
 
 It'isa vast fissure in the Earth's surface, its walls, that now 
 stand apart, were apparently united and solid in the past ; pro- 
 jections on the one side are faced by corresponding depressions 
 on the other; strata, broken off here are continued over there. 
 Low down are found petrified specimens of the first orders of 
 animal life and ripple marks made when the rock was in its 
 plastic state — the bed of some lake or ocean — and above 
 these, in successive layers, towers nearly a hundred feet of 
 solid rock. 
 
 Who can say what ages have passed away since the restless 
 sea beat upon this unknown shore and left the marks of its 
 wavelets for us to wonder at ? Thought is lost away back in 
 the eternity of " The Beginning " when darkness was upon the 
 face of the deep. Later came the dawn of Creation, and in 
 its full light the lowest of animal creatures hved their brief day 
 
THE GRAND FLUM& 
 
Au Sable Chasm. 35 
 
 and added their mite to old Ocean's bottom. Long ages rolled 
 away, and floods swept over the uneasy world that reeled and 
 staggered with the pulsations of its heart of fire. The thin 
 shell bubbled up into mountain ridges and broke like crackle 
 glass, then, cooling, left its marks in ragged heights and fear- 
 ful depths. Then eame great icebergs, grinding the uplifted 
 points to atoms in their course, polishing, leveling and filling 
 up the openings. Then the water fled away, leaving the 
 seams and cracks filled with the rich alluvium gathered in 
 passing centuries, holding in its bosom the germs of vegetable 
 life that in time covered all with a mantl® of green. The 
 yearly rains descended, and floods swept down from the moun- 
 tains above, washing outward the loose deposit that had filled 
 the great crevices, and revealed this wonderland of " The 
 Walled Banks of the Au Sable." 
 
 Au Sable Chasm had been cf local interest for years, but 
 was little known outside until about 1873, when a couple of 
 Philadelphians, to whose attention it had been called, acquired 
 possession, and built stairways, galleries and bridges, which, 
 with the aid of boats near the lower end, enabled visitors to 
 pass through its entire length. In 1879, the wooden galleries 
 were replaced by stone walks with substantial iron railings, 
 bridges were erected above high water mark or made movable, 
 so as to be taken up at the close of the season and put back in 
 the spring, and new boats were placed in the navigable waters 
 below Table Rock, to carry visitors through the otherwise in- 
 accessible portions. The admission to the chasm is 50 cents; 
 the boat ride, 50 cents additional. The boats are in charge of 
 experienced men, and although exciting, the ride is attended 
 with no danger, so the most timid need not hesitate in going. 
 The Lake View House may be seen on the high ground 
 toward the west as the steamboat passes north from Port Kent. 
 It overlooks Rainbow Falls^ the little hamlet known as Au 
 Sable Chasm, the valley of Au Sable above the falls, the 
 village of Keesville, something over a mile distant, and be- 
 yond all, the sharp outHne of Whiteface Mountain. Toward 
 
Au Sable Chasm. 37 
 
 the east, field and forest unite in one broad, grand slope to the 
 shores of Champlain. 
 
 The house is four stories in height, with a tower lifted con- 
 siderably higher, and an open platform on the roof, which 
 gives the beholder a view, subHme in its extent and diversity. 
 The main portion was built in 1874, added to in 1877, and 
 again in 1879. The new part (not shown in the cut) being an 
 extension of the first and second stories toward the north, 
 giving a spacious dining-room and desirable sleeping apart- 
 ments. Along this on the east is a broad piazza, giving a lake 
 frontage of nearly two hundred feet. Connected with the 
 principal sleeping-rooms are bath-rooms, closets, and other 
 modern appliances for the comfort of guests. Waler for 
 general use and to guard against the accident of fire, is forced 
 to the top of the building from the river below. The house 
 is lighted with gas. An open pavilion on the west is one of 
 the breeziest of lounging places imaginable. Southeast of the 
 house are the billiard and bowling alleys and stables. A 
 livery is connected with the hotel, and telegraph and telephone 
 wires enter the office. The house is furnished in a most 
 complete and substantial manner, and the beds are of the 
 best. The table is supplied with vegetables grown on the 
 hotel farm. Altogether the place can be truthfully spoken of 
 in high terms of praise. 
 
 Wm. H. Tracy, manager for two years past, is this year 
 lesse of the Lake View House. Mr. Tracy's faculty of mak- 
 ing friends and keeping them has brought many guests who 
 will give him good wishes in his new venture, and no doubt 
 contribute to his success by their continued patronage. That 
 he is efficient and popular is proven beyond question, and his 
 presence at the head of affairs here may be accepted as an as- 
 surance that whatever can be done to make the visitor's stay 
 agreeable, 7vill be done without ostentation, quietly and in 
 good order. 
 
 Passing from the Lake View House to the main road a few 
 rods north, and descending the hill toward the west, the en- 
 trance to the Chasm is reached. Admission is gained through 
 
Au Sable Chasm. 39 
 
 " The Lodge," a picturesque building, octagonal in form pago- 
 da-like, unique and attractive. Within will be found photo- 
 graphs, books and curios pertaining to the place, and the most 
 gracious of wardens who will show you down the steep stairs 
 that lead through the cleft rock to the bottom. Before de- 
 scending, note the queer effect the stained glass in the lodge 
 windows gives to objects seen through them, where the blue 
 makes frosty winter, and the red the most insufferable of sum- 
 mers of the same objects. 
 
 Rainbow Falls, at the head of the chasm, flings its mass of 
 water from nearly 70 feet above into the gulf below, and from 
 an equal height, when the conditions are right, a stream like a 
 great waterspout is thrown away out over head from the flume 
 of the works above. Horse Shoe Falls is nearly opposite the 
 entrance. Note its suggestive shape from the lookout, before 
 descending the stairs. 
 
 Pulpit Rock faces us as we approach the Elbow, which is 
 the first turn below the entrance. Split Rock shows on the 
 left at the farthest point visible as you turn around the Elbow. 
 The rock which stands at the left of the opening made by the 
 splitting off of a large fallen mass is called the Elephant's 
 Head, and with the morning sun lighting up the massive 
 front, the name does not seem inappropriate. 
 
 Stop when you reach the end of the bridge that crosses 
 here. The Devil's Oven is in the wall which shuts off our 
 farther advance on the right of the stream. Why " Oven " is 
 not so clear, for if you climb the rough rocks and enter its 30 
 feet of depth, you will not find it the superheated place sug- 
 gested, but rather the reverse. The same trophical imagina- 
 tion that conceived of this and some of the other names ap- 
 plied to places here, gave to the narrow passage-way at our 
 feet the name of Hell Gate, and looking, one does not really 
 wonder at the fancy. From Hell Gate rising in a great sweep 
 heavenward, away from the rushing waters, is Jacob's Ladder. 
 
 Across the bridge we go, around the rocky abutment toward 
 the left, clinging perhaps to the iron railing which prevents 
 our sliding into the water below, beneath overhanging rocks. 
 
Au Sable Chasm. 41 
 
 over the seething water, across the bridge which spans the 
 Devil's Punch-Bowl — pausing perhaps to glance into the green 
 depths of the Fernery at our left — down across the worn 
 rocks, then zig-zag up the side to a higher level. Here is one 
 of the most remarkable specimens of rock boring in the coun- 
 try, called Jacob's Well, showing where some vagrant stone, 
 caught perhaps in an eddy when the stream ran here, and 
 whirled about continually, ground its way down through the 
 strata of soft rock, until it wore itself out in vain beatings 
 against its prison walls. Here a bridge crosses Mystic Gorge, 
 to the Long Gallery beyond which, descending, we come to 
 Point of Rocks. Note high up the sides of those rocks the 
 segments of a large bowl similar to Jacob's Well, and back- 
 ward the rapids which, seen from this point, in the sunshine at 
 noon are very beautiful. Opposite this point is Hyde's Cave, 
 named after a venturesome individual who, in 187 1, let him- 
 self down by a rop6» from the rocks above and was the first to 
 reach its dual entrance. Below the bridge, which leads to 
 Hyde's Cave, on the same side of the stream, is Bixby's 
 Grotto. 
 
 Returning to the north shore, Smuggler's Pass, directly op- 
 posite the Grotto, is crossed by a bridge. You may follow 
 along the ledge if you like and lose yourself from sight where, 
 back from the river, this passage winds into quite a large 
 chamber. More stairways are found as we proceed, then 
 comes the Post Office. This post office has neither Post Mas- 
 ter nor distinguishing name in the postal department, but 
 nevertheless does a large business, peculiarly its own, as the 
 observant visitor will notice. No charge is made here for 
 drop-letter or cards and many avail themselves of the privilege. 
 
 CHnging close to the rocks protected by the iron railing we 
 pass along high up at this point, then through the Hanging 
 Garden, and, descending, cross to Table Rock. 
 
 From the upper point of Table Rock look backward through 
 the Upper Flume. See Column Rocks at the farthest visible 
 point on the left, and, if the sun be right, notice the Altar- 
 cloth hanging over the water at the right. Turning; the 
 
42 Au Sable Chasm. 
 
 Anvil is before you, partially hidden perhaps, by the rustic 
 canopy which has been built against it to afford shade for 
 such as may care to take advantage of it when, for the two or 
 three brief hours in the middle of the day, the sun pours its 
 beams down into this open space. Back of the Anvil, Cathe- 
 dral Rocks rise a hundred feet above the level floor, suggest- 
 ing in their broken lines, some vast cathedral's ruined towers 
 and aisles. "The Sentinel" stands guard at the outer corner 
 of Cathedral Rocks. 
 
 Through a cleft in the lower edge of Table Rock we 
 descend and enter the large batteaux found waiting here for 
 the passage through the Grand Flume and beyond. Do not 
 fear, for these boats are strong and serviceable to withstand 
 the hard knocks they get at times, and in charge of stalwart 
 boatmen who will guide us safely through the exciting passage 
 below. The Grand Flume reaches from Table Rock for 
 some distance down. Here the water runs straight away, shut in 
 by walls that rise perpendicularly up for more than a hundred 
 feet, while the dip of the rock-strata on either side gives one 
 the queer sensation of running down quite a steep hill. 
 
 Here, at the narrowest place, the cliffs are scarcely ten feet 
 apart and the sky above seems but a narrow ribbon of blue. 
 The water seems to round up in the middle and actually to 
 run on edge. No plummet has ever been found to sound its 
 depths. Over this spot the main road crossed years ago and 
 the place is spoken of now by the older inhabitants as " High 
 Bridge." A story is told to the effect that when after a time 
 the bridge was condemned and the plank taken off leaving 
 only the naked log stringers stretched across, a horseman went 
 over one dark and stormy night, unconscious of his danger at 
 the time, although remembering afterward that as he ap- 
 proached in the intense darkness, his horse had hesitated and 
 when urged, moved forward in fear and trembling. 
 
 The Lower Gate- Way ends the Long Flume and ushers us 
 into the Pool. The Sentry Box is at the right as we emerge 
 into the open space. On the left there is a larger creavasse in 
 which, leaning, stands the Broken Needle At the Pool, the 
 river turns sharply to the left and leads downward over danc- 
 
THE SENTINEL. 
 
44 The Adirondacks. 
 
 ing rapids where we go until, rounding to the right, we enter 
 quiet water once more, and finally pass out into the basin 
 where, at the landing, carriages are taken to convey us back to 
 the hotel. 
 
 It is well to have passed through Au Sable Chasm once in 
 a life time. Such scenes make man realize the puny crea- 
 ture that he is, for — in the somewhat stalwart language of 
 Will Carleton : 
 
 " To appreciate Heaven well 
 
 II is good for man to have some fifteen minutes of Hell." 
 
 * * * H« H< * * 
 
 Photographs of the Chasm may be procured at the Lake 
 View House, where large books, showing the series, are on 
 exhibition. 
 
 Stages leave the Lake View House for Lake Placid every 
 morning, Sundays excepted, at 7 30. Fare, $4. 
 
 The Chasm House is on the west side of the river, toward 
 Keesville. It is a substantial-looking stone building, and 
 affords accommodations for 25 guests. M, Whealon, pro- 
 prietor. Rates, $2 per day, $10 to $14 per week. This 
 house is open the year round. 
 
 Keeseville is on the Au Sable River, four miles from Port 
 Kent, and nearly two from Au Sable Chasm. It is one of the 
 thriftiest and most enterprising little villages in the state. It 
 contains a number of fine private residences and public edi- 
 fices, built of the beautiful, creamy sandstone which underlies 
 this section of the country. The water-power is utilized in the 
 twine, wire, andiron manufactories, and by the Au Sable Horse- 
 Nail Company, here, and at the Nail-Rod Works, on the 
 road to Au Sable Chasm. It has numerous churches, a graded 
 school, and a wide-awake weekly — the Essex County Republi- 
 can — ^which keeps the public in a healthy state of agitation. 
 
 H. M. Mould, druggist and bookseller, supplies many 
 things required in the woods — and the sportsman will do well 
 to consult his needs before going into the farther country. 
 Mr. Mould's assortment of things, ornamental and useful, is 
 large and well chosen. 
 
Valcour Island. 45 
 
 The Interlaken is at Augur Lake, a charming bit of wa- 
 :er two and a half miles south of Keeseville. It is under the 
 management of Charles Fury, and will be held open summer 
 and winter hereafter. The house is three stories high, with 
 extensive verandas, and, as a concession to those who may 
 fear fires, has inside and outside stairways for the upper floors. 
 Accommodations are offered for about loo guests. The lake 
 affords fine boating and fishing. Beyond the lake rise the 
 rocky walls of Poke o' Moonshine and Baldface mountains. 
 At the south is the wild Poke o' Moonshine Pass, and near by 
 is Augur Chasm, one of the many wonderful freaks of this 
 section, in character like that of Au Sable Chasm. Con- 
 nected with the house is an extensive farm, from which the 
 table is supplied. In the immediate vicinity of the house are 
 well-kept croquet and tennis grounds, and extensive pine 
 groves are near by. A well-appointed stable affords the 
 means of riding or driving at will. Special conveyance will 
 meet guests at Keeseville on the arrival of trains if notice is 
 sent in advance. Fare, 50 cents. Rates are from $7 to $12 
 per week; $2 per day. For particulars, address the manager, 
 
 at Keeseville. 
 
 ******* 
 
 Returning to the steamer, we see, three miles north of the 
 landing at Port Kent, the sandy mouth of the Au Sable River. 
 " Au Sable " means " a river of sand." A wooded depression 
 in the ground above shows the course of the river. Across 
 from this is the widest uninterrupted portion of the lake, being 
 here nearly eleven miles wide. Measuring into Mallett's Bay, 
 the distance is nearly thirteen miles. 
 
 Valcour Island is about six miles north of Port Kent, the 
 steamer passing between it and the main land on the west. 
 Here, Oct. 11, 1776, occurred the first naval engagement of 
 the Revolution, between the British, commanded by Captain 
 Thomas Pringle, and the Americans under Benedict Arnold. 
 The British plan was to send a fleet from the north to capture 
 Ticonderoga and clear the way for a junction with the army of 
 
46 The Adirondacks. 
 
 the south, that should come by way of the Hudson. Early in 
 the spring they began the construction] of ships at St. Johns, 
 and the last of September the fleet, consisting of a three-masted 
 vessel carrying eighteen guns, and two schooners with thirteen 
 guns each, with smaller vessels — twenty-nine vessels in all, 
 mounting eighty-nine guns, manned by picked seamen and 
 practiced gunners — moved south to the attack. When it be- 
 came known that preparations of this nature were in progress 
 at St. John, Arnold was commissioned to construct vessels to 
 oppose them, and massing all possible help and material at 
 Skenesborough (now Whitehall), set about the work with tre- 
 mendous energy, and in August put afloat a number of flat- 
 bottomed sailing craft and row galleys, carrying altogether 84 
 guns and 152 swivel-guns. The largest of these vessels was 
 the "Royal Savage," a two-masted schooner carrying fourteen 
 guns. With this force Arnold sailed north, going as far as 
 Windmill Point, then returning, took up a position in the nar- 
 row channel between Valcour Island and the main land. 
 
 The British fleet, running before the strong north wind, 
 passed on the outside of the island and some distance beyond, 
 before discovering the position of the Americans. So severe 
 was the wind that the larger vessels could not be brought 
 back to attack and only some of the smaller ones with the 
 schooner Carleton finally succeeded in getting in position. 
 The engagement continued most of the afternoon during 
 which the "Royal Savage " was disabled, and drifting on the 
 rocks was abandoned. During the night it was set on fire by 
 the British and sunk. Portions of the hull can yet be seen 
 when the water is still, resting on the bottom where it then 
 went down. The attacking vessels were recalled and anchored 
 in line at the south to cut off the retreat of the Americans. 
 During the niglu however, the Americans slipped through the 
 British line and in the morning were discovered making in- 
 dustrious tracks toward the south and safety. The British 
 pursuing, over-hauled Arnold near the Four Brothers and a 
 running fight ensued which demonstrated the superiority of 
 
Battle of Valcour. 47 
 
 the British vessels and gunners. The remnant of the Ameri- 
 can boats, ahiiost disabled, was grounded in a bay on the 
 Vermont shore near Panton and set on fire, and Arnold and 
 his men made their way through the woods to Crown Point. 
 In these engagements, although defeated, Arnold acquitted 
 himself in such a manner as to win the admiration of his 
 enemies and the approval of his superior officers. Benedict 
 Arnold was born in Norwich, Conn., Jan. 3d, 1 741, and died 
 in London, June 14, 1801. As a youth, turbulent; as a 
 soldier, ambitious, bold to rashness and jealous of his fellow 
 officers ; dishonest. The transition from discontented rebel to 
 infamous traitor was easy. He was a brilliant commander, 
 his fall was like that of Lucifer. 
 
 Valcour Island was the spot selected for " A communal 
 home, based on the principles of social science," where 
 the "Dawn Valcour Community" dawned on the astonished 
 world of 1874, grew into a mighty power (on paper), with 
 " Col." John Wilcox to furnish the intellectual, and " Uncle " 
 Owen Shipman the temporal home ; where congenial spirits 
 were invited to commingle in promiscuity, but all too soon 
 were on the ragged edge of individuality, while the musical 
 auctioneer warbled over the odds and ends that remained to 
 satisfy outside demands. In the words of one of its leading 
 members, the thing "busted;" and the " Dawn" was merged 
 into twilight, to furnish another lesson on the practicability of 
 free love. 
 
 Hotel Champlain, the superb, is seen on the bold head- 
 land that puts out from the west shore just north or Valcour 
 Island. It does not come upon you suddenly, as a revelation. 
 You have seen it over the lake for miles back on your course, 
 before the steamer had touched at Burhngton, perhaps, or from 
 the car window as the reeling train swung around Trembleau 
 Mountain nearly temmiles away, and at intervals ever since 
 as the road wound in and out along the shore. Now, as you 
 approach, its magnificient proportions come out in grand re- 
 lief against the sky. 
 
 " Commanding " is not misapplied here. The hotel stands 
 
48 
 
 on a height that breaks away abruptly in all directions for a 
 si^ace, then in gentler slope reaches the level of the lower 
 shores north and south, the water on the east, and the valley 
 toward the west where the trains of the D. & H. flash like 
 gleaming shuttle through the vari-tinted web of cultivated 
 
Hotel Champlain. 49 
 
 fields and cross-line country roads. Long colonades j broad 
 piazzas conforming to the swelling contour of facing, east, 
 south and west; breezy porticos, and balconies hung along 
 its sides or perched high up on tower and sharply sloping roof, 
 give grace and lightness to the structure that rises above the 
 tops of the trees crowning the rugged bluff. Distance gives 
 to it the lightness of a castle built of straws, the closer view 
 reveals it solid and substantial as the most realistic could 
 wish. 
 
 At a moderate elevation it commands in an unbroken 
 circuit a panorama that for picturesque variety and beauty is 
 equaled perhaps nowhere in the country. Having no near 
 mountain heights to dwarf its own strong setting, it looks out 
 from its own native wilderness over land and water diversified 
 and changeful. It is restful, rather than overpowering with 
 great heights and dismal depths. Right and left runs the 
 valley with its checker-board of field and woodland ; its net- 
 work ofroads ; its quaint farm buildings gathered here and 
 there in little knots that form hamlets and prosperous villages^ 
 and beyond, hills rising into the ranges of the Adirondacks 
 that stretch across, pointed at intervals with the grander 
 mountain peaks. Towards the east a broad swath has been 
 cut out through the green trees down to the water's edge, 
 where busy life attends as the steamers come and go. Here 
 gleam the beach of " The Singing Sands" circling in a broad 
 belt toward the south, between the restless water and the thick 
 growing cedars. Toward the north are perpendicular cliffs 
 that attain quite a height — the bluffs which undoubtedly gave 
 to the point its name. They are cleft asunder at one place 
 and made memorable by the tradition of the White Squaw 
 and the Bloody Hand that left its marks on the walls and 
 later as the place where smugglers successfully landed their 
 stores free from suspicion because of its seeming inaccessibility 
 to those who were not in the secret. 
 
 Yalcour Island lies like a garden below, bordered with its 
 varying belt of shrubbery. Beyond stretches the broad lake, 
 dotted here and there with islands, to the shores of Vermont. 
 
50 
 
 The Adirondacks. 
 
 the Green Mountains beyond rising into the heights of Camel's 
 Hump and Mount Mansfield. North and east are Grand Isle 
 and the Great Back Bay ; at the north Cumberland Head, 
 the sweeping circle of Plattsburgh Bay, where occurred that 
 splendid naval battle of 1814, the last, as the Battle of Val- 
 cour was the first, with the mother country — and nearer, the 
 httle island where sleep the dead of that eventful day. 
 
 Within the hotel is found everything that appertains to a — 
 oh much, and ill-used term— first-class house. Every modern 
 appliance tending to the comfort of guests will be found here, 
 
 D. & H, RAILROAD STATION. 
 
 and that its management will be all which time and experi- 
 ence has shown to be the most acceptable to the travelled 
 pubUc, may be confidently expected, for is not that prince of 
 hotel-keepers, O. D. Seavy of Hotel Ponce de Leon, to be 
 at its head ? 
 
 Excursions may be made by steamboat from this point 
 south to Ticonderoga or north among the islands and on to 
 the fishing grounds of the Lake. A fleet of boats, ranging 
 from the light Whitehall skiff to the dainty httle steam yacht,' 
 are here f r charter. Drives are many and varied, and equip- 
 pages here to suit all occasions. The distance from New 
 York is 308 miles ; fare, $8.05. To Montreal, 77 miles ; fare 
 
Plattsburgh. 51 
 
 $2,71. Quick and convenient train service will be main- 
 tained throughout the season north and south. Trains on the 
 Chateaugay Railroad leave in the morning, arriving at Saranac 
 Lake and the various hotels reached by the Chateaugay Rail- 
 road in time for dinner. 
 
 Crab Island, some distance north of Valcour, is the burial 
 place of the common sailors and marines who fell in the battle 
 of Plattsburgh. North of this, and projecting well out across 
 the lake, is Cumberland Head, from which the shore recedes 
 toward the north and west, then comes back in a wide sweep, 
 embracing the waters of Cumberland Bay. 
 
 The Battle of Plattsburgh took place here in 18 14. 
 Stripped of detail, the account of this decisive battle is as fol- 
 lows : On a beautiful Sabbath morning, September nth, 1814, 
 the American land forces under General McComb, and the 
 American fleet under Commodore Macdonough, were simul- 
 taneously attacked by the British land and water forces, under 
 General Sir George Provost and Commodore Downie. The 
 engagement resulted in a complete victory for the former, only 
 a few small boats of the enemy effecting a successful retreat 
 At the commencement of the naval engagement, the British' 
 land forces, consisting of 14,000 infantry, advanced against 
 the Americans, 3,000 strong, entrenched at points along the 
 south bank of the river, but were repulsed with a loss of 2,500 
 in killed, wounded and missing. They also lost immense 
 stores, which were abandoned in their retreat — which served 
 them right for breaking the Sabbath. The ruins of the old 
 forts are to be seen on the south outskirts of the village. The 
 largest — Fort Moreau — is in the centre, Fort Brown, on the 
 bank of the river, and Fort Scott near the lake. This is a 
 regular army post now. The barracks, about a mile south of 
 the village, near the lake shore, built in 1838, are occupied by 
 a company of soldiers belonging to the regular army. 
 
 Plattsburgh is on the west shore of this bay, a thriving 
 village of 8,000 inhabitants. It is of considerable commercial 
 importance, being on the direct line between New York and 
 Montreal, 311 miles from the former and 74 from the latter. 
 It is the northern terminus of the Au Sable (Branch) Rail- 
 
52 The Adirondacks. 
 
 road, and from it the Chateauga)- Railroad penetrates the 
 mountains toward the west. Plattsbiirgh is thoroughly cosmo- 
 politan, with an opinion to offer on every question of the day, 
 exerting no mean influence through its wide-awake news- 
 papers, the, Diily Telegram, 3.nAt\it Seniinel SluA Republican — 
 the latter instituted in 1811, and, notwiihstand its age, one of 
 the most reliable and ably conducted democratic weeklies in 
 the state. 
 
 The first settler in this region was Count Charles de Freden- 
 burgh, a captain in the English army. The warrant conveying 
 the land to him bore date June 11, 1769. 
 
 The property reverting to the state after the Revolution, 
 was granted, in 1784, to Zephaniah Piatt and others, and in- 
 corporated into the town of Pittsburgh, April 4, 1785. A 
 company was then organized which, in June of the same year, 
 erected a mill at Fredenburgh Falls. The estimate of ex- 
 pense contained, among other items, the following: "For 
 bread, $65 ; for rum $80." They used a great deal of bread 
 in those days. 
 
 In the year 1800 Plattsburgh was the county seat, its terri- 
 tory extending from Lake George on the south to Canada 
 and the St. Lawrence River on the north and west. The 
 village then possessed a jjopulation of less than 300, and with- 
 in the county limits were owned at this time 58 slaves. 
 
 The Fouquet House is at the depot, and affords a con. 
 venient stopping place for narties arriving late or desiring to 
 take an early train out. 
 
 The Witherill House is near the post-office. It is 
 elegant in its appointments, its pictures and decorations dis- 
 playing a high degree of artistic taste. 
 
 The Cumberland stands at the corner of Trinity Square. 
 It is one of the oldest hotels, and has a large patronage. G. 
 S. Corbin, an ex-railroad man, liberal and popular with the 
 traveling public, is the proprietor. A free 'bus runs to and 
 from all boats and trains, and ample time is given parties 
 arriving on the sleeper from the south to get breakfast and a 
 view of the surrounding country, if so inclined, before starting 
 
Plattsburgh, 53 
 
 up the Chateaugay Railroad for tlie interior. Rates, $2 per 
 day ; $ i o to $ i 2 per week. 
 
 There 15 also an excellent restaurant in the depot, under 
 railroad management. Here a good lunch can be had at a 
 moderate price, or a comfortable meal during the twenty 
 minutes usually given for that purpose between the arrival and 
 departure of trains. 
 
 In a private letter to the author, that enthusiastic sports- 
 man, Dr. George F. Bixby, editor of the V\a.ttshurgh jR<r/>uMcan 
 says : "In the universal rush for the woods and waters of 
 the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain has been shamefully over- 
 looked ; here are islands which now appear in all their 
 original beauty as when Champlain first saw them, the abode 
 of eagles, so secluded are they, and here is better fishing, all 
 the yenr round, than any other body of water in Northern 
 New York can boast of; big hungry fish, voracious pike, 
 huge black b.iss, as well as the nmscallonge — that nearly 
 extinct fish — the noblest and gamiest that swims, ready for 
 the fisherman at all seasons. In their season, water fowl 
 abound — enormous black ducks and wild geese, with smaller 
 game in abundance. Lake Champlain is also, of late, attract- 
 ing the attention of canoeists, yachtsmen (both steam and 
 sail) and camping parties, on account of facility of access 
 from the Hudson and St. Lawrence for all kinds of craft; 
 hospitality of inhabitants ; pure air ; pure water ; delightful 
 scenery, eligible camping grounds and abundant bases of sup- 
 plies, all offering irresistible attraction to those unable to en- 
 dure the fatigue incident to a lodge in the vast wilderness, or 
 that other class who are ' constitutionally tired,' and to whom 
 distance lends enchantment to the view of Adirondack peaks. 
 To such I offer a word of advice — halt near the north end of 
 the lake, in some of the comfortable homes, whose doors will 
 be thrown open f.jr a modci-ate consideration, or encamp be- 
 neath the friendly shade of some island grove, where the 
 punkies cease from troubhng and the weary are at rest." 
 
54 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Rouse's Point, according to the United States Coast 
 Survey, is 107 miles north of Whitehall. It is the most 
 important port of entry on the frontier. Five railroads centre 
 here, viz.: The D. & H., leading to New York, the O. & L. 
 C, to Ogdensburg and the Thousand Islands, the Grand 
 Trunk to Montreal, the Portland & Ogdensburg to the White 
 Mountains, and the Central Vermont to Boston and the south- 
 east. 
 
 Hotel Windsor is on the lake shore a short distance south 
 of the little village, far enough to be free from its bustle and 
 removed entirely from the annoying sounds of traffic and con- 
 fusion at the busy station. It commands a widely extended 
 view of the lake, its islands, and the distant mountains of Ver- 
 mont, whose swelling sides and rounded peaks change contin- 
 ually under the passing shadows like the shifting forms of the 
 kaleidoscope. Along shore and over among the islands are 
 famous fishing grounds where the skillful angler — and some- 
 times those not so highly skilled — find very satisfactory sport 
 with the voracious pike, the gamey bass, and the dainty yellow 
 perch. A photograph is shown by the proprietor of the hotel, 
 where a string of about three dozen pickerel, pike, bass, and 
 Muscallonge with a certified weight of 130-odd pounds, show 
 ^he result of a single day's sport. A lithographic copy of the 
 photograph has a '' fishy " look, but the photograph is proof 
 positive, for " the instrument never lies." The house is nearly 
 new ; fresh and inviting in appearance, the furnishing is good, 
 the beds of the best, while the table is exceptionally nice. The 
 proprietor is Charles F. Beck, of the well-known Florida 
 House at St. Augustine, Florida. Steam yachts for excursions, 
 sail-boat and skiff for fisherman and idler ; riding, driving, and 
 the regulation lawn sports are available here, so that none 
 need lack for amusements. 
 
 A free carriage runs to all trains. New York morning pa- 
 pers arrive early in the evening. Telegraph in the hotel office. 
 Price for board, $2.50 to $3 per day ; $12 to $15 per week. 
 
Rouses Point. 55 
 
 The Coquette is a screw steamer with headquarters here. 
 It is a steel hull, 114 feet long and 22 feet beam, with a 
 cabin on the main deck, a platform with awning above, buffet 
 and other conveniences. Captain Rockwell (Pilot Rockwell 
 of our narrative 73) is the commander. The Coquette leaves 
 the Windsor at about 7:30 in the morning, touching at the 
 island landings, at Plattsburgh and Port Kent, and arrives at 
 Burlington about noon. Returning, reaches Rouses Point 
 about 6, in time for supper and to connect with trains for the 
 north and west. 
 
 Fort Montgomery, a little way north of the long bridge, is 
 an interesting ruin belonging to the United States. About a 
 mile north of this a belt of woodland marks the boundary line 
 between the United States and^Canada. 
 
 The O. & L. C. railroad runs west from Rouses Point to 
 Ogdensburgh from which place the Thousand Islands can be 
 reached by boat or rail. For a portion of the way this road 
 runs through wild land and from it several important gate- 
 ways enter the Adirondacks. 
 
 Chateaugay is 45 miles west of Rouses Point, a somewhat 
 thriving country village of about 700 popula- 
 tion with two hotels, stores, etc. Chateaugay 
 Chasm, ij miles north of the station, rivals 
 Au Sable Chasm in many respects, and de- 
 serves to take rank among the wonders of the 
 Adirondack region. It is about a half mile 
 in extent, walled in by perpendicular cliffs, through which the 
 river runs, descending in its first leap a distance of 50 feet; 
 thence by numerous broken steps, throughout its entire 
 length. It is rendered accessible to the public by means of 
 stairways, galleries, etc. The Chasm House stands' at the 
 entrance. It is much resorted to by local picnic parties and 
 by wonder-seekers from a distance. 
 
 Chateaugay Lake (Lower) outlet is 8 miles south of the 
 station. Stage daily. The lake is about 2I miles' long and is 
 connected with the Upper Lake by a navigable stream about 
 
56 The Adirondacks. 
 
 the same length. A steamer runs at intervals through the 
 two lakes, and a road along the east shore affords means of 
 transit. The hotels of the Upper Lake are " Merrill's," 
 "Relph's" and " Indian Point House". See page 59. 
 
 Malone, the county seat of Franklin, is 57 miles from 
 Rouses Point and 61 from Ogdensburgh. It 
 is a flourishing village, and one of the im- 
 portant towns of the state. *' Hotel Flana- 
 gan" is the leading house. Rates, $2.00 to 
 $3.00 per day. AV. R. & S. J. Flanagan, 
 Proprietors. Lake Titus, 8 miles south, 
 may be reached by special conveyance. 
 This pretty sheet is about 2 miles long, and a quarter that in 
 width. Limited accommodations may be found at the out- 
 let. The Mountain View House is at the State Dam, on the 
 Salmon River, 13 miles from Malone. Accommodations are 
 here for about 30 guests, R. G. Low, proprietor. Post-office, 
 Malone, N. Y. Rates, $10 to 15 per week, $2.50 per day. 
 Indian Lake is one-third of a mile north, and outlets into the 
 river above the State Dam. From it a trail leads north to the 
 road running east to Ragged Lake (4J miles long, including 
 the "Figure Eight"). The two are connected by a short 
 stream and one-third mile carry. The name of each is de- 
 scriptive enough. Ingraham Pond is about i|- miles west of 
 the head of Ragged Lake. Across from the shore opposite the 
 Ragged Lake House, a trail leads east i mile to Mountain 
 Pond ; thence northeast 4 miles to the outlet of Chateaugay 
 Lake. Mecham Lake House is 25 miles from Malone, and 
 T2 miles from Paul Smith's Station. Will accommodate 75. 
 Rates, $10 to $17.50 per week; $2 to $3 per day. A. R. 
 Fuller, proprietor. Meacham Lake is about 2^ miles long. 
 Its outlet is the east branch of the St. Regis River. 
 
 The Northern Adirondack Railroad extends from 
 Moira, 70 miles west of Rouses Point, south to Tupper Lake 
 Station, a distance of 56 miles. The Blue Mountain House 
 (P. O. Santa Clara), near Blue Mountain of the North, is four 
 miles southwest of Spring Cove (daily stage 75 cents), will ac- 
 
Northern Adirondack R. R. 
 
 57 
 
 JORBnn 
 
 r(/(>i»t/ri/i«£ wo"^' 
 
 commodate 50. Board $1.50 per day; $6 to $9 per week. 
 H. Phelps, proprietor. 
 
 Stages are taken at Paul Smith 
 Station for St. Regis Lake (see page 
 60); at Saranac Inn Station for 
 Saranac Inn, 8 miles distant (see 
 page 106) ; at Childwood Station 
 for Childwood Park House, 7 miles 
 (see page 108), and at TupperLake 
 Station for Wawbeek Lodge, 8 
 miles (see page 105.) Steamboat 
 runs from Tupper Lake Station to 
 the hotels on Tupper Lake (page 
 109). During the summer, a 
 through train service is maintained from New York via the N. 
 Y. C. and R. W. & O. Railroads. 
 
 ******* 
 
 The Chateaugay Railroad extends from Plattsburgh to 
 Saranac Lake, a distance of 73 miles. The first section was 
 built by the State to reach Chnton Prison, at Dannemora, 17 
 miles from Plattsburgh. In 1880, it was extended to Lyon 
 Mountain, 17 miles further; but the influx of Adirondack 
 tourists was increasing, and the road, that climbed an altitude 
 of 2,000 feet to Lyon Mountain, must go farther into the 
 wilderness. So it was extended to Loon Lake. In 1888, 19 
 miles more were added, bringing it to Saranac Lake, 
 distributing its passengers by various stage routes that 
 branch from it to a score or more of summer hotels. By it 
 tourists reach Chazy, Chateaugay, Loon, Rainbow, St. Regis, 
 and Upper and Lower Saranac Lakes, Ray Brook, Lake 
 Placid and Mirror Lake, reaching even into Cascade Lakes 
 and Adirondack Lodge. A Wagner sleeping car leaves Grand 
 
58 
 
 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Central Station, New York, daily the year round, for Platts- 
 biirgh, where passengers are given time for breakfast before 
 leaving for the interior. During the pleasure season, passen- 
 gers can leave Grand Central Station 7:30 p. m., connecting 
 with trains leaving Plattsburgh 7:30 a. m., and reach the vari- 
 ous resorts in time for 
 dinner. Passengers 
 can leave New York 
 at 6 p. M. by Hudson 
 River night boats and 
 by the Adirondack 
 special from Albany 
 or Troy, reach Platts- 
 burgh at 12:20 and 
 Saranac Lake 4:30 p, 
 M. the following day. 
 This enables passengers to take the stage ride from the rail- 
 road to the various hotels in the cool of the day. Drawing- 
 room cars are run on all trains. Sleeping and drawing-room 
 car accommodations can be secured in advance at any of the 
 stations. A Sunday train each way will run during July and! 
 August. 
 
 Leaving Plattsburgh, the road runs south for a short dis 
 tance, out past the U. S. Barracks ; then swings around tO' 
 ward the west, and crossing the Saranac River 10 miles frorr 
 Plattsburgh, cHmbs diagonally up out of the valley. 
 
 Dannemora is 17 miles from, and 1,300 feet above, Platts- 
 burgh. Clinton Prison is situated here, and affords a quiet 
 home for a number of people of leisure, who pass their time 
 in meditation, making clothing, and other congenial pursuits. 
 
 From Dannemora, the road swings westerly, around the 
 south side of Johnson Mountain, and north, near the west 
 shore of Chazy Lake ; then, west and southerly to the mines ; 
 running 17 miles to reach a point nine miles distant in a 
 straight line. 
 
 Chazy Lake is nearly four miles long and a mile wide. 
 Chazy Lake House has an advertised capacity for 50 to 60 
 
Chateaugay Lake. 59 
 
 guests. Rates $2.50 per day ; $12.00 to $16.00 per week. 
 Open, May to October 15. This house stands near the north 
 end of the lake, and may be reached by boat from Chazy Sta- 
 tion. Fare 50 cents. 
 
 Lyon Mountain is the centre of extensive mining opera- 
 tions of the Chateaugay Ore- and Iron Company, and exists at 
 the pleasure of that corporation. In 1878 it contained only a 
 few scattered houses ; it now has a hotel, stores, and churches, 
 with about 2,500 inhabitants, and is in a thriving condition. 
 It is peculiarly a mining town in appearance ; lacking, how- 
 ever, the usual accompaniment of gambler and rumseller, for 
 people of that ilk are not tolerated here. The attention of all 
 good moral people, who say these two evils should be licensed, 
 because prohibition can never prohibit, is respectfully called 
 to this spot. 
 
 Upper Chateaugay Lake is about four miles in length and 
 3ne broad. It empties at the north, through a winding stream, 
 into the Lower Lake, which is somewhat smaller than the up- 
 per. It is picturesque with its surrounding mountains and 
 rugged shores. It is reached by stage from Lyon Mountain, 4 
 miles, and from Chateaugay Station on the O. & L. C. R. R. 
 by a 6 mile stage ride and by connecting boat through the 
 lower lake and narrows. It has a number of summer cottage- 
 camps on the west shore. Seth Thomes, of clock fame, is on 
 the east side near the south end. Hon. John H. Moffitt, M. 
 C, has a camp on the island near the centre of the lake. 
 
 A small steamboat leaves the foot of the lower lake on the 
 arrival of the stage from Chateaugay station twice a day dur- 
 ing the season, running through the lower lake and the con- 
 necting stream and through the upper lake, landing at all 
 camps and hotels, making a distance of about 8 miles. The 
 trip through lakes and winding river is a pleasant and interest- 
 ing one, the fare 50 cents. 
 
 Ralph's is on the east shore 3J miles from Lyon Mountain 
 (stage fare 50 cents). It has capacity for about 100 guests. 
 Open from June 15th to October ist. Rates, $3.00 per day . 
 $ 1 2.00 to $16.00 per week. J. W. Hutton, Proprietor. 
 
 Here will be found tennis, billiards and bowling, for lovers 
 of such amusements, boats, guides and camp supplies for the 
 
6o The Adirondacks. 
 
 sportsman, and fishermen who know the places wherein lurk 
 the trout for which this lake is noted. The house and en- 
 vironment is specially attractive because of its air of neatness 
 that extends from office to kitchen ; the beds are of the best 
 and the table equaled by few of the most famous. There is a 
 telegraph office in the hotel and two mails daily. The New 
 York morning papers arrive early in the afternoon. The pro- 
 prietor is agreeable and obliging. During the summer season 
 he is here to make things pleasant for the visitor. When win- 
 ter comes he is off like the birds to Florida where he entertains 
 his cold blooded patrons from the north. House and man are 
 equally voted a success. 
 
 Merrill's is near the outlet, with accommodations for 
 about fifty. Rates $10.00 to $14.00 per week, with a dis- 
 count for small children. Post-office (" Merrills," N. Y.) and 
 telegraph office in the house. Oliver Young, proprietor. The 
 house stands about 60 feet back from the water's edge on 
 rising ground. It is one of these long rambling cozy sort of 
 structures that gives you a sense of homelike welcome, never 
 felt before the triumph in classic architecture. The view from 
 the house is beautiful, showing the entire stretch of the lake 
 with the surrounding mountains closing it in. Merrill's has 
 been for years a noted resort among old hunters and fisher- 
 men. The smaller game birds and water fowl are here in 
 their season, squirrels and foxes abound, and deer and bear 
 are not uncommon additions to the list of the killed. It gives 
 also by its position near the outlet, a choice of lake or river 
 fishing according to day or season. It furnishes outfits and 
 suppHes for hunter and fishermen. It maintains special baited 
 buoys in the lake for trout and shad at the service of its 
 guests. For home amusements is a tennis court and base-ball 
 ground. For riding or driving, horses and carriages can be 
 had. For fishing or rowing, boats, guides and outfits to suit. 
 Stages meet all trains at Lyon Mountain, about four miles dis- 
 tant. Fare 50 cents. Steamboat through to the lower lake 
 connecting with stage for the railroad at Chateaugay. Fare, 
 steamboat and stage, $1.00. 
 
. Chateaugay Lake. 6i 
 
 The Indian Point House is on the west side of the lake 
 near the south end; capacity about 40 guests. Rates, $1.50 
 per day, $8 to $10 per week. Post-office address, "Merrill's, 
 N. Y." R, M. Shutts, proprietor. The accommodations are 
 in a group of buildings that have grown to meet the increasing 
 demand of visitors, and the equipment consists of some of the 
 best beds made, and furniture comfortable enough to fill all 
 reasonable desires. It is strictly a temperance house, no liquor 
 being sold on the premises. Steamboats run regularly to 
 connect with the stage at Ralph's and through to the Lower 
 Lake to connect with stage for the O. & L. C. Railroad. 
 Fare to railroad, $1. Mr. Shutts is a veteran hunter and fish- 
 erman, and his house is admirably located for lovers of wild- 
 woods sports. Some of the best fishing grounds of the lake 
 are close by the house. At the back is a dense forest that 
 reaches out into the wild section, through which trails run to 
 smaller sheets of water that are little known except to the local 
 hunter and fisherman. All requisites for sport are supplied 
 when wanted. 
 
 ^ •1* •!• •!• "J* •!* T^ 
 
 The railroad swings around the west side of Lyon Moun- 
 tain aff"ording a beautiful and extended view of Chateaugay 
 Lake at one point where the woods have been cut away for 
 that purpose. Then come forge and coal-kilns, and beyond, 
 winding west and south, the road penetrates a wild and inter- 
 esting section, hJretoforc almost an unknown wilderness, until 
 Loon Lake is reached. Loon Lake extends south from the 
 station, and is about two and a half miles long, with high 
 banks and irregular shores. 
 
 The Loon Lake House stands on the high ridge which, 
 like the rim of some wide-mouthed volcano, holds the lake 
 within its circling walls at its south end, while beyond, the 
 land drops rapidly down into the deep valley of the Saranac. 
 The house is roomy, well furnished, and, together with the cot- 
 tages, has capacity for about 300 guests. Price for board, 
 $3.50 to $5 per day, $17 to $25 per week. Ferd. W. Chase, 
 proprietor. Post office. Loon Lake. Stages meet all trains 
 at Loon Lake Station; fare 50 cents. 
 
62-A The Adirondacks. ' 
 
 Skirting the western shore of the Lake the train swings 
 around the east side of Long Pond, and winding in and out 
 between other small ponds and among low sand dunes that are 
 scantily covered with tufted grass, reaches Rainbow Station, 
 6 1 miles from Plattsburgh. 
 
 The Rainbow House is three miles west of Rainbow Sta- 
 tion. Fifty guests can be accommodated here. Board $2.50 
 per day; $10.00 to $15.00 per week. J. M. Wardner, pro- 
 prietor. Post office, Rainbow, N. Y. 
 
 This house has more than the usual number of attractions 
 for the hunter or fisherman, as might be expected, where the 
 proprietor himself is an ardent lover of sport, and combines 
 with a hearty good-fellowship a knowledge of the habits and 
 haunts of wild game possessed by few. Mr. Wardner is 
 cordially seconded in all his enterprises by his efficient help- 
 meet, who counts among her accomplishments that of a taxi- 
 dermist and gives practical evidence of her work by filling 
 every corner of the house with native specimens of the art. 
 The house is finished in a most substantial manner with native 
 woods, and arranged to be warmed comfortably throughout in 
 case of a sudden lowering of the temperature, such as may 
 be expected here by the early fishermen or the hunter who 
 tarries for late shooting. This is noted fishing ground and 
 claims the proud distinction of yielding the largest lake trout 
 on record, one having a weight of 52 pounds. Numerous 
 small ponds in this vicinity yield excellent fishing while Rain- 
 bow Lake, and Wardner Pond (which comes close up to the 
 house) with adjacent waters have been stocked with 800,000 
 trout fry the past five years, afi'ording rare sport and astonish- 
 ing results, sometimes to even the unpracticed fisherman. 
 Telegraph office and post office are in the house. Carriages 
 run to all trains at Rainbow Station, fare 75 cents. Recent 
 improvements have been made in the surroundings that will be 
 appreciated by visitors. The large farm connected with the 
 house insures a supply of farm products, fresh and healthful. 
 
The Adirondacks. 
 
 Bloomingdale (station) is 66 miles from Plattsbm-gh. 
 Here stages are taken for Bloomingdale and Paul Smith's. 
 
 The Crystal Spring House, just outside the hamlet of 
 Bloomingdale, is one and a half miles east of the station. 
 Stage fare, 25 cents. It is a pleasant and attractive place, 
 with a reputation for homehke comfort seldom attained by 
 houses much older. It is nicely finished and comfortably 
 furnished. M. L. Baldwin, the original proprietor, again as- 
 sumes the management. Accommodations are here offered 
 for 30 guests. Board $8.00 to $12.00 per week, $2.00 per 
 day. Mr. Baldwin is manifestly filled with a desire to make 
 and keep friends, and his house is eminently satisfactory. 
 
 St. Regis Lake House, familiarly known as Paul Smith's, 
 is seven miles west of Bloomingdale Station. Stage fare, $1. 
 Paul Smith came here in 1861, and built a small house 
 among the pines, on Lower St. Regis Lake, for the accom- 
 modation of sportsmen. It had a rapid growth in business, 
 and soon reached remarkable proportions. The house has a 
 stated capacity for 500 guests. Rates, $4,00 per day, $21.00 
 to $30.00 per week, A. A. Smith, proprietor. Post-offtce, 
 " Paul Smith's." This point is reached also from the North- 
 ern Adirondack Railroad, over which during the season of 
 pleasure travel cars are run from Grand Central Station, New 
 York, without change. For descriptive and excursion book 
 of the section covered by this route, address A. C. Allison, 
 G. P. A., Moira, N. Y. 
 
 Lower St. Regis Lake is about two miles long by one 
 broad, discharges west through the middle branch of the St. 
 Regis River. It is about 1,600 feet above tide. The sur- 
 rounding country is tame compared with the mountain dis- 
 tricts, the only elevation of any considerable importance being 
 St. Regis Mountain. 
 
 Saranac Lake (village) is 73 miles from Plattsburgh. Fare 
 from New York, by rail, $11.75. For matter relating to this 
 section see page 95. 
 
62-C Peasleville. 
 
 Peasleville lies among the hills about ten miles due west 
 from Hotel Champlain on the little river that empties into the 
 lake at the south of Bluff Point. It is a place comparatively 
 unknown to the summer tourist — outside the great public 
 thoroughfares where the pleasure-seeker goes up and down. 
 It is reached best over the Au Sable branch of the " D. & H." 
 railroad from Plattsburgh to Peru, thence by carriage six miles 
 west. It lies between two parallel mountain spurs that pro- 
 ject eastward from the great Adirondack system, enclosing the 
 Salmon River Valley. The elevation is sufficient to give it a 
 pure and bracing atmosphere, and the views from its near 
 heights are far-reaching and restful. On the one hand, the 
 valley stretches away toward old Whiteface till it is lost in the 
 higher land of the Adirondack plateau ; on the other, it in- 
 cludes the most beautiful portion of the Champlain Valley, 
 the broad lake and the Green Mountains beyond. At fre- 
 quent intervals the river is fed by little streams from living 
 springs on the mountain sides, with water as pure, sweet and 
 wholesome as the earth affords. Brook trout fishing — good 
 before and seldom indulged in here except by the local angler 
 with the crudest of tackle — has recently been greatly improved 
 by stocking the principal streams, and affords very satisfactory 
 sport to the fisherman, experienced or otherwise. Partridges 
 are abundant on the mountains, and, with squirrels, afford fit 
 targets for the fowling piece which is the only firearm that one 
 needs to take to this section. For amusements, Davis Pond, 
 a mile long by a fourth that in width, gives opportunity for 
 boating while the many picturesque roads that branch out as 
 the valley widens at the east and west ends, afford unlimited 
 extent and variety that cannot fail in some instance, at least, 
 to prove delightful. Accommodations can be found among 
 the farm houses in the valley (or on the mountain sides, if one 
 is inclined to seek the greater elevations) where wholesome 
 country fare, with an abundance of fresh farm and dairy pro- 
 ducts can be had and willing and unstinted service, respecting 
 which address Arnold & Ricketson, Peasleville, Clinton Co.. 
 N. Y., for particulars of names and places. 
 
Wilmington. 62 -i> 
 
 The Au Sable Branch R. R. extends from Plattsburgh, 
 /;o miles, in a southwesterly direction, to Au Sable Station. 
 Coaches leave Au Sable on the arrival of morning train from 
 Plattsburgh and stage from Au Sable Chasm, going via Wil- 
 mington Notch, where dinner is had; arriving at Lake Placid 
 at about 3. Fare from Au Sable Station to Wilmington, $ 1 , 
 to Lake Placid, $2.50. 
 
 A stage runs daily from Au Sable Forks, 13 miles above 
 Au Sable Station, to Keen Valley, 20 miles south, via Lower 
 and Upper Jay. 
 
 When, in '73, the Professor and I made our first visit to 
 this section, there were no palace cars to set us down in the 
 midst of the lake country, nor even a coach to carry us to the 
 interior, but instead we journeyed in a chartered rig, from Au 
 Sable Chasm to Wilmington and beyond. If you will come 
 with us on that trip we will show you a section delightfully 
 wild and picturesque, as yet only partially developed and not 
 appreciated at half its true worth — a section remarkable for 
 striking features, even in a country whose untiring charm is 
 its variety; its strong contrasts, and its rapid changes. 
 
 Following the route shown in gateway No. 2, we were in 
 due time deposited on the steps of the old Whiteface Moun- 
 tain House at Wilmington, where we were confronted by a 
 big, square-looking fellow, with pants in boots and signs of fun 
 in his clear, blue eye. We enquired if he was landlord. 
 
 With a quizzical look down at his working-clothes, he re- 
 plied; "Well, I don't know. It's been so long since we had 
 company, that it don't pay to keep a landlord; but you'd better 
 come in." So we entered, and were soon as comfortable and 
 contented as a good supper and a roaring fire could make us. 
 
 Wilmington gives marked evidence of former prosperity, 
 and, at some past time, was a centre of considerable import- 
 ance. Now it is a little hamlet, combining the old and the 
 new picturesquely enough, prettily located on the west branch 
 of the Au Sable River, where it flows along under the east base 
 of Whiteface Mountain. 
 
62 -E THE "AdIRONDACKS. 
 
 Bliss' Hotel, situated on the west side of the river, is 
 where visitors now find entertainment, instead of at the 
 old Mountain House, where we stopped on our first visit. 
 Greatly increased travel makes this hotel important, it being 
 a convenient -stopping and dining place for travelers ovei 
 this route to Lake Placid. The proprietor is both capable 
 and obliging, which fact, with his appetizing meals and 
 excellent accommodations, has given the house a good repu- 
 tation on its merits. From Bliss' to the summit of White- 
 face is six miles, and saddle-horses for the ascent may be 
 had at the hotel. Still water on the river affords a mile and 
 a half of pleasant boating. Distances from Bliss' are a? 
 follows: To Au Sable Station, 13 miles ; to Lake Placid, 16 
 miles ; to Wilmington Pass, 6 miles ; to Big Falls, 4 miles ; 
 to Flume, 2^ miles. The house accommodates 30 to 50 and 
 offers real attractions to permanent guests, as well as hungry 
 wayfarers. Rates $8 to $12 per week ; $2 per day; 75 cts. 
 per meal. L. M. Bliss, proprietor. 
 
 The Storrs House, for some time past the only hotel 
 here, is on the east side of the river. Capacity 30. Board 
 $8 per week; $2.00 per day; 75 cents per meal. Ira H. 
 Storrs, proprietor. 
 
 Stage daily from morning train at Ausable Station, running 
 through to Lake Placid. Retinning, leaves Lake Placid in 
 the morning, and passing through Wilmington, connects at 
 Ausable Station with afternoon train to Plattsburgh, and 
 stages for Keeseville and Ausable Chasm. Fare to Ausabla 
 Station, $1.00; to Lake Placid, $1.50. 
 
SUMMIT OF WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OLD WHITEFACE. 
 
 UT off from its kindred on the south by 
 Wilmington Notch, and on the north by 
 one almost as deep, pyramidal in form, 
 although somewhat the longest north and 
 south, its base clothed in inky spruce and 
 balsams, its naked granite head among the 
 clouds " Old Whiteface " stands one of 
 the finest mountain peaks in the Adiron- 
 dacks. 
 
 " I'll tell you what I'll do," said our warm- 
 hearted landlord at night as we sat discuss- 
 ing pro and con the ascent of " Old White- 
 face," " if you will stay over I will take you 
 two miles up the mountain — as far as we can conveniently 
 jet with a «>ragon — and send a guide to the top with you, toy 
 
Old Whitefacb. 65 
 
 it*s the grandest mountain view to be had in the Adiiondacks, 
 and I don't want you to go away without seeing it" Of 
 ':ourse we accepted, only insisting that he go with us. So at 
 nine in the morning, with the thermometer at 48, we set out 
 up the mountains ; we left the wagon which returned to the 
 hotel, with instructions to meet us at sunset, and proceeded 
 up the bridle path toward the summit, traveling about a mile 
 westerly then turning toward the south, entered the standing 
 timber and began the ascent in earnest 
 
 At the end of a half hour we had gone another mile and came 
 out on an open space called " Lookout Point," half way to 
 the summit Here the blueberries grew thick, and we scraped 
 whole hahdfuls from the bushes and ate them — in ten minutes 
 gathering all we cared for. Then we resumed our course and 
 pressed upward through the dark woods, scrambling up the 
 steep path where great rocks alternated with pools of black 
 muck in a semi-liquid state, trodden and mixed by horses' feet, 
 and we wondered that horses could climb such places with a 
 hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds of humanity on their 
 back ; but Baldwin said to his knowledge not an accident 
 furttier than being lost for a night, ever happened on the 
 mountain. We reached the shanty, three-fourths ot a mile 
 from the summit, a little past noon, and here occurred a des- 
 oerate encounter between three men on the one side and six 
 slices of bread and butter, supported by other fixtures, on the 
 other, which resulted in their total defeat and destruction. 
 
 The shanty is in a small clearing, at the highest point where 
 wood and water can be obtained, has log sides, with a roof, 
 part canvass, part bark. Within is a parlor and cook stove ; 
 along one side, raised a little above the floor, a platform that 
 looked as though it might do service as Brigham Young's 
 family bedstead, was covered with spruce and hemlock 
 branches, and blankets. A sort of cross between a stairway 
 and ladder led up to the ladies' dormitory under the sharp 
 roof, through which the stars could peep in places. Here, in 
 the bed which was over nearly the entire floor, " permiscus 
 like," we could discover signs of the tender feeling with which 
 the fair sex was regarded — in the springy moss and fine leaves 
 which had been stripped from the hemlock branches, on which 
 
66 The Adirondacks. 
 
 the lords ot creation slept down below. The pipe from the 
 glove in the lower room, where a fire can be kept roaring all 
 night, passed up through this one, and altogether it was a 
 cosy, jolly, fun-provoking place to be in, where, as our guide 
 remarked, " if there was any fun in a fellow it was going to 
 show itself." We, in imitation of others before us who had 
 written their names in every conceivable and reachable place 
 in the building, registered and proceeded on our way to the 
 summit. 
 
 •* Pretty rough work," said Baldwin, " but hundreds of people 
 come up every year and ride clear to the top. A big doctor 
 came here from Buffalo with his family and a four-horse team 
 that he had been all over the country with — a very valuable 
 team, too, — and when he said he was going to the top of the 
 mountain with them I tried to stop him, and I offered to get 
 horses that were accustomed to the road for nothing, rather 
 than have him hurt his, but no; 'other horses have been 
 there, have they not?' said he, and when I told him yes, he 
 said, • then mine can go ; ' so he took them out of the 
 harness and put his wife, a woman that would weigh two 
 hundred, on the finest one of the lot and started, and I felt 
 bad for I knew something would happen, and they rode those 
 
 horses to the very top and just turned around and " . We 
 
 gazed down over the fearful precipice at our feet while oui 
 nearts seemed to cease their motion as he slowly concluded — 
 '* and rode down again without getting a scratch I " 
 
Old Whiteface. 67 
 
 "But how can ladies manag^e to keep on the horses' backs, 
 irhere it seems almost impossible for the horse to get along 
 alone?" 
 
 ** Manage!" said he, " like a man, of course, astride, and it 
 makes me laugh to see them sometimes when they find that 
 they've got to go in that way. So modest when they start, 
 some of them, that they are dreadfully afraid of showing their 
 feet, but they soon get over that and come down with colors 
 flying. I don't know as they would ever have done it if 
 Mrs. Murray, wife of the Rev. Adirondack Murray, hadn't set 
 the fashion herself. She's a dashing, independent sort ol 
 woman, who don't let thoughts of what people may say inter- 
 fere with her plans. Well, after Mrs. Murray set the example, 
 we had no difficulty, and now lots of them go up in that way ; 
 as, with the horses we have and a guide at their sides, there 
 is not the slightest danger in making the ascent." The regu- 
 lar price for a horse and guide is six dollars, or four dollars for 
 the horse alone ; but unless a lady is perfectly at home in the 
 saddle, she will be apt to wish she was "at home " in reality. 
 It is needless to add that the Turkish costume is considered 
 the most appropriate for this style of amusement. 
 
 All the way up we had noticed fresh tracks maae by three 
 several persons — one, a man's, which also appeared to have 
 descended, and two evidently made by ladies — one short and 
 thick, the other slender and dainty in its manner of touching 
 the ground. It had been a matter of wonderment to us, and 
 " Little Foot-prints," as we styled the owner of the dainty 
 stepping foot, was a constantly recurring subject of specula- 
 tion. "Where is Little Foot-prints? who is she? is she 
 pretty? — of course. And the other — why are they appar- 
 ently alone, when the Big Foot has gone back ? " questions 
 that we hoped soon to solve ; questions that preyed upon the 
 Professor, as the oft-twirled moustache and passage of hia 
 fingers through his auburn locks would seem to indicate. Ot 
 course it was nothing to me, and only out of mere curiosity 
 that I managed to reach the top first, but "where was Little 
 Foot-prints ? " Not there, certainly, for the summit, the sidea 
 and the backbone of the mountain up over which we had 
 passed were primeval, unyielding rock They had not re- 
 
68 The Adirondacks. 
 
 turned by the path ; they might have plunged down the sides 
 in some other direction, but the feeling took possession of us 
 that our "Little Foot-pnnts " had taken wings and flown up 
 among the angels, just a little higher than where we stood. 
 
 How can I describe it — the wonderful beauty of the day, 
 the clear, crisp atmosphere surrounding us — the great pur- 
 ple-rimmed basin, in the center of which, lifted up on a pin- 
 nacle, we stood, while the mighty, sweeping dome of heaven 
 came down all around and blended with the mountain edges. 
 A keen, wintry blast sweeping past, penetrating even through 
 the heavy blankets that we had brought from the house below ; 
 the bits of ground frozen nearly as hard as the rock on which 
 they rested; every stunted bush and blade of coarse grass 
 which clung to the wind-swept summit gleaming with frost 
 needles and sparkling like spun glass in the bright sunshine 
 while below, the country lay spread out in the glory of its 
 autumnal dress, its gold and crimson, brown and green, its 
 pearly lakes and threads of silver, its purple hills and mellow 
 distance, over which lay a mantle of tender blue haze, seen 
 only in autumn — not smoke — but something that suggests 
 the thought of the myriad millions of pale, sweet ghosts ot 
 falling leaves and dying flowers. Back toward the north ran 
 the sharp ridge up which we had toiled, naked and dark for a 
 quarter of a mile, then a stunted growth of balsams gnarled 
 and twisted ; a few live branches low down at the surface, the 
 tops dead and dry ; then, as we look further the spruce and 
 cedar grow dark and thick down to the belts of birches and 
 maples below. Away off to the east is Lake Champlain, lost 
 in the mist toward the north, shut in by the Green Mountains, 
 and beyond, the white hills of old New England. To the 
 south lay the great peaks of the Adirondacks. " Haystack,' 
 "Marcy " — the cloud-piercer of the Indians, '' Colden," with 
 the white track of the avalanche down its side, and others — 
 a long line of giants, their dark blue crests rising like ocean 
 billows — grand and changeless in their mighty forms, over- 
 whelming in their sublimity. 
 
 Away toward the west a lower set of mountain waves are 
 seen, over a comparatively level tract of country cut and out- 
 lined with a confused network of ponds and streams, with 
 
Old Whiteface. 69 
 
 nere and there a broad, shining sheet of water ; Lake Placid 
 at our feet, the Saranacs and Big Tupper's farther away, and a 
 host of others, too numerous to mention, while over the pur- 
 ple rocky rim of the mountains to the north stretched the 
 faint blue of the level Canadas, through which was the silvery 
 gleam of the mighty St. Lawrence. 
 
 Turning once more toward the grand Indian pass we see 
 the fields of North Elba, and — a mere speck — the home and 
 resting Dlace of old John Brown, From the pass above, the 
 Ausable rises and comes toward us ; here and there we catch 
 glimpses of it, a mere thread, through Wilmington Notch, 
 under the great wall, through the natural flume at our feet, 
 past the little village and away to Keeseville beyond which it 
 plunges down over the rocks at Birmingham, and finds its 
 way out through the dark chasm to Lake Champlain. 
 
 Seventy years ago an avalanche of loose stones and the 
 gathered moss and vegetable deposit of ages went down the 
 western slope of this mountain and the exposed surface, 
 whiter than the rest, is said to have given it the name ; but 
 there is a more reasonable theory, as the line can hardly be 
 noticed unless covered with snow, that the old giant's naked 
 brow, for so long a period covered with snow, suggested the 
 name of " Old Whiteface." On the topmost point, firmly at- 
 tached to the rock, we found the card of the chief of the Adi- 
 rondack Survey, a metallic disk with this inscription : " White- 
 face Mountain, Station No. 2. Verplanck Colvin, S. N. Y. 
 Adirondack Survey, 1872." All around, the surface of the 
 rock was scarred and chiseled with the names of former visit- 
 ors while on one, cut deep and clear, were the words. 
 
 " Thanks be to God for the mountains ! " 
 and every heart joined with that grand old mountain peak in 
 saying, " thanks be to God for the mountams." A great, dark, 
 litchen-covered, chaotic mass of broken rock forms the sum- 
 mit ; to the north and south the ascent is gradual, but on 
 either side it is almost perpendicular for many feet, then curves 
 outward and is covered by the dark evergreens. We gazed 
 iown from the dizzy height, 
 
 " We heard the troubled flow 
 Of the dark olive depths of pinea, rMOunding 
 A tkousand feet below." 
 
70 The Adirondacks. 
 
 We marked our homeward course through the glistening 
 lakes, away around the blue serrated summit of Mount Sew- 
 ard, then started on our descent. A sudden exclamation from 
 our guide brought us to his side, where he was inspecting 
 what we took to be the track of a naked foot 
 
 " What is it ? " 
 
 "A bar — been here since we went up — going down, proba- 
 bly, to the blueberry patch. We may see him if we go careful." 
 
 And carefully we went, following the track along out to the 
 blueberry patch, and there we lost it We waited, watched 
 and ate berries until the shadow of the mountain like a great 
 pyramid reached out and touched the little village ; then we 
 started. 
 
 " Maybe you'd better lead," said Baldwin, making a desper 
 ate effort to keep his feet from getting the advantage of him, 
 while an ax, tin pail and sundry other articles jingled and 
 thumped about on every side. " It bothers me to have folks 
 treading on my heels." So lead we did — the result of which 
 may be inferred from a remark he was overheard to make that 
 night, to the eflfect that it beat somethin-or-other how tnem 
 fellows came down that mountain, "and," said he, "when I'd 
 get some ways behind I'd drop into a dog trot to catch up, 
 then I'd hear that little fellow snicker and the long-legged 
 one would c^ver six feet at a step." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 •«ON THE ROAD 
 
 'John Brown'* body lies a-mouldering In the gn,f% 
 And hit soul goes marching on." — Old Sffttg;, 
 
 nr^r?) C\ ^^ morning following our ascent of uld White- 
 ^-'^'^ ^^->, face, he had draped his shoulders in a mantle 
 of mist, modestly hiding his face in the clouds, 
 and although the sun came out toward noon 
 and the clouds went scurrying across the sky 
 like a routed army before the advance of an 
 enemy, a legion still hung around his iron 
 head, skulked in the rents and hollows of his 
 furrowed side and crowded close under the 
 lee of his protecting form. It was interesting 
 to watch this vast host — this white-robed 
 army of the sky — seeming almost human in 
 itF maneuverings to gain a place of safety 
 trom the fierce west winds which tore it into fragments and 
 strung it out into shreds, and rolled it up into great balls to 
 be dashed against the mountain, and separating, pass on either 
 side to wheel into line beyond, or entering the surface current 
 mount up the steep, and shooting out over the sharp crest, 
 curl downward into the billowy mass below, where it clung 
 like some tattered signal of distress, its ragged, wind-whipped 
 end stretching away out toward the east. 
 
 After dinner we took a carriage, sandwitched the driver be- 
 tween us, and started for North Elba. Att. Clyne was the 
 driver's name, a pleasant young fellow, who had rather hear 
 or tell a good story than to eat, and that is saying a good deal 
 for him . He inaugurated a series by telling of the wonderful 
 speed of the particular beast behind which we were riding, 
 the truth of which he would demonstrate when we arrived at 
 
72 The Adirondacks. 
 
 a suitable piece of road. We never came to that suitable 
 piece. Once we thougiit we had, and he encouraged her a 
 little with the whip. She felt encouraged for about ten feet, 
 and then rested while we got out and strapped a couple of 
 pieces of whiffletree together which we had discovered dang- 
 ling at her feet , then we went ahead carefully. About two 
 miles south of Wilmington is the natural flume, a long furrow 
 through the rock like the track of a giant plowshare, through 
 which the water shoots like a flash of light. Some call it a 
 wonder ; but, with the fellow at Niagara, we might say " it 
 would be a greater wonder if the water didnt come down, it 
 comes so easy." Our road still led up along the river, now 
 flashing out broad in the sunlight as it rippled over the stones, 
 now quiet, and then plunging over the "big falls" seeming to 
 lose itself in the cavernous depths below. 
 
 Wilmington Pass is the natural gateway to North Elba 
 from the north, a notch cut out of the mountain, through 
 which the west branch of the Ausable flows, it is one of the 
 finest, if not the finest, combination of river, rock and moun- 
 tain scenery to be found in the Adirondacks, and was especi- 
 ally beautiful in its autumn dress, as we saw it on that early 
 October day. The road ran along up by the river, fringed and 
 canopied by the crimson and yellow maples, the great, ragged, 
 rough-aimed birches, the cone-shaped balsam, the dainty- 
 limbed tamarack and scarlet-berried mountain ash. The paw 
 seems to have been caused by some mighty power that turn- 
 ing neither to the right nor left, struck this mountain range 
 and passed through and onward, carrying every thing before 
 it out on the plain beyond, leaving the broken walls on eithei 
 side to frown down on the torn rocks below, and, when the 
 tempest raged, to thunder back defiance at each other. Then 
 time covered the rocks with mosses, the floods brought 
 rich offerings and dropped them in the bottom-land, trees 
 sprang up and others found lodgment in the cleft rocks, and 
 now all is covered with nature's mantle. No, not all, for at 
 our left, the naked rock rises up, straight up, fully five hun- 
 dred feet, at places even projecting beyond its base and seem- 
 ing ready to fall as great masses have already fallen, through 
 ■nd around which the road poes, at times with barely suffir'- 
 
*On the ivOAD. 
 
 ent room to pass between them and the narrow, swift-niuning 
 river on the other side. Across the river at our right is a 
 narrow fringe of bottom-land trees, then rising, precipice 
 above precipice, and cliff on cliff, is Old Whiteface, his feet 
 
 washed by the river, his head still among the clouds, and . 
 
 There stands that fast beast out to the* full extent of the reins, 
 with the pieces of broken whiffletree on either side. 
 
 " Gr — ROOP ! " The sound was richly musical and unmis- 
 takably Africaa for " get-up." We were resting, if you please, 
 three of us in a buggy, right in the middle of the road, the 
 Professor and I rapturously enjoying the lovely scenery and 
 mnocently talking about subjects entirely foreign to the situ- 
 ation, while " Att." sat squeezed in between us, holding on to 
 one end of the reins and using some very choice language in 
 regard to the mare who stood out at the other, looking around 
 occasionally to see why some one didn't make a move to get 
 her back where she belonged. 
 
 " Gr-roop ! " Letters cannot express the sound. The 
 nearest approach to it is when some sea-sidk mortal rushes to 
 the vessel's side and vainly attempts to give up his own din- 
 ner to the fishes. We got out and tied the traces back to the 
 cross-bar, put the broken whiffletree in the wagon and sent 
 "Att." forward to make repairs. 
 
 " Gr-roop ! " whack t a paii 
 of sorry-looking objects ap- 
 peared over the brow of a 
 little knoll behind us, rising 
 slowly as rises the stately 
 ship above the watery hori- 
 zon, first two pairs of hairy 
 ears, then a pair of venera- 
 ble heads swaying from side 
 to side, then their entire 
 forms loomed above the 
 sandy horizon, and we looked 
 r.R— ROOP. ^p through a swaying thicket 
 
 of lejfs and straps and wooden bar* 
 
74 The Adirondacks. 
 
 "Camels, by darn 1 " said the Professor excitedly, catching 
 •ilfht of what appeared to be the hump peculiar to the " ship 
 of the desert" 
 
 No, not camels. Professor, but ancient specimens of horse 
 architecture; style, gothic, with a tendency toward many 
 gables, and that which you think the hump is a French roof 
 of buffalo skin to protect them, or the harness, or both, from 
 the rain. Framed in nature's noblest mold tb<i<fP beasts un- 
 doubtedly were ; but the party who supplied the flesh wai 
 apparently short of material, or else they were clothed in 
 their summer suit Their harness fenced them in and bound 
 them round about suggesting suspicion of a latent fire within 
 that might, if aroused, burst forth and rend straps of an 
 ordinary width, as the lightning shivers the mighty oak.— 
 Straps ? they crossed and covered those noble animals until 
 they looked like a railroad map of Massachusetts, and at 
 every crossing was a big patch of buffalo skin. They looked 
 kindly at us, with eyes out of which all coltish frivolity had 
 long since flown. Then the expression seemed to change to 
 one of mild surprise as the wagon gently pressed against them 
 and they found it easier to trot down the hill than to hold 
 back. As they forged up alongside they stopped. They had 
 evidently been driven by a sewing machine agent or some 
 candidate for office, and thought they must stop for every 
 man they saw. We instantly propounded the following co- 
 nundrum to the driver : 
 
 "Why can't we ride in that extra seat? " 
 
 He gave it up at once and we got aboard the buckboard. 
 ** Gr-Toop \ " wAac^/ we were under way. The driver was a 
 good-looking fellow, intelligent, well-informed, and decidedly 
 attractive in his way, even if his skin was a few shades darker 
 than regulation and his hair unexplorable in its kinkiness. 
 We inquired his destination and he told as Nu'th Elba. As 
 St Helena suggests the first Napoleon, so Noitn Elba brings 
 with it the picture of an old man with white hair and flowing 
 *f hite beard, crazy some said, but with wonderful method in 
 his madness; a carpet-bagger in Kansas where he took an 
 active part in the troubles which in 1856 assumed the formid- 
 able proportions of a civil war ; the " Old man of 08awat«> 
 
John Brown. 
 
 inie," whose presence was marked by dissensions and blood- 
 shed ; who urged men on to murder in the name of freedom 
 
 and read his Bible all the 
 time* who in 1859, with a 
 mere handful of men, 
 struck the first hard blow 
 at the institution of slavery 
 in the South, and which, 
 probably, more than the 
 eloquence of all the Phil- 
 lips and Sumners in the 
 world, tended to precipi- 
 tate the war by which, 
 through rivers ot blood, 
 four million slaves went 
 free. He was called "a 
 visionary," "an old fool," 
 but men who have given 
 the subject study say that 
 it was the best organized 
 - ^^ conspiracy that ever failed, 
 
 the entire Southern States. 
 The blow struck at Harper's Ferry was to be the signal for a 
 general uprising of the blacks, but he misjudged his men 
 and — failed. 
 
 A fanatic he undoubtedly was. He seemed to feel that 
 he was specially called not only to free but to educate the 
 blacks. He secured a large tract of land here at North 
 Elba to demonstrate his theory, and had established quite a 
 colony. Then feeling that the time had come, he, with three 
 sons, a son-in-law and a few others who had become converted 
 to his belief— twenty-two in all — played at Harper's Ferry — 
 and lost. They were soon surrounded, and the negroes, to 
 whom they trusted so much, let them fight it out alone. One 
 son escaped, another was shot dead, and still another lay 
 dying by his side, while the old man fought on ; and at last, 
 when overpowered and compelled to surrender, he locked the 
 secrets he possessed in his breast that his friends might not 
 
76 The Adirondacks. 
 
 •uffer, and died as he had lived, firm in the faith that i« some 
 manner he was the divinely appointed agent who was to lead 
 his children out of the land of bondage. He mui mured not 
 against the people for whom he suffered, who had deserted 
 him is his direst need, but stopped to kiss a little negro baby 
 on his way to the scaffold, seeming to show by the act, how 
 willingly he laid down his life for them and the cause he had 
 espoused.* 
 Then the body of old John Brown, the convicted murderei 
 
 • -this felon with the mark of the hangman's rope on his 
 neck — was taken down from the gallows and borne through 
 the country whose laws he had transgressed, while bells tolled 
 and cities were draped in mourning for his sake, to his old 
 home among the mountains — For he had said : " When I die, 
 bury me by the big rock where I love to bit and read the word 
 of God," and there, one terribly cold day in bleak Decembei, 
 a few who had loved the old man, laid his body and covered 
 it up in the frozen ground, 
 
 ** And his Boul goM marohl&f oa.** 
 
 Yes, the spirit of old John Brown goes marching on, and 
 with it, keeping time to the music of the old song, whole 
 armies marched to battle, and with the victory came that for 
 which the old man worked and died. 
 
 " Gr-roop ! " whack t Back to the reality of a darkey belab- 
 oring a pair of absent-minded and almost absent-bodied 
 horses, and they supremely unconscious of the fact. We ven- 
 tured to inquire if our driver was one of John Brown's pet 
 lambs, and he with, as Mrs. Partington would say, considerable 
 "asparagrass," gave us to understand that he was not. 
 
 "He established a colony of blacks up here, didn't he?" 
 
 " Yes, sah, but they ain't heah now. We are the only family 
 of colo'd folks in town." 
 
 " Where are they now ? " 
 
 " All gone." " Gr-roop I " whack I " See dat boss — Gone j 
 nobody knows where." 
 
 •• How many were there of them ? " 
 
 «*Mcbbe fifteen or twenty families— don't know, didn't 
 think much of 'em.'' 
 
 * See Note on page 82. 
 
•*On the Road." 7^ 
 
 ** Slaves, I suppose, that the old man had run in here from 
 the South ? " 
 
 " No, sah, not one. G'lang ! " 
 
 " Where did he get them ? " 
 
 " Oh, from New York, mostly, I guess — not much account- 
 Niggers. Gr-roop ! what you 'bout ? " 
 
 " He was generally considered a fanatic, wasn't he ? ' 
 
 " San ? " 
 
 " You thought him a monomaniac ? " 
 
 "A — yes, sah. Ge-Zon^, ihzh." 
 
 *' You say they are all gone ; what has become of them ? " 
 
 "Don't know; they couldn't make a livin' heah ; too cold 
 for 'em ; wa'nt much used to work, I guess, an' couldn't stan' 
 the kind they got heah. Most of 'em was barbers an' sich, 
 who thought they wouldn't have nothing to do when they 
 come heah, an' after the old man died they couldn't get along, 
 so they dug out, some of 'em, an' some of 'em died, an* one 
 ole niggah froze to death." 
 
 " How was that ? " 
 
 " Well, he went out huntin' one day in winter and got lost 
 in the woods. He had a compass with him, but when they 
 found him they found where he had sat down on a log and 
 ficked his co7npass to pieces, and then sot there till he froze to 
 death." 
 
 It is a well-known fact that some unused to the woods will 
 become so effectually " turned around " that they will be cer- 
 tain that something is the matter with the compass to make 
 it point wrong, and even distrust the sun itself if it happens 
 t3 be in a different position from that which they think it 
 ought to be. 
 
 " Deni bosses gettin' kinder tired," remarked their master ; 
 " don't get along over this road very fast." 
 
 We accepted the information with polite incredulity, as is 
 becoming in those to whom an unnoticed fact is fiist made 
 apparent. 
 
 " Been on the road a whole week — " 
 
 " Getting from the Forks?" we innocently inquired. 
 
 " Oh, no, sah ; it's only fiflee." miles to 'Sable Forks. I've 
 
78 The Adirondacks. 
 
 been canyln* a young lady 'round to see the country, drlviii 
 them hosses steady for a week — " 
 
 "Without feeding? Well, now, I don't wonder they — " 
 
 " No, no, sah ; I feed 'em reg'lar, only they run out all sum 
 mer an' I haven't got the hard feed in 'em yet. They ain't 
 very fat just now, but they's good hosses for all that." 
 
 Then he whipped up lively for two or three rods past a 
 hanty, where we saw Att. busily engaged on what he was 
 pleased to call a whiflfletree, to take the place of the broken 
 one. Then we > good-bye to our sable friend and sat 
 
 down by the river o make a sketch of the scene. Feeble 
 
 and unsatisfactory, perhaps, but a shadow, at least a sugges- 
 tion, of foaming, sparkling sun-bright water, dancing along 
 among the stones ; great, shaggy, yellow birches, golden 
 beeches, crimson maples and tangled depths of dark green, 
 while through openings in the trees, the gray cliff showed 
 gland and strong, appearing even greater than itself through 
 the tender blue of the luminous haze that intervened. Then 
 we all got in behind the fast horse and continued on our way. 
 Up along the river, through a dark, level tract, almost a swamp, 
 where the balsams grew thick and the trailing moss hung in 
 masses from their branches, out into the open country, where 
 we saw pleasant homes, well tilled fields, and the river wind- 
 ing smoothly through the fertile meadows of North Elba. 
 
 After a while we came to a place where the houses were a 
 little nearer together than anywhere else along the road, so 
 we called that North Elba; but the population is rather thin 
 at the best, and the country to a great extent devoted to 
 grazing and grass growing. Winter up there seems to be the 
 chief season and never disappoints them in coming, and it is 
 seldom that a year passes when snow is not seen on the moun- 
 tains near by every month excepting August. It is said to be 
 very healthy, so much so that the only manner of taking ofl 
 is a habit they have of freezing to death, and when this hap- 
 pens, as is often the case in summer, they do not find it nec- 
 essary to bury them, but (if Att. is to be believed) simply lay 
 them away somewhere exposed to the pure balsamic air and 
 in the course of six or seven weeks they moss over. John 
 Brown was only covered up as a protection against curiositT 
 
North Elba. 
 
 79 
 
 hunters, who have a habit of chopping oft pieces ot fossils 
 and the like, and who have broken off pieces of his tombsionc 
 to such an extent that it had to be boxed up to keep enough 
 for directory purposes. 
 
 Here at North Elba we strike the post-road, running in a 
 north-westerly direction from Elizabethtown to the Saranac 
 lakes. Turning to the right we proceeded about a mile until 
 at the entrance to a lane, which led off toward the south, we 
 saw a sign bearing the inscription, "John brown Farm, Re- 
 freshments if desired " (at least that is what we made it out to 
 be), together with an index finger, which was probably painted 
 by some admirer of the old man's to indicate his present home, 
 which direction, if fgllowed, would take the traveler several 
 degrees higher than we could hope to get in the Adirondacks, 
 so we took the middle course — the lane— through a strip ol 
 woods, into the open field, and with the dusk of a solemn twi- 
 light settling down over us, stood by the great rock that he 
 loved so well and by the side of which, at his own requst, he 
 was buried. The farm is shut in on all sides by the thick 
 forests which, on the south, stretch 
 away in unbroken solitude to Indian 
 Pass and the great peaks of the Adi- 
 londacks. It has been purchased by 
 a company at whose head as prime 
 mover stands Kate Field, and now 
 held as a sort of public park which 
 is annually visited by hundreds who, 
 from curiosity or reverence for the 
 old saint, make pilgrimages to their 
 Mecca ot fanaticism. The house and 
 outbuildings stand in the open field ; 
 near by is the " big rock " and grave, 
 surrounded by a rough board fence. 
 As we entered the inclosure a lit- 
 tle girl came out to remove the box 
 from the headstone, which it was 
 found necessary to cover to pre- 
 serve from the destroying hand of 
 the relic-hunter. Unlocking and 
 
The Adirondacks. 
 
 removing the box we saw an old fashioned, time-stained, 
 granite-like stone, the corners chipped and broken off, and 
 defaced so that in places some of the inscription was entirely 
 gone. The upper half was in the quaint characters of "ye 
 olden time," the lower half ot a recent date ; the face bore the 
 following inscription ; 
 
 " In memory of Capt** John Brow Who Died At Newyork 
 Sept' Ye 3 1776 in the 42 year of his Age. 
 
 "John Brown Born May 9 1800 was executed at Charleston, 
 Va, Dec, 2. 1859. 
 
 "Oliver Brown Born Mar. 9, 1839, was Killed at Harpers 
 Ferry Oct. 17. 1859." 
 
 On the back was the following: 
 
 "In memory of Frederick son of John and Dianth Brown, 
 Born Dec 21. 1830 and murdered at Osawatomie, Kansas, Aug 
 30. 1856 for his adherence to the cause of Freedom." 
 
 " Watson Brown, Born Oct 7, 1835 was wounded at Haroera 
 Ferry & died Oct. 19, 1859."* 
 
 The grave was strewn with faded flowers ; a florist's leaden 
 cross and crown filled with the same lay on the little mound, 
 and under it the body of Old John Brown, alone ! of his large 
 family not one remaining to watch over him, but in their place 
 strangers, who knew less of the old man than we who lived 
 far away. His widow, and five children out of his twenty, are 
 still living, it is said, scattered over the West, some of them 
 in California, some nearer. 
 
 The stone which marks the head of his grave was brought 
 from Massachusetts and placed where it now stands, and we 
 were told that the " Capin " John Brown, whose name heads 
 the list, was his father, in which case (if the Captain was his 
 father) he must have been born an orphan, as this one died 
 something over twenty-three years before young John was 
 born. In fact there must be some mistake about it somewhere, 
 as even after careful investigation there we could not find out 
 that he ever had 2i father, and wc would respectfully suggest 
 that it receive the attention of the geneological authors, who, 
 for the paltry sura of a hundred dollars. wiU U-ace any man's 
 
 • See note *' B *' on inge 8^ 
 
** Business." 8i 
 
 pedigree back in an unbroken line to dukes and earU, oi 
 better even for an additional inducement We passed up over 
 the big rock bearing the inscription, cut in large letters, 
 "John Brown, 1859," and to the house to learn something 
 more concerning it. 
 
 " Don't you want to stay all night? " said the little girl, with 
 in eye to business. 
 
 I glanced at the grave, the cold rock and the dreary, dark- 
 ening fields around, and said **No." Then a boy member ol 
 the family cornered Att, and eloquently held up to him the 
 advantages of seeing the " stun " by daylight ; but Att. couldn't 
 see it Then the loquacious lady of the house met the Profes- 
 sor at the door with the continuation of what the boy and girl 
 had started, but the Professor being a modest man threw the 
 responsibility on me, and, alas ! all / wanted was information. 
 
 " We can accommodate you if you want to stay," said she, 
 bringing the register. 
 
 We said no again, counted, and found that over four hundred 
 besides ourselves had registered during the summer. 
 
 " Got as good rooms as anybody, and every body who has 
 stopped here has been satisfied," continued she insinuatingly. 
 
 "Almost everybody buy these," said the little girl, produc- 
 ing a pair of stereographs of th« grave and rock ; " fifty cents 
 for the two." 
 
 We meekly produced the plaster and inquiredif they owned 
 the place. 
 
 '* No," said the mother, " we've only been here a little while, 
 but take in strangers who want to stay all night and—" 
 
 " This is the house old John Brown used to occupy, isn't it ? " 
 
 " Yes, but we've fitted it up new some since, and now you 
 can't find any better rooms — " 
 
 " What has become of the widow and children ? '* 
 
 "I don't know just where, but out West somewhere, I be- 
 ieve. We just take care of it and keep folks who — " 
 
 •* It seems to be all forests to the south ; is there a path 
 leading from here to the Indian Pass ? " 
 
 " Yes, parties often come through it and stop over night or 
 get something to eat ; and I don't like to say it myself, but 
 thcf always seem satisfied with our fare. Now — " 
 
82 The Adirondacks. 
 
 ** I am gathering information for a book on the Adirondacks, 
 which is my reason for asking so many questions. Now 11 
 you have any interesting information concerning this locality 
 I will be—" 
 
 "Well, now, I think if people knew that we were prepared 
 to keep folks and was always prepared to get up meals, with 
 game and trout always on hand, they would come more ; and 
 if you will just state — " 
 
 "All right; ^^(?^ evening, madam." 
 
 •• We should like to — folks say they were just as well kept 
 as at a hotel — might just mention trout — ^game dinners — veni- 
 son nearly all the time — barn room — people — haven't — found 
 — it — out — much — yet — it's — ^getting purty — dark — hadn't— 
 you — better — stay. And as we passed out of hearing the 
 thought would come that if the old man could sleep there un- 
 moved for a term of years, the angel Gabriel would have to 
 be in pretty good lip to start him at the end of that time. 
 
 Note A. — Hon. Orange Ferriss, Commissioner of Claims at Washington, is authority 
 for the statement made to him by Senator Pomeroy, of Kansas, that a design was 
 formed to liberate John Brown, in pursuance of which 40 determined men met at 
 Charleston, previous to the execution, thoroughly organized and with a plan which 
 could not have failed, if undertaken under the existing circumstances. The old man 
 was notified of the proposed attempt, but the spirit which had actuated him all along 
 spoke in hfs reply : " No ; I am of more use to the cause now dead than living "; and 
 he died for the cause when life could have been his for the asking. True to his mem- 
 ory is the State which has placed among the honored ones at the national capital the 
 statue of the champion of bleeding Kansas— "the old man of Ossawotomie." 
 
 Note B. — The body of Watson Brown was brought here and laid near the father, 
 October 12, 1882, after remaining unburied for nearly twenty-three years. Considered 
 by the authorities of Virginia as that of a great criminal, it was given after death to 
 the Medical College at Winchester, and there preserved as an anatomical specimen — 
 the mother appealing in vain for the privilege of giving it Christian burial. Later, 
 when the town was occupied by the Union forces, it was carried off by an Indiana 
 surgeon, and kept by him as a curiosity, until in 1882, when he informed the survivors 
 of its whereabouts and offered to restore it for more decent interment. From Indiana 
 the poor buffeted body went to the mother in, Ohio, and finally here, accompanied by 
 her, the brothers Owen and John, Jr., sister and widDw , and was finally laid to rest 
 beside the " big rock," where he had played as a boy, while learning strange theonei 
 J " duty." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 North Elba — Lake Placid — The St. Regis and 
 Saranac Regions. 
 
 ^..^ORTH ELBA and Lake Placid can be reached 
 ^^^"^ from Westport and Elizabethtown by stage 
 daily during the season of summer travel. The 
 route leads through a country beautiful in natu- 
 ral attractions, passing at the south base of 
 Hurricane peak and through the northern por- 
 tion of Keene Valley. 
 
 Keene is a pretty little mountain -girded ham- 
 let, with churches, telegraph and telephone of- 
 fices, and a number of stores of a sedate and peaceful char- 
 acter. The great mountains are on the east and west, and the 
 east branch of the Au Sable River runs north through the 
 picturesque lowlands. 
 
 The Keene Centre House furnishes comfortable accom- 
 modations to travelers at $2.50 per day; $10 to $15 per week, 
 and is open the year round. 
 
 Cascade Lakes, formerly known as Edmond's Ponds, are 
 six miles west of Keene, and a thousand feet higher; their al- 
 titude being 2,038 feet above tide. The road follows up be- 
 side the brawling stream that comes through a notch in the 
 west mountains, and strikes the main lake at its east end; 
 thence follows along, on the north shore, for something over 
 a mile, when the west, or upper, lake is reached. Long Pond 
 Mountain rises abruptly along the south side, and Pitchofl 
 Mountain on the north ; forming a narrow defile, where the 
 lake lies like a deep, still river, while the road holds a preca- 
 rious footing on the debt-is that has fallen from the cliffs above. 
 Originally one continuous strip of water, it was divided into 
 
84 The Adirondacks. 
 
 two, near the western extremity, by a deposit evidently brought 
 down by the stream which foams over the precipitous wall on 
 the south, in a succession of cascades, a thousand feet in ex- 
 tent — in the rainy season, a foaming torrent; in .time of 
 drouth, a mere thread of silver hanging down over the dark 
 rocks. 
 
 The Cascade Lake House stands nearly opposite, on the 
 only available bit of land found in this part of the notch. It 
 was built in 1878. W.F. & S.H. Weston, proprietors, P. O., Cas- 
 cadeville. It is 16 miles from this point to Saranac Lake, 
 nine miles* to Lake Placid, and 26 miles to the railroad at 
 Wc stport. A broad, double piazza faces south, commanding 
 a view up and down the two lakes, and of the Cascade across 
 the way; affording a delightful lounging place of a hot day, 
 when the wind, which is seldom still here, draws up or down 
 the notch. The house is provided with fireplaces and is com- 
 fortable and homelike. The post office is in the house, as 
 is also a telegraph office. The fare is excellent and abun- 
 dant. Board, $3.00 per day; $12 to $17.50 per week, children 
 under 10 years of age, special. Very satisfactory to the 
 transient guest are the dinners served here at $1.00. For 
 amusement, space has been found for an enclosed tennis 
 court out under the trees; for croquet, another bit reclaimed 
 near the house ; and still other space for a bowling alley was 
 made close by. There are boats for guests on both lakes; 
 large, comfortable ones for the timid; light, guiding-boats for 
 the hunter and fisherman. These lakes are owned by the 
 proprietors of the Cascade Lake House, and held by them 
 exclusively for their guests. Originally noted for its big trout, 
 the waters have been stocked and the fish guarded, until now 
 rod and fly are certain to yield good sport at almost any 
 season. To the lover of nature in her wildest shapes^ nobler 
 surroundings can hardly be imagined. 
 
 West of Cascade Lakes the road climbs up out of the notch, 
 and passing through occasional clearings, crosses over to the 
 more level land of North Elba, 
 
North Elba. 
 
 85 
 
 CASCADE LAKH HOUSE. 
 
 The Mountain View House is four miles west of the Cas- 
 cade Lakes. It commands a view of rare beauty and extent, 
 well entitling it to its chosen name. This house is perhaps 
 better known as Ames'. It has earned a well-deserved reputa- 
 tion for homelike comfort and hospitality ; and in addition to 
 considerable transient custom, gets its full quota of those who, 
 for sanitary reasons, seek the healing air of this high plain. 
 The house will provide for 35 guests. The accommodations 
 are good; the fare wholesome and satisfying, and the service 
 very pleasant and agreeable. Open from July ist to October 
 ist, Board, $8 to $12 per week; $2 per day; 50 cents per 
 meal. Telegraph office in the house. P. O., Cascadeville. 
 Mrs. M. S. Ames & Son, proprietors. 
 
 From the Mountain View House it is 22 miles to Eliza- 
 bethtown, stage fare $2.50. To Lake Placid, 5 miles, 50 
 cents. To Saranac Lake, 13 miles, $1.50. 
 
 Toward the south, the slope stretches away down into the 
 valley, then rises in long, sweeping lines to the foothills, 
 thence to higher ridges and peaks, and finally to the grand 
 heights of distant Marcy, the highest mountain in the State, 
 and to Mclntire, but little less in stature, the central 
 
86 The Adirondacks. 
 
 figure in this mountain picture, flanked as it is by Wallface 
 on the west guarding the famous Indian Pass, and Mt. Golden 
 on the east across the wild notch where repose the waters 
 of Avalanch Lake. Throughout all this extent of valley 
 and mountain side, the forests are as nature left them, for 
 the rugged nature of the country has been a check on the 
 lumberman's avarice, and the charcoal burner even has 
 stayed his devastating hand. 
 
 Outlined against the broad chest of ]\lclntire — in reality 
 a spur from its side — is a lower summit, Mt. Jo, sometimes 
 called the Bear. Between this and the main mountain, 
 more than 2,000 feet above tide, rests Clear Lake, a lovely 
 sheet of water of about 30 acres in extent, with shores of 
 white sand and a border of shrubs and trees remaining in 
 all their native beauty. 
 
 Adirondack Lodge stands here on the east shore of the 
 lake, almost hidden among the trees save where its high 
 tower lifts its head above their tops. This is a new de- 
 parture in rustic architecture, and forms one of the most 
 unique and picturesque structures in the country ; a resort 
 for nature's lovers, where nature's handiwork has been 
 respected. It is of logs, 96 feet front, 36 feet deep, and 
 three stories high, with a rear wing of almost equal size. 
 Forming a part of the building is a substantial tower also of 
 logs, rising above the tree tops and affording such a view as 
 can be found at no other house in the Adirondacks, for 
 with a widely extended vision, not a sign of civilization can 
 be discerned. A broad piazza surrounds the lower portion 
 of the house, its upper deck reached from the rooms above 
 or by rustic outside stairs. Everything about the house or 
 grounds evinces the cultivated taste of the owner, for the 
 same sentiment that protected hoary tree and graceful shrub 
 alike, made cunning joints among the logs, and left their 
 rugged bark intact so that every pilaster, balustrade or rail- 
 ing is still clothed in the rich brown covering that nature 
 gave it. Within, the same good taste prevails. The walls 
 
88 The Adirondacks. 
 
 are plastered, to be sure, and noise-deadened, but paint and 
 Brussels carpeting are tabooed as not in keeping with the 
 place, the furniture hard wood, plain and substantial. 
 Fireplaces make the principal rooms comfortable on occa- 
 sion. An electric annunciator puts sleeping rooms and 
 office in communication. The beds are of the best. The 
 windows are large single panes of plate glass in swinging 
 sash. A well at the door with old-fashicned wheel and 
 bucket furnishes the best tonic to be found here or any- 
 where else. A lawn tennis and croquet ground in an 
 opening near the lake ; swings and arbors among the trees, 
 and boats on the water afford means of quiet amusement. 
 There are trails to the summit of neighboring mountains for 
 those who favor long tramps, and shorter walks for those less 
 robust. To the top of Marcy is 7 J miles. Top of Mclntyre,4j. 
 To Avalanch Lake, 5 miles. To Indian Pass, 6 miles. To 
 top of Mt. Jo is a 45 minutes' scramble. A bridle path leads 
 through South Meadow to Edmonds Ponds, 8 miles distant. 
 It is about 5 miles by road to the main thoroughfare, which 
 is touched | of a mile west of Ames'. This road built 
 specially for the house presented great difficulties in con- 
 struction, which, however, were successfully overcome. 
 Through the season a buckboard stage conveys passengers 
 and mails to connect at Transfer with Elizabethtown and 
 Saranac Lake line. Fare, $1.00. 
 
 Guides, tents and suitable clothing for the purpose may 
 be procured here by parties desiring to go into camp. Ca- 
 pacity of house and camps, about 100. Board per day, $4 ; 
 per week, from $16 upward. Henry Van Hoevenbergh, 
 proprietor. P. O. address, Cascadeville, N. Y. 
 
 The Au Sable River is crossed 2 miles west of Ames'. A 
 half mile further, a sign on the left points south toward the 
 last resting place of old John Brown, and another mile brings 
 us to where the main road is left for Mirror and Placid 
 Lakes lying at the north. 
 
 Mirror Lake is about one mile long by one-third that 
 in width, its north end separated from Lake Placid by only 
 
Lake Placid. 89 
 
 a narrow strip of land. The attractions here have led to a 
 phenomenal development, and the prospects are that in time 
 a considerable village will line its shores. The post office is 
 " Lake Placid." 
 
 Mirror Lake Hotel is first as you approach from the 
 south. It stands at the south end of Mirror Lake, command- 
 ing a view of the lake toward the east and north, the pictur- 
 esque village of Lake Placid struggling along its shores, a bit 
 of Lake Placid itself, and Whiteface Mountain beyond, while 
 stretched along the southern sky, is the grand panorama of 
 mountain peaks. It is a roomy structure, with the necessary 
 comforts of the great hotel of the day It has ample piazzas 
 and public rooms, electric light, steam heat, an elevator. It is 
 furnished richly and comfortably. It has spacious halls and 
 sleeping rooms with high ceilings, and it is capable of thorough 
 ventilation and of the most perfect sanitary conditions. Within 
 are billiards and bowling. Without, all amusements common 
 to out-door life are at command. Here grace-giving tennis 
 and the more sedate croquet, claim each their admirers, while 
 those who would row or fish can be provided with all that is 
 necessary for comfort or pleasure. Riding and driving, staple 
 amusements the world over, may be indulged in here, and 
 those who care to, can find ample facilities and ways that may 
 be varied at will and found interesting always. 
 
 There is a telegraph office in the hotel, and mails come and 
 go twice a day. Stages arrive and depart for the railroad at 
 Saranac Lr.ke, morning and afternoon, and run daily to Keene 
 Valley, E'lzabethtown, and Westport, and to Au Sable Chasm. 
 
 The Grand View House, standing on the hill at the west 
 is owned by the same company as the Mirror Lake House and 
 is under the same management. This house is appropriately 
 named, for not only does it command the view at north, east 
 and south, common to all, but also the quiet of the spreading 
 forest toward the west, and the far-away mountains that lie 
 about Saranac Lake. This house with its attendant building, 
 linked to it by a coveied walk, contains some very desirable 
 
Lake Placid. 91 
 
 rooms, quiet and free from the bustle of the great hotels with 
 its attendant throng. 
 
 Accommodations are provided altogether for 500 guests. 
 Rates $4 per day; $20.00 to $35.00 per week. H. B. Isham, 
 who achieved astonishing success here in 1889, is manager. 
 
 12 3 4 5 6 7 
 
 THE GREAT PEAKS PROST LAKE PLACID. 
 
 1 Gothic. 2 Saddleback. 3 Basin. 4 Marey. 5 Colden. Mclntjre. 7 Indian Pass. 
 
 The Stevens House built in 1886 is on the highland that 
 separates Mirror Lake from Lake Placid. J. A. & G. A. 
 Stevens, proprietors. 
 
 This is one of the largest and best equipped houses and 
 commands undoubtedly the most comprehensive view of any 
 hotel in the Adirondacks. It stands 200 feet above the lake, 
 whose surface is 1,863 ^eet higher than the sea. From this 
 point may be counted a score of the great peaks. In the 
 southwest is distant Seward ; further west is Ampersand ; just 
 over the water, at the north, is dark McKenzie; in the north- 
 east, beyond the broad surface of Lake Placid, is the bold 
 crest of Old Whiteface. East and south are Pitchoff, Long 
 Pond, and Porter ; and, stretching along toward the west, a 
 long line of giants, are the Gothics, Basin, Marcy, Colden, 
 Mclntyre, and the mountains west of Indian Pass. Nearer 
 are the cleared fields of North Elba, and the old John Brown 
 homestead. At our feet are the waters of Mirror Lake, and 
 the collection of native and summer cottages constituting the 
 hamlet of Lake Placid. 
 
 The house has a front of over 200 feet, is four stories high, 
 with piazzas on every side, affording choice of wind or sun, 
 and with recent additions affording accommodations for nearly 
 
92 The Adirondacks. 
 
 400 guests. The parlors and dining-room have each an area 
 of about 3,000 square feet. It is lighted by electricity. A 
 hydraulic pump forces water to all parts of the house, and, 
 with hose attachment, is guard against possible fire. The bed- 
 ding, carpets, etc., came from Arnold, Constable & Co. The 
 beds are of woven wire, and with hair mattresses. The sani- 
 tary conditions are believed to be perfect. Telegraph office 
 in the house. 
 
 The Messrs. Stevens are also owners of the old Lake Placid 
 House and property ; which, with the land belonging to the 
 Stevens House, comprises all that section lying between Mirror 
 Lake and Lake Placid. This property has been laid out in 
 building lots. Several cottages stand here, others will be built 
 soon, and, in the near future, one may reasonably expect to see 
 this entire slope occupied by elegant villas or cosy cottages, as 
 individual taste may dictate. This is a very desirable place for 
 a summer cottage, being sightly and cool; while its elevated 
 position and the nature of the soil places it above any sugges- 
 tion of unwholesome air or conditions. 
 
 Stages : O'Brian & Vail's stages run to connect with all trains 
 at Saranac Lake, nine miles distant. Fare $1.25. Agnew 
 Brothers' stages connect with evening trains, north and south, at 
 Westport. Distance, 35 miles. Fare, $4. 
 
 The Lake Placid House is at the head of Mirror Lake, 
 east of the Stevens House, with room for about 60. Rates, 
 $2.50 per day, $15 per week. Open June to October 15. 
 Mrs. M. S. Elmendorf, proprietor. 
 
 Lake Placid is over at the north and, although distant from 
 Mirror Lake but a little way, the two are effectually separated 
 by the ridge that runs between them. It is in shape oblong, 
 something over 4 miles in length and about 2 broad, measuring 
 through or between the islands, of which there are three, called 
 respectively Hawk, Moose and Buck. Hawk is small, but 
 Moose and Buck are larsre, beautiful islands in a line from the 
 
The Adirondacks. 93 
 
 first toward the southwest, the three dividing the sheet into 
 what are locally known as the east and west lakes, making it 
 resemble a large river sweeping around them rather than a lake 
 with islands. • 
 
 The Westside Hotel is near the southern extremity of 
 the lake and about 40 feet above its surface. In front, a broad 
 passage leads into the East Lake. Through this is seen the 
 striking bluff known as the Devil's Pulpit, the mountains 
 around Wilmington Pass, and in the distance, Marcy and 
 other peaks. The West Lake, stretching northeast, forms the 
 middle ground of a picture of which the distance is the rugged 
 and noble contour ot Whiteface — a view pronounced by many 
 the finest of this famous peak. Behind and on either hand is 
 the forest into which run pleasant walks and bridle paths, one 
 of the latter extending to the top of Colborn Peak, a half 
 mile distant. The house is three stories, with spacious 
 rooms, and wide, double piazzas on the north, south and east 
 sides. Oliver Abell, proprietor. 
 
 Near by is the summer camp of E. D. Bartlett, one of the 
 most extensive and elaborate of the wilderness, and highly ar- 
 tistic as a whole. " Castle Rustico," on the west shore, op- 
 posite Moose Island, is open for guests. It is an immense, 
 gabled structure of logs, rough outside and rustic in. W. F. 
 Leggett, proprietor. Under-Cliff Cottage, on the west shore 
 of the lake, belongs to Dr. C. D. Alton, of Hartford, Conn. 
 Originally a private camp, it has been added to, and as a 
 " sanitarium " offers accommodations to invalids. For terms 
 address Dr. Alton at Hartford, until July ist. Through the 
 summer address at Lake Placid. Paradox Pond is simply a 
 bay connected with the lake at its southwest extremity. 
 
 Chubb River, the outlet of Lake Placid, runs toward the 
 southwest, and. in circling around toward the east approaches 
 quite near to Paradox Pond, very nearly creating another 
 large island. It is crossed a short distance from where the 
 road comes out on the shore of Mirror Lake, in approaching 
 from the south, and soon after joins with the Au Sable to pass 
 through Wilmington Notch. 
 
94 The Adirondacks. 
 
 The Elba House, on the main road, two miles south of 
 Lake Placid, will provide for i8 boarders. It is quaint and 
 picturesque. Of old it was known as Lyons' Hotel. It has 
 now been repaired and refurnished under a new management 
 and furnishes comfortable quarters for i8 boarders. Rates 
 $1.50 per day; $6.00 to $8.00 per week. Open from June 
 ist to November 15th. R. E. Fisher, proprietor. Guests 
 will be conveyed to and from the railroad at Saranac Lake for 
 $1.00, distance about 8 miles. 
 
 Ray Brook House, 5 miles west of the Elba House and 3 
 
 miles from Saranac Lake, will provide for 40 guests. Open 
 
 from June to November. Rates $3.00 per day; $10.00 to 
 
 $17.00 per week. Duncan Cameron, proprietor. Post office 
 
 address, Ray Brook. 
 
 * * * * * * * 
 
 The narrative portions of these pages left us tearing our- 
 selves away from the proffered hospitalities of the John Brown 
 farm, after which we sought entertainment at Lyons' Hotel. 
 The following morning took us to Lake Placid, where we 
 nearly succeeded in getting a cold bath, thanks to our belief 
 that we knew perfectly well how to manage an Adirondack 
 boat, after which, fortified with a dinner, we succeeded in re- 
 moving Att. from the presence of a fascinating divinity in 
 calico, and started for Saranac Lake. 
 
 Saranac Lake of then and now differs somewhat- It did 
 not impress me favorably at the time, and we went direct to 
 Martin's. The place held no visible promise of its future then, 
 but nature had made it the natural outlet to the great northern 
 lake country, and now — in combination with its porous soil, 
 the Chateaugay railway, Dr. Trudeau, and Milo B. Miller — 
 has it taken a boom that promises to be of the most substantial 
 and lasting kind. It is a pretty httle town, of seven to eight 
 hundred native inhabitants, lying low in the valley ; busy and 
 full of enterprise. Around it are protecting hills, and, farther 
 back, mountains. Between the hills run valleys from north, 
 east and south, uniting here so that it is approached by level 
 
Saranac Lake. 95 
 
 roads, winding through the lowlands, from either side. It 
 shows a picturesque blending of the primitive forms of old 
 times with the swell structures of prosperous later days, since 
 it went forth that here was the health centre of the wilderness. 
 It has two churches — Methodist and Episcopal — a graded 
 school, water supply for street and dwellings, stores and hotels, 
 and telegraphic and telephonic communication with the sum- 
 mer hotels of the lake region and the outer world. 
 
 The Adirondack Sanitarium is a practical application of 
 the good to be had here. It is situated a mile below the river, 
 on a bluff, commanding a grand mountain view toward the 
 north and east, and well protected from the prevailing western 
 wind. Dr. Alfred L. Loomis, of New York, is examining phy- 
 sician. The institution is under the immediate supervision of 
 Dr. E. L. Trudeau, assisted by Dr. C. T. Wicker. Appli- 
 cants must be examined either by Dr. Loomis, in New York, 
 or Dr. Trudeau, at Saranac Lake. It is not intended as an 
 asylum for hopeless cases; but to put within reach of sufferers 
 from incipient pulmonary complaints, whose means are limited, 
 the advantages to be derived from the Adirondack climate, a 
 simple, out-of-door life, and good hygienic surroundings, with 
 suitable medical treatment. It consists of a handsome central 
 building, containing dining-room, offices, etc., and outlying 
 cottages, accommodating two to four patients each. The 
 Sanitarium accommodates about fifty patients. A charge of 
 $5.00 per week is made for each. This is below the actual 
 cost pro rata, but the deficiency is made up by annual sub- 
 scriptions. Dr. Trudeau's experience has made him a strong 
 advocate of the systematic open-air treatment of consumptives, 
 which is carried out at the institution in most cases, and a 
 characteristic scene in mid-winter is that of a dozen or more 
 patients swathed in wrappers of wool and fur, ranged, sardine- 
 like, side by side on the piazza in comfortable steamer chairs, 
 chatting or reading, or engaged in such light occupations as 
 are possible with thickly gloved fingers, often remaining out 
 in what may be called bad weather even, from nine o'clock in 
 the morning until sun-set, excepting during the interval taken 
 
96 Saranac Lake. 
 
 for dinner. Others drive, muffled in furs, or where strength 
 permits — thickly clad and well protected from the cold — in- 
 dulge in long tramps through the woods or over the hills on 
 snow shoes.* 
 
 "The Berkeley," with capacity for twenty guests and the 
 " Adirondack " providing for as many more, are the village 
 hotels with a local and commercial patronage. 
 
 Martin's Hotel is on high ground, on the road to the lake. 
 The proprietor, William F. Martin, was the founder of the 
 famous old Saranac Lake House. He is an enthusiastic hun- 
 ter himself, and obliging withal. Accommodations are here 
 offered for fifty visitors. Rates $2.50 per day, $10 so $15 
 per week, open May to December. 
 
 Lower Saranac Lake is a little less than five miles long by 
 one and a quarter wide. Its longest way is from Miller's 
 
 -MAP OF — 
 
 •LOWER-SARANAC-LAKf 
 .j]t. 1540 n 
 
 SCALE OF MILES 
 
 in a south-westerly course to its inlet. Symmetrical as a 
 whole, it is separated into several natural divisions by out- 
 spreading peninsulas and chain-like groups of islands; 
 there being of the latter (counting as such several huge rocks) 
 one for every week of the year. 
 
 *Saranac Lake in Winter. Illustrating invalid life and other scenes contain- 
 ing 12 pages of pictures reproduced by the Photogelatine process, can be had at 
 the book stores, or by addressing the publisher of this book, at Glens Falls, N. Y. 
 Price 75 cents. 
 
Lower Saranac Lake. 
 
 97 
 
 Hotel Ampersand, at the extreme northerly end of the 
 lake, was completed and opened November ist, 1888. In 
 choosing a name for the new house, the above was deemed 
 fitting and 
 appropria t e 
 from the vi- 
 cinage of the 
 shapely 
 mountain 
 that looms 
 up in the 
 s o u t h b e- 
 y o n d the 
 lake, at 
 whose base 
 nestles a 
 pretty pond 
 bearing the 
 same name^ 
 with its out- 
 let in a little 
 stream that 
 finds its devi- 
 ous w a y a t 
 last into Ra- 
 quette River. 
 The hotel 
 was built 
 and opened 
 
 _^':TV.¥'- 
 
 HOTEL AMPERSAND FROM THE WEST. 
 
 by the Saranac Lake Hotel Company. It is roomy, ramb- 
 ling and artistic— full of unsuspected corners and pleas- 
 ant surprises. It is picturesque in its commanding position 
 on a slight eminence, surrounded by pines, hemlocks^ and 
 balsams, with white birches gleaming here and there 
 among their more sombre neighbors. Arrangements are 
 being made for large additions soon. At present it con- 
 tains one hundred bed-rooms, thirty-five of which have 
 open fire-places. An elevator makes all floors almost equally 
 
(^^^^^^--Sti^: 
 
 HOTEL AMPERSAND IN WINTER. 
 
 SARANAC LAKE FROM HOTEL AMPERSAND. 
 
Lower Saranac Lake. 
 
 99-A 
 
 desirable. It is heated throughout by steam and lighted with 
 gas. The main office is a large room with two large fire- 
 places, opening on one side into the spacious dining room and 
 on the other into a reception room, ladies' billiard room and 
 
 HOTEL AMPERSAND, OFFICE. 
 
 parlor. The piazzas are broad and extend along the entire 
 front and on the east side of the house. Although the hotel 
 was built with a special view to winter business, it is open the 
 entire year, and the protecting trees that shield its winter 
 guests from the too severe winds offer a greatful shade to its 
 summer visitors. The telephone, telegraph and post office 
 and general store are in the hotel. The accompanying cuts 
 show glimpses of the house in summer and winter and a view 
 of the lake from the piazza. Board $21.00 and upwards per 
 week. Transient rates $4.00 per day. For special rates and 
 particulars address the Saranac Lake Hotel Company, Amper- 
 sand, N. Y. 
 
 C. M. Eaton and his partner, W. G. Young, the managers, 
 represent energy and enterprise and a knowledge of the 
 
 tofC. 
 
The Adirondacks. 99-c 
 
 minutia of hotel service that ensures good management and 
 smooth working throughout. At the beginning, the Amper- 
 sand took position as a popular favorite. With a generous 
 freedom of management not often equalled it has continued 
 so. It is a house about which little can be found to criticize. 
 
 The Saranac Lake House is near the northern extremity 
 of the Lower Saranac, one and a half miles from the depot. 
 (Stage 50 cents). It is oftener spoken of as " Miller's " than 
 by its proper name. Good taste is displayed in the general 
 management, and it is justly reckoned among the desirable re- 
 sorts of the north. It is Democratic in tendency, breezy and 
 delightful with its ever changing patronage. Architecturally 
 it is one of the most attractive of Adirondack hotels. Large 
 fire-places have been built in many of the rooms, and the en- 
 tire establishment furnished with necessary conveniences. The 
 greater portion of the sleeping rooms are large, well lighted 
 and ventilated, and arranged in suites of from two to six, com- 
 municating. The piazza fronting the lake affords a pleasant, 
 covered promenade, and the parlors look out on one of the 
 loveliest of quiet Adirondack scenes. Across the bay, at the 
 right, the shore rises abruptly to a considerable height. At the 
 left, near by, is a dense grove of cedar, balsam and tamarack, 
 with pleasant walks and arbors. Beyond is the broad lake, 
 with its islands and distant mountains. The telegraph, tele- 
 phone and a branch post office in the hotel. Parties can 
 leave New York at 7:30 p. m., and arrive in time for dinner. 
 Returning by morning train, arriving in New York at 7^p. m. 
 This house has a capacity for 250 guests. Rates $3 to $4 per 
 day, $14 to $28 per week, 
 
 D. J. GiLLiGAN is proprietor of the Saranac Lake House, 
 succeeding Milo B. Miller, who has so long and so success- 
 fully conducted it. Mr. Giiligan was formerly proprietor of 
 the Burleigh House and Fort Ticonderoga Hotel, where he 
 proved an efficient and thoroughly competent hotel man, and 
 under him the house must sustain the excellent reputation it 
 has deservedly won under its late management. In the office, 
 old friends will find the ever courteous and obliging clerk, 
 
THE ALGONQUIN'. 
 
Lower Saranac Lake. 99-E 
 
 H. H. Tousley, late of the Alexander House, whom it is a 
 pleasure to commend. Guides, boats and camp supplies and 
 hunting and fishing requisites can be had here on application. 
 
 The Algonquin (formerly Alexander House) has been pur- 
 chased by and is now under the management of John Harding, 
 a graduate of Paul Smith's famous hostlery, and for the past 
 two years associate manager of the Hotel Ampersand. The 
 house stands on high ground commanding a comprehensive view 
 of the lake, its islands and the mountains beyond. This is com- 
 paratively a new house, finely finished in natural woods, richly 
 decorated, and furnished luxuriously. The sleeping rooms are 
 large above the average ; the beds of the best. It has high 
 ceilings and large windows. It has open fire-places, affording 
 ventilation, and, on occasion, necessary heat. It has wide 
 piazzas on three sides, giving 300 feet of promenade protected 
 from rain and sun. The grounds are extensive, having three- 
 fourths of a mile of lake front, with a beautiful sand beach, 
 space for out-door amusements in way of tennis court, croquet, 
 etc., and pleasant walks that penetrate the thick woods, afford- 
 ing means of open or covered promenade as may seem pleas- 
 ant. Stages connect with all trains ; fare 50 cents. Telegraph 
 in the house. Modern conveniences are here including 
 electric bells. A livery will be maintained by the proprietor 
 and single or double carriages furnished at established prices* 
 while boats, comfortably large and steady, or of the cranky 
 Adirondack build, as preferred, can be had, with guides and 
 all the requirements for hunting and fishing. A special feature 
 of the Algonquin, much affected by believers in the efficacy of 
 out-door air, in shape of commodious tents with carpeted floor 
 and all the etceteras of a well furnished bed-room, will be pro- 
 vided for those who prefer tent Hfe to the accommodations of 
 the hotel. That the table will be first-class goes without ques- 
 tion. Rates $3,00 to $4.00 per day, $15.00 to $25.00 per 
 week. 
 
 The outlet is about three miles southeast of the Algon- 
 quin, where it enlarges to form Miller Pond, then con- 
 
lOO The Adirondacks. 
 
 tracting swings gradually around and passes through the vil- 
 lage of Saranac. 
 
 This entrance to the lake region, always important, is be- 
 coming better known, and must in time, by virtue of its posi- 
 tion and environment, become one of the gateways on the 
 main line of travel, the other being Blue Mountain Lake ; the 
 two iorming the terminal stations in the grand round trip 
 through the Saranac and Raquette waters, crossing the Upper 
 Saranac at its outlet and leading into the wilder sections about 
 Big Tupper Lake. 
 
 The morning following our arrival at Martin's (now Mill- 
 er's) we took passage in one of Bartlett's freight boats, which 
 chanced to be going up with brick and other hotel suppHes. 
 At the head of the lake, "in the shadow of a great rock," we 
 entered the inlet and sailed up through the lily pads, between 
 lines of tall dead trees, marking what was once the shores of 
 the stream. Something over a mile above we came to the 
 falls — but little more than rapids— where the water shoots 
 down through the rocky channel, with a swish and a saucy 
 curl or two at the bottom. Here we stepped ashore, and 
 helped to pull the boat up through the cut, then got aboard 
 and picked our way slowly up stream. 
 
 We noticed that the boat displaced two inches of water at 
 stem and i8 at stern, and we labored with the captain to con- 
 vince him of certain facts but he allowed that he knew how 
 to load a boat, and we dragged over the sandy bottom into 
 Round Lake and up to Bartlett's finally followed by a series 
 of swells such as follow in the wake of a deep sea propeller. 
 
 Round Lake is about two and one-half miles in diameter, 
 and, as its name implies, nearly round in shape. It contains 
 several very pretty rocky islands. The shores are bold, and 
 at that time were brilliant in their autumn dress. Passing 
 across, we went out on the west side between two great rocks, 
 and up a slow stream half a mile, to Bartlett's. 
 
Upper Saranac Lake. ioi 
 
 The Saranac Club House (formerly Bartlett's) is at the 
 foot of a short carry between Round Lake and the Upper 
 Saranac. The portage is by cart, costing 50 cents for boat 
 and baggage. The traffic to this point is generally by water, 
 although possible to reach the house by a road through the 
 woods. 
 
 This property has lately been purchased by a company, in- 
 corporated as the "Saranac Club" with a charter member- 
 ship of 20. The stated objects of the club are, primarily, the 
 health, happiness and pleasure of its members, but while the 
 accommodations of the house will be largely required for the 
 c]ub it will be kept open as a hotel and the public accommo- 
 dated to such an extent as may be without inconvenience to 
 
 club members. 
 
 ********* 
 
 Gentle reader, if your heart does not bound in sympathy 
 with an angler's tale skip this ; it is only a fishy experience. 
 While at Bartlett's in '63, we decided to take a trip through 
 the upper lake and return (as the course we had marked out 
 simply led across the south end), and I thought it would do 
 no harm to put out a trolling line — we might strike something. 
 So, after dinner, I applied to the alleged clerk for the neces- 
 sary articles. He did not appear particularly anxious to 
 spring around and wait on people. He was devoted to his 
 duties behind a little semi-circular desk, which fenced in one 
 corner of the room, and afforded a safe retreat for himself and 
 sundry dark-looking bottles. He appeared tired, but said he 
 would try to rig me up. In the course of half an hour I 
 found him sitting contentedly on the porch, where he had 
 stopped to rest, and was soothed with the information that he 
 didn't believe there was any use trying to trolL I thought so 
 myself, but nevertheless, so long as I had set out with that in- 
 tention I proposed to persevere, so he started again. After 
 another lapse of valuable time, I found him in the guide-house 
 sitting serenely on a dry-goods box, apparently going to sleep. 
 At last, however, with the aid of our guide, I secured the 
 necessary articles and started. We went and returned, and I 
 
102 The Adirondacks. 
 
 didn't get a bite. I was surprised, for I fished faithfully. Per- 
 haps the velocity of our boat had something to do with our ill 
 luck, as the "gang" to which a shiner was attached would 
 spring out of the water occasionally, and skitter along the sur- 
 face like any thing but a fish, but I thought they might over- 
 look that little matter. The spirit of Isaac Walton moved 
 within me, and I felt the excitement of a veteran angler at the 
 very smell of fish. I had admired Murray for his wonderful 
 skill in casting flies and things; devoured the contents of 
 "I go-a-fishing" with avidity, and felt able to play any fish 
 and throw any kind of fly in existence In imagination, with 
 the great piscatorial lights of the age, I had felt my heart thrill 
 at sight of a polywog, and often closed my eyes in an ecstacy 
 of bliss, as I thought of the terrific ravings of a half- ounce 
 sucker when fairly fast. With such feelings surging through 
 my breast, we went in to supper. Ah ! can it be possible ? 
 Yes, y^s, it is ! it is 1 ! A school of fish-balls within easy reach ! 
 I will catch one. But what true fisherman can act the part of 
 a butcher? True greatness in that line consists not in the 
 amount bagged, but in the m.anner of doing it. My heart 
 thrilled with the excitement which the angler feels when the 
 gently undulating motion of the atmosphere tells him that his 
 game is nigh. I prepared for a cast. A moment's hesitation 
 occurred, in which the momentous question presented itself 
 whether I had better take my " scarlet dragoon " or " blue- 
 tailed-ibies." I tried both, but not a ripple stirred the quiet 
 depths. Then I tried a spoon. Now I contend that it re- 
 quires a great deal of skill to cast a spoon properly for a fish- 
 ball, especially at this season of the year. Carefully I played 
 it around over the bread; dragged it slowly across the pota- 
 toes, skittered it lightly over the butter, and let it drop where 
 I knew the wary creatures were lying in wait. Slowly it set- 
 tled down, lightly as the dew into the heart of a blushing rose. 
 A gentle ripple stirred the surface. I felt intuitively that the 
 trying moment had come. A thrill shot up my arm, and 
 throughout my body, to the very pit of my stomach, as the 
 
Exciting Sport. 103 
 
 beautiful creature curled upward and struck — struck hard. 
 Then began the struggle for life on the one side against 
 science on the other — mind against matter. It is an un- 
 doubted fact that an intellectual man, with a good spoon, is 
 more than a match for any fish-ball in existance. Carefully I 
 played him, for he was a gamey fish-ball. The surrounding 
 gravy was lashed into fury, and foamed white as the driven 
 snow, but the cruel spoon held him, and, with a sullen shak- 
 ing, he rested on the bottom — preparing for another run. 
 Now he darts away like a flash of light, and is brought up by 
 my gradually, though firmly-compressing arm ; then he turned? 
 and clove his native element as the thunder-bolt might cleave 
 a -summer squash. But the spoon brought him up once more, 
 a^d he turned directly toward me. It was a critical moment — 
 a moment of terrible suspense. 
 
 " Give him the butt !" screamed the Professor, dodging be- 
 hind the teapot; "give him the butt !-r-they always do." 
 
 " Stand firm, Professor !" I cried, wrought up to the high- 
 est pitch of excitement as the enraged fish-ball sprang into the 
 air, and made directly for me with my mouth wide open : 
 " stand firm, and the victory is ours." 
 
 I gave him the butt as he came, and the delicate rod bent 
 as a reed shaken in the wind. Oh ! the terrific fire that blazed 
 from the eye of that fish-ball will haunt me till my dying day. 
 Rage, agony, despair, all blended in one, as, shaking the spark- 
 ling drops of gravy from his gleaming sides, he sprang entirely 
 over us — plunged downward on the other side. Again and 
 again he renewed the attack. But I desist. Suffice it to say 
 that, in less than an exciting hour and fifty-nine minutes sport, 
 I succeeded in safely landing that heroic creature and laid 
 him — a conquered fish-ball — at my feet. Science had again 
 triumphed. 
 
 Mr. Murray says, " the highest bodily beautitude 1 ever ex- 
 pect to reach, is to sit in a boat with John at the paddle, and 
 match again a Conroy rod against a three-pound trout." As 
 for me^ give me my trusty spoon — or even a sharp stick. I 
 
I04 The Adirondacks. 
 
 care not who sits at the paddle, and let me once more feel the 
 deathless joy of a single-handed encounter with an untamed 
 fish-ball, and I '11 murmur not, though a yawning legislature 
 opens and sucks me in forever. Pardon this ebullition ; I can 
 never keep cool when excited. And right here, let me lift my 
 voice against the horrible practice of some coarse natures, 
 whose soul never swept upward to a spiritual conception of 
 flies ; and who, with no excuse, save perhaps that of hunger, 
 can, with a common hook and line, and filthy worms for bait, 
 snatch a kingly trout bald-headed, and lay him gasping in un- 
 comfortable terror on the ground. I cannot find words of 
 condemnation strong enough to express my horror of this 
 barbarous practice, which is extremely vulgar, contributes 
 nothing to science, and is, in all probability, excessively annoy- 
 ing to the fish. 
 
 On the contrary, the scientific alurement of a denizen of 
 the aqueous fluid to the one more volatile is an achievement 
 worthy of a great intellect. The skillful playing prepares the 
 noble creature for its final transition, which, if not actually 
 attended with pleasurable -sensations to the subject in question, 
 is owing to its lack of appreciation of the important part it is 
 playing in the march of intellect. It is also more christian- 
 like and refined than bull-baiting, because less dangerous ; and 
 we cannot wonder that great minds — divines even — are some- 
 times translated by its wonderful fascinations. 
 
 Upper Saranac Lake rests at 1,577 feet above tide. It is 
 eight miles long, measuring north and south ; about two miles 
 wide at its broadest places ; and is divided into unequal lobes 
 by points projecting from its east and west shores. It dis- 
 charges toward the east from its south end, making a rapid 
 descent of about 35 feet in 100 rods, to Bartlett's. It contains 
 a number of islands ; those at the south being rounded or 
 level ; those at the north, bold and rocky. The shores partake 
 of the nature of the islands ; are thickly wooded, and rise into 
 hills, which can hardly lay claim to the title of mountains, but 
 which are picturesque and attractive. In the distance, at the 
 
Upper Saranac Lake. 
 
 105 
 Whiteface ; 
 
 h/^^^aTS^^; 
 
 north, is St. Regis Mountains ; away at the east, 
 toward the south-west, Ampersand and Seward. 
 
 McCoy's Rustic Lodge, is at the south end of the Upper 
 Saranac, about three miles from Bartlett's. It stands well up 
 
 above the water on the divide 
 between the Saranac, and Ra- 
 quette Lake waters which latter 
 flows from this point toward the 
 south. From this point the 
 famous Indian Carry extends 
 south one mile to Stony-creek 
 .Ponds, affording a very pleasant 
 walk, and is continued around 
 them at the west, two miles 
 farther, ending at the Raquette 
 River. The house is picturesque, 
 half log, half frame, and has 
 been added to as the necessity 
 for greater accommodations 
 were felt, and with several de- 
 tached cottages of one room 
 each in a line along the ridge 
 facing the lake, has capacity 
 for about 60 guests. It is high^ 
 dry and breezy, wholesome of 
 itself and in its surroundings. It 
 commands a fine view of the lake. 
 Mails are brought here and de- 
 part daily by a boat leaving Saranac Lake every morning ex- 
 cept Sunday, during the season. Telegraph at Wawbeek, 20 
 minutes distant. The Chateaugay railroad brings this point 
 within 20 hours of New York city. The proprietor, E. R. 
 McCoy, is energetic and obliging. The house is open from 
 May I St to November. Rates $2.50 per day; $10.00 to 
 $14.00 per week. 
 
 .-owe MKi/^ 
 
 M/AWATHX «0««r 
 
 MAP OF UPPER SARANAC LAKE. 
 
 (From Survey by Dr. S. B. Ward.) 
 
io6 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Saranac Inn is at the head of the lake about 15 miles 
 from Saranac depot, to which stages run, connecting with all 
 trains. Fare $1.50. A new road, to be opened up soon, will 
 reduce the distance to a Httle more than 10 miles. By water 
 from Saranac Inn to Miller's is 20 miles; to Paul Smith's loj 
 miles. At present the road runs through a picturesque sec- 
 tion of the country, finally entering the woods, which in places 
 exist in their primeval condition. All the way — except in ex- 
 tremely bad weather — the road is in good condition and the 
 ride a delightful one. The house stands at a point extending 
 out into the lake and commands a broad expanse of water and 
 distant mountains equalled nowhere in the Adirondacks, ex- 
 cept from the high land between Mirror Lake and Lake Placid. 
 The land is dry and porous, the peninsula on which the house 
 stands level, and the woods which forms a pleasant feature in 
 its surroundings, are grove-like, resembling a cultivated park 
 in their shadowy depths. Under its present management the 
 Inn has gained the highest praise. The table is exceptionally 
 nice. This house has a capacity for 125 guests. Board $3.50 
 per day; $17.50 to $30.00 per week, according to rooms. 
 The season is from May ist to October 15th. A loop of the 
 telegraph extends to this point with office in the hotel. Post- 
 office address " Saranac Inn." D. W. Riddle, Manager. 
 
 This place is specially attractive to the fisherman, because 
 of the multitude of small ponds and streams adjacent, there 
 being within a circuit of three miles over thirty that are recog- 
 nized as among the best trout yielding waters of the Adiron- 
 dacks. For obvious reasons also, the hunter with limited time, 
 will find this available ground. A good road penetrates the 
 forests ; an excellent house renders the isolated position com- 
 fortable. It is well out in that wilderness which, north, west 
 and south, is almost unbroken and impenetrable save over the 
 watery highways, where the streams and ponds cover the tract 
 like crystal beads on a net-work of silver. Into this labyrinth 
 comes the deer who delight in the still water and the tender 
 food growing at its edge. With them it is a favorite feeding 
 
Upper Saranac Lake. 
 
 107 
 
 ground and they find none better even in the far west. All 
 
 these attractions tend to make the Saranac Inn an unusually 
 
 desirable resort. 
 
 This is a favorite spot with ex-President and Mrs. Cleveland, 
 
 and headquarters during their flying trips to the woods. Dr. 
 
 S. B. Ward, of Albany, 
 is, also, a regular visitor 
 here ; and a map of the 
 lake, personally s u r - 
 veyed^ testifios to the 
 practical nature of his 
 amusements. To him 
 the publisher is indebted 
 for a copy of the work, 
 now incorporated in the 
 large map of the wilder- 
 ness and shown in these 
 pages. A pretty Uttle 
 
 15 SQUARE MILES BELONGING TO 1 1 -ii 1 1 
 
 RANAc IN ^COMPANY. church ou thc hill back 
 
 of the hotel, erected in 1885, is open for service during the 
 summer. A number of very attractive private camps are on 
 the bay west of the house, and at various points south. 
 
 Wawbeek Lodge is the#name of the new hotel at the Old 
 Sweeney Carry on the west shore opposite the outlet of the 
 Upper Saranac ; " Wawbeek " is Indian for rock and was 
 suggested by a huge bowlder lying on the hill side. Hiawatha 
 "Sees the masses of the Wawbeek lying still in every valley " 
 but the traveler who sees this " Wawbeek " has a very pleas- 
 ant thing to look upon. It commands an extensive view of 
 the lake, a long stretch of water toward the north and another 
 down into the deep arm which forms the outlet towards the 
 east. It is artistic in design and finish, the public apartments 
 spacious and the sleeping rooms large with plenty of windows. 
 Pure water is there, brought into the house from a distant 
 spring, and perfect ventilation and drainage assured. Fur- 
 
 MAP SHOWING THE 
 
 THE SARANAC 
 
'io8' The Adirondacks. 
 
 nished tents will be grouped around the house for the accom- 
 modation of those who during the warm season may prefer 
 them to house room. Wawbeek Lodge is reached from Sara- 
 nac Lake Station through the Lower Lake and stream by row 
 boat, or by way of the Northern Adirondack Railroad to Tup- 
 per Lake Station, thence by stage over the new road now be- 
 ing built through the woods 9 miles to this point. Accommo- 
 dations will be provided for one hundred guests. Board per 
 day $3.50, per week, $17.50 and upwards. Open from July 
 to November. T. Edward Krumholz, manager. Mr. Krum- 
 holz is affable and obliging. He was for some time connected 
 with the Saranac Inn where he made many friends. He 
 will no doubt make this a success. " Wawbeek " is the P. O. 
 address. A telegraph station is at the house. 
 
 Sweeney Carry extends from Wawbeek west three miles 
 to the Raquette River. For transportation of boat and lug- 
 gage across, the price is $1.50. Passengers can ride over 
 on a buckboard for 75 cents. 
 
 Tromblee's is on the Raquette River, at the west end of 
 Sweeney Carry. Buckboards can be had here by east coming 
 passengers for the three mile trip over, and carrying wagons 
 for the boats and luggage. The river above this point is de- 
 lightfully picturesque, marks of the desolation caused by the 
 flooded flats not being so apparent here as further down. Troll- 
 ing for pickerel is the popular sport and yields most satisfac- 
 tory results. The house is small, affording accommodations 
 for only six or eight people, but it gives an exceedingly good 
 dinner. Board $10.00 per week ; $2.00 per day. Mail 
 d lily through the season. Open from May ist to November. 
 Oliver Tromblee, proprietor. Post office address, Wawbeek, 
 N. Y. It is about 8 miles from Tromblee's Landing by the 
 new road to Tupper Lake Station. By river to the foot 
 of Tupper Lake^the distance is about 1 1 miles. 
 
 The Lower Raquette near the foot of Tupper Lake is a 
 perpetual protest against the outrages perpetrated in the name 
 of utility, the result of a dam built at Raquette Pond, that for- 
 sooth, a saw-mill may be fed, when retributive nature, in pur- 
 
The Lower Raquette. 109-A 
 
 suance of a well-recognized law because of stripped mountain 
 side and barren upland, fails to send its old-time supply of rain. 
 In the spring and early summer, the water sets back away up 
 to Raquette Falls and into Stony Creek Ponds, but later it is 
 allowed to drain low, exposing hideous, slime-covered flats 
 and malaria-breeding pits and the skeletons of drowned trees 
 standing and lying prone all along its course. These drowned 
 lands are indicated on the map by parallel lines. See page 
 116. 
 
 Raquette Pond, terminus of the Northern Adirondack 
 Railroad, called Tupper Lake Station, is two miles below the 
 point where Tupper Lake hangs like a pocket on the south side 
 of the river. 
 
 Downey's Landing, is 8 miles further. The stream is navi- 
 gable except for short carries around falls and rapids. The 
 Pond View House (P. O. Gale) is ij miles west, on Cata- 
 mount Pond, E. P. Gale, proprietor. Board here costs a dol- 
 lar a day. From this point a stage runs tri-weekly to South 
 Colton and daily from that point to Potsdam. 
 
 The Windfall House is 3 miles north of Childwold, on 
 the track of the tornado of 1845. J- J- Seavy, proprietor. 
 
 The Lower Raquette can be reached via. Potsdam. 
 There are small houses at intervals along the road and river, 
 where entertainment can be had at 
 from $1.00 to $1.50 per day. The For- 
 est House is at Stark's Falls, 22 miles 
 from Potsdam. The Jordon House is 
 6 miles farther, opposite the mouth of 
 the Jordan River. The " Kildare 
 Club," of New York, composed of 
 members of the Vanderbilt family and 
 friends, has a hunting lodg*e near Jor- 
 dan lake and a park of several thousand acres lying along the 
 river. Kildare Station, on the N. A. Railroad, and a new 
 road thence to Jordan lake is for the special benefit of the 
 club. 
 
Childwold Park. 
 
 109-C 
 
 Childwold, ^6 miles from Potsdam, has an elevation of 
 about 1,200 feet above tide and is in a belt of good agricul- 
 tural land on which a colony of farmers are thriving. 
 
 Lake Massawepie is the fountain head of Grass liver — 
 one of the best trout streams in northern New York — and a 
 noted resort for deer. Mr. Addison Child, to whom this sec- 
 tion owes much of its prosperity, and Mr. Henry G. Dorr, of 
 Boston, together own the whole southern portion of the town- 
 ship, and have preserved under the state law, 3,000 acres here, 
 embracing Lake Massawepie and six contributary sheets of 
 water that encircle it, as a game and pleasure park. 
 
 Childwold Park House is on the east shore of Massa- 
 wepie Lake. This place with the 
 opening of the Northern Adiron- 
 dock Railroad to Tupper Lake has 
 been made easily accessible. It 
 has natural attractions of broken 
 and picturesque wilderness sur- 
 roundings, and a broad, beautiful 
 lake with numerous small ponds ad- 
 jacent. The house stands on high 
 ground rising considerably above 
 the water, with surrounding piazzas 
 and a belvedere 78 feet above the 
 Lake. Boats, and hunting and fishing suppUes, 
 tained here with competent men for camp or 
 reached by stage from Childwold Station on 
 Adirondack railroad, 7 miles distant. Fare 
 for board $2 to $3 per day 
 
 can be ob- 
 trail. It is 
 the Northern 
 $1.00. Price 
 $10 to $15 per week, accord- 
 
 ing to room and length of stay. Wm. F. Ingold, late man- 
 ager of the Elm wood House, Franconia, N. H., and of 
 " The Magnoha," Florida, manager. 
 
 Convenient railroad service will be maintained from New 
 York city to Childwold Station. Wagner sleeping cars leave 
 Grand Central Station daily except Saturday at 7:30 p. m,, 
 run through without change. A telegraph line in process and 
 of construction will be for service during the season. 
 
The Adirondacks. 109-E 
 
 TUPPER Lake Station is on Raquette Pond two miles be- 
 low the foot of Tapper Lake. During the season a steamboat 
 will run from this point through to Tupper Lake House, 
 touching at other hotels on the way. 
 
 TuPPER Lake is 1,554 feet above tide. It is nearly seven 
 miles long by three broad. It has 25 to 30 islands, some 
 level and covered with thrifty trees, some barren and rocky, 
 rising steeply from the water. Long, or County, Island is the 
 largest, being nearly a mile in length. A precipice on its 
 west side is known as the Devil's Pulpit, although why or 
 what, the devil he could want of one here is a mystery. The 
 surrounding country is wild but not grand with mountain 
 heights. Mount Morris, at the southeast, is the most import- 
 ant elevation of the section. Bog River comes picturesquely 
 down over the face of the rough rocks at the head of the lake 
 where a ruined saw mill marks a past " effort." 
 
 Mount Morris House is on the east side of the lake near 
 the outlet. John F. Hatch, lessee. 
 
 Redside Camp is on the high bluff a half mile farther down 
 the lake. Martin Moody, proprietor. Twelve to fifteen 
 guests can here be taken care of in a substantial manner. 
 Rates, $1.50 per day, $10.00 to $12.00 per week. Post office 
 is " Moody." Fare by boat to Tupper Lake Station $1.00. 
 
 TuppER Lake House is on the west shore of the lake near 
 its south end. Il is about 35 miles, as the way goes, 
 from Saranac Lake (station), and can be reached from 
 that direction during the summer by rowboat, making 
 a pleasant day's journey. The opening up of this section 
 by the Northern Adirondack railroad, penetrating to the 
 wildest portion of the wilderness, comes as a surprise to 
 people {generally and the excellent train service maintained 
 makes it possible to leave New York in the evening at 7:30 
 and reach the Tupper Lake House in time for dinner the 
 next day. Fare from New York to Tupper Lake, $12.40; 
 round trip, $22.25. ^^ is a source of considerable 
 surprise to visitors who had thought to bury them- 
 selves in this far-away corner of the wilderness, to find a 
 
no The Adirondacks. 
 
 daily mail maintained, the news of the world in their familiar 
 evening paper of the day before laid by their plate at tea time, 
 and all the necessaries with many of the perishable dainties 
 from the centres of civilization following them and contribut- 
 ing to their enjoyment of the woodsy things which nature (and 
 " Lem" Corey, the proprietor,) so bountifully provides. And 
 the half has not even then been told for this same "Lem" 
 knows the woods as well as he knows his house, and its 
 waters by intuition, and freely places his acquired knowledge 
 at the service of his friends who ask it, be they guide or sports- 
 man. 
 
 This may be fairly called the geographical centre of the 
 wild lake region. It is on the eastern edge of the Mud Lake 
 country which is probably the least known and visited of any 
 part of the wilderness. Dr. Alfred L. Loomis says it is "the 
 best location for sport, and as healthful as any in the Adiron- 
 dacks," and the Doctor is good authority on both questions. 
 
 The house will accommodate about loo guests. It is pro- 
 vided with open fire-places in parlor and principal bedrooms, 
 is lighted with gas, has pure spring water brought through 
 pump-logs from a mountain spring, and is furnished com- 
 fortably and with the best of beds throughout. Open from 
 May I St. Board $3.00 per day; $14.00 to $21.00 per week. 
 A. L. Corey is the proper name but a letter addressed to 
 " Lem " Corey, Saranac Lake, cannot go wrong, for every 
 one in the woods knows " Lem." 
 
 A supply and provision store, connected with the house, is 
 advertised to supply the best goods the New York market af- 
 fords at New York retail prices, with cost of freight only 
 added. 
 
 The " Lakeside Club," of New York, who own the property, 
 come here annually and occupy their rooms in an adjacent 
 building, eating at the hotel table like other guests. 
 
 Little Tupper Lake is an easy half day's journey at the 
 south, the most tedious part of this way being the two-mile 
 carry from Bog River into Round Pond, where the thrifty 
 manager will charge you $2.00 for boat and luggage. 
 
Stony Creek. hi 
 
 The Hiawatha House is at the south end of Indian 
 Carry, delightfully located among the trees on the north side 
 of the first of the Stony Creek Ponds. Here it is wild on 
 every side and deer come to feed about the borders of the 
 lakelet, and when followed by dogs often take to its waters to 
 escape their pursuers. It is popular as a fishing centre and is 
 a desirable location for sport generally. This fact has been 
 understood in the past and sportsmen from other localities 
 have often visited the place. Tlie house, with its attractive 
 surroundings, promises hereafter to meet the requirements of 
 the section. It us now under entire new ownership and man- 
 agement, renovated and newly furnished and it is guaranteed 
 by the proprietor, Capt. J. H. Pierce, that it shall be kept in 
 first-class shape hereafter and every effort made to please the 
 sporting public. With daily mails, game and fish close by the 
 door, historic and picturesque surroundings and an orderly 
 and pleasant service, it is sure to gain friends and patronage. 
 Chas. Wardner, wiih a reputation for experience that promises 
 well, is the manager. The house will provide for about 30 
 guests. Post-office address, Saranac Lake. Conveyance 
 across the Indian Carry from this point costs 75 cents for 
 boat and luggage. 
 
 Stony Creek Ponds are three in number. The first and 
 third are small ; the middle one about a mile the longest way. 
 A fancied resemblance to a familiar article has led to their 
 being occasionally called " Spectacle " Ponds. 
 
 Stony Creek, applied to the outlet of the ponds, is a 
 misnomer. It is about three miles long, slow, sluggish, and 
 winding. Its marshy shores are lined with tall grass, and the 
 sprawling, ragged, swamp-maples, which seem to flourish best 
 in a watery soil. From its mouth, down the Raquette, to Big 
 Tupper Lake, is 20 miles; to Raquette Falls, seven. Ra- 
 quette Falls is 12 to 15 feet in height, with one mile of rapid 
 water above. 
 
 Raquette Falls Hotel of to-day is a much more preten- 
 tious house than the one of old in the days of '' Mother John- 
 son." It will provide for 30 guests, and affords a general stop- 
 
112 The Adirondacks. 
 
 ping place for those who would indulge in the excellent hunt- 
 ing and fishing of this section. It usually divides the long 
 stretch between the Saranacs and Long Lake with a substantial 
 dinner (75 cents), or a welcome night's rest to the round trip- 
 per. Now instead of the old stone-boat drawn by oxen, buck- 
 boards on which the voyager can ride comfortably under the 
 shadow of his inverted boat, cross the intervening ij miles to 
 the navigable waters above. Each passenger is charged 50 
 cents, and each boat with its ^baggage, $1.50. George W. Wal- 
 ton, proprietor. Address at Saranac Lake. 
 
 Resuming once more if you please, the thread of our oft- 
 broken narrative, we will proceed on our journey southward. 
 When we followed the ox-sled over the carry in 1873, a steam- 
 boat whistle had never been heard in this region ;• since then 
 they have signalled each other across the cany, and a regular 
 
 LP THE KAQUETTE. 
 
 line is a possibility of the near future. The river is wonderful 
 in its solemn beauty. The water in the shallows is amber, at 
 a greater depth red, then a rich brown. Here it appears almost 
 like ink in its blackness. Sluggish in motion, it fills its bed and 
 seems fairly to round up in the centre. Great, shaggy, twisted 
 cedars line its banks, their branches reaching out toward the 
 light and downward toward the water, the sides away from 
 the river limbless and verdueless. So still it runs that it appears 
 more like a river of black glass than water. It has undermined 
 the trees until they have fallen over and stand at every con- 
 ceivable angle, and, while yielding, they have curled upward 
 with the even sweep of a scimeter, while the smaller limbs, 
 seemingly alarmed at their too near approach to the water, 
 grow back upon themselves and hang in great hooks and solid 
 festoons from their leaning supports, the whole mirrored in the 
 
The Adirondacks, 113 
 
 glassy surface where we seem to float midway between the 
 heavens above and the heavens below. 
 
 About five miles above Raquette Falls, Cold River, coming 
 down from Mount Seward on the east, supplies by considerable, 
 the largest volume of the two streams which here meet. Above 
 this we pick our way carefully. We have left the cedars, passed 
 through the maples, now stripped of their foliage, and come 
 out on a natural meadow, where the coarse hay is cut and 
 piled up on platforms, there to stay until the ice shall render 
 it accessible. Over the shallow outlet we go, through the tall 
 grass, where mounds of sticks and reeds show the presence 
 of a colony of muskrats, out into Long Lake, past the Island 
 House, where a jolly party of spiritual fellows are having 
 a loud time, and well on into the night, rap for admission at the 
 door of the Long Lake Hotel. 
 
 Long Lake is nearly 14 miles in length and about i mile 
 in width at the widest part, which is near its outlet. It runs in 
 a northeasterly direction, receives the waters of the Raquette 
 River at its head and gives them up to the Raquette River at 
 its foot, which, flowing northward, and passing within about 2 
 miles of Upper Saranac Lake, turns toward the west, touching 
 the foot of Tupper Lake, thence northwesterly past Potsdam to 
 the St. Lawrence. 
 
 Long Lake contains several islands ; one, nearly midway in 
 its length, is called Round Island, and resembles Dome Island 
 of Lake George. 
 
 The Island House, near the outlet, affords entertainment 
 to such as may at any time from choice or necessity be at this 
 end of the lake. 
 
 Owl's Head Mountain, near the head of the lake, on the 
 west, is marked on the map as being 2,8215 feet above tide ; but 
 as Long Lake is 1,614 above tide, this isn't much of a mountain 
 after all. To the west the country is comparatively level ; on 
 the east is Mount Kempshall ; on the north is seen the blue 
 serrated summit of Mount Seward, 4,384 feet above tide. 
 
 A number of private camps are scattered along the lake, 
 notably those of Senator Piatt and of Rev. Dr. Duryea, near the 
 north end. Toward the south end some considerable attempts 
 have been made at cultivation. The land, however, while apparent- 
 
fi4 The Adirondacks. 
 
 ly promising well, is cold and poorly adapted to farming pur- 
 poses. 
 
 The Lake House appears first on the left as we approach 
 from the north. It is one of those quiet lakeside resorts that 
 supplies the sportsman with all the necessaries of life, and is 
 the gathering-place of the hunter, the fisherman, and of the 
 sturdy guide. The house is three stories high, with a double 
 piazza, facing the lake. It has an advertised capacity for 60 
 guests. Rates, $2.00 per day, $10.00 to $12.00 per week. 
 The house is under the management of Mrs. C. H. Kellogg 
 who for a number of years has very exceptably filled the 
 position as hostess at this place. Stage runs daily to Blue 
 Mountain Lake to North Creek to connect with the evening 
 train south. Fare to railroad, $4.00. 
 
 In front of the house is a sandy beach, that extends down 
 into the water, at the north, the long stretch of picturesque 
 lake, while just south is a pretty Httle bay, protected on all 
 sides, where the children can boat and fish to their heart's 
 content. The road from the east crosses the lake here, over a 
 long, floating bridge, which has a raised section to admit of 
 the passage of small boats underneath. 
 
 The Sagamore, which stood on the high bluff south of the 
 Lake House caught fire November 30th, 1889, and was totally 
 destroyed. It is expected it will be rebuilt and ready for occu- 
 pancy in 1 89 1. 
 
 Long Lake (village) is on the east side of the lake a half 
 mile away, and three and a half miles from the south end. 
 Long Lake lumbers some, farms some, trades a little, hunts 
 and guides extensively, and makes sporting boats of recog- 
 nized build and superior quality. From its somewhat isolated 
 position and its lack of proper transportation facilities and 
 accommodations in the past, Long Lake has been neglected 
 by the sportsman. 
 
 The Long Lake Hotel, Helms & Smith, proprietors, is 
 situated at the village. This house is open the year round 
 and provides for man and beast at a moderate price. Mails 
 
Long Lake. 115 
 
 arrive and depart daily. Stage (Concord wagon, Theron 
 Smith, proprietor) runs to Blue Mountain Lake during the 
 season, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon. 
 Travelers may leave New York on the 7:30 Adirondack 
 sleeper, and reach Long Lake the next day at about 6 p. m. 
 The distance to Blue Mountain Lake, by stage road, is nine 
 miles. Fare, $1.50. 
 
 A number of gentlemen have secured for a Preserve 4,000 
 acres of land lying on both shores of the lake some distance 
 north of Round Island and offer through their agent, camp and 
 villa sights of lo-acre lots each, including the game and forest 
 privilege of the entire tract, on a three or five years lease 
 with the privilege of purchasing at from $250 to $500 
 any time during its continuance. AppHcation for purchase 
 or lease may be made to Hazard Stevens, Esq., 85 Deavon- 
 shire Street, Boston, Mass, or to M. R. Sutton, Agent, Long 
 Lake, N. Y. 
 
 The Grove House is about two miles south of the float- 
 ing bridge in a grove of tall pines on the abrupt eastern bank 
 of the lake, seven miles from Raquette and nine miles from 
 Blue Mountain lake, capacity of house, 50, rates, $2.50 per 
 day, $10.00 to $14.00 per week, David Helms, proprietor. 
 Pleasant features of the place are its open camps and cottages 
 with open fire places. Special rates are offered to parties re- 
 maining any considerable time. Mr. Helms is a noted guide 
 and hunter and his house is a favorite resort for hunters and 
 fishermen, who know that his experience and advice may be 
 relied upon. He knows where the trout, the bass and the 
 pickerel are to be found in their season ; where the duck 
 swims, and the partridge hides, and the deer runs, and his 
 knowledge is freely placed at the service of his visitors. 
 
 The distance from the Grove House to Blue Mountain 
 lake, through Forked and Raquette lakes, by boat, is 
 about 33 miles. For the last-named route a guide will be re- 
 quired as far as Raquette Lake, where steamers are taken for 
 Blue Mountain Lake. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 The Schoolmaster 
 
 E SENT our Saranac guide back, ana in- 
 quired for one who understood the Ra- 
 quette Lake region. 
 
 "I know the man you wanC* said oar 
 host, in a way as though he felt himself re- 
 sponsible for our future happiness; "Chai 
 ley Blanchard knows all about it, just came 
 from that region day before yesterday. I'll 
 send for him." 
 
 He did so, and soon a little fellow in a 
 Garabaldian shirt stood before us. Think- 
 ing of the work a guide is expected to do, 
 it seemed as though this one was meant for ajqfke or an orna- 
 mental head that we would have to carry over the rough 
 places. Kellogg must have noticed the look of surprise or 
 our faces, for, taking me aside, he said : 
 
 " Oh, he's all right ; knows the country better'n I do my 
 house, and will take you right every time." 
 
 " Carry a boat too ? " I asked, incredulously fjazing at the 
 alight figure. 
 
 " Yes, sir I carried a boat, oars and all, over the same route 
 a day or two ago. Then he can learn you something — tell 
 you all you want to know. There's no need of his guiding at 
 all, only he likes it. I tell you what, sir, he's qualified for bet- 
 ter things. He's— a — school— master ! ! ! " 
 
 Of course we were overwhelmed, and engaged the school- 
 master at once, finding him a willing worker, a pleasant 
 companion and an exceptionally good guide — thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the region through which we were traveling. 
 
 Four miles from Kellogg's we came to the rapids. Here the 
 professor and myself took the loose articles, and the school- 
 
ii8 The Adirondacks. 
 
 master started off with the boat over his head, looking like a 
 huge, inverted, pickle-dish on a pair of legs. 
 
 Reader, did you ever assist over one of these portages in 
 the forests, where the path never dries, and 
 the decayed leaves and vegetable mould 
 i makes a bottom of black muck, with rocks 
 •and roots projecting above the surface; which 
 ■same are stepping-places for the skillful, but 
 ;fearful traps for the unwary? 
 
 The guide takes the boat, and you are ex- 
 pected to carry the lighter articles. You ad- 
 mire him as he starts off lightly along the slippery way. Your 
 soul swells with conscious freedom, and you snuff in inspi- 
 ration and black flies by the mouthful. You gather up the 
 oars, paddle, guns, fishrods, etc., and step out determined to 
 show that you, too, are a natural woodsman. How exhilar- 
 ating the action ! You spring from rock to rock, watching 
 your feet that they may not get the start of you; for the soHd 
 bottom may be anywhere from two inches to two feet below 
 the surface. Soon you are busy dodging the bushes, that 
 scratch your hands and slap your face without the slightest 
 provocation; and, after a while, you observe that the oars 
 and other things are getting heavy, and are on a tender place. 
 You change, and make it worse. Then you find they have 
 got into a disagreeable habit of spreading out at various 
 angles — of going on one side of a tree when you had de- 
 signed to pass on the other; and you back up for another 
 start. You wrench your back and get a crick in the neck in 
 the struggle. The guide is disappearing through the trees in 
 the distance. Surprise, perspiration, determination, and cob- 
 webs, appear on your face ; and the things on your shoulder 
 hurt more, and sprawl about worse than ever. You are con- 
 scious of an expression like anything but a master of the situ- 
 ation; and your load looks, for all the world, like a fully-ex- 
 tended umbrella denuded of its covering. You try in vain to 
 dodge the various branches that are making unprovoked 
 
The Carry. 119 
 
 lunges at you. The vines trip you, the stones slip from be- 
 neath your feet, and roots that look solid give way and let 
 you down. You are getting careless of results, 
 and take chances that do not always turn out 
 well. You step on one end of a root, and the 
 other end comes up and pitches a quart or so of 
 mud in your face. You forget to select a safe 
 place for the next step ; your foot glides gently 
 down, and disappears in the inky depths; and, 
 in resurrecting it, the other one goes under. 
 The chances are that about this time you begin to talk to 
 yourself; and the tenor of your remarks depends something on 
 how you were brought up. 
 
 Grimly you plow forward now ; for you are certain that the 
 worst has come, and care nothing how many trees you over- 
 turn in your course. Then a sapling on either side catches an 
 oar, and they shut up on your aching neck like a pair of 
 shears, a friendly limb Hfts your hat, and drops it in the mud 
 right where you was going to step, and, to save your hat, you 
 make some playful passes in various ways, one foot gets on 
 top of the other; then they wander off in different directions, 
 and you sit down. 
 
 It is a delightful sensation to sit aown — .n the wild woods 
 — after violent exercise — and rest. Gentle zephyrs steal re- 
 freshingly across your brow, and black mud insinuatingly 
 through the pores of your trousers, /.t such a moment as 
 this, free from the thraldom of civilization, in the solemn still- 
 ness of the mighty forests, with a soul attuned to its inspiring 
 harmony, some well-remembered passage, learned in youth- 
 tide, comes welling up from your joyous heart. Sometimes, 
 however, Bible quotations get somewhat mixed, and a disin- 
 terested beholder would be apt to misconstrue your devotional 
 expressions. At such an hour as this, the most a man wants 
 is undemonstrative sympathy. Such episodes, however, are 
 the spice that season the dish of glorious things served up 
 here among the mountains and lakes of the great wilderness. 
 
I20 The Adirondacks. 
 
 A half-mile carry brought us to still water; then a short dis- 
 tance of boating to Buttermilk Falls (which also lays claim to 
 being Murray's "Phantom Falls") where the water dashes 
 and foams down over the rocks, making a descent of about 
 20 feet — and the name, though not very poetical, was prob- 
 ably suggested by the churning it gets in reaching the bottom. 
 "Murray talk about shooting these falls in his boat, in pur- 
 suit of the phantom form, is a very probable story for a min- 
 ister to tell," said the schoolmaster with a shrug. "Why, I 
 drove a brood of ducks down over there once. The old one 
 knew better than to go — she flew up stream; but they — a 
 dozen of young ones — went over, and only three came out 
 alive. He talk of doing it ! There isn't Baptist enough 
 about him to do it — but there's one thing he can 'shoot;' 
 that's the long bow." Alas for Mr. Murray's reputation for 
 veracity! The beautiful creations of his fancy, the bright 
 pictures conjured up by his fertile brain, are held as witnesses 
 against him, simply because he, in his lavish generosity, has 
 enriched the common occurrences of every-day life in the 
 woods, with the precious incense of conceptive genius, and 
 left a dazzled world to separate the real from the ideal. The 
 guides took him literally as he said ; and, although then in the 
 high tide of his popularity, had come to the conclusion that if 
 his preaching was not a better guide to heaven than his book 
 to the Adirondacks his congregation might have managed to 
 worry through with a cheaper man. 
 
 We put the boat into the deep, quiet water above the falls, 
 and went upward a mile and a half; then a portage of the 
 same distance brought us to Forked Lake. 
 
 Forked Lake is a lovely sheet of water, about five miles 
 in length, and appropriately named. The shore is compara- 
 tively straight along on the south side ; but on the north it is 
 an irregular line, which, as you approach the centre, opens 
 up into a far-reaching bay — itself the main branch on which 
 is strung a succession of deep bays, with intervening points ex- 
 tending from east to west. "The Cedars," belonging to F. C 
 
Raquette Lake. 121 
 
 Durant of New York, situated near the head of this bay, is 
 one of the elegant private camps of the wilderness. 
 
 Forked Lake House looks into this north bay from the 
 south shore. This is included in the property recently ac- 
 quired by the Hamilton Park Club, which takes in the north- 
 ern half of township 35 and all of ^6, extending beyond Lit- 
 tle Tupper Lake. Transient visitors can procure meals here, 
 but no permanent guests will be taken except members of the 
 club and their friends. It is intended that a handsome struc- 
 ture shall in time take the place of the old house. David 
 Helms, of the Grove House, is manager. For the Bottle 
 Pond route to Tupper Lake Region see page 209. 
 
 Raquette Lake is at the south. Its outlet is through the 
 long arm, which extends east, nearly parallel with the south 
 shore of Forked Lake, into which it empties. From the 
 Forked Lake House the road crosses to the steamboat land- 
 ing on Raquette Lake, about a half-mile distant. It is a 
 great mass of bays, separated by far-reaching points, extending 
 nearly east and west. Its greatest length is but about five 
 miles, measured through islands and intervening headlands ; 
 yet so irregular is its shape that the shore line, in its devious 
 windings, is over 40 miles in extent. 
 
 It is said that the first house built at Raquette Lake stood 
 on Indian Point ; the next one at Wood's Point, where an 
 effort was made at farming. A twenty years' struggle, however, 
 ended in its abandonment ; and, when we passed by, in 1873, 
 only one lone man — old Alva Dunning, living Robinson Cru- 
 soe -fike on Osprey Island, — reigned monarch of the beautiful 
 lake. Then the Sabbath stillness was broken only by an occa- 
 sional party in camp or passing boat. There was no puffing 
 steamer to carry us to our destination — only our gallant little 
 pedagogue — who conducted us over the waters of the Ra- 
 quette, up the tortuous windings of the Marion River, along 
 through Utowana Lake, across Eagle Lake, in the gathering 
 darkness ; and finally, up the uneven slope, to find weleome 
 and rest in the " Eagle's Nest," once the wilderness home of 
 Ned Buntline. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 •♦The Eagle's Nest." 
 
 Where the silvery gleam of the rushing stream 
 Is so brightly seen on the rocks dark green. 
 Where the white pink grows by the wild red rotm 
 And the blue bird sings till the welkin rings. 
 
 Where the red deer leaps and the panther creeps. 
 And the eagles scream over cliff and stream. 
 Where the lilies bow their heads of snow. 
 And the hemlocks tall throw a shade o'er all. 
 
 Where the rolling surf laves the emerald turl. 
 Where the trout leaps high at the hovering fly. 
 Where the sportive fawn crops the soft green lawn. 
 And the crows' shrill cry bodes a tempest nigh— 
 There is my home — my wildwood home. 
 
 Ned Buntline,* author of the above sweet lines that 
 seem to rise upward like the joyous song of a wild bird, 
 bringing thoughts of wild violets and the fragrance of 
 dewy forests in its train — this strange man, with the 
 blending natures of the tiger and the lark — came here 
 in 1856, and here wrote, and hunted, and filled the mind 
 of the public with wild reports of his erratic doings 
 to his heart's content. He made the " Eagle's Nest " his 
 home for some time, married a wife and buried her here, 
 and then he tired of the old place and drifted out into 
 the world again. 
 
 * " The Life and Adventures of Ned Buntline," by Will Wildwood, is now 
 being published in serial form in WiUwood's Magazine. 
 
Ned Buntline." 
 
 123 
 
 Ned had earned his spurs in Florida and Mexico, and 
 when the war cloud broke over tlie South, his restless, ven- 
 turesome spirit called him to the field once more. Five 
 
 wounds by sabre and bul- 
 let, one of which has made 
 him lame for life, testify to 
 the service done for the 
 country he served proudly 
 and gladly, while with fine 
 scorn he refused the prof- 
 fered pension, and since, at 
 intervals, as novelist, dram- 
 atist, actor and temperance 
 advocate has filled the pub- 
 lic mind like — no one un- 
 der the sun but only "Ned 
 Buntline " the irrepressible. 
 But the old eagle had 
 flown, and other birds of 
 prey occupied the nest when we came, guided by its wel- 
 come light, through the October darkness to claim shelter 
 for the night. It was then the only house of entertain- 
 ment on the Eckford Chain, of which Eagle Lake is the 
 middle link, and afforded a stopping place for sportsmen dur- 
 ing summer and for lumbermen in winter. This lake is very 
 
 " NED BUNTLINE.' 
 
 • Edward Z. C. Judson ("Ned Buntline") was born at Stamford, N. Y., March 20^ 
 1823. His adventurous career began in early childhood. He killed his first dee 
 when eight years of age, ran off to sea at eleven, was promoted to midshipman when 
 only thirteen, the same year fought seven duels with fellow-midshipmen who refused 
 to mess with him on account of his supposed inferiority, and threatened to deplete 
 the whole budding navy unless he was acknowledged as an equal ; the navy wilted. 
 He served with credit in the Seminole war, in the Mexican war, and in the great Re- 
 bellion. His first story, " The Captain's Pig, " was published in his fifteenth year. As 
 a writer !of "Frontier Fiction" he was unexcelled. Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, and 
 Wild Bill were made famous by his stories of border life. His income as a story writer 
 amounted to $20,000 annually. His literary productions would make more than two 
 hundred large volumes. He was foremost in organizing the order of " United Ameri- 
 cans" and the "Patriotic Order Sons of America." He died July 16, 1886, at. his 
 mountain home, the " Eacle's Nest," in Delaware Co.. N. Y 
 
124 T^E Adirondacks. 
 
 pretty, and about one mile long. It receives the waters of 
 Blue Mountain Lake at its east end ; and this stream, which 
 was then too shallow to float us in our loaded boat, is now 
 the thoroughfare of the little steamers that ply these waters. 
 (For matter relating to Blue Mountain and Raquette Lakes, 
 see page 199.) Across Blue Mountain Lake we went, and 
 rested on its west shore, 35 miles from Long Lake by the 
 roundabout way which we have come, but only about five 
 miles away over the mountains. 
 
 The schoolmaster decided the question of which rouLe to 
 take back by shouldering his boat and starting up over the 
 mountain. The path was a gradual ascent for a distance, 
 then led through a long reach of swamp and open meadow- 
 land, where the springy surface of matted grass and interlaced 
 roots shook and bent over unknown depths of black muck; 
 then we descended into the forest-embowered waters of South 
 Pond ; across South Pond to its outlet ; thence to Long Lake, 
 and, by boat, to the hotel ; after which we chartered seats in 
 a farmer's wagon, and went east to Newcomb to spend the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 Newcomb is 14 miles from Long Lake, 27 miles from Root's 
 and 29 from North Creek. Stages run three times a week. 
 At Root's, connection is made with stage to and from Port 
 Henry and Schroon Lake. Newcomb is one of the oldest 
 settled sections in the wilderness ; is quiet and comfortable, 
 and affords good hunting and fishing. 
 
 The Wayside Inn and The Half-way House afford 
 Hmited accommodations for visitors. Price of board unknown. 
 
 Washington Chase is postmaster, job printer, and dealer in 
 drugs and general merchandise, and one of the enterprising 
 men of the town. There is a water route, leading from this 
 point, through Rich and Catlin Lakes, to Long Lake, striking 
 the latter near its outlet. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 ^^4 
 
 "On the Tramp." 
 
 HUS far our travels had been principally by 
 carriage of some kind or by boat. We had 
 passed almost around the great peaks but had 
 not been among them. The mountains that 
 now looked down on us from the north we had 
 viewed from the other side and from the 
 west. We had made a loop of over 40 miles 
 in the trip to Blue Mountain Lake and back 
 to Long Lake, then east to Newcomb. Now 
 we must trust to our feet to carry us where 
 neither boat nor horse could go, and thanks 
 to the pure air, and our initiatory struggles 
 over the various carries, we felt equal to the task. So, on 
 Monday morning, with knapsacks strapped on our backs, we 
 left Newcombs for Adirondack, the ruined village among the 
 mountains, eighteen miles distant. 
 
 Soon we saw an old friend, the Hudson River, here so nar- 
 row that in places we could almost jump across it. From the 
 north it came, moving sluggishly along between dark balsams 
 that lined its banks. Away over beyond rested the faint blue 
 crest of Tahawas, "the cloud splitter." 
 
 " Tahawas," so called on the maps and in the postal depart- 
 ments, is generally spoken of here as the "lower works," to 
 distiguish it from the upper Adirondack village ; once there 
 were extensive buildings at this place ; a long dam across the 
 Hudson, here called the "North River," flooding the valley 
 back to the outlet of L.i'c T': ;: fo •<, and barges floating be- 
 
126 The Adirondacks. 
 
 tween the upper and lower village, carrying provisions up and 
 the ore down. There was but one house standing there when 
 we came. This was occupied by John Cheney the '' Mighty 
 Hunter " who we had hoped to see but could not as he was away 
 hunting at the time. This house was burned the year follow- 
 ing (1874) and the Adirondack Club House, where entertain- 
 ment is now offered to the passing visitor, built afterwards. 
 
 After dinner we followed along up the road on the west side 
 of the valley. About half way up, the foot of Lake Sanford 
 is reached. This lake is four miles long with low marshy 
 shores here and there, punctuated by round hills and knobby 
 points. Just above the head of Lake Sanford is the " new 
 forge." The huge building that inclosed is gone now, but the 
 great stone furnace, forty feet square at its base, stands firm 
 and solid as when made. 
 
 The history of the place is brief and sad. In 1826 Messrs. 
 Henderson, McMartin and Mclntire, who owned and operated 
 iron-works at North Elba, were shown by an Indian, a piece 
 of ore of remarkable purity, which he said came from a place 
 where "water run over dam, me find plenty all same." The 
 services of the Indian were secured at once, at the rate of two 
 shillings and what tobacco he could use per day, to conduct 
 them to the place spoken of. They found, as the Indian had 
 said, where the water literally poured over an iron dam. Has- 
 tening to Albany, a tract of land embracing the principal ore 
 beds in that vicinity, was secured, forges built, and a road cut 
 from the lower works to Lake Champlain. 
 
 The ore was rich but the expense of transportation to market 
 swallowed all the profits, the enterprise proving a financial 
 failure. Still it was persevered in until the death of Mr. 
 Henderson, who was killed by the accidental discharge of his 
 pistol. He had always had a nervous fear of firearms and at 
 this time his pistol was carried by the guide in a pack which 
 he laid down to perform some service required of him. 
 Thinking that it lay in a damp place, Mr. Henderson picked 
 the pack up and dropped it on a rock near by. With the 
 motion came a sharp report from the pistol, the hammer of 
 
The Adirondacks. 127 
 
 which had probably struck the rock in faUing. Mr. Hender- 
 son fell to the ground, saying " I'm shot," and soon breathed 
 his last. The body was borne out on the shoulders of work- 
 men, and afterward a beautiful monument placed where he 
 fell, bearing the inscription : " Erected by fiHal affection to 
 the memory of our dear father, David Henderson, who acci- 
 dentally lost his life on this spot by the premature discharge 
 of a pistol, 3d Sept., 1845." The place has since been called 
 Calamity Pond. In the death of Mr. Henderson the motive 
 
 power was re- 
 moved, and three 
 years after h i s 
 death the works 
 were abandoned. 
 When the writer 
 first visited that 
 ADIRONDACK IN 1873. sectiou there was 
 
 an old Scotchman and family in charge, who cared for the 
 property and took in strangers. And well do I remember the 
 night when they sent us to sleep in one of the deserted houses 
 which had the reputation of being haunted. We did imagine 
 that curious sounds were heard during the night ; but whether 
 of some uneasy spirit or some poor dog that had been robbed 
 of his nest we could not tell. We quieted our fears and 
 consciences, however, with the reflection that if it were a 
 ghost it would never think of looking for human beings in 
 that bed; and, if a dog, he certainly hadn't lost anything 
 worth mentioning in the operation. 
 
 To-day but little appears of the ruined village. All but 
 two or three of the buildings that stood therein 1873 have 
 been removed or destroyed. The ancient school-house now 
 does duty as a fish-hatchery, and the old kilns are overgrown 
 with vines and shrubbery. 
 
 There was something gruesome about the place when we 
 approached in our tramp of '73. 
 
 A quarter of a century had passed since the hum of industry 
 
LAKE SANFORD 
 
The Ruined Village. 129 
 
 sounded there. Where once was heard the crash of machinery 
 and the shouts of children at play, was heard the shrill bark of 
 the fox or the whir of the startled partridge. In place of the 
 music of voices, was silence, solemn and ghostly. Over the 
 mountains and the middle ground hung a dark funereal pall 
 of cloud, across which the setting sun cast bars of ashen light, 
 that fell on the nearer buildings, bringing out their unseemly 
 scars in ghastly relief, and lay in strips across the grass-grown 
 street which led away into the shadow. On either side stood 
 cottages stained and blackened by time, with broken windows, 
 doors unhinged, faUing roofs and crumbling foundations. At 
 the head of the street was the old furnace, one chimney still 
 standing, one shattered by the thunder-bolt in ruins at its 
 feet. The water-wheel — emblem of departed power — lay mo- 
 tionless, save as piece by piece it fell away. Huge blocks of 
 iron, piles of rusty ore, coal bursting from the crumbling kilns, 
 great shafts broken and bent, rotting timbers, stones and rub- 
 bish lay in one common grave, over which loving nature had 
 thrown a shroud of creeping vines. 
 
 Near the centre of the village was a large house that at one 
 time accommodated a hundred boarders, now grim and silent. 
 Near by at the left stood the pretty school-house. The steps, 
 worn by many little feet, had rotted and fallen, the windows 
 were almost paneless, the walls cracked and rent assunder 
 where the foundation had dropped away, and the doors yawned 
 wide, seeming to say not " welcome " but " go." 
 
 " O'er all there hung a shadow and a fear, 
 A sense of mystery the spirit daunted, 
 And said as plain as whisper in the ear, 
 The place is haunted." 
 
 As we advanced a dog appeared at the side of the large 
 house and howled dismally, then, as if frightened at the sound 
 of its own voice, slunk away again out of sight. We knocked 
 at the door, but no sound save a hollow echo greeted us from 
 within — that was also deserted. Then we went out in the 
 middle of the street where, suspended in a tree, hung the bell 
 that used to call the men to work, and, on the Sabbath, per- 
 
130 The Adirondacks. 
 
 haps, the villagers to worship in the little school-house near 
 by. Clear and sweet, pure and fearless, its tones rang out 
 over the forests, away to the mountains, then back to us, 
 dying out in soft echoes. And with it went the cloud that 
 had oppressed our spirits. 
 
 We invited ourselves to enter, passed through the sounding 
 hall to the rear, foraged around until we were satisfied that 
 there was no danger of immediate starvation, then we built a 
 fire and set about preparing our evening meal — at which point 
 the rightful owners entered and went through the form of 
 making us feel at home. 
 
 This is now the headquarters of the Adirondack Club, who 
 have leased and hold the surrounding territory as a game and 
 fish preserve for the use of themselves and friends, and while 
 their rules proclaim them a " close corporation," no one under- 
 standing the circumstances can find reasonable objection. 
 Stringent regulations apply equally to all members of the club. 
 No member is permitted to hunt or fish outside the season as 
 established by law, or hunt at all except on regularly appointed 
 occasions. The small house at Tahawus and the larger 
 building at the Upper Works are under competent manage- 
 ment, and although primarily intended for the accommoda- 
 tions of the club, provide excellent fare for the chance visitor. 
 Price of accommodations is fixed by the club at $3.00 per 
 day for all persons except guides and servants, and no person 
 not a member of the club or their guests, will be entertained 
 for more than a single night unless under pressing conditions. 
 Parties who go through Avalanche Pass from the north and 
 return by Indian Pass, or via versa, usually find the way too 
 long for a single day, but breaking the trip at the Upper 
 Works divides it evenly enough. Those who come are made 
 welcome and entertained at the Club House in excellent 
 shape. Myron Buttles the manager, is a walking encyclopedia 
 of fact and figures, tireless in the discharge of his duty as 
 manager and unremitting in his attention as host. 
 
Lake Golden. 131 
 
 Calamity Pond is 5 miles toward the east and reached over 
 a road which is used for lumbering in winter but which in sum- 
 mer is passable only on foot. 
 
 Lake Golden is two miles further, over a mountain trail. 
 This is one of the wild lakes of the woods, and next to Avalanche 
 Lake gives the wildest water view in the wilderness. On the 
 west shore is a log house belonging to the Adirondack Glub 
 where a forester is kept to guard the interests of the Associ- 
 ation and see that laws respecting the preservation of game 
 and fish are properly carried out. North of this log camp a 
 few rods is an open camp where parties going or coming may 
 make themselves reasonably comfortable for the night. 
 
 Avalanche Lake is nearly a mile north of Lake Golden, 
 the trail passing also along its west shore. Its altitude is 2,846 
 feet above tide. Its waters are cold and its walls of rock are 
 perpendicular on either side. It is half a mile in length, and 
 but a few rods wide. Between it and lake Golden are the 
 debris from two immense slides that decended the mountain 
 long before the place was known, imprisoning the waters of 
 this lake. A trap dike here shows a section of Mount Golden, 
 split downward for a thousand feet, its outflowing rocks nearly 
 bridging the lake. This lake, and, past it, Golden, is best 
 reached now by trail from Adirondack Lodge, five miles 
 north. See page 86. 
 
 Lake Henderson is about half a mile north of Adirondack. 
 It is two miles long with its outlet near the center, on the 
 east. From its head a trail leads to the Preston Ponds, lying 
 west of Wallface Mountain — the head of Gold River, which 
 flows west into Raquette River. Toward the north we look 
 up a gradual slope through Indian Pass ; the dark green sides 
 of Mclntyre on the east, mighty Wallface on the west. 
 Up this slope we went on the morning following our night at 
 the Iron Works. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Indian Pass. 
 
 HAD expected to find a level, fertile, grove-like 
 way tlirough which we could walk with little 
 exertion in the shadow of great rocks on either 
 side, but how diflferent the reality. For three 
 miles the rise was gradual, then we began to 
 climb, crossing the riVulet back and forth as we 
 went upward, at times making long detours to 
 the right and ascending the mountain some 
 distance, then a level stretch along its sides until 
 the wildly dashing torrent was reached once 
 more ; then onward, upward, the path growing 
 wilder and more difficult, the brooklet bounding from rock 
 to rock, then lost in some dark cavern, anon trickling down 
 among the huge boulders, gurgling in muffled music beneath 
 our feet, then bursting out to rest a moment in some mossy 
 basin, pure crystal in an emerald setting on which floated 
 fairy ships of Autumn leaves, then onward in its long jour- 
 ney to the sea. 
 
 We had caught occasional glimpses through the trees of — 
 was it a cloud or solid rock that rested off toward the left, we 
 could hardly tell until we traced its outline against the sky, for 
 Indian summer had hung her mantle of haze over the great cliff 
 and it seemed but a shade or two deeper than the blue above. At 
 last, through an opening it came out ; vast, grand, overwhelm- 
 ing, immeasurable. The eye saw it hanging in mid-air, a cloud, 
 an outline, a color ; tender, sweet, luminous. The soul felt and 
 bowed beneath its awful weight. The giant pines that fringed 
 its brow seemed bristling hair, the great rifts and seams a 
 faint tracery that scarred its sides. Motionless, it still seemed 
 to be sweeping grandly away as clouds shot upward from be- 
 hind and passed over to the east, then approachinP', and r» 
 
INDIAN PASS. 
 
146 The ADIRONDACKb. 
 
 treating, as cool gray shadows and yellow sunlight raced 
 swiftly across or lay in slant bars along down its misty face. 
 
 Bui the highest point was not reached yet ; we were just 
 entering at the lower gate, and for nearly a mile it was a con- 
 tinuous climb over great chaotic masses of jagged rock, 
 thrown there by some convulsion of Nature, now on a huge 
 fragment that seems ready to topple over into the gulf below, 
 now under a projecting shelf that would shelter a large com- 
 pany, now between others from which hang dripping mosses 
 and sprawling roots, stooping, crawling, clinging to projecting 
 limbs, climbing slippery ledges, upward all the time. 
 
 The trees that had found lodgment on the top of the rocks 
 seemed to reach out thirstily tor something more than they 
 found in their first bed ; one that we noticed had taken root 
 on the top of a huge boulder, and sent down a mass of inter- 
 woven reots twenty feet to the damp earth beneath. 
 
 At last we near the summit and stand on Lookout Point ; 
 close by rises that grand wall a thousand feet up, and extend- 
 ing three hundred feet below us, reaching out north ani 
 south, majestic, solemn and oppressive in its nearness ; a long 
 line of great fragments have fallen, year by year, from the 
 cliff above and now lie at its foot ; around on every side 
 huge caverns yawn and mighty rocks rear their heads where 
 He who rules the earthquake cast them centuries ago. Along 
 back, down the gorge we look, to where five miles away and 
 1,300 feet below us is Lake Henderson, a shining drop in the 
 bottom ot a great emerald bowl. 
 
 vSlowly the sun swung around toward the west, the shadow 
 of the great wall crept down into the valley across the gray 
 rocks, and over toward the mossy ones that had lain there 
 unnumbered centuries; gradually the sweet tinkling, gurgling 
 music of the infant Hudson died away and solitude reigned. 
 Then as we passed onward a familiar sound came once more, 
 faintly at first, then more distinctly, the singing of little 
 waters ; first trickling over ocks, then dancing downward, 
 increased in volume by tributary streams from the slopes of 
 McLntyre — rocked in the same mountain cradle, twin brothers 
 and equal at their birth — the mighty Hudson rolling south- 
 ward, and the impetuous Ausable dancing away toward thp 
 
Indian Pass. 
 
 147 
 
 north Down the rocky bed of the stream we went until we 
 had left the pass behind, through the thick pines and hemlock 
 out into hard timber land, our only guide the blazed trees, for 
 the leaves covered the ground like a thick carpet, often hid- 
 ing the slight trail. Over the foot hills of the mountain on 
 the west, often misled by seeming paths until the absence of 
 scars on the trees warned us to retrace our steps and gather 
 up the missing thread. On and on, until it seamed that the 
 eighteen or twenty miles we had expected to travel before 
 seeing a familiar landmark had lengthened out into twice that 
 number; then in the gathering twilight we emerged from the 
 woods in sight of North Elba, forded the Ausable — grown to 
 be quite a river since we had left it away back toward its 
 head — and up to Blin's, with a sound as though a whole 
 colony of bull-frogs were having a concert in each boot 
 
 Does it pay to go through Indian Pass ? I answer a thou- 
 sand times yes. It costs a little extra exertion, but the 
 experiences and emotions of the day come back in a flood ot 
 nappy recollections, and the soul is lifted a little higher and 
 made better by a visit to that grand old mountain ruin. 
 
 M0U^T COLDEN 
 
 McIntirh. 
 [South from Blinn's. ) 
 
 Indian Pass 
 
 Over across the river at the west, visible from Blin's, is 
 John Brown's grave, which we touched from the north, then 
 passed westward to the Saranacs. 
 
 Ames', something over a mile north and east, is described 
 in the preceding pages. Here we took dinner, and, in the 
 afternoon, went to Keene, thence south, through the valley ; 
 but as that region is usually visited by way of Westport and 
 Elizabethtown, we will glance at that route 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Pleasant Valley. 
 
 Leaving Westpon, an enjoyable stage ride of 
 eight miles in a westerly course, takes us 
 through a notch and out to where we can 
 look down into that lovely, mountain-guarded 
 retreat known as Pleasant Valley. It is 
 scarcely less beautiful than its twin sister, 
 Keene Valley, over across the grand ridges 
 to the west, save that the mountains do not 
 crowd against it quite so closely. Like the 
 other, it is a favorite resort for the artist, the 
 quiet lover of nature, and for ladies, whose protectors, made 
 of sterner stuff, are roughing it in the mountains and lakes 
 farther west. 
 
 Elizabethtown is picturesque, and the county seat of Es- 
 sex County. It contains a population of eight or nine hund- 
 red ; has five churches — Congregational, Methodist, Baptist 
 Episcopal, and Roman Catholic — four or five stores, county 
 offices, court-house and jail, and two excellent hotels. It is 
 peculiarly an American town, having very little foreign popu- 
 lation ; with no mills or forges to fill the streams with sawdust, 
 your clothes with soot, or your eyes with cinders. 
 
 The Mansion House stands on the level plateau at the 
 south edge of the village, 50 feet above the level of the 
 Boquet River which flows north through the valley. It is a 
 large building showing prominently as we dip over into the 
 valley and with recent additions and connecting cottages will 
 accomodate 150 guests. A pleasant feature is its music hall. 
 It has been long and favorably known and has an excellent 
 and well established patronage. Rates, $2.50 per day, $10 
 to $14 per week. G. W. Jenkins, for some time past manager 
 is now proprietor. 
 
EiJZABETHTOWN. I49 
 
 The Windsor, enlarged, Orlando Kellogg, proprietor, is 
 one of the most attractive hotels in the Adirondacks. It 
 consists of four picturesque buildings, closely connected, 
 each three stories high, affording accommodations for 
 about 250 guests. The buildings are fronted east and 
 north with double piazzas, and surmounted by large observ- 
 atories with stained-glass windows. The convenient office 
 and reception-room, music-room, cosy parlors, and commo- 
 dious sleeping-rooms, show a thorough knowledge of the wants 
 of the public. 
 
 Repeated enlargements and improvements have made it 
 very complete in its appointments and with desirable accom- 
 modations for invalid and tourist. There are bowling alleys, 
 tennis courts, and croquet grounds, and an excellent orches- 
 tra here. Guides for the lakes and mountains, and horses 
 and carriages for the beautiful drives around can be ob- 
 tained on application. Telegraph office in the hotel. Rates 
 2.50 to $3.00 per day. Special rates to parties making a pro- 
 longed stay. 
 
 Stages meet all trains and boats at Westport ; fare, $1.00. 
 Through July and August, a fast train, connecting with night 
 boats and sleepers at Albany and Troy, will reach Westport 
 a little past 11 a. m. 
 
 Keene Valley stages arrive here to connect with train and 
 boat south, and return with passengers from afternoon boat 
 north. Fare to Keene Valley, $1.50, S. & O. Beede, pro- 
 prietors. 
 
 Lake Placid stages leave daily, after June ist, Sundays ex- 
 cepted, at 8 A. M., and, stopping at Cascade Lakes for dinner, 
 arrive at Lake Placid early in the afternoon. Returning, 
 leave Lake Placid at 10:00, arriving at Elizabethtown for 
 supper, and connect, via Kellogg's stages, with south-bound 
 sleeper at Westport. Fare, Elizabethtown to Lake Placid, $3. 
 This route leads through what is undoubtedly the wildest and 
 most picturesque section of the Adirondacks yet opened up 
 to the public ; and, with the new four and six-horse stages of this 
 
Pleasant Valley. 151 
 
 and the Westport line, tends to popularize the route among 
 lovers of coaching, since so few desirable trips are left to the 
 public. For those who prefer a more independent mode of 
 traveling, special rigs can be secured by addressing the pro- 
 prietors of the stage line, Agnew Brothers, Elizabethtown. 
 
 Hurricane Mountain is the highest peak near by. It is 
 a sharp cone, on which the sun seems to hang as it bids the 
 valley good-night. A wagon road leads to its base, five miles 
 distant, from which, by a sharp climb of two miles, the summit 
 is reached ; giving one of the finest high views to be obtained 
 in the Adirondacks — second, perhaps, only to that from the 
 top of Whiteface. 
 
 Cobble Hill rises at the southwest edge of the plain like 
 a hugh, rough pyramid. Beyond this, toward the south, the 
 mountains approach each other, growing rough and precipitous 
 as the level interval narrows down; at places breaking off 
 suddenly in perpendicular walls a hundred feet in height ; at 
 others, rounding over in great, nobby, boulder-like masses, to 
 the level, that flows along their base almost as evenly as though 
 it were water instead of the bed of a valley. Split Rock 
 Falls is eight miles south of Elizabethtown. 
 
 EuBA Dam is, or rather was, the name of a little place 10 
 miles south of Elizabethtown, but as its use had a tendency 
 to familiarize the youth of the land with incipient profanity, it 
 was changed to Euba Mills. Beyond, the road passes Dead- 
 water, 16 miles; Roots, 23 miles; and Scroon Lake, 32 miles 
 from Elizabethtown. 
 
 North of Elizabethtown the road runs through close under 
 the frowning ledge of Poke-o' Moonshine, past Auger Lake, 
 and out across the plain to Keeseville, 22 miles distant. 
 
 West, it winds up over the mountain pass, between Old 
 Hurricane and the Giant, to Keen, 12 miles, by Cascade 
 Lakes, 18 miles, out across the plain of North Elba, with its 
 grand panorama of mountains at the south, to Lake Placid, 
 27 miles (for which see page 83). 
 
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 •KEENE- VALLEY- l|«^'''* •* 
 
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CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Keene Valley. 
 
 'EENE flats undoubtedly possesses the 
 loveliest combination of quiet valley and 
 wild mountain scenery in the Adirondacks, 
 if not indeed on the continent. Through it, 
 from the south, come the sparkling waters 
 of the Ausable, here flowing quietly along 
 beneath overhanging maples and gracefully 
 swaying elms, there rippling over glistenmg 
 white sand ; now murmuring through pleas- 
 ant meadow-land, anon dancing away among 
 the stones ; then dashing down rocky race- 
 ways to where, among the spray and foam of the cataract, it 
 thunders and rumbles and roars as if angry with its prison 
 walls; then onward between the dark overhanging ledges 
 outward through the northern portals and away to ioin its 
 sister from the great Indian Pass above. 
 
 A little way south of the falls the road from Elizabethtown 
 comes in on the east, south of this we follow up the stream 
 that winds quietly along through the Flats from its head six 
 miles above. Soon some of the beauties that have lent such 
 a charm to this locality begin to appear ; we see sweet, restful 
 shady, groves of water maples, great massy drooping elms, 
 clumps of alders fringing the river brink, great canopies of 
 native grape-vines clasping the huge rocks in loving embrace 
 or festooned on the sturdy trees through which open up 
 long vistas of meadow-land, a back-ground of mountain 
 green, and above all, summits of glittering granite. 
 
 On every side they shut us in, rising right up out of the 
 Flat instead of the gradual curve of a mountain from the 
 plain, showing that the bottom of the lovely valley is but 
 the accumulated deposit of long ages, where the floods swept 
 
154 
 
 The Adirondacks. 
 
 down from the mountains and left their sediment in the notch 
 below. Picturesque " bits " are found everywhere. The 
 waterfalls are varied as the shifting forms of the kaleidoscope, 
 many deserving particular attention. They are too numerous 
 to mention, too wild and varied to be described. They must 
 
 KEEXE VALLEY. SOUTH FROM BROOK KNOLL LODGE. 
 
 be seen to be appreciated. If a guide be wanted for these 
 short excursions, none more competent or entertaining can be 
 ound than the veteran explorer, '^ Old Mountain Phelps," 
 who knows wilderness ways by instinct, and talks with the 
 elements as with familiar friends, but whose ripening years 
 have caused him, regretfully, to yield to younger heads and 
 limbs the long tramps through valley and over mountain 
 heights in which he once delighted. See him at any rate, for 
 a cordial welcome and pleasant hour is certain to be the 
 result. 
 
 When we reached Keene Valley, in our tramp of '73, we 
 found accommodations at Crawford's for the night. In the 
 morning we hunted up "Old Mountain Phelps," to show us 
 the way further in. 
 
 We found him at his home near the falls that bear his 
 name ; a little old man, about five feet six in height, muffled 
 up in an immense crop of long hair, and a beard that seemed 
 to boil up out of his collar band ; grizzley as the granite ledges 
 he loved to climb, shaggy as the rough-barked cedar, but 
 with a pleasant twinkle in his eye andjan elasticity to his step 
 then equaled by few younger men, while he delivered his 
 communications, his sage conclusions and whimsical oddities, 
 in a cheery, chirrupy, squeaky sort of tone — away up on the 
 mountains as it were — an octave above the ordinary voice, 
 suggestive of the warblings of an ancient chickadee. 
 
"Old Mountain Phelps. i55 
 
 " So you wanted old Mountain Phelps to show you the way, 
 did you ? " said he, " Well, I s'pose I kin do it. I'll be along 
 as soon as the old woman'U bake me a short-cake. The wise 
 man provides for an emergency, and hunger's one of 'em." 
 
 Orson Schofield Phelps is what his parents named their 
 baby, and "Old Mountain Phelps" is what every body calls 
 him now ; but his first name 
 was given years ago, some- 
 time before he had earned 
 the last. He was born in 
 the Green Mountain State in 
 1 8 1 6, from which he came to 
 the western part of Schroon 
 when 14 years of age; he 
 had an enthusiastic love for 
 the woods, took to them on 
 
 every possible occasion, and \vcsssHas«!^B^^^»w/- 
 
 was a loner time engaged in ^■^>--."<^^ - „„,^e» 
 
 D O O **01X) MOUNTAIN PHELPS.' 
 
 tracing out wild lot lines 
 
 that extended far in the interior, '" where in those times, deer 
 and speckled trout were as plenty as mosquitoes in a damp 
 day in July." 
 
 In 1844 he was with Mr. Henderson at Adirondack, soon 
 after which he married and settled in Keene Valley. In 1849 
 he made his first trip to the top of Marcy, passing out over 
 Haystack around the head of Panther Gorge and to the 
 summit, descending near where the main trail now runs, being 
 the first man to get to the top from the east. He afterward 
 cut what is now known as the Bartlett Mountain trail, and 
 guided two ladies over it, a route that had been considered 
 impracticable until then He also marked trails to the top 
 of Hopkins' Peak, the Giant, up John's Brook to Marcy, and 
 several others. He has made a valuable map of the wild 
 country around, a section of which may be seen on page 152, 
 is a prized and regular contributor to a local paper, and has 
 written a voluminous treatise on the Adirondack lakes and 
 mountains, trees, birds, beasts, etc., which shows the close 
 observer and enthusiastic student of nature. 
 
Keene Valley. 
 
 157 
 
 
 S^^^^rT 
 
 KEENE VALLEY FROM PROSPECT HILL. 
 
 I Noon Mark ; 2 Dix ; 3 Nippletop ; 4 Snow ; 5 Rooster's Comb ; 6 Wolfs- 
 
 jaws ; 7 Marcy ; 8 Mount Porter House. 
 
 The most comprehensive and perfect " picture " is that 
 seen from Split Rock or from Prospect Hill, the latter being 
 near the home of Old Mountain Phelps and is the more easily 
 accessible. 
 
 The Estes House is on the east side of the river at the 
 west foot of Prospect Hill. It will now accommodate 50. 
 $10 to $15 per week ; I2.50 per day. J. H. Estes, proprietor. 
 Mount Marcy is visible over John's Brook Valley from the 
 Estes House. 
 
 "Keene Valley," as understood by the postal depart- 
 ment, is the little village of hotels and boarding-houses, 
 church, post-office, stores and dwellings of native and summer 
 residents, one mile from Prospect Hill and about 3 miles from 
 the head of the valley. 
 
 The Mount Porter House is about a mile west of the 
 village on an upland spur that reaches out from the west, be- 
 tween John's Brook, which comes foaming down from the 
 heights of Marcy, and Slide Brook from the big Slide Moun- 
 tain. It has an elevation of about 300 feet above the village, 
 which it overlooks with a magnificent line of mountains that 
 shut it in on the east side and extend north and south until 
 the view is cut off by other mountain spurs reaching out from 
 the west. Sombre Mount Porter is at the north, then comes 
 Big Slide at the west, and away at the head of John's Brook 
 Valley is Marcy, the greatest of the peaks, with the Wolf's 
 Jaws and others that cluster around the Au Sable Lakes at 
 the south. Great silver birches are here, and maples, and 
 open sunny spots, high and dry soil, and air of a bracing 
 

 
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 tonic freshness that invigorates one like a sparkling October 
 day. 
 
 The chill of early spring or late autumn is driven out by 
 immense fire-places in public rooms and smaller ones in the 
 smaller private rooms. The building of this house in the 
 spring of '89 was a marvel of quick work and visitors who had 
 seen the place but an open spot in the wilderness the year be- 
 fore, had reasons to feel surprised at the substantial edifice 
 standing there ready for guests at the opening of the following 
 summer. Extensive lands near by give pasturage to a large 
 herd of cows, assuring fresh and pure milk and plenty of it. 
 Farm products come abundantly from the lower land and all 
 the necessaries of a well-kept hotel are to be found here. It 
 is the end of the road and the beginning of the trail that leads 
 up John's Brook to the top of Marcy. Here stages come 
 and go regularly, with two mails a day, while the telegraph 
 office in the house makes outside communication easy, and a 
 well appointed livery affords means of riding or driving. One 
 hundred and fifty guests can be provided for here. Rates for 
 board $2.50 per day, $15 to $21 per week with special terms 
 for the season. J. S. Holt, Manager. 
 
 The Adirondack House, built in 1882, is the most promi- 
 nent building as seen from almost any direction. It stands 
 on rising ground at the west outskirts of the village, three 
 stories in height with mansard roof, surmounted by a large 
 observatory, and with broad double piazzas on three sides. 
 The rooms are large and very comfortable in their furnishings. 
 The barns and outbuildings have been removed to a distance, 
 and the grounds around the house made pleasant and attrac- 
 tive. A conduit from a mountain spring brings pure water to 
 every floor. A special feature is the studio, which is placed 
 freely at the disposal of visiting artists. Telegraph is in the 
 office. This house has accommodations for 100 guests, and 
 is open from June to October. Price of board, $2.50 per 
 day; $io to $15 per week, subject to variation according to 
 place and service. S. Kelley, proprietor. In this valley of 
 
i6o The Adirondacks. 
 
 fresh things, the Adirondack House is notable for its vege- 
 tables, its butter, and its fresh cream and milk. Those who 
 ride or drive — and by the way riding is a popular amusement 
 along the level roads and sequestered ways of Keene Valley — 
 will find good saddle horses and spring buckboards (the 
 easiest riding mountain wagon in the world) at command. 
 For tennis, croquet, or the distinctively American game, 
 ample grounds are provided here. For those who camp, 
 camping necessaries can be had by application at the office. 
 It is well to remember that the best guides are engaged well in 
 advance, and those who would go into camp at the Au Sable 
 Lakes, must have the service of the duly authorized guides, 
 see further on. It may be of interest to some also to know 
 that there are no less than five city doctors owning and oc- 
 cupying cottages in Keene Valley. 
 
 Stage leaves the Adirondack House morning and afternoon 
 for the Au Sable Lakes. Fare for round trip, $1.25. Re- 
 spectful attention marks the service of this house, from pro- 
 prietor down, and a disposition to please and satisfy all rea- 
 sonable desires in visitors, entitles it to public favor. 
 
 The Tahawus House is a roomy, three story building, con- 
 nected with a rambling group of less pretension, but looking 
 very cosy and comfortable withal, and, with the various barns 
 and out-houses, seeming almost a village of itself. A piazza 
 extends across in front of the new part, and runs along the 
 south, front (double here) and north sides of the old, making 
 a covered promenade of over 300 feet. The larger building 
 contains office, parlor and dining room, with sleeping rooms 
 above and in the older part, furnished with the best of beds, 
 the cleanest of Unen, and other things in keeping. The table 
 is also all that can be reasonably desired. A distinctive and 
 popular feature at the Tahawus House is its theatre, a build- 
 ing 91 X 36 feet, with stage and all accessories necessary for 
 amateur theatricals. Cottages and 1 2 new rooms have been 
 added to the house, giving it a capacity for something over 
 100 guests. A new ten-pin alley has also been built, which, 
 
Keene Valley. i6i 
 
 with base ball grounds and tennis court, afford ample facilities, 
 for healthful physical culture. Teams from the Tahawus 
 House will meet guests at Westport, when notice is sent in 
 advance, and carry them direct without change to their des- 
 tination. Price for board, $2.00 per day; $8.00 to $12.00 
 per week. 
 
 The proprietor of the Tahawus House, Geo. W. Egglefield, 
 is a scholarly man with radical ideas on some subjects, and 
 well informed on general questions of the day— which, how- 
 ever, is not allowed to interfere with the comfort of the guests, 
 who may feel assuredof hearty and obliging attention. 
 
 Maple Grove Mountain House is the title given orig- 
 inally to a picturesque farm-house on the road about a half- 
 mile up the valley from the little village, and later transferred 
 to a more commodious building erected on higher ground 
 close by. The newer building stands at the edge of one 
 of the lower plateaus and commands a charming view of 
 the valley in three directions. Close by in front runs the Au 
 Sable ; at the rear is the maple grove which gave occasion for 
 the name ; back of this is the steep mountain side with its 
 lateral ravines and the weird Washbond flume. Accommoda- 
 tions can here be found for about 40 guests. 
 
 Conveyances of various kinds, suitable for large or small 
 companies — carriages for the valley and buckboards for moun- 
 tain roads — can be had at very reasonable prices. Board, 
 $1.50 per day; $8 to $10 per week. House open for guests 
 from June ist to October ist. Henry Washbond, proprietor. 
 
 Flume Cottage stands at the entrance to Washbond's 
 Flume, commanding an extended view of the valley north and 
 east. Its owner, Martin Bahler, A.M., a graduate of Rutgers 
 College, is principal of a flourishing young ladies' seminary, 
 at Summit, N. J., and, as periodical landlord here, has made 
 it a delightful place of rest for such as enjoy a vacation in the 
 mountains. Entrance is hedged about with difficulties that 
 make it charmingly unconventional as a house of entertain- 
 ment, and as a consequence rather the thing to be able to 
 
i62 The Adirondacks. 
 
 address your letters from Flume Cottage. Transients are not 
 desired. A total stranger will need some reference. If a 
 Hebrew, do not apply. Capacity, 40. Board per week, $10. 
 
 From being a private cottage, first sought by the owner for 
 vacation rest, it has grown to present proportions. A former 
 guest speaks of it as " an ideal summer home, where food is of 
 prime quality, and the rooms are well furnished and kept in 
 first-class order." Another guest mentions Flume Cottage as 
 a " romantic home, where comforts unexpected in a mountain 
 region are found, and the charms of music and the cheerful 
 intercourse of a refined home-circle enliven the dullness of a 
 stormy day." An enthusiastic admirer of the mountains, th'e 
 Professor is noted for his tramps, and is in his element when 
 climbing breezy heights or acting as guide in exploring expe- 
 ditions with guests possessed of like affinities. 
 
 The Beede House was destroyed by fire on the morning 
 of March 3d, and thus passed away an important landmark, a 
 successful hotel, and a name. This property, together with 
 the Widow Beede cottage, has been purchased by the Keene 
 Heights Hotel Co., H. Seldon Loring, of Boston, President. 
 
 St. Hubert's Inn is now being built on the site of the old 
 Beede house. It is a carefully planned and attractive building 
 designed by Wilson Bro. & Co. of Philadelphia, architects of 
 well-known summer hotels. The plans adopted are for three 
 connected buildings, each of three stories, with ample piazzas 
 so arranged as to give all desirable views and shade. The in- 
 terior arrangements are for a large dining-room, parlor, cen- 
 tral hall and office, all with open fire-places. Also reading, 
 reception, and smoking-rooms. The plans include steam heat, 
 electric bells, bath-rooms, etc. The bed-rooms will be of good 
 size, some of them with open fire-places and bay windows. As 
 it will be impossible to complete the " Inn " this season, por- 
 tions will be finished as fast as possible, and opened for guests 
 about the first of July. Telegraph office in the house. 
 
 St. Hubert's Cottage (an old friend under a new name, 
 formerly the Widow Beede cottage) is under the same man- 
 
Keene Valley. 163 
 
 agement as St. Hubert's Inn, and will be open for guests June 
 ist. Price of board at the Inn $3.50 per day, $15 and up- 
 wards per week ; board at the cottage $2.50 per day, $10 to 
 $15 and upwards per week. 
 
 Stage to railroad at Westport, 25 miles distant, daily bring- 
 ing mail, etc. ; fare, $2.50. To be assured of rooms at any 
 time between July ist and September ist, they should be en- 
 gaged in advance. Address, F. L. Loring, manager, post 
 office, Beede's, Essex Co., N. Y. 
 
 The cottage stands oh the hillside that ends the valley, 
 facing the north and flanked by the waters of the Au Sable 
 and Roaring Brook that join each other but a few rods away. 
 It commands a view of the valley as it runs straight away, with 
 its high mountains on the right and left, their sides drawing 
 apart as they recede toward the north until they melt away 
 into the misty distance. 
 
 The " Inn" is on land about 277 feet higher than the valley, 
 1,240 feet above tide. The outlook is superb. Toward the 
 east we see Hopkins Peak and the scarred sides and granite 
 summit of the Giant of the Valley. Souih of us — a little to 
 the east of where we stand — is Noon Mark ; between it and 
 the Giant is Chapel Pond gorge. Southwest, is the road 
 to the Ausable lakes, lying between the sharp peak of 
 Colvin and the serrated summit of Resagonia. Back to 
 the west is one of the lower ridges, over beyond which 
 are the clustering peaks of the great central group. Along 
 this, but a few rods away, the Ausable foams and dashes 
 through its rugged path ; now tumbling from rock to rock, 
 now foaming over in lovely cascades ; anon creeping quietly 
 under overhanging trees, or gathered in the hollow of some 
 huge granite bowl — but always picturesque and beautiful. 
 
 Roaring Brook Falls are east of Beede's — the head of 
 the cliff over which they fall being in sight on the side of the 
 Giant, a little more than a half mile distant. The water here 
 makes a descent of nearly 300 feet in a succession of cascades, 
 hardly touching at each step to gather for the next succeeding 
 
164 The Adirondacks. 
 
 plunge ; then flashing swiftly down the almost perpendicular 
 rock for the last fifty feet, through a trough worn out by its 
 action, to rest at the bottom ; and out, in pretty little falls 
 and dashes, across the Chapel pond trail, and downward 
 toward the north to join the Ausable. 
 
 Chapel Pond is one mile farther, in a gorge, southwest of 
 the Giant — a nearly perpendicular wall of rock descending 
 abruptly to near the water's edge. It is one-half mile long and 
 perhaps one-fourth wide ; its dark surroundings give an im- 
 pressive air to this lonely sheet, and make it seem more 
 fitting as a place for solemn meditation than for angler's 
 sport. It is 1,602 feet above tide. 
 
 The Giant's Washbowl is at the northeast, on the side of 
 the mountain. It is said you can stand on its edge and throw 
 a stone over into Chapel Pond, more than 500 feet below. 
 
 The Chapel Pond road leads from St. Hubert's Inn east 
 along the side of the gorge, past Chapel Pond to Euba Mills, 
 at the head of Pleasant Valley; thence to Mineville, 15 miles, 
 or to Root's, 17 miles from the starting point. The road is 
 good, considering the country traversed, and between the two 
 valleys is exceedingly wild and picturesque. A day can be 
 profitably spent in making this excursion. 
 
 Russell Falls are but a few rods distant, and may be 
 reached by paths through the woods west of the Inn. 
 
 To the top of Noon Mark it is two miles; Mount Colvin, 
 five miles, the Giant about four miles ; Hopkins Peak, four 
 miles. A trail was completed in 1885 from the Ponds road 
 to Mount Colvin. It crosses McCrea's Brook over a sub- 
 stantial rustic bridge, and passes near the Wizard's Washbowl 
 and the high falls of Gill Brook. The steep ledge at the sum- 
 mit is now easily scaled by means of stout ladders. Starting 
 from the Inn, an average pedestrian can reach the signal in 
 about three hours. A trail from the Lower Lake to Indian 
 Head was opened in 1888, and a branch trail connecting with 
 the trail to Mt. Colvin. A new trail to the top of the Gothics 
 was opened in 1887. 
 
Keene Valley. 165 
 
 Resagonia Mountain is in the southwest, its serrated out- 
 line suggesting its local name of " Saw-teeth Mountain." East 
 of this is the round, knob-like crest, known as " Indian Head ;" 
 which, sphinx-like, looks out over the waters of the Lower Au 
 Sable Lake. 
 
 Mount Colvin rises beyond, sweeping back towards the 
 south and east, to its sharp, clean-cut summit so named in 
 honor of Verplanck Colvin, superintendent of the Adirondack 
 Survey. 
 
 The Adirondack Mountain Reserve is incorporated 
 under the laws of New York, with the following officers : Wm. 
 G. Neilson, Philadelphia, president; S. Sidney Smith, New 
 York, secretary; Wm. C. Alderson, treasurer. The board of 
 trustees are Wm. Alexander, S. Sidney Smith, C. C. Cuyler, 
 and Frederick J. Stimson, of New York, and Wm. G. Neilson, 
 Richard C. Dale, and Edward I. H. Howell, of Philadelphia. 
 
 This corporation has purchased the tract of country lying 
 south of Keene Valley, including within its limits the Au 
 Sable lakes, and the great mountains surrounding them, ex- 
 tending southwesterly to take in about one-half of Mount 
 Marcy. The declared objects of the association are the pre- 
 servation of the forests, lakes, and streams in their natural 
 beauty ; to restock the water with fish ; to protect the game ; 
 and to render more accessible, by roads and trails, the points 
 of interest within its domain. To this end, has been built, 
 practically, a new road, along the heretofore almost impassable 
 line, from Beede's to the Lower Au Sable Lake, and opened 
 to the public. Toll will be charged as follows : For season 
 tickets, $1.50; two-horse carriage and passengers, trip $1,00; 
 single rig, 50 cents; horse and rider, 25 ; pedestrian, 10; au- 
 thorized guides and children under 10, free. The receipts for 
 toll are to be expended in repairing and improving the road, 
 and in making new trails up the mountains and to important 
 lookouts. A stage will run regularly, during the season, from 
 the village to the Lower Au Sable. Fare from Adirondack 
 
The Adirondacks. i66-b 
 
 House, 75 cents, round trip, $1.25 ; from St. Hubert's Inn 
 50 cents, round trip 75 cents. 
 
 Some of the rules established by the A. M. R. may seem 
 over-rigid ; but they have been adopted after a careful consid- 
 eration of the case, and with a view to the best interests of all 
 concerned. The fact that the owners themselves are bound 
 as rigidly as the veriest stranger, is reply enough to those who 
 would suggest anything but the best of motives, and the move- 
 ment is to be commended by all right-minded persons who 
 may not consider fishing and the taking of animal life as the 
 only pleasurable sensations to be experienced here among 
 nature's grandest scenes. 
 
 A rustic gate-house is at the entrance to the Reserve, just 
 south of the Inn. At the Lower Lake, a boat-house and 
 cottage have been built, where refreshments, boats, and gen- 
 eral information, with camp supplies and privileges, can be 
 obtained. 
 
 Cutting green timber, peeling bark, or defacing the prop- 
 erty of the company in any manner, is forbidden. On Sun- 
 days, boats will not be rented, nor will goods be sold by the 
 agents of the company. No malt or spirituous liquors will be 
 
 1 2 3 4 5 
 
 UPPER AV SABLE LAKE. 
 
 I. Haystack; 2. Bartlett ; 3. Saddleback; 4. Gothic; 5. Resagonia. 
 
 sold on the company's reserve at any time. Hunting will not 
 be permitted this season. Fishing allowed only by special 
 permit. All the camps on the lakes are owned and controlled 
 by the company, and no one will be allowed to occupy them 
 unless accompanied by an authorized guide. Permission can 
 
l66-c 
 
 Keene Valley. 
 
 be obtained at the boat-house cottage, at the Lower Lake. 
 Twenty-five cents per night will be charged each visitor for the 
 use of a camp. 
 
 Following is a list of the authorized guides of Keene Valley 
 — an organization bound by rules of its own making, where 
 membership may be accepted by the public as a guarantee of 
 capabiUty. Address, at Keene Valley. Horace E. Braman, 
 
 ONE MJLt SCAUe CHAiBeto. 
 
 >lt 1^53 Ft ''^ 
 
 E£0£ 
 ' BtfBt 
 
 ,r«fao. CAMPS 
 
 Ion 
 
 Arthur C. Trumbull, Melville J. Trumbull, George W. Han- 
 mer, Oren E. Beede, Charles E. Trumbull, Charles Beede, 
 Edmund F. Phelps, James Owens, George F. Beede, Harry S. 
 Stetson, Melvin A. Hathaway, Le Grand Hale, Frank C. Par- 
 ker (Forester), C. Wesley Lamb, Fred. E. Lamb. 
 
 * * Hi * * * * 
 
 We saw what was to be seen in the valley ; then, guided 
 by old Mountain Phelps, with basket on back and lit- 
 tle hatchet in hand, went to South Pass, where St. Hu- 
 bert's Inn now stands, and up along brawling Gill Brook, 
 
Lower Ausable Pond. 
 
 167 
 
 MT. COLVIN. AUSABLB PASS. RESAGONIA, 
 
 over a path that is sometimes dignified by the name of wagon- 
 road, but over which but few would attempt to ride. 
 
 " All things is possible and nothingompossible," said Phelps 
 diving into the bushes on one side of the road, and soon re- 
 appearing with a 
 piece of band iron 
 which he stowed 
 away in his bag, 
 " like as not I will 
 need this to mend 
 an oar or some- 
 thing ; old Phelps 
 is such an easy old 
 critter to get along 
 with, that they take 
 his boat, bang il 
 'round as much as 
 they want to, may- 
 be break an oar, and he never'll make a fuss about it; 
 shouldn't wonder a bit if they had it off somewhere now." 
 
 After what seemed a long four mile tramp through the 
 woods, we came out in a little opening near the brow of a hill, 
 and were just rising to look out when a fierce gust of wind 
 from the other side set the old man's hat whirling back toward 
 us ; we succeeded in spearing it, then as we turned and glanced 
 out ahead, were surprised, almost dazzled by the wonder- 
 ful beauty of the scene that flashed out so suddenly and un- 
 expectedly on our astonished sight 
 
 Ausable Pond in all its Swiss-like beauty was before us 
 We stood at the end of our road on the brow of a hill whosr 
 front had apparently been undermined, and ran sharply down 
 to the water's edge, gleaming, drifting, unstable sand. On the 
 left, close by, was old Indian Head, the side toward us all in 
 shadow : rough and jagged, standing like some grim sentinel 
 to guard the narrow pass at his feet — beyond was Mount 
 Colvin, the sides rising in places straight up from the water, 
 then backward to the sharp ridge over 2,100 feet above, 
 seemingly crowned with a coronet of diamonds that flashed 
 and glittered as the water trickled down over the rocks, and 
 
Indian Fach A USABLE POND. 
 
Au Sable Lakes. 169 
 
 mountains were passing slowly, like some great glacier, to- 
 ward the plain. 
 
 Now, among birches that have grown at the outlet since 
 our first visit, stands the boat-house cottage and refreshment- 
 room, and a road, circling around the bluff where I speared 
 the old man's hat, leads down to the water's edge ; but grand 
 old Indian Head still looks out toward the dark green sides of 
 Resagonia, and rivulets glisten on the side of Mount Colvin 
 the same as then. 
 
 From the head of the Lower Au Sable, a walk of something 
 over a mile along the stream that connects the two brought us 
 to the shore of the Upper Au Sable, where Phelps entered the 
 bushes in search of the boat which we had left there. "Just 
 as I expected," said he, with a whimsical triumph in finding 
 matters as he had anticipated. " 'Taint there. Old Phelps's 
 boats belong to everybody but himself. Wall, we haven't got 
 much farther to go to my shanty, that's one satisfaction ; and 
 maybe they'll let us stay there all night, considering that it 
 belongs to me." So we skirted the west shore a Httle way, 
 and came out at the shanty, where we found the hunting 
 party jubilant over the fourth deer they had taken in three 
 days, and preparing supper, to which we did full justice. 
 
 Upper Au Sable Lake is about two miles in length, and 
 a half mile wide. Without being the very wildest, it is, per- 
 haps, the most picturesque of all Adirondack lakes. It re- 
 flects, in its waters, a number of the most striking mountain- 
 peaks, which, seen from this place, are varied and extremely 
 beautiful. Some are thickly wooded slopes; others naked 
 rock, seamed and scarred. On the east is the Boreas Moun- 
 tain, a long, heavily wooded ridge, terminating at the north in 
 Mount Colvin, and extending south about 10 miles. At the 
 west is Bartlett Mountain, a high ridge, near the lake. Over 
 Us south slope is seen the sharp cone of Haystack, which 
 hides Marcy, the highest of the Adirondacks. Toward the 
 north, comes Basin, Saddleback^ the Gothic, and Resagonia 
 — a grand circle of giants, on whose sides we can mark the 
 
I/O 
 
 The Adirondacks. 
 
 course of mountain torrents and the white, glistening path of 
 the avalanche. The shores of the lake are thickly wooded to 
 the water's edge. 
 
 This is favorite camping- ground, not only for hunters in the 
 hunting season, but throughout the warm weather, among 
 those who come here to enjoy its beauty and the unfettered 
 life of the woods.. The camps are mostly open in front to 
 f.ice the campfire, and are built and owned by the authorized 
 guides of Keen Valley, by authority from the owners of the 
 Reserve. 
 
 The ascent of Marcy from Keene Valley is oftenest made 
 from this direction, going by boat up the Au Sable inlet to 
 Marcy Brook ; then up along the west side of Bartlett Moun- 
 tain. We can hardly do better than give the trip in the 
 words of tjie "Old Man of the Mountains," who stands ready 
 to relieve us. So we will stand aside, and give him the floor. 
 
 Ladies and gentlemen — Mr. Phelps. 
 
 "Well, I guess I kin show you the way, fur I've been up 
 there near a hundred times, I s'pose. Let's see, we're in 
 Panther Gorge now, I believe, and, before we go up Marcy, I 
 want to show you a sight up here, from the side of Haystack, 
 that is worth seeing, where we can look right down into the 
 gulf below. See that precipice on the Marcy side ? It is one 
 continuous wall of rock, a mile in length, circling around to the 
 head of the gorge, with Castle Column at its head. That is one 
 of the wildest places in the Adirondacks, where, after a heavy 
 rain or in the spring, streams pour down it from all sides. 
 You see that water-course over there in the centre ? I have 
 seen an almost unbroken sheet of water, six feet wide, pouring 
 over that to the bottom of the gorge, almost a thousand feet 
 below. Now we will pass on up the trail once more, just 
 stopping to notice those shafts of rock across on the Haystack 
 side. There are three of them, entirely detached from the 
 wall near by, about ten feet square, and one of them near 
 fifty feet high, with a loose cap-stone on top of it. The soft 
 
The Adirondacks. i/i 
 
 rock mubt have crumbled away between them and the mair 
 ledge while they were left standing. Now, out at the upper 
 end and we begin to climb Marcy, striking the John's 
 Brook trail that goes down to Keene Flats near its centre. 
 Up here, on the side of the mountain, we find a little marsh, 
 which is the head of the longest branch of the great Hudson 
 River, and the largest branch of the Ausable ; but our trees 
 are getting stunted and we will soon be able to see over the 
 tops of them; it's about like going through a thrashing 
 machine trying to get along before they are chopped out ; but 
 here we are at last at the top, and you see this is the place to 
 see things*, down there at Marcy Brook, where we turned to 
 go through Panther Gorge, comes the other trail up this way, 
 running spirally up the south side from east to west until it 
 strikes the smooth rock that has been swept clean by the 
 avalance ; then up that, across back and forth to its head. It 
 is about as steep as the roof of a house, and when it is wet and 
 slippery it's bad getting along, but when its dry it sticks to your 
 boots like sand paper. In making the round trip the trail 
 goes down the north side a ways to the head of the Opales- 
 cent, then west through the valley and out by Lake Colden 
 and Calamity Pond to the Adirondack Iron Works. 
 
 The summit of Tahawus is comparatively level for 6 rods 
 north and south, and 1 5 rods east and west, a few loose boul- 
 ders lie about promiscuously. At the west end of this flat is a 
 mass rising up some eight or ten feet that contains the high- 
 est solid rock in the State of New York. Tahawus has some- 
 thing of a ridge-like appearance, running north-east and 
 south-west, although its whole formation is a comparatively 
 round mound of rock. The upper thousand feet is bare, and 
 clear the farthest down on the south-west side ; the west side 
 of this mountain has more the appearance of a pasture hill- 
 side than a mountain above vegetation, its partial covering oi 
 Alpine grasses and other plants and shrubs give it a domestic 
 and agricultural appearance. The whole south side is covered 
 with bristly balsam up within a few rods of the top, and is the 
 steepest and longest side, sloping away i}4 miles at the rate ol 
 2,000 feet to the mile, to the foot of Panther Gorge. Large 
 oortions of the south fide have been swept ofif by avalanchesi 
 
ij2 The Adiroxdacks. 
 
 The east is far the roughest part of the mountain. It drops 
 easily off the first i,ooo feet, and then takes one final leap of 
 I, GOO feet into Panther Gorge. On the north side, it drops 
 down to the head of the Opalescent Valley, more or less 
 broken with precipices and ravines." 
 
 North from Marcy, over beyond a mass of mountain ridges, 
 is the cleared fields of North Elba. Turning toward the 
 northeast, we look down John's Brook Valley into Keen Val- 
 ley. Beyond is seen Lake Champlain and the Green Moun- 
 tains of Vermont. East is Haystack and the Gothics. To- 
 wards the southeast is the deep valley of Marcy Brook. Be- 
 yond is Boreas Mountain, and the mountains that cluster 
 about Schroon Lake and Lake George. Away off in the 
 southwest is distant Blue Mountain and the Raquette Lake 
 region. At our feet lies little Tear of the Clouds, — the high- 
 est body of water in the Adirondacks, and the fountain head 
 of the great Hudson River, — 4,293 feet above tide. North 
 of west is Mount Golden, Mclntyre, and others of less note. 
 
 " I once saw the clearing up of a thunderstorm on Marcy,'' 
 continues the old man. "There was a tornado sweeping 
 over the top of the mountain, and the fog-clouds, broken into 
 patches, were running at lightning speed. When one of those 
 clouds would strike the mountain all would be shut in with 
 fog for perhaps two or three seconds, when it would open, 
 giving a view of a dazzling, brilliant orange-tint over the 
 whole western sky. This could be enjoyed from two to four 
 seconds, when the enveloping fog would come again — to save 
 one from going crazy, I suppose. 
 
 ''A thunderstorm in the night is an awful sight from the 
 summit of Tahawus. I once saw one at near midnight, ap- 
 proaching from the west, when it was all below me, and I 
 could look on the top of the cloud and see the streaks of light- 
 ning darting in every direction. It appeared like a mountain 
 of serpents writhing in every conceivable manner. When 
 
Camp Phelps. 
 
 "^71 
 
 It finally reached me, it appeared very natural, with the 
 exception the thunder seemed very near by. There are a 
 great variety of fog scenes ; I saw one of three-fourths of the 
 circle about me, a level ocean of fog and the other quarter 
 clear; it made me think of a big pie with one quarter taken 
 out; another one was of fog driven over Skylight in a bright 
 moonlight night, it pitched over the east side like a mammoth 
 water-fall, which it was, not of a river but a cloud ; anothei 
 majestic sight was the gathering and passing up of what we 
 call a quick south storm ; when I first saw it, it was some forty 
 miles distant, coming on at the rate of a mile in two minutes ; 
 4 massive cloud with the driping curtain of rain reaching 
 down to the earth ; as it passed up nearer it threw out some 
 ot the most wonderful shades and colors ; in the centre it was 
 al a clear gray ; some six to eight miles to the east and west, 
 of a bright purple, growing lighter to the extremes, and to 
 the east and west softening down to a sunshine hazy light ; 
 it passed over to the St. Lawrence lasting near two hours." 
 
 " STORIES." 
 
 Camp Phelps, on the upper Ausable, is one of the most 
 complete in its appointment and management of any shanty 
 in the Adirondacks. The structure is of an elegant design, 
 and built of magnificent logs cut and curved artistically with 
 knots of various and unique patterns in bas relief. The main 
 door is about 2^ by 5 feet, swings outward, and is locked with a 
 
1/4 iHE ADIRONDACKS. 
 
 string; it contains an immense reception room, drawing 
 room, private parlor and sleeping rooms tn ^uite, vlth ward- 
 robes sticking out all around the sides. The grand dining 
 hall is situate out on the lovely lawn, which is quite exten- 
 sive, and splendidly furnished with hemlock extensions and 
 stumps. This spacious structure is six by ten feet on 
 the ground, and between four and five feet high, and is sur- 
 mounted by a Yankee xooi oi troughs in two layers, the upper 
 covering the crevices in the lower so as to exclude the rain, 
 but separated far enough to give perfect ventilation. This 
 chef (T oeuvre oi 2iXc\v\\.^c\MXQ, is first class in every respect, it 
 is luxuriously upholstered throughout with spruce boughs, 
 in the culinary department is a stupendous range which floods 
 the drawing room with light, and, in short, it contains all the 
 modem improvements, including hot and cold water, which is 
 carried to every part of the establishment in pails. Here we 
 gathered, Crawford's party ot seven, and ours, ten in all, be- 
 side two or three dogs, in a space about six by eight feet 
 square, and while the fire snapped and flickered, filling the 
 shanty with dancing shadows, stories of hunting and fishing 
 adventures were told that all were expected to believe be- 
 cause they were personal experiences, although occasionally 
 one would have a familiar sort of sound with the exception 
 of names and dates. Stories of personal prowess which cul- 
 minated in one of a man who could pick up a two barrel iron 
 kettle by the edge with his teeth, and the assertion by another 
 that he knew a man who could perform the same feat sitting 
 in the kettle himself when he lifted it, which was making light 
 of serious subjects, and so Phelps told his bear story, how 
 one day near the Boreas, he saw a big bear coming on the run 
 after him and he, armed with only a little ax, then when the 
 bear got within twenty feet of him he yelled " halt," which 
 stopped the bear — he couldn't prevaricate, he did it with his 
 little hatchet — he didn't feel scared any, only stirred up like, 
 btrt the bear reversed ends and made off as fast as it could 
 wabble. Then Uncle Harvey told all about how he killed a 
 bear with a pitchfork once, and a moose with a club, after tir- 
 ing him out in the deep snow. " But, by gawl, boys," said he, 
 - When Dick Estus tumbled over backward on his snow shoes 
 
BREAKFAf- 
 
 175 
 
 and the cntter gave a lunge for him, I thought it was all up 
 with him, but I just gave command to the boys, and at him wo 
 went, and, by gawl, the way we laid it on his old hide was a 
 caution, and there lay Dick, square on his back, looking up, 
 thinkin' that every minute was his last, and, by gawl, I just 
 managed to get a lick at the critter that fetched him just as he 
 was standin' over Dick so," and the old hunter assumed a posi- 
 tion, indicative of an enraged moose preparing to come down on 
 an unfortunate little chap on his back in the snow, who couldn't 
 turn over on account of his snow-shoes. Thus each had 
 their stories to tell until time to turn in, when four of the 
 party went across the pond to another camp, leaving six of us 
 to occupy a space six feet long by six feet wide, and where we 
 slept on edge, like a box of well-packed sardines, until day- 
 light, when each man got up and cut a chunk of venison, salt 
 pork or bacon as taste dictated, and each man for himself 
 waltzed around that stove in the six by ten shanty until he 
 had warmed it through enough to suit, or disguising pieces ol 
 raw material in an outside coating of bread, proceeded to 
 stow it away with that appearance of keen enjoyment dis- 
 played by the average boy in taking a pill ; then a part rushed 
 away to put out the dogs, others to the various runways. 
 The old man gave his attention to some sort of a stew, 
 which, as he had made no calculations on staying out all 
 night, and the camp supplies had run low in the particular 
 materials needed, was partially a failure ; the professor, with 
 a home-sick sort of expression on his face, was picking away 
 at an ancient piece of bacon, while an enthusiastic individual 
 who had wallowed in an ecstacy of imaginative bliss, theoreti- 
 cally, over venison stake, broiled at the blazing camp fire, 
 was engaged in preparing a savory strip of the same, which 
 tts he forgot to apply salt, and got hold of a piece just 
 moderately warm— not cooked, at the first bite, roused a rebel- 
 lious feehng within him, and he felt the full force of those 
 saddest of all words, "it might have been (done,)" but it was 
 not ordained to be, and at last, as his mind kept running 
 on accounts of ship-wrecked people who had to eat each 
 other or starve, and cannibalism seemed imminent, one ol 
 Ihe ^ides came in like a dove bringing— -not the olive 
 
176 The Adirondacks. 
 
 branch exactly — ^but a bag of oat-meal, which he made into 
 pan-cakes, and those pan-cakes went to our hearts and 
 stomachs like the blissful ecstacy of love's young dream. We 
 were saved ! And while we ate he baked and brought them 
 forward and the more we ate the happier he seemed to feel 
 about it, none of your little patty-cakes, but great big fellows 
 the size of the frying pan,light as sea foam almost, and making, 
 with maple sugar, a breakfast, the which when suggested, 
 makes my mouth water to this day. It was but a little act of 
 simple courtesy, offered, perhaps, without a thought of return ; 
 but it showed the willing disposition, and those pan-cakes 
 touched a chord in the breast of one individual at least that 
 will vibrate for all time, and if ever permitted to go there 
 again he will ask for nothing better or if reports be true, a 
 truer guide than Theo. White of Keene Flats, author of those 
 glorious pan-cakes. 
 
 After breakfast Phelps took us up the inlet, with its dark 
 borders of balsam and tamarack, to the Elk Lake trail, where, 
 
 1 234 5678 9 
 
 THE GREAT PEAKS FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 I Golden ; 2 Allen ; 3 Skylights ; 4 Marcy ; 5 Panther Gorge ; 6 Haystack 
 7 Basin ; 8 Saddleback ; 9 Gothic. 
 
 bidding him a regretful adieu (for we had become attached to 
 the cheery Old Man of the Mountains in our short acquaint- 
 ance) we started on our tramp of sixteen miles, out through 
 the woods to Root's, feeling that we were nearing friends who 
 would be glad to welcome us home ; clearer in thought and 
 stronger in body than when we entered ; glad to go back but 
 sad at thought of leaving the mountains, over which we saw 
 the storm cloud gather, break and roll away, leaving them 
 bathed in the loving sunshine, clean, grand, strong and seem- 
 ingly eternal, as The Hand that made them. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 Luzerne and Chestertown. 
 
 UZERNE is situated at the junction of the 
 Hudson and Sacandaga rivers, twenty-two 
 miles north of Saratoga. It is inclosed by 
 picturesque, rounded hills, heavily wooded to 
 their summits, save here and there a break 
 where some ledge looks out on the valley 
 below. On the west are the Kayaderosseras mountains, on 
 the east the Palmerton range, that has its rise at Lake 
 (jeorge, and falls away into the level of Broadway at Sara- 
 toga; toward the north they are broken, rocky and pictur- 
 esque. These are the outreaching spurs of the Adirondack 
 that rest so grandly away to the north, from which the 
 I ludson comes flowing quietly along until it gathers among 
 the great round boulders, then bounds, foaming and spark- 
 ling, over the rocks in the exquisite little falls of Luzerne, 
 a.tid hastens forward under the bridge and downward to its 
 union with the Sacandaga at Ti-se-ran-do, " the meeting of 
 tlie waters." 
 
 From this down the river to Jessup's Landing is six 
 miles of still water, then sweeps around almost north again. 
 At Palmer's Falls it is gathered in a narrow channel, then 
 with a multitude of little leaps and breaks, churned and 
 beaten into foam by its fall, it rests at the bottom sixty feet 
 below. 
 
 Luzerne Lake is a pearl set in emerald, lying at quite 
 an elevation above the village proper ; a crystal drop on 
 the hill side, kept there by a narrow embankment through 
 
1/8 The Adirondacks. 
 
 which the outlet finds its way, and after amusing itself among 
 sets of water-wheels, it passes out into the Hudson and to the 
 sea. 
 
 The Wayside is just north of the village, near the lake. It 
 has connected with it a number of cottages which can be 
 rented for the season, affording altogether accommodations 
 for about 200 guests. It is an imposing structure with nu- 
 merous gables, porches, piazzas and balconies. The interior 
 is in keeping — roomy, rambling, airy ; with pleasant office, 
 dining-room and parlor, and with a charming outlook over the 
 lake and forest, and the rolling meadow land around. It has 
 telegraph station in the office, and an excellent livery within 
 call. Guests are transferred to and from all trains free. E. 
 C. King, for some time chief clerk, is the manager. Rates, 
 $3.50 to $4.00 per day; open June i8th to October ist. 
 
 Rockwell's Hotel fronts on the main street of the village, 
 its grounds extending back to the Hudson and overlooking the 
 falls and chasm just above the junction of the two rivers. The 
 main building is three stories in height, and contains the office, 
 parlors, etc. From this extends a long wing with side piazzas 
 facing the river. On the grounds are a pretty cottage and a 
 larger building with pleasant, richly furnished rooms en suite for 
 those who may prefer them to the more public places in the 
 main building. Accommodations are here offered to 150 guests. 
 G. H. Rockwell, owner and proprietor. Board, $2.50 per 
 day; $10.50 to $14 per week; children and servants, $7 to 
 $10.50 per week. Free carriage to and from trains. 
 
 This hotel has long been noted for providing one of the 
 best of tables, and for its general excellence throughout. It 
 has earned for its proprietors a reputation that has made the 
 name of Rockwell, like that of Leland, a synonym of all that 
 is complete in this direction. 
 
 The River View, standing just south of Rockwell's Hotel, 
 will provide for about 80 guests. E. M. Garner, proprietor. 
 Rates, $2.50 per day, $10 to $15 per week. Open the year 
 round. Free carriage to and from the depot. 
 
Chestertown. 
 
 I^TQ 
 
 Luzerne is on the old Indian trail from the great villages 
 of the Mohawks to the head of Lake George. Here King 
 Hendrick and his braves encamped when on their way to join 
 Johnson at the lake in 1775. 
 
 North of Luzerne 
 road runs along the river, 
 at times crowded close 
 against its brink as the 
 valley narrows down and 
 the mountains grow more 
 abrupt and precipitous. 
 
 Riverside is 28 miles 
 from Luzerne, and 50 from Saratoga. Here 
 the cars are left for Chestertown and 
 Schroon Lake, otherwise the place is of 
 little interest, save in the graceful suspen- 
 sion bridge which is thrown across from 
 shore to shore. 
 
 Chestertown is a thriving little village 
 of about 200 inhabitants, lying six miles 
 east of Riverside. Its environment is picturesque, with lakes 
 and valleys and with rolling hills that rise in places to be con- 
 siderable mountains. The roads about it are interesting, and 
 riding and driving the popular amusement ; but, still, only a 
 short walk is needed to reach woods where partridges and the 
 smaller game are found. The lakes near by afford superior 
 bass fishing. 
 
 The Chester House is on high ground in the village. It 
 is three stories high, with pleasant piazzas, and is fronted by 
 a nice grove of maples. It was for years popular under the 
 management of M. H. Downs, when it earned the reputation 
 of spreading one of the best of tables. It is now under Harry 
 S. Downs, son of the former proprietor, who, with consid- 
 erable experience in the business, adds a pleasant presence, 
 an obliging disposition, and youthful zeal and enterprise. 
 This house will care for about 150 guests. Rates, $2 per day; 
 $10 to $12 per week. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ScHROON Lake. 
 
 CHROON LAKE is undoubtedly one of the 
 most popular semi-wilderness resorts in the 
 country ; it is surrounded on all sides by moun- 
 tains, not high, but wild and rugged, and 
 broken into curious fragmentary masses, grow- 
 ing smoother as you approach the north end. 
 It is nearly ten miles in length, perhaps two wide, and 
 divided in two nearly equal portions at the narrows. It 
 receives the waters of Paradox and other lakes and streams 
 at the north and empties through Schroon river into the 
 Hudson at Thurman. The shores are low, receding in 
 gentle slopes for a distance, then rise up into the mountains 
 surrounding it. Near the southern extremity is Pottersville ; 
 3,t the north the village of Schroon Lake. It is reached 
 usually by the Adirondack Railroad, from Saratoga to 
 Riverside, then by stage to the outlet, and by steamer to 
 the village at its head. Distance from Saratoga, 65 miles ; 
 fire, $3.75. 
 
 The Leavitt Stage Line, between Riverside and Schroon 
 Lake, is not unworthy of special notice, the ride affording a 
 pleasant change from the cars, giving variety, without con 
 tinuing long enough to become wearisome, followed by the 
 halt for dinner, and the race to the steamboat in the open 
 wagons. The four-horse coaches used here are of the well- 
 known Concord build. The stock is first-class, and the 
 drivers are of the most reliable, Eugene Leavitt, proprietor 
 of the line, being considered one of the best whips in the 
 
ScHROON Lake. 
 
 i8i 
 
 country. Six-horse, tally-ho stages run to the main trains, 
 and lighter wagons of this line connect morning and evening, 
 with the ''sleeper" at Riverside. 
 
 PoTTERSViLLE HoTEL is six miles from Riverside. It is 
 the regular dining place for passengers going or coming, and 
 
 furnishes a wholesome 
 and most substantial 
 dinner. John B. Wells, 
 for sometime its 
 manager, is now owner 
 and proprietor^ having 
 secured this property by 
 'Okie purchase. Mr. Wells is 
 
 *»/ a young man, full of 
 
 energy, and brings to 
 the business experience of value 
 from the Wells House on Schroon 
 Lake. The house is comfortably 
 furnished, and affords pleasant ac- 
 commodations to those who may 
 prefer this to the northern ex- 
 tremity of the lake. Trout Brook, 
 running close by the house, affords 
 very good sport, while river and lake fishing-ground is easily 
 reached. At the northwest the country is extremely wild. 
 Rates for board are $2 per day ; $7 to $10 per week. 
 
 The Steamboat Landing is at the outlet of Schroon Lake, 
 something less than a mile from Pottersville. Here the 
 "Effingham," Captain Sam Russell, waits the coming stage. 
 The sail through Schroon Lake is delightful, and not so long 
 continued as to become tedious. Fare 75 cents. 
 
 Adirondack is a hamlet on the east, four miles from the 
 outlet. The Wells House affords accommodation for about 
 100 guests. George Cecil, proprietor. 
 
1 82 The Adirondacks. 
 
 The Taylor House is at Lake View Point, nearly op- 
 posite Adirondack. The steamer touches here on all regular 
 trips. Fare to head or foot of lake, 50 cents. The main 
 building and 15 cottages among the pines form a very at- 
 tractive picture. Telegraph in 'the house. Capacity, 150. 
 Rates, $12 to $17 per week; $2.50 to $3 per day. C. F. 
 Taylor & Son, proprietors. P. O., Taylors-on-Schroon. 
 
 12 3 4 5 
 
 SCHROON LAKE VILLAGE FROM SOUTH. 
 
 1 Dock ; 2 Ondawa House ; 3 Lake House ; 4 Windsor ; 5 Leland Heuse. 
 
 ScHROON Lake in general, we have spoken of. Schroon 
 Lake in particular means the collection of little houses and 
 big hotels at its head. Like the inhabitants of Caldwell, 
 who embezzled the entire name of Lake George, for postal 
 purposes, the httle village here has swooped down and 
 gobbled up " Schroon Lake," without regard to the rights or 
 feelings of those who may locate at different points along its 
 shores, and who, when they have occasion to say they live at 
 Schroon Lake, find it necessary to explain that they mean 
 only near the water thereof. 
 
 The little village is, however, worthy of the best name on 
 record, if beauty of location and general appearance entitles 
 one to such. The main street through which the road runs 
 to the north is a fine shaded avenue, the land sloping down 
 to the edge of the lake, displaying the whole in a very 
 pretty manner. It is a thoroughly wide awake town, show- 
 ing a degree of enterprise that many larger places might 
 well be proud of; daily mails are maintained throughout the 
 year; the telegraph brings it in direct communication with 
 the great cities. The churches are good — although Schroon 
 
ScHROON Lake. 183 
 
 Lake doesn't rely much on its churches. The hotel accom- 
 modations are first-class, while the enterprise of their propri- 
 etors, together with the fine natural attractions of the place, 
 has earned for this a world-wide reputation, standing second 
 only to Lake George — ahead of it, even, with those who de- 
 light to point the rifle or cast the fly. The society here is of 
 a refined class, scarcely any of the rowdy element finding its 
 way in, for the bright skies, the waving fields, the far-reaching 
 forests, and the grand freedom of the mountains, possess Httle 
 that is congenial to the tastes of such. 
 
 The Grove Point House is about a half-mile south of 
 the village, and the steamboat lands here on its regular trips. 
 The house is attractive of itself, and is picturesque in its sur. 
 roundings. It prospers because its manager is thorough, en- 
 ergetic, and withal, obliging. It contains many of the con- 
 veniences and appliances of the modern hotel, including elec- 
 tric bells. Accommodations are here off'ered for about 75 
 guests. Rates, $2 per day; $8 to $12 per week. An illus- 
 trated circular, giving particulars, will be sent on application. 
 Captain W. A. Mackenzie. 
 
 As we approach the village, the most prominent objects are 
 the hotels — the Leland House, on the high ground at the 
 right; the Schroon Lake House, near the water's edge; over 
 this, the Windsor House, and the Ondawa, among the trees 
 at the left of the Lake House. 
 
 The Leland House is the leading hotel of Schroon Lake. 
 From its commanding position it overlooks the lake in three 
 directions — south, east, and north, and, on the west, the 
 village and the hills beyond. On its south front is a broad, 
 high piazza, double at the ends; and, in front of this, a grand 
 ^ort-coachare — a pleasant and duly appreciated feature of a 
 sunny day. An observatory on the top of the building is 107 
 feet above the lake, and gives a view of rare beauty and con- 
 siderable extent, showing the full reach of the lake at the 
 south, and a charming picture of Schroon Valley toward the 
 
ScHROON Lake. 185 
 
 north. The grounds are about five acres in extent — a grassy 
 lawn, shaded by young trees and provided with modest little 
 summer houses. Two large cottages, connected with the 
 main building by an extension of the double piazzas at either 
 end, afford retired quarters for those who may prefer such to 
 the more public rooms in the hotel proper. Within the office 
 will be found Western Union Telegraph connections, news 
 and fancy-goods stand. This is one of the few hotels where 
 the main office is made the pleasant gathering-place of the 
 lady guests. It was built in 1872 and at once became popu- 
 lar. It was enlarged in 1875 and again in 1881, and still 
 again in 1888, by the addition of a large wing to give a 
 children's dining room 12 by 30 feet, and 30 new sleeping 
 rooms. The grand dining room has also been enlarged giving 
 it a seating capacity of 300, and a new kitchen built and fur- 
 nished with the modern appLances. The house is nicely,even 
 richly furnished, the public rooms attractive and cozy, the 
 sleeping apartments provided vith the best of beds, and their 
 appointments throughout in good taste. The sanitary con- 
 ditions here are believed to be perfect — the land, sloping off 
 in all directions, rendering the question of drainage a simple 
 one. The table is superior, and the service all that can be de- 
 sired—in short, the Leland House is an exceptionally good 
 " all around " house. The proprietors are Messrs. L. R. & 
 E. D. Locks, accomplished hotel men both, with plenty of ex- 
 perience, energy, and many of the other requisites that go to 
 make up the successful landlord. This house is open from 
 June 15th to October ist. Capacity, 250. Rates, $3 to 
 $3.50 per day, $12 to $25 per week. 
 
 The Lake House stands nearest to the steamboat landing 
 and will accommodate about 100 guests. Rates, $2.50 per 
 day,$io.5o to $14.00 per week. Open from June 20 to October 
 I St. E. E. Riddell, formerly of the Riddell House, Luzerne, 
 proprietor. The main building is 100 feet front, with a piazza 
 extending along its entire length. It is generous in all its 
 
1 86 
 
 The Adirondacks. 
 
 proportions. Its rooms are large and well furnished. A 
 pleasant feature of the house — hibernically speaking — is its 
 open platform outside, overhanging the lake shore, and itself 
 overshadowed by widespreading trees, affording one of the 
 most delightful imaginable resting places of a sultry afternoon 
 or evening. Underneath this platform, in the bank, is a cold 
 spring from which the water is forced up into the house. The 
 hotel, as conducted by Mr. Riddell last year, has been spoken 
 of in the highest terms by old guests. A generous policy 
 marks the new management and can not fail to attract visitors 
 and bring success. 
 
 The Arlington Cottage, on the northern outskirts of 
 the village, is a pleasant place, nicely kept, and capable of 
 providing for about 30 guests. A summer house on the 
 grounds commands a very pretty view of the village and water 
 
 THE ARLINGTON COTTAGE. 
 
 at the south, of the head of the lake across the sloping 
 meadows at the east, and toward the north, one of the finest 
 prospects of this section. The place has many friends ; is 
 cozy, wholesome and homelike. C. C. Whitney, proprietor. 
 Rates, $2 per day; $7 to |io per week. 
 
SCHROON Valley. 187 
 
 The Ondawa House is west of the Lake House. Adver- 
 tized capacity 100 guests. Maurice O'Connor, proprietor. 
 
 Hotel Emmet is a small house on the main street. Board, 
 $2 per day. Open summer and winter. E. E. Hunter, for- 
 merly of the Windsor, manager. 
 
 The Windsor Hotel is west of the Leland House. Ca- 
 pacity 80 guests. Rates $2, to $2.50 per day. $10 to $12 per 
 week. Martin Talbot, proprietor. 
 
 The Leland Cottage, on Main street, has accommoda- 
 tions for about 25. Rates, from $6 to $9 per week. J. M. 
 Leland, proprietor. 
 
 The Prospect House is on the main street of the village. 
 Will provide for about 30 guests at $9 to $12 per week. Open 
 from June to October. J. A. Pitkin & Brother, proprietors. 
 
 Stages run mornings from Schroon Lake to Hammondvllle 
 II miles distant. Fare $1.50. Connec- 
 tion is made over the Crown Point Iron 
 Co.'s railroad, with afternoon train on the 
 Delaware & Hudson Railroad. 
 
 Paradox Lake is four miles north of 
 Schroon. It is four miles long, measured east and west. At 
 its west end the shores are low and smooth ; at the east, abrupt 
 and rugged. 
 
 Paradox House, on the south side of the Lake, two miles 
 from its outlet, is noted for trout dinners. 
 
 Root's Hotel is nine miles north of Schroon Lake, 27 
 east of Newcomb, 23 south of Elizabethtown, and 17 west of 
 Port Henry. Wm. M. McCray, proprietor. Post office, 
 Schroon River. 
 
 Toward the west, between the mountain whose jagged 
 sides come down to the edge of the valley, runs the road to 
 the Boreas region, Newcome, and Long Lake. 
 
 Elk Lake is reached by leaving this road five miles east of 
 Root's, and proceeding northward thence, by a good road, 
 five miles farther. From this point the trail leads over Boreas 
 Mountain to the head of Upper Au Sable Lake, about six 
 miles distant, for which see page 168, 
 
VIEWS ON THE ADIRONDACK RAILWAY. 
 
North Creek. 189 
 
 North from Root's stretches the beautiful valley of the 
 Schroon, until the gradually approaching mountains on either 
 side come together at Deadwater, where the waters of the 
 Schroon River, here a mere brook, are gathered and begin 
 their winding way southward. 
 
 At Euba Mills, 13 miles north of Root's, roads diverge — 
 the one bearing toward the right leading down through Pleas- 
 ant Valley, to Elizabethtown, 10 miles; the other toward the 
 left, upward through Chapel Pond Gorge to Keen Valley, 
 about six miles distant. For these points, see pages 148 and 
 152 respectively. 
 
 North Creek is the terminus of the Adirondack Railroad, 
 and the point of departure for Newcomb, the Adirondack 
 Iron Works, via Minerva, and for Blue Mountain and 
 Raquette Lakes. 
 
 Through the summer trains run twice daily each way, and 
 a night train, with through sleeping car attached, leaves Grand 
 Central Depot, New York, at 7.30 p. m., arriving at North 
 Creek early in the morning. 
 
 The American, a short distance from the depot, is the best 
 hotel at North Creek, and provides good, substantial fare at 
 the very reasonable rate of $6 to $10 per week; transient 
 guests, $2 per day. John Mclnerny, proprietor. Mr. Mcln- 
 erny will also furnish horses and light or heavy carriages, for 
 interior places, at reasonable prices. Parties for Aiden Lair, 
 Newcomb Lakes, or the section around the Adirondack Iron 
 Works, not reached by daily stage, will find it advisable to 
 make arrangements for conveyances at this point. 
 
 Minerva is eight and a half miles distant. Stage runs on 
 arrival of noon train. Stage leaves Minerva for Long Lake 
 Wednesday and Saturday, via Aiden Lair, eight miles — a 
 ''gamey" country, and a very good fishing locality — and New- 
 comb, 14 miles farther, for which see page 124. 
 
 Stages leave for Blue Mountain Lake on arrival of trains at 
 North Creek, morning and noon. The morning stage con- 
 
190 The Adirondacks. 
 
 nects at Blue Mountain Lake with steamer for Raquette Lake, 
 — all landings — and with stage for Long Lake. Stage leaving 
 on arrival of noon train reaches Blue Mountain Lake for sup- 
 per. Stages, fare, North Creek to Blue Mountain Lake, $3. 
 Patent canopy-top buckboards, may be had by paying an ad- 
 ditional sum, for which apply to the stage agent at either end 
 of the route, personally or by mail or telegraph. 
 
 The North River Hotel is five miles from North Creek. 
 W. H. Roblee, proprietor. This is the regular dining place 
 for all passengers over this road in going in or coming out of the 
 woods, and provides a meal seldom equalled in its wholesome- 
 ness and hunger-satisfying nature. Stages run as far as this 
 point, on arrival of the evening train from the south, bringing 
 such as may desire to remain over and be fortified with a 
 night's rest and one or more of mine host Roblee's excellent 
 meals for the longer ride of the morrow, and it is recom- 
 mended that those not over robust break the journey here, 
 taking buckboards for the interior in the morning. A day or 
 more can be spent here to advantage, either for rest or sport. 
 The surrounding country affords excellent fishing and the 
 smaller game, and is within easy walking distance of points 
 where the larger kinds may be found. The house will provide 
 for 40 guests. Rates, $2.50 per day ; $10 to $15 per week; 
 dinner, 75 cents. Connection with the Western Union Tele- 
 graph is made at this point. 
 
 Thirteenth Lake is four miles west, and is reached over 
 a very good road. It is about three miles in length by half mile 
 wide, and 1,952 feet above tide. It affords excellent fishing, 
 and the wild country around it is noted hunting ground. 
 
 A short distance above North River we climb up through a 
 high notch at the west, rising a thousand feet in something 
 less than four miles, then descending gradually, cross a stretch 
 of burnt land to Indian River. 
 
 The Indian River Hotel, with capacity for 40, is at the 
 crossing, 11 miles from North River. Frank Moody, pro- 
 prietor. 
 
Indian Lake. 191 
 
 The Seven Chain Lakes are at the north, about seven 
 miles distant, and reached over an indifferent road, Bonney's 
 little hotel is on the third lake, which is the largest of the 
 group, being about two miles in length. From the fifth lake 
 a land-and-water route leads north to Newcomb, something 
 over ten miles distance. 
 
 Indian Lake (P. O.) is one mile west of Indian River. A 
 few houses at intervals along the road, and a very comfortable 
 looking hotel called the Ordway house, with stores, and a 
 post-office, constitute the village. 
 
 Indian Lake (that is the lake proper), is about two miles 
 south of the village. The original lake was about three miles 
 long, but its overflow sets back in times of high- water, increas- 
 ing its length to something more than twelve miles. 
 
 Lewey Lake is twelve miles south of Indian Lake Village. 
 The overflow of Indian Lake at times reaches back to the falls 
 at outlet of Lewey Lake. In low water the river between the 
 two is navigable, with the exception of a short carry around 
 the falls above mentioned. A Httle hotel at the head of 
 Lewey Lake is kept by J. McCormick. Will accommodate 
 about 40. P. O., Indian Lake. 
 
 Cedar Lakes are reached by a rough eight-mile trail from 
 this point west, or by road from Lake Pleasant, or via Cedar 
 River route, from the Blue Mountain Lake road. 
 
 The West Canada Lakes, belonging to another system, 
 and discharging into the Mohawk, may be reached from the 
 Cedar Lakes by short carries. 
 
 ******* 
 
 Lake Pleasant can be visited best via the Fonda, Johns- 
 town and Gloversville railroad to Northville, thence by stage 
 to Sageville. Sacandaga Park, at the terminus of the railroad, 
 one-fourth mile from Northville, has a commodious and well 
 kept hotel, and a number of handsome summer cottages be- 
 longing to private parties. 
 
 Sageville, the county seat of Hamilton County, is a scat- 
 tered village or 40 or 50 families, centered at the southwestern 
 
192 The Adirondacks. 
 
 extremity of Lake Pleasant, and between it and Round Lake. 
 
 The Lake Pleasant House kept formerly by S. D. An- 
 drews is now owned and kept by Geo. A. McCoy. Capacity 
 35. Rates, $2.00 per day, $8.00 to $10.00 per week. New 
 furniture has been added, and the house is now in good condi- 
 tion and gives good entertainment and service. It is near the 
 lake shore and is a very acceptable resort among sportsmen. 
 After July ist there will be a daily stage. Fare from North ville 
 to Sageville, $2.00. Parties of three who may prefer special rig 
 can be supplied by Mr. McCoy for stage fare. Call's Hotel 
 will provide for 75 guests. Board, $8.00 to $12.00 per week j 
 $2.00 per day. Silas Call, proprietor. 
 
 Lake Pleasant is about four miles long. At the north- 
 western extremity of the lake is the Sturges House. 
 
 Piseco Lake is about six miles southwest of Sageville, and 
 affords good fishing. 
 
 Cedar Lakes are 15 miles northwest; and Lewey Lake 12 
 
 miles north of Lake Pleasant. 
 
 ******* 
 
 The Cedar River House, known formerly as Jackson's, is 
 20 miles from North Creek. 
 
 The road from this point in to Blue Mountain Lake, 10 
 miles, is through almost continuous forest save the occasional 
 opening made by some stalwart settler, and the to-be-expected 
 "Half-way" house where the horses are watered and allowed 
 to get their breath while the expectant landlord stands invit- 
 ingly ready to serve the passengers with stronger liquid. 
 
 Note in passing the devastation caused by the cyclone of 
 'S8. If "Texas Jack" happens to be your driver get him to 
 give his veracious history of the affair. He was through it all, 
 and lives to tell the story ! 
 
 Blue Mountain Lake is fairly in the Great North Woods. 
 It is the opening of communication by boat with the magnifi- 
 cent system of lakes and streams which cover so large a por- 
 tion of the Adirondack wilderness. It rests 1,800 feet above 
 tide, is an irregular oval in shape, extends nearly three miles 
 
Blue Mountain Lake. 193 
 
 its longest way, and empties at the west, through Eagle and 
 Utowana lakes into Raquette Lake. 
 
 Blue Mountain Lake House is on the east shore of the 
 deep bay which first appears as we approach from North 
 Creek. The first hotel at Blue Mountain Lake was built here 
 in 1874, by Dr. G. R. Martine, of Glen Falls, N. Y., to whose 
 energy and far-sightedness much credit is due for the initiatory 
 in opening up this now popular gateway into the Adirondacks, 
 and for whose unswerving belief in the valuable curative 
 properties of this high mountain region, many have reason to 
 feel grateful. The old house was burnt to the ground in 
 1886 ; but, with the same energy which has characterized the 
 management in all its undertakings, arrangements were imme- 
 diately made for its rebuilding on the old site. This new 
 house is spacious and attractive. The main part is four 
 stories high and 150 feet long, with fine, broad piazza, facing 
 the lake, and a rear extension, almost as large as the main 
 building; giving, with the cottages, accommodations for over 
 300 guests. It stands on an elevation, overlooking a grove of 
 native trees, through which paths lead down to the sandy 
 beach, from which the steamboat starts on its daily trips down 
 the lake. Ten outlying cottages, among the trees, afford very 
 desirable quarters for those who may prefer apartments re- 
 moved from the stir and bustle of a great hotel. Telegraph 
 office connecting with the Western Union system, and stage 
 and steamboat ticket offices, are in the hotel. Stateroom and 
 sleeping car berths can be secured here. Board, $3 per day, 
 with special rates for the week or season, according to rooms 
 and accommodations. John G. Holland, proprietor. 
 
 Mr. Holland is the pioneer hotel man of this section. He 
 is genial, accommodating, and popular, winning the esteem of 
 his guests ; so that those who have once enjoyed his hospi- 
 tahty are generally his warm advocates thereafter. With him 
 the old house had a patronage greater, perhaps, according to 
 its capacity, than any other one in the wilderness, and under 
 him the new one must likewise prosper. 
 
Blue Mountain Lake. 195 
 
 The Blue Mountain House is about a mile north of the 
 Lake House. It stands on the side of Blue Mountain, 200 
 feet above the lake, to which the surface of the ground drops 
 sharply. The view is one of the loveliest imaginable, reveal- 
 ing the lake in its entirety, the island studded plain at our 
 feet, the receding clusters of islands, the sinuous shores lead- 
 ing away to the outlet, and over beyond it the lengthened 
 reach of Eagle Lake, with a glimpse of Utowana and the 
 verdant slopes that compass about the shores of the 
 queenly Raquette. A path leads down through the thick 
 forest to where a fleet of dainty Adirondack boats lie snugly in 
 boat house or at rest on the sandy beach. Accommodations 
 are provided for about 80 guests in the main building and ad- 
 joining cottages. The fare is wholesome and abundant, 
 cleanly and appetizing, the service kindly and willing from 
 the proprietors down. Its altitude makes it a desirable 
 place for those who suffer from hay-fever. A free carriage 
 conveys guests to and from the Blue Mountain Lake House, 
 to connect with the stage, and stages pass the house daily for 
 Long Lake, eight miles distant. (For Long Lake see page 
 113) Altogether, the Mountain House possesses more than 
 the average number of favorable counts among Adirondack 
 hotels. Rates here are $2 to $2.50 per day; $10 to $15 per 
 week. Open from June ist to October 15 th. Telegraph 
 office in the house. Merwin & Hall, proprietors. 
 
 Mr. Merwin, the founder of the house, '' grew up with the 
 country." He is pains-taking and obHging, and well liked by 
 his guests. Mr. Hall, coming to this section for the benefit of 
 his health, records his opinion in the most practical way by 
 settling permanently, and brings an experience that must prove 
 of value to the house. 
 
 Fair View House is in the gathering village of Blue 
 Mountain Lake, on the road that leads from the Lake House, 
 around the shore, to the Prospect House. The Fair View is 
 open all the year. A store connected with the hotel offers 
 groceries and hunting, fishing and camp supplies, generally, to 
 
Blue Mountain Lake. 197 
 
 the public. The steamboat lands here on regular trips up 
 and down the lake. The proprietor, John Sault, was formerly 
 landlord of the Indian River Hotel, where he catered very 
 acceptably to the hunters' and fishermen of old. This house 
 has an air of freshness and neatness about it that is captivating 
 and suggestive of good fare and cleanness throughout. Price 
 of board, $2 per day — $14 per week. 
 
 The Prospect House, built in 1 881, is the most elegant, 
 perhaps, of all the Adirondack hotels. It is, considering the 
 section where it stands and the difficulty attending the work 
 at the time of its erection, a marvel among hotels, and would 
 rank as first-class with the famous hostelries of any watering- 
 place in the country. It is imposing in outline and broad in 
 detail in keeping with its grand surroundings. Within, like- 
 wise, is preserved the suggestion of vastness — of space and 
 breathing-room — which is very refreshing. Its interior finish 
 is giUin, massive and substantial. Large fireplaces add a 
 cheery comfort to the public office and parlors. The sleeping- 
 rooms are large, furnished with the best of beds, heated with 
 steam, and lighted throughout with the Edison incandescent 
 light — this being the first hotel in the world to introduce elec- 
 tric lights into its dormitories. An elevator renders all floors 
 almost equally desirable, and the table is, to use a much mis- 
 used word, first-class in all respects. In all departments, sys- 
 tem and order prevail to a marked degree. 
 
 Hunting and fishing, of course, claim a large place here, 
 but those who are not sportsmen may find amusement in the 
 billiard and bowling alleys, in tennis or croquet. Here may 
 be found unlimited boating for the indolent, shady walks for 
 the meditative, a great, breezy piazza, with secluded corners 
 for the sentimental, good music on the piazza in the after- 
 noon, and in the parlor through the evening. Mails arrive 
 and depart twice daily, Sundays excepted. The telegraph 
 office is in the house. The steamer touches at the dock on 
 all trips. A fleet of light boats, larger and steadier than the 
 ordinary Adirondack traveling boat, is a specialty of the 
 house, and duly appreciated. 
 
198 The Adirondacks. 
 
 The Prospect House will accommodate 500 guests. Price 
 of board, $4 to $5 per day; $21 and upward per week; ser- 
 vants half price. During the winter, guests are entertained 
 in a larger cottage under the same management. George W. 
 Tunnicliff, manager. 
 
 A small boat of the Blue Mountain and Raquette Lake 
 Steamboat line, the " Toowahloondah," of light draft, that 
 it may pass easily through the shallow streams connecting 
 the lakes, leaves the hotel docks morning and afternoon, 
 and passing through this and Eagle and Utowana lakes and 
 streams, connects at Marion River Gary with steamer for Ra- 
 quette lake landings. The mere fact of going on the little 
 steamer, with the vast and reverberatory name, is not all there 
 is in this trip, although of itself a pleasure. The excursion is 
 one of the most delightful ones of the wilderness, a source of 
 continued surprise and enjoyment, introducing as it were, the 
 traveler to the wild woods and lakes in the mildest manner 
 possible, and giving him just a suggestion of the difficulties of 
 portage between waters that he will find later on. The line 
 belongs to W. W. Durant, ex-President of the Adirondack 
 Railroad and owner of a number of townships around the 
 lakes. It is thoroughly equipped and adapted to the particu- 
 lar needs of the traffic, and while working on systematized 
 lines with clock-like regularity, is not obtrusively formal and 
 fits in admirably with its surrounding conditions. Extra boats 
 are subject to charter and afi"ord interesting means of explor- 
 ing the nooks and by-ways of lakes and tributary streams. J. 
 G. Thompson, Superintendent. 
 
 As we pass out into the open lake Blue Mountain rises in 
 graceful outline behind us. On its western slope, high above 
 the water, are the Mountain House and cottages ; nearer is 
 Thatcher's Island, the property of Ex-Mayor Thatcher, of Al- 
 bany, with the cottage at its east end. On the point project- 
 ing from the south shore, near the outlet, is the attractive 
 summer place of Golonel Duryea, of New York. 
 

Eagle Lake. 199 
 
 Passing through the outlet With slackened speed, responding, 
 perhaps, to the request of the Commodore to come out for- 
 ward to get her stern up away from the bottom, and by aid of 
 steam and pikepole we round the short bend, pass under the 
 bridge, and out into the waters of Eagle Lake. 
 
 Eagle Lake is about one mile long, with low wooded 
 shores, except a clearing on the north side. The old log house 
 standing near the shore is the '' Eagle's Nest," where Ned 
 Buntline came years ago, and under the tree, near the house, 
 lies the bride he brought and buried there. 
 
 A somewhat longer stream than the one we have just 
 passed out of, leads through drowned lands, from Eagle into 
 Utowana Lake. This lake is about two miles long, narrow 
 and straight, running away toward the west. Passing into its 
 outlet we soon reach the landing, where we find the rustic 
 waiting-room and the dam, which has raised the water, 
 making navigable the streams between the lakes. From this 
 landing a road leads to the head of navigation, on the Marion 
 River, one mile distant. You have noticed, perhaps, that the 
 steamer whistled some ways back, and as we approach, a one- 
 horse wagon, with a rigging something like a hay-rack, makes 
 its appearance. Into this the baggage is tumbled, the boats 
 tied on (if any are there to be carried), and the weaker mem- 
 bers of the party, or those wlio may prefer to ride, take their 
 places. But few ^^ care to ride, for this carry is simply an 
 excellent road through the woods, resembling in no respect 
 the slippery carries of the back country. At its west end, we 
 find another steamer, somewhat larger than the one we have 
 just left but belonging to the some family, as you will con- 
 clude from its jaw-breaking Indian name, which is considered 
 the proper thing up here. 
 
 The Marion River, from this point to Raquette Lake, is 
 one of the crookedest rivers in the whole world, and, for some 
 distance, taxes to its utmost the abihty of our pilot and the 
 circling power of the little steamer. It flows sluggishly along 
 its reedy shores, wandering back and forth between the low 
 hills, in a succession of loops, that makes the way traversed, 
 
Raquette Lake. 201 
 
 which is about two miles in a straight line, double that dis- 
 tance before open water is reached. This is the largest feeder 
 of the Raquette, and enters it through a gradually widening 
 estuary, beyond which is seen the islands and the broad lake. 
 How different now from the days when the Professor and I 
 passed through in 1873 ! Then it boasted of but one resi- 
 dent, and he a squatter. (There are squatters there now, but 
 they come in state and are a credit to the section.) Now it 
 is teeming with life. A fibre from the throbbing mass of 
 travel has pierced these depths; the shrill whistle of the com- 
 ing steamer calls forth a joyous crowd for their daily budget of 
 news from the outer world, and comfortable hotels have sprung 
 into sudden and thrifty existence to meet the requirements of 
 the season. 
 
 Raquette Lake Hotel, formerly known as " Under the 
 Hemlocks," is seen on the north side of Long Point, which is 
 on our left as we proceed west. Proprietors, Eugene & Fred- 
 erick Finck. The former has been well and favorably known 
 as room-clerk at the Prospect House, Blue Mountain Lake, 
 and at tlie Indian Harbor Hotel (formerly the Morton House), 
 at Greenwich, Long Island Sound. He is most affable and 
 courteous, and has made a host of friends endeavoring to 
 make the people happy with whom he has been officially con- 
 nected. Modest withal, he has the requisite push to make the 
 new enterprise a success, as the opening year proved beyond 
 doubt. Mr. Frederick Finck is the well-known artist, who 
 comes to benefit his health by a life in the woods, and of course 
 is not above considerations of financial benefit (who is.-^) 
 hence the combination. They have thoroughly renovated and 
 refurnished the house and beautified the grounds, and propose 
 building more cottages to increase the capacity of the colony 
 to about 200 guests. It will now provide for about 100. In 
 addition to the main building, are the cottages on either side, 
 the one formerly occupied by Madam Gerster at the east, and 
 the Cotterell cottage on the west. There is a spring of pure, 
 never-failing water by the house. An unsuspected clearing 
 back in the woods, now under a high state of cultivation, will 
 
202 The Adirondacks. 
 
 supply fresh vegetables during the season. Open June 15th 
 to November. Price of board, $3 per day, $15 to $25 per 
 week, with special rates for September and October. Under 
 its new management, this house has earned high praise, and is 
 deserving only of words of approval. 
 
 Competent guides for sportsmen and tourists are provided 
 with camp suppHes. The steamboat stops daily for dinner, re- 
 maining an hour and a half for that purpose. 
 
 The open camp is a pleasant feature of the Adirondacks, 
 — and the one here one of the finest of the kind. Here the 
 logs, piled high and blazing at night, flood the interior with 
 pleasant warmth and thaws the most crusty into genial friend- 
 liness ; here gather the minister, the author, the playwright, 
 the musician, and even the haughty broker, to melt and be- 
 come better acquainted in an evening than by a four weeks' 
 intercourse in a hotel parlor. 
 
 The postoffice, known as Raquette Lake, is in a small build- 
 ing north of the Gerster cottage. Two mails daily. The 
 Western Union telegraph is here also. 
 
 Unique and a pretty feature of this lake is the Island Church, 
 (Episcopalian), standing on the smaller island south of Osprey 
 Island. Here religious services are conducted regularly 
 throughout the summer, the congregation coming by steamers 
 and row-boats. The officiating clergyman occupies the rec- 
 tory on the same island as the church during the season. 
 
 *' The Antlers " is on Constable Point, in plain sight, al- 
 most due west as the steamer leaves the mouth of the Marion 
 River. The location is a delightful one, and commands an 
 extensive view of the lake north and south, as well as into this 
 deep bay, from which the approach is made. It is a hotel on 
 the colonization plan — a collection of camp cottages, which 
 may be rented at room rates, and a larger, central build- 
 ing, containing the general office, dining-room, and pubHc^ 
 rooms, the idea being a collection of camps in which guests 
 shall have all the privacy of their own homes, relieved from 
 the annoying but quite necessary details of the preparation of 
 their daily food. This plan of separate buildings of one or 
 
Raquette Lake. 203 
 
 two rooms each has proved a success here. It gives the tem- 
 porary proprietor of each a sense of independence and own- 
 ership that is very pleasant, resulting in each structure taking 
 upon itself a degree of individuality and character according 
 to the taste and disposition of its occupants, interesting to ob- 
 serve. Provisions are also made to entertain transient guests 
 here on the same general plan. Accommodations are offered 
 for about 75. Rates during August, $3.50 per day, $17.50 to 
 $25 per week. Special rates for the season. Boats, guides, 
 camp supplies and fishing necessaries can be had here. Chas. 
 H. Bennett, proprietor, P. O. address Raquette Lake. 
 
 Mr. Bennett is genial, attentive and obliging, and during 
 the short time that the '' Antlers " has been before the pubHc 
 has made many friends and partisans of its guests. 
 
 " Hathorn's Golden Beach," at the eastern extremity of 
 South Bay, two miles from the landing at the postofiice, 
 consist, of a log house, containing dining-room, kitchen, etc., 
 log cottages of rustic finish, and several detached, bark-cov- 
 ered, box-like sleeping-rooms, set up among the pines, along 
 the line of beach, and open camps. Capacity — grand total — 
 30 guests. Board, $2 per day, $10 per week. Open June ist 
 to November. Chancey Hathorn, proprietor. Parties for 
 Hathorn's leave the steamer at the postofhce dock and take 
 row-boat to this point. 
 
 Rush Point Camp, near South Inlet, kept by Joseph Whit- 
 ney, accommodates 10. 
 
 Blanchard's Wigwams, on Green Point, west of Camp 
 Stott, C. W. Blanchard, proprietor, offers entertainment for 25 
 guests. 
 
 The rustic camps of Raquette Lake are elegant affairs, and 
 although built of rustic material found ready to the hand, it is 
 apparent that twisted cedar, shaggy spruce and silvery birch, 
 in their native vestments, were not chosen because they cost 
 nothing there. Some of these camps arc works of art, and 
 filled with dainty bric-a-brac ; generally, however, pertaining 
 to woodsy things, and in keeping with their native environ- 
 ment. The pioneer camp of this section, and one of the 
 
204 The Adirondacks. 
 
 most artistic in the woods, is "Camp Pine Knot," on South 
 Bay. It was commenced in the winter of 1876-7, by its pres- 
 ent owner, W. W. Durant, and completed — well, to tell the 
 truth, these camps are iiever completed really, for one of the 
 fascinating features of the camp is that it is bound by no rule 
 of time or architecture. It expands and blossoms with the 
 passing seasons, and is never exactly the same one year that it 
 was the year before, but it is always finished enough for com- 
 fort — it is " otetiwi." 
 
 Echo Camp, on Long Point, west of the Raquette Lake 
 House, tasteful and artistic, belongs to ex-Gov. Lounsbery, of 
 Connecticut. " Camp Otetiwi," (always ready), belonging to 
 Dr. A. G. Gersler, of New York, is on the large island west 
 of Camp Pine Knot. " Camp Fair View," on Osprey Island, 
 belonging to C. W. Durant, of New York, is an excellent speci- 
 men of ornate rustic architecture. Deerhurst Camp, on Ken- 
 well's Point, belongs to Mr. Wm. Strange, of Paterson, N. J.; 
 the cottage standing on the north side of this point is that of 
 Senator McCarthy of Syracuse. Senator Henderson has a 
 a pleasant camp on the south side of Indian Point. " Camp 
 Stott," the summer place of Com. Frank Stott, of Stottville, 
 N. Y., is on the long point north of Kenwell's Point. A camp 
 belonging to James Tenyck, of Albany, and '' Camp Has- 
 brouck," are on the north shore near the outlet. 
 
 Happy the favored visitor to one of these camps, and happy 
 the owner. The fact cannot be disguised, say what you will, 
 we are all children and enjoy playing house ; only, at sixty, we 
 need a ten-thousand-dollar lodge in a vast wilderness, when at 
 six, a piece of old carpet, stretched over a corner in the rail 
 fence, satisfied all our earthly desires. 
 
 There are several very pretty camps and cottages at differ- 
 ent points for rent, notably, " Bright-side-on-Raquette," which 
 is a nine-room cottage something like the McCarthy cottage, 
 standing at the foot of " The Crags." on the south side of In_ 
 dian Point. It is finished in native woods with a degree of 
 elegance and artistic feeling equal to the best, is nicely fur- 
 nished, and will be let for the season or for a term of years. 
 
Fulton Chain. 205 
 
 The owner, J. O. A. Bryere, may be found here by any one 
 who is interested in the matter, or may be addressed for par- 
 ticulars at Raquette Lake. He is celebrated for his rustic 
 work, and displays specimens that are marvels of skill. 
 
 ^i ^ ^ T^ ¥^ ^ ^ 
 
 The Fulton Chain of Lakes is reached through the 
 Brown Tract Inlet, which enters Raquette Lake from the 
 southwest. This section is usually approached from the west 
 via the Rome and Watertown Railroad, leaving it at either 
 Boonville or Port Leyden. 
 
 Moose River is i i miles from Port Leyden and 1 2 miles 
 from Boonville. Daily stage from either place, $1. 
 
 Moose River House is the regular dining place for 
 travelers entering this gateway. It is on the western border 
 of the great wilderness and affords good fishing and hunting 
 for those who do not care to penetrate deeper. The house 
 will accommodate about 30 guests. Rates, $2 per day, $7 
 to $ro per week. C. M. Barret, proprietor. 
 
 The Fulton Chain Railway is interesting as beginning 
 and ending in the woods, and having no connection by rail 
 with the outside world. It is a marvel in railroads and rolling 
 stock, worth traveling a long distance to see, and somehow it 
 seems more a part of the great wilderness than the conven- 
 tional iron monster and steel tracks that one is accustomed to 
 in the outer world. The track is of wood, 3 feet gauge, the 
 locomotive a nondescript, but it gets there with the traveler, 
 and none are found to wish it otherwise. The road was built 
 especially to meet a long-felt need — a boon from Boonville — 
 that a thumped and jolted public is not slow to appreciate, 
 and for which thanks are due to G. W. P. Gould and Dr. A. 
 H. Crosby of that section. It is 8 miles in length, extending 
 from Moose River to " Minnehaha," foot of the Stillwater' 
 from which point a steamboat runs to the Old Forge. Fare 
 by rail and boat, $2. 
 
 The Brown Tract, comprehending the land around the 
 head of Moose River, was so called after a John Brown of 
 
2o6 The Adirondacks. 
 
 Providence, Rhode Island (who must not be confounded with 
 that other John Brown, the " Old Man of Ossawatamie,' who 
 lies buried at North Elba.) The property was bought in 1793 
 and a large forge built below the first of the Fulton Chain of 
 Lakes. The manufacture of iron was attempted, and 30 to 40 
 families gathered here at the time, but the venture proved a 
 failure, and little besides the more substantial portions of the 
 old forge remains now to mark the spot. 
 
 The Forge House is at the old forge dam, below First 
 Lake, and affords accommodation to 40 or 50 guests. Chas. 
 M. Barrett, proprietor. P. O., Boonville. 
 
 The Fulton Chain of Lakes are eight in number. The 
 old forge dam, two miles below First Lake, floods back into 
 the Fifth, giving uninterrupted navigation from the Forge 
 House to this point. The First, Second and Third Lakes are 
 closely connected and collectively three miles in length. The 
 Fourth is nearly six miles long, and contains a number of 
 pretty islands. A half mile stream connects Fourth with Fifth 
 Lake, and a half mile carry leads into the Sixth ; a mile of 
 rough boating or portage along the stream leads from Sixth 
 into Seventh Lake, which is about two miles long ; thence by 
 stream one mile, and portage along the stream another mile 
 into Eighth Lake. This one is also about two miles in length. 
 At its head a trail i^ miles long may be followed toward the 
 northeast, leading into Brown Tract Inlet, which, followed 
 downward four miles, brings the voyager to Raquette Lake. 
 Total from the Forge House about 26 miles. 
 
 The Steamer *' Fulton " runs two trips daily, leaving the 
 head of Fourth Lake morning and afternoon. Fare $1. 
 
 There are a number of nice private camps about the lower 
 lakes and on Fourth Lake. The public houses are camps, 
 so called, where entertainment can be had at from $1 to $1.50 
 per day. The largest is Camp Holiday at the head of Fourth 
 Lake affording accommodations for about fifty guests. 
 
Beaver Lake Country. 207-A 
 
 Beaver Lake Country (which may be reached through 
 the wilderness by the old Carthage road that passes west be- 
 tween Raquette and Forked Lakes) is entered generally from 
 the west via Lowville. Jay Ramsey, who may be found at 
 Lowville, has comfortable road wagons built expressly for the 
 work, and will convey parties of four or five to Fenton's for 
 $6, or to Stillwater, ti miles further, for $12. To make sure 
 of speedy and safe entrance it will be well to make arrange- 
 ments for transportation in advance. 
 
 The Fenton House stands on an elevation, overlooking 
 Beaver Lake, 133 feet above the water. In addition to the 
 main building are cottages suitable for famiHes, with an aggre- 
 gate capacity for 150 guests. The proprietor promises "to 
 show from one to five deer around the lake, within sight of the 
 hotel, toward the close of any day in the early summer." The 
 powerful "Beaver River Club," whose tramping ground this 
 is, is opposed to " hounding." As a result, deer that have 
 been driven from other sections by the dogs seek this quieter 
 place; and the true sportsman never lacks for game worthy of 
 his skill. Superior trout-fishing is also to be had in Beaver 
 River ; and, in short, " Number Four," which is the post office 
 address, offers a combination of excellent sport with reasona- 
 ble ease of access. This house is open all the year. Rates, 
 $2 per day, $9 to $10 per week. Charles Fenton, proprietor. 
 
 Beaver Lake is about a mile in length. A smaller body 
 of water, closely connected on the south, is called Beaver 
 Pond. Crooked Lake may be reached by boat, i\ miles, and 
 carry to the north if miles. Francis Lake is about one mile 
 south, and is something over one mile in length. Beaver 
 River is quite rough above Fenton's for 9 miles, above which 
 is found good boating for twenty-five miles ; then alternate 
 boating and carries for six miles brings us to Albany Lake. Al- 
 bany Lake is four miles in length. Its main inlet, entering 
 from the north, is two miles long, navigable most of the way, 
 and brings the water of Smith's Lake. The latter is nearly 
 
207-B The Adiro^dacks. 
 
 three miles in its longest diameter. A house here kept by 
 James LaMont, furnishes accommodalions at $2 per day. 
 
 The Carthage and Adirondack Railway extends from 
 Carthage to Benson Mines, a distance of 43 miles. Lake 
 Bonaparte, 1 7 miles from Carthage is of some note as a sum- 
 mer fishing resort, with a comfortable hotel, and was first 
 brought into notice as the retiring place of Joseph Bonaparte, 
 the nephew of his uncle. Oswegatchie Station is 39 miles 
 from Carthage. From this point it is six miles to Fine, where 
 boats may be taken by prearrangement with guide, for Cran- 
 berry Lake via the Oswegatchie River, Star Lake is 2 J 
 miles south of Oswegatchie station, where a good hotel sup- 
 plies necessary entertainment. Benson Mines is the terminus 
 of the road. From this point a trail leads south to the head 
 of the overflow of Cranberry Lake and another to the outlet. 
 
 Cranberry Lake can be reached from Smith Lake 
 through Bog and Mud Lakes, but don't do it. Originally this 
 lake was about six miles in length but a dam built at its out- 
 let increased its area considerably, and changed its shape. 
 Its altitude is 1,540 feet. 
 
 Cranberry Lake House stands near the outlet, and can 
 provide entertainment for 50 guests. Rates $10.50 per week ; 
 $2 per day. Mrs. E. J. Bishop, proprietor. P. O., Clarks- 
 boro. Camp supplies and boats can be had here and guides 
 secured by notice given in advance of arrival. Fine fishing is 
 found on the river below the lake, and on the various brooks 
 and ponds emptying into it. As good hunting, probably, as 
 the Adirondacks afford, can be found at the south, at points 
 easily reached. The '' all land" route to Cranberry Lake is 
 from De Kalb Junction, but the stage service is uncertain, and 
 it would be well before going to address Mrs. Bishop for par- 
 ticulars. 
 
 I wish you a pleasant journey and a safe return. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Outfits, Supplies, Guides, etc. 
 
 'OR Camp Outfit and genera, woods life 
 the following is recommended : A complete 
 change of underclothing; two pairs of ser- 
 viceable socks, but slightly heavier than you 
 habitually wear at the season (soft wool is 
 preferable) ; pair blue flannel shirts w^ith wide 
 collars, confined at the throat by a substan- 
 tial silk handkerchief. If the unaccustomed 
 material chafes the neck, the shirts may be 
 put on outside the garment ordinarily worn, 
 in which case linen collars must not be forgotten. The 
 pants and vest should be of some strong woolen goods, 
 the coat the same, cut rather short and to button close 
 up to the neck. Have pockets ample and numerous, 
 with covers; you will find use for them. Wear a soft 
 felt hat with a reasonably wide brim. By grasping it in 
 a manner easily learned the rim forms a convenient drink- 
 ing cup. Do not commit the too common error of pro- 
 curing new shoes or boots for the occasion. A pair of 
 laced shoes, roomy, but not too loose, well broken to the 
 foot, with broad soles and rather low heels, is best. The 
 uppers should be of rather fight grained kip or water- 
 proof leather. Have leather or canvas leggings, strapped 
 under the instep and buttoning, or to lace at the side well 
 up toward the knee. Boots may be used in place of shoes 
 and leggings, if preferred, but the evidence is largely in favor 
 of the shoe. It is well to have a duplicate pair for alter- 
 nates in wet weather. Rubber boots, althou^^h convenient 
 
Outfit. 209 
 
 at times, are not suitable for general wear or for traveling. 
 A light overcoat will be found very comfortable at times. 
 Among the necessaries should be included rubber coat and 
 overalls for use in rainy weather, for the best fishing is often 
 found under dripping clouds. Have also a light rubber 
 blanket to throw over the knees and feet when in boat, or 
 to protect you, in sleeping, from moisture below or above. 
 For sleeping or lounging in camp take a pair of common 
 canvas slippers and sew on them cloth tops to come up 
 around the ankle, and tie outside the pants. A light cloth 
 cap will be found comfortable for night use. 
 
 Ladies' Outfit contemplates a subject in which I would 
 not presume to dictate ; I have learned better. I humbly 
 submit, however, that it is your first duty to make yourself 
 as attractive as possible, subject only to the requirements of 
 place and season ; and I would suggest that, whatever may 
 be allowable in the way of " fine " dressing, it is not consid- 
 ered necessary, or even in good taste. Often the sweetest 
 girls that ever brightened the wilderness with their presence 
 reign queens of the evening in the same bewitching costume 
 in which they boated and climbed mountains in the early 
 morning. Consult some lady friend who has spent a season 
 in the woods as to what constitutes a suitable outfit. In 
 absence of such source of information the following is sug- 
 gested for boat, camp and tramp : Underclothing, such as 
 experience has shown best suited to the season and your 
 individual comfort, giving fine flannel the preference in all 
 but the very warmest of weather. Underskirts should gen- 
 erally be of dark flannel, although, if much walking is done, 
 one of dark cotton will be found an agreeable substitute. 
 A becoming dress may be made of blue or gray flannel or 
 ladies' cloth. It may be pleated back and front, gathered 
 at the waist, or fitting loosely to the form, but should in any 
 case allow perfect freedom in the use of the arms. The 
 skirt should be not overfull, and cut a finger shorter than the 
 ordinary walking 4ress; trim but little, in shades of same 
 
2IO The Adirondacks. 
 
 color as body ; a cord at wrist, collar and waist-band, with 
 a knot of ribbon or a wild flower at the throat, is sutiicient. 
 A dainty bit of ruffling or old lace about the neck transforms 
 the morning into an evening toilet. Wear a soft felt hat 
 with wide brim ; trim with forest leaves. AVear a lady's hat, 
 if they differ from men's — don't ape masculinity in dress; 
 the average Adirondack sportsman does not admire it, 
 although, if confronted by the horrid fact, he is too much 
 of a gentleman to tell the truth. Wear dark, serviceable 
 hose and substantial, roomy Balmoral boots, with broad 
 soles and low, broad heels. Wear Lisle thread, cotton or 
 doeskin gloves. They may be made with long wristlets to 
 button or tie outside the dress sleeve, to guard against pos- 
 sible attack of black fly or mosquito. A chatelaine belt and 
 pocket, with tin drinking cup, etc., is convenient. A light 
 sun umbrella of the walking-stick pattern is a comfort in 
 rain or shine. A shawl will often be found acceptable of 
 an evening following the warmest of days. Carry a rubber 
 or waterproof circular with hood, a pair of light rubbers fc r 
 the feet, and a piece of light rubber cloth to throw over the 
 lap and feet if surprised in a boat by one of those fast-mov- 
 ing Adirondack showers. In rough weather sit or lie low 
 in the boat ; never, at such times, grasp the sides to support 
 yourself. A skillful boatman will manage in safety one of 
 those light Adirondack shells in the roughest of water, if 
 allowed entire control of boat and load. Go fearlessly into 
 the woods. It is stated on the highest authority that not a 
 noxious plant or venomous serpent exists in the Adirondacks. 
 Camp and Outfit. — A bark or bough camp will do in 
 absence of anything better, but is nothing like as comfort- 
 able or convenient as a tent. An "A" tent, seven by eight 
 feet on the ground, affords comfortable sleeping room for 
 four, and on occasion five or even six. A rope, passing 
 through lengthwise at the top and out at the ends, takes the 
 place of ridge pole, and may be fastened to convenient trees 
 or over crotched sticks, cut the Droi)er height and tied to 
 
The Camp. 211 
 
 stakes. The material should be of cotton, water and mil- 
 dew-proof, and complete, need not weigh more than nine to 
 twelve pounds. In making your bed of boughs, remember 
 that solid wood, if fitted to the form, is as comfortable as a 
 bed of down. Apply the fact by burrowing or hollowing 
 out cavities to fit the projecting points of hip and shoulder. 
 Cover the boughs with a rubber blanket, in addition to 
 which each member of the party should have a pair of heavy 
 woolen blankets. A small bag, to be filled with leaves or 
 moss and used as a pillow, is an improvement on a pair of 
 boots, but not all that nature desires; and at the risk of 
 exciting ridicule — from idiots — I am free to recommend 
 a small, well-filled feather pillow. It pays for itself in a 
 single night's use. A few yards of mosquito netting drawn 
 across the front of the tent after a good smudge is a luxury 
 which declares a big diurnal dividend. For long, forced 
 marches, a hammock made of cotton duck with a cover 
 of the same, but somewhat shorter, buttoned over at each 
 side, and forming a sort of pocket, is, with the addition of 
 rubber blanket, bed and tent combined. A little ingenuity 
 will suggest manner of arranging hoops over the face to 
 cover with canvas or mosquito netting, as circumstances 
 may require. 
 
 The Camp. — In selecting a camping place during warm 
 weather, choose an island or an exposed point free from 
 underbrush where the wind will, to a great extent, free you 
 from the mosquito and fly. In cool weather, it is needless 
 to say, choose the thicket ; in either case, remember that a 
 cold spring or brook and material for the camp-fire adds 
 very much to your convenience. In pitching the tent, if 
 on a side hill, dig a "A" shaped trench to lead running 
 water on either side the tent; if on the level, ditch all around. 
 A wall tent is better than the one already described, or if a 
 long stay is anticpated, it pays to build log sides on which 
 to mount the tent, and cover with a " fly " to insure certain 
 protection from rain. A sheet-iron camp-stove C3ja be pro- 
 
212 The Adirondacks. 
 
 cured of the dealers, or may be easily made to answer 
 every purpose, if your stay in one place be long enough to 
 warrant the trouble of transportation. 
 
 A champagne basket, covered with waterproof cloth and 
 provided with shoulder loops for carrying, makes an admira- 
 ble pack basket. A rubber, or waterproof bag, or an ordinary 
 two-bushel grain bag, with carrying loops of webbing, may be 
 used for extra clothing, blankets, etc. Let your load rest 
 well down on the back to carry. 
 
 The Camp Kit may consist of a long-handled frying pan, 
 a deep stew pan with cover, a nest of three or four covered 
 tin pails, for water, tea, coffee, etc. ; pint tin cups, tin plates, 
 a wire toaster of the gridiron pattern, a ladle or large iron 
 spoon, table and teaspoons, knives and forks, and last but not 
 least, soap, dish cloths and towels. 
 
 Carry a pocket compass with you at all times — the best 
 woodsmen are temporarily at fault. An ordinary lantern for 
 camp use (for hunting Boudren's jack lamp is probably the 
 best), candles, matches (a few wind and water-proof), towels, 
 tooth brush, comb, pocket mirror, pins, needles and thread, a 
 few extra buttons to match those worn, oil or tallow for your 
 boots, stamped envelopes or postal cards (?), light hunting 
 knife in sheath (?), light axe in sheath, and a supply of light 
 reading of the convenient Franklin Square or Lakeside pat- 
 tern. Take no large boxes with sharp corners, nor any article 
 too heavy or unwieldy for one man to handle. Don't expect 
 your guide to double carries habitually, rather reduce your 
 baggage or get extra packmen for its transportation. 
 
 Camp Supplies may be had from hotels generally, but 
 many prefer to carry their own. Veterans need no advice ; 
 but to the novice the following suggestions are made : 
 First, cor>sult your cook book, see what is needed in the 
 preparation of proposed dishes and provide accordingly. 
 The following list contains the staple articles : Wheat, Gra- 
 ham flour, corn, and oatmeal, beans, Boston, and soda 
 
Supplies. 213 
 
 crackers, lemon biscuit, baking powder, self-raising flour, 
 maple sugar, loaf sugar, tea, coffee, condensed milk, bottled 
 horse-radish, mustard, vinegar (?), pepper and salt in boxes 
 with perforated covers, dried fruit, canned fruit (?) and but- 
 ter, packed in salt and inclosed in hermetically sealed cans, 
 which can be anchored in spring holes or under cold run- 
 ning water. Bacon is extremely nice when sweet, as is also 
 T^ork, unpoetical but palatable, and on occasion taking 
 place of butter and all the seasonings. Dried beef is an 
 important item; "jerked venison," one of the best things 
 imaginable to carry when setting out for a tramp ; ask your 
 guide to show you how it is prepared. For relishes — 
 shades of mighty trout and speckled beauties forgive us — 
 take a box of smoked red herring. Bermuda onions fill an 
 aching void which nothing else can equal. Canned beef, 
 pork and beans, corn, tomatoes, condensed soup, etc., may 
 be added. Fresh vegetables and potatoes can be had from 
 the hotels. Carry no liquor ; if wet and cold, Jamaica 
 ginger has all the heating properties of whisky; while 
 strong, black coffee is a better stimulant, with none of the 
 evil effects following. 
 
 The Medicine Chest need not be extensive. It should, 
 however, contain cathartic pills — a piece of Turkish rhu- 
 barb is good ; cholera medicine of some kind ; a small 
 bottle of collodion (composed of equal parts of alcohol and 
 ether, with gun-cotton added to make it about the consist- 
 ency of heavy varnish) ; applied to burns and small wounds, 
 it forms an artificial skin, impervious alike to air and water ; 
 ammonia, to allay irritation arising from bites of insects ; 
 cold cream or glycerine, for chapped face or hands; court- 
 plaster, seidlitz powders, ointment and adhesive plasters, 
 lint and bandages, to use in case of emergency. To stop 
 the flow of blood from wounds, bind on equal parts of flour 
 and common salt ; for burns, apply wheat flour or collodion. 
 Insect Preparation may be procured of the druggist, 
 or compounded by yourself. The most convenient and 
 
214 The Adirondacks. 
 
 effective, perhaps, as any, is composed of six parts of mutton 
 tallow to one of oil of pennyroyal, with a little camphor added. 
 In the proportion of two ounces of sweet oil and one of oil 
 of tar is good. "A coating of the grease from ham rinds, well 
 rubbed on, is the best yet known," says George K. Holmes, of 
 Great Barrington, Mass. Annoint exposed portions of the 
 person with either of the above, then stand back and mark 
 the frenzy of the baffled punkey. 
 
 Sporting Outfit. — Do not rely on what books tell you. 
 If you know nothing about the subject place yourself under 
 some one that does, and trust them until you can judge for 
 yourself The most enticing of fancy flies in the hands of a 
 greenhorn will not yield much sport — except to outsiders — and 
 the grandest achievement in modern firearms requires some 
 skill in using. If you have the requisite skill, carry a rifle ; if 
 not, a fowling-piece is better. For general use there is per- 
 haps no more convenient or serviceable arm to carry into 
 camp than the "pocket" rifle, manufactured by the J. Ste- 
 vens Arms and Tool Company of Chicopee Falls, Mass. A 
 12 to 1 5-inch barrel, 32 calibre, is recommended. The weight 
 is less than three pounds. A shot-gun barrel is also made to 
 fit the same frame, so that either may be used at will. Are 
 you artistic ? Carry a camera of the Kodak pattern or with 
 small plate. A plate large enough to make a lantern slide 
 yields a larger per-centage of comfort than any other size 
 made. 
 
 Guides receive $2.50 to $3 per day, furnishing boat and 
 necessary cooking and table utensils. They cook and do 
 other necessary camp work, and row and " back " the boat 
 over the carries, where there are no other means provided; (in 
 cases where horses are used the employer is expected to pay 
 for transportation.) One guide and boat is ordinarily suffi- 
 cient for two persons, but for independence in fishing and 
 hunting each sportsman should have his individual guide. 
 There are two classes, known respectively as " ho- 
 tel" and "independent." The former are engaged for 
 the season by hotel proprietors, who relet them to par- 
 
Guides. 215 
 
 ties ; the latter must be dealt with personally. There are 
 equally good men in both classes, as the nature of the sur- 
 roundings usually determines to which they shall belong ; 
 therefore it is impossible to give rules for the selection of a 
 guide, or to discriminate between them, as only experience 
 can determine their suitability for your peculiar wants. As 
 a class they are a noble set of men, who, aside from the 
 natural deference due the employer from the employed, ad- 
 mit of no inequality, and reflect back their usage ; although 
 there are exceptions to the rule in man as in master. If 
 only reasonable service is asked, there can usually be no 
 complaint ; if fawning servility is expected, there is a rea- 
 sonable doubt as to the result, for one who knows enough 
 for the profession knows when he is well used. The best 
 guides are often engaged for a year in advance, and some 
 would as soon think of going without a gun as without their 
 favorite guide. Some parties have attempted to do the 
 Adirondacks by aid of map, compass and book, and with- 
 out the aid of a regular guide ; this, however, is full of hard- 
 sliips that are easily avoided by those accustomed to the 
 country, and, if comfort, distance and time lost in out-of- 
 the-way places are taken into consideration, attended with 
 but httle economy. 
 
 • Lists of guides heretofore published are now omitted, as 
 the title is no longer an indication of fitness for the position. 
 The office is one of responsibility and it is due to those who 
 are competent and honest that a distinction should be made 
 between them and others who claim the title without possess- 
 ing the necessary (qualifications. The safety and comfort 
 of the traveler depends largely on his guide, and some guar- 
 antee should be furnished by the one employed. A guides' 
 union could provide for this, or certificates might be granted 
 by competent authority, but until some such provision can 
 be made both the i^ublic and the Drofession must suffer. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Trout Fishing. 
 
 N the year 1880, it seems hardly necessary, in 
 speaking of trout and trout fishing, to say that 
 speckled or brook trout — the sabno fojiti- 
 nalis of our early years, now, by authority 
 of the Smithsonian Institute, savelinus fontu 
 nalis — has a square tail, and that his sides are 
 speckled with yellow and red spots, and that 
 he is a cousin of the lake or salmon trout, 
 which has a forked tail with mottled sides, and 
 which the Smithsonian Institute insists shall be called cristiro- 
 mer namaycush j for the love of angling has so grown during 
 the last few years that it is not now considered a proper 
 definition of fishing to say, it consists of " a stick with a string 
 at one end and a fool at the other." On the contrary, those 
 whose love of this sport will draw them to the brook side, 
 or to the lake or pond, are men of all profession and occu- 
 pation, and any one of them will tell you, if you ask him, 
 that it requires skill and a knowledge of the habits of the 
 trout to fill your creel. I doubt if the book was ever writ- 
 ten that will make one a finished angler. To be sure one 
 may gain something sometime from the written experience 
 of others, but experience gained by time and patience on 
 the stream is far better than any teacher. There are some 
 general hints that will apply to the Adirondacks, but if it 
 were attempted to enumerate all conditions for all times, 
 half the anglers would say I found it so; the other half 
 would say, /did not. 
 
 When the ice has gone from the streams and ponds, and 
 the sun has warmed the waters a trifle, brook trout will be 
 
Trout Fishing. 
 
 found in the deep water and holes of the brooks, and it is 
 hard work to get them to rise at a fly. They probably 
 know ihat flie^ are out of season at this time. If the fish- 
 ing fever is on, you must take a plebian worm and let it lay 
 on the bottom until it is sucked in by some lazy trout, then 
 " yank." A little later, when the snow water is a thing of 
 the past, and the fruit trees are in bloom, and the black fly 
 and the May fly are out to devour and be devoured, and 
 the lazy trout, by exercise on the riffs and in rough water, 
 has become an athlete, then take your rod, attach the patri- 
 cian fly, and cast ever so gently at the head of the riffs, 
 where a stone makes a little eddy, working down gradually 
 to the pool at the foot of the rapids, where tke heads of the 
 family " receive," if they have not already anticipated your 
 visit by going up the riffs like a quarter-horse, and taken 
 your fly with a leap that shows you what you have to con- 
 tend with. As the weather grows warmer they will drop 
 back to the deep shady holes, invigorated and fattened by 
 their visit to the graveled-bottom rapids. It may be that 
 you will now be obliged to advance backward to the worm 
 (it will not be sucked in now, and you will not be in doubt 
 as to whether you have a bite or no), or to a live chub or 
 shiner, or the tail of either, that when it is let down into the 
 hole with the current and drawn up stream, it will whirl like a 
 thing of life ; I say you may be obliged to resort to this, for 
 there are holes in streams where it would be folly to attempt 
 to cast a fly. If a person wishes to pass them by because 
 they never fish with other than a fly, some one not so fas- 
 tidious may come after and bring to basket some of the 
 oldest inhabitants of the brook. Should you fish one day 
 and find that the trout are all seeking the seclusion which 
 the deep hole grants to themselves, their sisters and their 
 cousins and their aunts (I wiU pay my fine to any authorized 
 person), and the evening, night or next day brings a shower 
 to slightly raise the brook, as soon as the shower is over try- 
 it again, but fish the rapids, for the trout have come out to 
 
The Adirondacks. 
 
 see what the flood has brought for them to feast upon 
 A Httle later the deep holes get warm by reason of Iom 
 water and continued hot weather. The trout have their 
 resorts at this season as well as the angler, and so they take 
 their families and travel to some portion of the stream 
 where a cold spring comes in, or some spring bubbles up 
 from the bottom. At these " spring holes " they will be 
 found in hot weather in great numbers, if the game law has 
 been observed. 
 
 As to flies, most people have their own ideas ; but as this 
 is written for those who have just joined the brotherhood, it 
 may be well to say that out of the countless number of flies, 
 some of them unlike any thing under the sun, the red, black, 
 brown and gray hackles,* tied both as a hackle and palmer 
 fashion, Coachman,* yellow professor,* hght and dark fox,* 
 black gnat, Romeyn Abbey, Seth Green, White Miller, 
 Grizzley King,* and Queen of the Water,* constitute u 
 good supply if one takes a half dozen of each. Even this 
 number is considered by some too many. My fly books con- 
 tain more than two gross of flies, but many kinds have never 
 been used, and in all probabilities never will be. I think I 
 am sife in saying that the largest trout are caught at dusk or 
 during starlight or moonlight nights; if I am too broad in 
 making this assertion I will modify it by saying large trout 
 may be caught at this time by using a white miller, or a fly in 
 which v/hite predominates; and, too, you must use a larger 
 hook than the one you used during the day. If you have 
 noticed a large trout in the stream during the day, and been 
 unable to catch him, try him at night, if it is bright, and you 
 may be reasonably sure of his rising to your light colored 
 fly. Sometimes you may catch an obstinate fellow by going 
 above his resting place and slightly roiling the stream, and 
 as the muddy water passes over, let your fl»y float as naturally 
 
 * Those indicated by a star are important, and should be in every collection. 
 
Trout Fishing. 
 
 as possible with it, and the chances are in favor of your gc. 
 ting the trout. He probably knows that roily water means 
 a freshet, and a freshet brings with it insects upon which he 
 feeds. The latter portion of May and the month of June 
 are considered the best portions of the open season for fish- 
 ing in the Adirondacks, and morning and evening the best 
 portion of the day, as the trout are then seeking their natural 
 food; but the ways of the trout are past finding out, for 
 there are times when they will bite at nothing. 
 
 Although bait fishing is not to be sneered at, use a fly if 
 possible ; you will have more satisfaction with half a basket 
 caught in this way than with a full one taken with bait. If, 
 however, you must use bait, take your angle or earth worm 
 after he is scoured in damp moss, and pass your hook 
 through the neck half an inch from the head, then gathering 
 up a loop of the body and pass through again and again 
 until you have the shank, as well as the beard of the hook, 
 well covered and half an inch of " worm " over, should 
 your worm-loop, or head, or tail be taken of and the fish 
 not taken in, put on a fresh bait. Unless you have some 
 decided objection fish doivn stream. If you use live bait, 
 (minnows) pass your hook through its back under the dor- 
 sal fin, but not so low as to break the back bone ; should 
 you use a portion of a minnow, cut off the tail just at the dor- 
 sal fin ; put your hook in at the tail, and along the back 
 bone, until the point of the hook nearly reaches the place 
 cut ; your bait will then be curved to correspond with the 
 bend of your hook, and will whirl nicely when drawn 
 against the current. 
 
 As to direction for fly fishing, I give it up. The best way 
 is to go out with some one who uses a fly, and, in one day, 
 you will learn more than from written directions studied 
 faithfully for a month. There are many flies besides those 
 mentioned above, should the angler desire a more extensive 
 stock in his book. It may be well to mention a few, such 
 as Gray Drake, Silver Black, Adirondack, General Hooker, 
 
The Adirondacks. 
 
 Scarlet Ibis, Shoemaker, Jungle Cock, Oak Fly, Brown 
 Hen, Hoskins, King of the Water, Green Drake, Montreal, 
 Moose, etc. As to tackle get a split bamboo, hornbeam 
 or ash and lance wood rod of three joints, about eleven feet 
 long, weighing eight to ten ounces. This with an extra tip 
 or tips, one a little shorter than the others, will answer for 
 both bait and fly, unless you propose to "■ yank " your fish, 
 in which case you need heavier timber ; a click reel to hold 
 forty yards of braided silk, tapered line waterproofed, a 
 half-dozen leaders or casting lines nine feet long, of best 
 round silkworm gut, and smaller hooks or flies tied upon 
 O'Shaunesey or Sproat bend hooks, with a landing net of 
 coarse mesh, will constitute an outfit for brook trout in the 
 Adirondacks. It is poor economy to buy poor tackle ; if 
 you get any get the best, even if you get less. 
 
 The lake or salmon trout, alt'ough he will take a fly at 
 times, is usually caught by trolling. The modus operaiidi is 
 as follows : With a stiffish trolling rod, a balance multiplying 
 reel to hold loo yards of braided silk, or linen line No. 4, 
 leaders 12 feet long of single gut, and a minnow gang, which 
 is made by tying 6, 9 or 12 hooks in groups of three to a 
 length of single gut with a single hook about one and a half 
 inches above the upper group of hooks for a lip hook, a 
 gaff hook, and a pail of minnows completing the outfit. I 
 am too fast ; you also require two or three pounds of lead. 
 Lake trout fishing is in order as soon as the ice leaves the 
 lakes, but at this time the trout are at the bottom, so put 
 your rod together, put on your reel, pass your line through 
 the standing guides of your rod, attach your leader and 
 minnow gang, put the lip hook through both lips of the live 
 bait, bend the bait and put one of the group hooks through 
 the back of the bait behind the back fin in such a manner 
 as to make it revolve when drawn slowly through the water, 
 ten or twelve feet from the joining of your casting line or 
 leader and your fish line, tie on your sinker with a piece of 
 line 6 or 8 feet long, wca!cpr than your fish line, so if you 
 
Trout Fishing. 
 
 catch on the bottom you will lose only your sinker. Your 
 sinker must be heavy enough to carry your line nearly to the 
 bottom. You can fish by letting your sinker strike bottom 
 and pulhng in only to let your sinker strike again, but you 
 need to know the kind of bottom upon which you are fish- 
 ing, as grass would soon use up your lead. This kind of 
 fishing can be better shown than taught by writing, and as 
 it is not necessary we will pass it. About the first of May 
 the trout begin to rise to the surface, and the higher up 
 they are the less sinker you require. Soon they are at the 
 surface to stay only for a few days. Now you require only 
 enough sinker to keep your bait well under water, or even 
 no sinker at all, for wherever the trout are, bottom or top, 
 the boat must be rowed very slowly. 
 
 Buoy fishing is done by anchoring a block of wood, as a 
 land-mark, or water-mark, in some deep portion of the lake. 
 Morning and evening, for two or three days, bait your buoy 
 by throwing overboard bits of fish cut up about the size of 
 a butternut ; this will sometimes attract the fish and keep 
 them around the buoy. When you think it baited, put on 
 your hook a piece of fish like that you have used, or a Uve 
 minnow, and drop it over, and keep your bait moving up 
 and down by a shght motion of your hand, until the sun 
 gets too hot, or your seat gets too hard, or you make up 
 your mind that there are better ways of fishing. If this 
 last happens, stick to it, and let some one else jig their line 
 in loo or 125 feet of water, with the result: "Oh, a 
 trout just breathed on the bait, but that was all !" Buoy 
 fishing is not practiced now nearly as much as in former 
 years, but trout are yet caught in this manner. The open 
 season is from April ist to October ist, brook trout, April 
 I St to September ist. I have of necessity omitted much 
 that might be said about trout fishing, and perhaps written 
 what could as well be omitted; but will say in conclusion, 
 let the " sign " be in the head or in the feet, the next time 
 you try them, may your baskets be filled with fair-sized 
 trout, but leave the little ones in the water to grow. 
 
 A. N. Cheney. 
 
Game Laws. 
 
 The open season for game found in the Adirondacks is by law 
 as follows : Ruffled grouse, commonlv called partridge, from 
 September ist to January ist; wild fowl, September ist to May 
 ist; woodcock, August ist to January ist; hares or rabbits, 
 November ist to February ist; squirrels (black or gray) August 
 ist to January ist; deer from August 15th to November ist 
 Deer may be hunted with dogs (except in St. Lawrence County) 
 from September ist to October 20th. No person shall kill more 
 than three deer in one year. No deer or venison shall be trans- 
 ported from the Adirondacks by any person or common carrier, 
 except from the 1 5th of August to the 1 5th of November, and 
 between such dates but one deer or carcass can be transported 
 for each owner, and it must be accompanied by the owner. No 
 fawn shall be killed at any time. The penalty for the violation 
 of any of the provisions of the deer law is $100. 
 
 The open season for brook trout, California and brown trout 
 in the counties constituting the forest preserve is from May ist 
 to September 1 5th; lake trout and land-locked salmon from May 
 ist to October ist. Elsewhere in the State the brook trout 
 season opens April ist and closes September ist, and in Lake 
 George, lake trout can only be. taken from May ist to October 
 1st. No trout or salmon can be transported from the Adiron- 
 dacks except when accompanied by their owner. 
 
 Black bass can be caught in Lake George and Brant Lake 
 only from August ist to January ist; in Schroon Lake and 
 River, Paradox and Friends Lakes only from July 15 to Janu- 
 ary ist; elsewhere in the Adirondacks from May 3010 January 
 ist. Black bass under eight inches in length or one-half pound 
 in weight must be returned to the water uninjured. 
 
 No one is permitted to deposit any fish in the waters of th« 
 
 Adirondack region unless the fish so deposited are indigenous 
 
 to the particular water where placed, except that non-preying or 
 
 non-destructive fish which constitute food for fish of the salmon 
 
 family may be deposited. 
 
 A. N. Cheney. 
 
Where and Where Not to Fish. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Fred Mather, the well known fish culturist, ex- 
 plored a great portion of what is known as Adirondack 
 waters for the purpose of making an ichthyological report 
 to accompany the report of the Adirondack survey. Mr. 
 Mather's researches have only recently been given to the pub- 
 lic, and no part of them will prove of more interest to the sum- 
 mer visitor to the great wilderness than that relating to the dis- 
 tribution of the fishes known to the anglers as the "game 
 fishes ;" such as are captured by rod and line. For the names of 
 the lakes, ponds and streams that are used in the report, 
 he relied upon Stoddard's map of the Adirondack wilder- 
 ness. Mr. Mather supplemented his summer's work of per- 
 sonal exploration and examination by reports from guides and 
 others regarding waters that he had not the time to visit. So 
 that his report, so far as it goes, is reasonably correct and 
 trustworthy. 
 
 Brook trout are not found in the following waters : Metcal, 
 and T Lakes, tributaries of West Canada Creek, Spectacle, Dex- 
 ter, Spy, Oxbow, Metcalf, Coal, Scuts, Willis, Murphy, Warner, 
 Remson and Bug Lakes. All others are supposed to contain 
 them. 
 
 Lake trout, commonly called salmon trout, are not found in 
 the following waters : None of the lakes of West Canada Creek 
 except Spruce, Indian, Ferris, Christian, Morehouse, Jersey- 
 field, Goodluck, Oxbow, Metcalf, Sheriff, Canada, Coal, Willis, 
 Nicks, Little Woodhull, Stone Dam, Wilmurt and the Eagle 
 Chain of Lakes. By implication the other lakes in the Adiron- 
 dacks do contain lake trout. 
 
 Black bass are found in Raquette, Forked, White, Fourth, 
 Bisby, Sucker, the Blue Mountain Chain and the Fulton Chain 
 of Lakes, Moose and Black Rivers. 
 
 The Rainbow (California) trout have been placed in Fulton 
 Chain, Bisby, Woodhull, Pleasant, Round, Horn, and Jones 
 Lakes, Moose, Oswegatchie and Black Rivers, and Silver Lake. 
 
 Land-locked salmon have been planted in Woodhull, Mud 
 Sa^d. Little Moose and the Fulton Chain of Lakes, 
 
Forest Commission. 
 
 The Forest Commission, having charge of the forest preserve 
 was created by Chapter 283 of the laws of 1885. The commis- 
 sioners now in office are Theodore B. Basselin, Townsend Cox, 
 and Sherman W. Knevals. 
 
 The warde» is S. F Garmon. It is a responsible office well 
 filled, for upon his efficiency rests largely the question of suc- 
 cess or failure in what is yet but little more than an experiment. 
 The result so far has shown to a remarkable degree the neces- 
 sity of such a commission, and such an officer, as the one item 
 alone of trees which the honest but giddy lumberman cut an- 
 nually by mistake on land belonging to the State, amounts to 
 thousands of dollars. 
 
 The lands constituting the forest preserve are the lands now 
 owned, or which may hereafter be acquired, by the State of New 
 York within the counties of Clinton (excepting the towns of 
 Altona and Dannemora) Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, 
 Herkimer, Lewis, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, Washington, 
 Greene, Ulster and Sullivan ; " and the forest preserve shall be 
 forever kept as wild forest lands." 
 
 The Forest Commission has power to appoint a forest warden, 
 forest inspectors, guards and fire wardens. The forest warden, 
 forest inspectors, foresters and other persons acting upon the 
 forest preserve under the written employment of the forest 
 warden, or of the Forest Commission, may, without warrant, 
 arrest any person found upon the forest preserve violating any 
 provisions of the act creating the commission. 
 
 It also has the same power to bring action for trespass and to 
 recover damages for injury, or to prevent injury to the preserve 
 which any owner of lands would be entitled to bring. 
 
 The fire wardens have power to call upon any person in the 
 territory in which they act for assistance in suppressing fires, 
 and every person refusing to act when so called shall be liable 
 to a fine of not less than five nor more than twenty dollars. 
 
 Any person who shall wilfully or negligently set fire to any 
 forest lands belonging to the State, shall be liable to a fine of 
 not less than fifty nor more than five hundred dollars, or to im- 
 prisonment of not less than thirty days nor more than six months 
 
 * Also Oneida County. 
 
Routes to Gateways. 'a 
 
 HOW TO REACH THE ADIRONDACKS is naturally the 
 first question asked, and to be answered here. The object of this 
 chapter is to. get the traveller past all this from the great city to the 
 grand old wilderness. 
 
 The Hudson River Railroad carries the larger proportion of the 
 people who go up out of Gotham to the lakes and mountains at the 
 north. Without ostentation, it provides its patrons with the best of 
 service at the minimum of cost. 
 
 Special fast trains leave the Grand Central Station for Saratoga 
 and Lake George during the season, one leaving at about 9:00 A. m., 
 reaching the points mentioned early in the afternoon. Another, at 
 about 3:30 P. M., reaches Saratoga at 9 o'clock, and on Saturday 
 night runs to Lake George, returning on Sunday evening. A train 
 leaving at 7:30 p. m., with through sleepers attached, connects early 
 in the morning at North Creek with stages for Blue Mountain Lake ; 
 at Westport with stages for Elizabethtown and Lake Placid ; at Port 
 Kent for Au Sable Chasm, and at Plattsburgh with trains for Au Sa- 
 ble Station and Saranac Lake. 
 
 The West Shore Railroad is called the " Picturesque Route." 
 During the season of summer travel, trains, with drawing-room cars 
 attached, run through from Washington, Philadelphia, and Long 
 Branch, to the Catskill Mountains, Lake George, and thie Adiron- 
 dacks, without change. Passengers and baggage are taken from the 
 foot of Fulton Street, Brooklyn, and from jay and 426. Streets, New 
 York. 
 
 The Day Boats are the " New York" and " Albany " — new and 
 splendid specimens of shipcraft, with iron hulls 300 feet in length, 
 accommodating 1,800 passengers, and claimed to be the fastest steam- 
 boats in the world. They were built exclusively for carrying passen- 
 gers. The spacious cabins are finished in highly polished woods, 
 are furnished luxuriously, and adorned with statuary and paintings. 
 The dining-rooms are on the main deck, where the traveler can en- 
 joy an excellent dinner, which is served on the European plan, and 
 lose nothing of the view of this most charming of American rivers. 
 They leave New York and Albany at about 8:30 A. M., touching at 
 the principal landings on their way, meet near Poughkeepsie, and ar- 
 rive at their destinations at about 6 P. m. A pleasant feature is an 
 orchestra on each steamer. During the season, fast trains run to and 
 from Saratoga to connect with these boats, and on Saturday night 
 run through to Lake George. Fare, $2. F. B. Hibbard, G. T. A., 
 Desbrosses Street Pier, New York. 
 
 The People's Line Steamers, " Drew" and " Dean Richmond," 
 form the night line, between Albany and New York. They have few, 
 if any, equals in size, equipment, or accommodations, combining all 
 the conveniences of a first-class hotel, and well deserving the name, 
 so often bestowed, of floating palaces. Meals are served on the Eu- 
 ropean plan. M. B, Waters, General Passenger Agent, Albany, N. Y, 
 
 The Citizens' Line Steamers, " Saratoga" and "City of Troy," 
 are also fine specimens among this distinctive class of river boats. 
 They are of light draft, and fitted up with a view to speed in 
 traveling. The state rooms are commodious, heated by steam 
 in cold weather, and are complete in all their appointments. 
 Meals are served on the European plan, in a style equal to 
 
Routes to Gateways. 
 
 the best of hotels. Free transportation carriages between the depot 
 and steamboat landing at Troy attend evening trains and baggage is 
 transported free. Geo. W. Gibson, G. P. A., Troy. 
 
 It is advisable to secure rooms in advance by cither of these lines 
 during the height of the season, which may be done by telegraphing 
 their respective passenger agents at Albany or Troy, or on applica- 
 tion to the offices at the terminus of the lines. 
 
 The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, by its absorption of 
 the Albany & Susquehanna, the Rensselaer & Saratoga and the New 
 York & Canada Railroads, has become one of the most important 
 carriers of summer travel in the country, and is using its great re- 
 sources most energetically and effectively for the development of 
 that part of New York, including Saratoga, Lake George and the 
 Adirondack Wilderness, with which it is the chief channel of com- 
 munication. During the season of pleasure travel extra fast trains 
 are run from Albany and Troy to Saratoga, Lake George, Platts- 
 burgh and Montreal. The appointments of the road are all that can 
 be desired, the cars being specially fitted for pleasure travel, and so 
 comfortable that drawing-room cars are not so much a necessity as 
 they may be considered on some roads. 
 
 Southern connections are made at Troy with Hudson River 
 railroad and Citizens' line steamers for New York, and with the 
 Troy and Boston railroad for the east. At Albany with H. R. and 
 West Shore roads, and day and night boats for New York ; with 
 Albany and Susquehanna railroad for Howe's Cave (39 miles), 
 Sharon Spings (58 miles), Cooperstown, on the beautiful Otsego 
 Lake (91 miles), and to Binghampton (142 miles), and with New 
 York Central railroad for points west. 
 
 Northern connections (with fare from Albany). — At Mechanics- 
 ville f6o cts.) with Hoosac Tunnel route for Boston ; at Saratoga 
 ($1.17) with Adirondack railroad for Luzerne, Schroon Lake and Blue 
 Mountain Lake (see Gateway No. 7) ; at Caldwell ($2.58) with steamer 
 on Lake George (Gateway No. 6) ; at Whitehall ($2.34) with trains 
 from Rutland and the east ; at Ticonderoga ($3-00) with branch 
 road to foot of Lake George; at Crown Point ($3.30) with C. P. L 
 Co. s railway (see Gateway No. 4) ; at Westport ($3.84) with stages 
 for Elizabethtown, Keene Valley and Lake Placid (Gateway No. 3) ; 
 at Port Kent ($465) with stages for Au Sable Chasm and Keeseville 
 (Gateway No. 2) ; at Plattsburgh (I5.04) with Ausable Branch and 
 Chateaugay railroads (Gateway No. i) for the Saranac, St. Regis 
 and Chateaugay Lakes, and at Rouses Point ($5-75) with Central 
 Vermont railroad for the east, and the Ogdensburg and Lake 
 Champlain road to points west. 
 
 From Whitehall north to Port Henry the route is substantially the 
 same as described on pages 17 to 23; then the road bears away 
 until Westport station is passed nearly a mile inland, after which it 
 crosses and follows down the valley of the Boquet, passing along 
 nearly two miles distant from Essex, situated on the lake shore. As 
 the head of Willsborough Bay is neared, it rises gradually to more 
 than a hundred feet above the water at times on some shelf cut in the 
 sloping wall ; then over solid arches of stone spanning a mountain 
 torrent ; anon plunging through deep cuts, and at one point diving 
 into the inky darkness of the tunnel ; then out along the beetling 
 cliffs, while below the deep waters dash against the perpendicular 
 walls, and upward a hundred feet the red rock rising, slopes away to 
 the mountain height above. 
 
227 
 
 In the following pages may be found matters of general in- 
 terest ; and presumably reliable, for here those who are inter- 
 ested speak for themselves. 
 
 ADIRONDACK HOTELS.— Augur Lake, page 237 ; 
 Beaver Lake, 245 ; Big Clear Pond, 261 ; Bloomingdale, 241 ; 
 Blue Mountain Lake, 253, 254; Bluff Point, 238; Cascade 
 Lakes, 257 ; Chateaugay Lake, 241 ; Chestertown, 253 ; 
 Childwold Park, 246; Clear Lake, 250; Clear Pond (Big), 
 245; Cranberry Lake, 245; Crown Point, 252; Elizabeth- 
 town, 236, 237; French's, Franklin Falls, 245; Indian Lake, 
 247 ; Keene Valley, 248, 249 ; Lake Placid, 245, 247 ; Long 
 Lake, 257; Lake Pleasant, 253; Luzerne, 251; North 
 Creek, 253 ; North River, 253 ; Peasleville, 239 ; Platts- 
 burgh, 237; Pottsville, 251 ; Rainbow Lake, 241 ; Raquette 
 Falls, 257; Raquette Lake, 256; Raquette River, (Tromb- 
 lee's), 245 ; Rouse's Point, 237 ; Saranac Lake, (lower), 242, 
 243 ; (upper), 244; Schroon Lake, 252; Stony Creek Ponds, 
 245; Tupper Lake, 246; Vergennes, 235 ; Westport, 235. 
 
 LAKE GEORGE HOTELS.— Caldwell's, 230; West 
 Shore, 232; Narrows, 232, 233. SARATOGA, 258. 
 
 RAILROADS.— Chateaugay, 240; Delaware & Hud- 
 son, 229 ; N. Y. C. & H. R., 228. 
 
 STAGES. — Blue Mountain Lake, 239 ; Elizabethtown 
 and Lake Placid, 236; Riverside and Schroon Lake, 251. 
 
 LIVERY. — Lowville, 245 ; Saranac Lake, 241. 
 
 STEAMBOATS.— Blue Mountain and Raquette Lake, 
 255; Lake Champlain and Lake George, 234; Hudson 
 River, 258. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS.— Books, Maps and Photographs, 
 263, 264, 265, 266; Cottage Sites, (Long Lake), 257; Photo- 
 grapher, 249; Photographic Dry Plates, 258; Photographic 
 Cameras, etc., 259, 260, 261; Photographic Publication, 263 ; 
 Sporting Guns, 262. 
 
228 
 
 PASSENGER KATES FROM IWMK 
 
 iZIK 
 
 )<gW ^ork (;Gnfral 
 
 & 
 
 ^udsot\ I^iOer l^ailroad 
 
 AND CONNECTING LINES. 
 
 Note, — Excursion Tickets are issued by the New York Central & 
 Hudson River Railroad at prices given in the column of figures 
 under ''And Return.'' Other figures will be found correct in the 
 main, although Through Tickets are not issued to all places named. 
 For further information apply to George H, Daniels, General 
 Passenger Agent, Grand Central Station, New Vork, 
 
 And 
 
 TO Return 
 
 Albany $3-io S^-oo 
 
 A u Sable Chasm 15.00 
 
 Au Sable Station 8.60 15.85 
 
 Blue Mountain Lake. ... 8.95 17.00 
 
 Baldwin 6.70 
 
 Caldwell* 5.55 10.25 
 
 De Kalb Junction 8.61 
 
 Elizabethtown 7.80 14.50 
 
 Forked Lake 10. 6g 1900 
 
 Fort Ticonderoga 5.95 
 
 Glens Falls 4.80 8.65 
 
 Gouverneur 8.21 
 
 Lake Placid : 
 
 via Plattsburgh & Cha- 
 
 teaugay R. R. . . .'. 11.60 22.50 
 
 Lake George* 5.55 10.25 
 
 Through and return via 
 
 Ticonderoga 13.15 
 
 Loon Lake 10.90 20.30 
 
 Lake Luzerne,(Hadley).. 4.86 8.80 
 
 * During the season a Special Excursion Ticket is issued for. 
 good on Saturday to Caldwell, and return following night. 
 
 TO 
 
 Malone $9 . 90 
 
 Montreal 10.00 
 
 via Lake George 12.00 
 
 North Creek 5.94 
 
 Northville 498 
 
 Paul Smith's 12.00 
 
 Plattsburgh 8.00 
 
 Port Kent 7.60 
 
 Potsdam g.21 
 
 Raquette Lake 10.20 
 
 Riverside. .. 5.70 
 
 Rome 5.30 
 
 Rouse's Point 8.70 
 
 Saratoga 4.20 
 
 Saranac Inn 12 85 
 
 ti.35 
 7-45 
 3-15 
 6.81 
 
 And 
 Keturu 
 
 Saranac Lake (lower) . 
 
 Schroon Lake 
 
 Troy 
 
 Westport 
 
 18.25 
 
 20.25 
 11.00 
 
 21.25 
 
 14.75 
 
 18.75 
 
 10.50 
 
 7-50 
 23-25 
 
 21.15 
 
 14.00 
 
 12.45 
 
 $8.50, 
 
■iSTH 
 
 ■1^ 
 
 (t 
 
 iiw i iiiiii 
 
 BAILBOAD 
 
 TO THE 
 
 ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS, 
 
 MONTR^AU QU^D^a 
 
 Lake George, Lake Champlain, Au Sable Chasm, 
 
 Saratoga, Round Lake, Howe's Cave, Sharon 
 
 Springs, Cooperstown and the 
 
 CELEBRATED GRAVITY RAILROAD, between 
 Carbondale and Honesdale, Pa., 
 
 67 miles shorter than any other line, between New York, Albany 
 
 or Troy to the St. Regis Lakes. 
 
 ONLY AN HOUR'S STAGE RIDE TO LAKE PLACID. 
 
 The completion of the Chateaugay R. R. from Plattsburgh to 
 Saranac Lake, opens up the very heart of the Adirondack Moun- 
 tains to direct Rail Communication. 
 
 Low Price Excursion Tickets 
 
 To all the famous Adirondack, Lake George and Lake Champlain 
 resorts are on sale at the Company's offices, Albany, Troy a^id 
 Saratoga, during the season of pleasure travel. 
 
 Descriptive Guide, Hotel Lists, etc., sent upon receipt of 6 cents 
 in stamps. 
 
 J. W. BURDICK, 
 
 H. C. YOUNC, GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT, 
 
 2D VICE-PRESIDENT. ALBANY, N. Y. 
 
FORT WILLIAM HENRY HOTEL, 
 
 T. E. ROESSLE, PROPRIETOR. 
 
 HIS Hotel, which is the only "Great Hotel" at 
 ^ Lake George, is one of the largest and best ap- 
 pointed summer houses in the world. Its lake 
 frontage is three hundred and thirty-four feet, along 
 which runs the finest and broadest veranda on the con- 
 tinent. Its grounds are spacious and elegant. The 
 furniture and all the appurtenances are of the best, a 
 fast running elevator, a first-class band of music, and 
 every other convenience and luxury which the choice or 
 taste of guests may demand, are provided. The owner 
 is familiar to the public not only in connection with 
 this house, but as proprietor of the " Delavan House," 
 Albany, and " The Arlington," Washington, D. C. 
 
 The depot of the new railroad is only a few rods 
 east of the house. An omnibus will meet every train. 
 
 In the office of the hotel tickets are sold and baggage 
 checked to all points. 
 
 The general telegraph office for Lake George is 
 located in the hotel, and furnishes free stock quotations 
 daily 
 
 Board, per week, $17.50, $21, $25, $28, according to 
 room 
 
232 
 
 THE MARION HOUSE, 
 
 LAKE GEORGE, N. Y. 
 
 Located on the west shore of the lake, about six miles north of Caldwell ; stands 
 on a slight eminence, a little removed from the water ; commands a view of the 
 broadest portion of the lake. 
 
 Elevator, Gas, Electric Bells, Teleg-raph in the house. 
 
 Four daily mails ; sanitary conditions perfect ; pure spring water. 
 
 Jersey Milk, Cream and Vegetables from the Hotel Farm. 
 
 Delightful drives. Good fishing. Every facility for amusement. 
 
 Accommodations for 400 Guests. 
 
 Rates, $3.50 per day ; $14 to $25 per week. Send for illustrated 
 book. 
 
 D. W. SHERMAN, Proprietor. 
 H. I.. SHERMAN, Manager. 
 
 Address at Glens Falls until June 20, after that date, at Lake George. 
 
 CARL fOINT ilOUSE}, 
 
 Lake George, N. Y. 
 
 One of the leading hotels at the lake. Twelve miles from Cald- 
 well, on the east side, in 
 
 THE MOST ATTRACTIVE PART OF THE LAKE, 
 
 known as the " Narrows." It has all the requisites for pleasure 
 seekers, and its 
 
 FLEET OF SAIL AND ROW BOATS 
 
 is the largest on the lake. 
 
 Capacity, 150. Telegraph in the house. Four daily mails. 
 Rates, $3.50 per day ; |li2 to $21 per week. 
 
 D. W. SHERMAN, Proprietor. 
 
233 
 
 BURLEIGH HOUSE, 
 
 TICONDEROGA, N. Y. 
 
 E. J. WOOD, - - - Proprietor. 
 
 This new and eleg-ant hotel is pleasantly located midway between liake 
 Chainplaiii and Lake George. 
 
 The Building is of brick, 80x40, 4 stories above the basement. Mansard roof, 
 TOO commodious rooms, newly furnished, and supplied with an abundance of 
 Lake George water, heated by steam, lighted by electric light, hot and cold 
 water baths, complete fire protection on each floor. All the appointments are first- 
 class. Burleigh House is w.thin three hours ride of Schroon Lake. Shortest and 
 most direct way to the Adirondacks. 
 
 Attractions include many points of historic interest within short range of this 
 hotel, among which are the extensive fortifications of FORT TICONDEROGA, 
 built by the French in 1755, and surrendered to Col. Ethan Allen, May 10th, 1775, 
 who demanded it '* in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Con- 
 gress." 
 
 Mount Hope, where heavy redoubts and fortifications were made upon which 
 to erect batteries to bear upon the Fort. 
 
 Mount Defiance, which rises 750 feet above Lake Champlain. Gen. Burgoyne 
 ascended this mountain from the north, July 4, 1777, erected a battery of heavy 
 guns upon its summit, completely commanding the Fort, and dislodged the Ameri- 
 cans. 
 
 Lake George, (the " Como " of America), with its many delightful resorts, and 
 thousand enchanting views. 
 
 Liord Howe's Monument, erected near where he was fatally wounded by a 
 French scout. 
 
 Fort Fredei'ick, built by the French in 1731, much of which remains in a good 
 state of preservation. And many other localities of interest. 
 
 FIRST-CLASS LIVERY connected with the house. GOOD BOATING within 
 few minutes walk on either lake. Fine opportunity for fishing, where tons of 
 trout and bass are annually taken. Hunting grounds between Lake Pharaoh and 
 Lake George abound with deer and small game. Telegraph and express office in 
 the house. Rates of Board $10 to $20 per week. Transient, $2.50 per day. 
 
 
 fclfr^^ HUNDRED ISLAND HOUSE, 
 
 E. a. Bradley & Co., Proprietors. SHELVING EOOK, N. Y. 
 
 Rates, |io to $17.50 per week; $2.50 to $3 per day. Post-office 
 in the house. Particular attention given to invalids. Telegraph 
 office within five minutes' walk. Fresh milk and vegetables from 
 Shelving Rock farm. 
 
234 
 
 ^]\VyE ©HJIMPtJIIN iTEJIMERS- 
 
 SUIVIIVIKR ARRANGEIVIBNT. 
 
 SEASON OF 1890. 
 
 "VERMONT," CAPT. RUSHLOW, 
 will leave Plattsburgh at 7:00 a.m.; Bluff Point, 7:15 A. m.; Pert 
 Kent, 7:35 A. M.; Burlington, 8:40 A. M.; Westport, 10:10 A. m., ar- 
 riving at Fort Ticonderoga 12:25 p. m., connecting with trains for the 
 South and Lake George ; returning, leave Fort Ticonderoga on arri- 
 val of trains from the South and Lake George, 1:30 p. m.; Westport, 
 3:30 P. M., for Burlington, Port Kent, Bluff Point and Plattsburgh. 
 
 "CHATEAUGcAY," capt. Baldwin, 
 
 will leave Westport at 7:00 A. M,, touching at Essex, Burlington, 
 Port Kent, Bluff Point, Plattsburgh, Gordon's and Adam's, reaching 
 North Hero, 12:20 P. m.; returning, leave North Hero 12:20 p.m., 
 touching as above, arrive at Westport 6:45 p. m. 
 
 NO SERVICE ON SUNDAYS. 
 
 ^JIKE ©EOI(GE (ITE/IMEKS. 
 
 "HORICON." CAPT. MANYILLE, 
 will leave Caldwell on arrival of train from Saratoga and the South, 
 9:40 A. M., for way landings and Baldwin, connecting with train for 
 Lake Champlain ; returning, leave Baldwin 1:00 p. m., for Caldwell 
 and the South. 
 
 "TICONDEROGA," capt. arbuckle, 
 
 leaves Baldwin 7:30 A. m. for way landings and Caldwell, connecting 
 with train for Saratoga, Albany and New York ; leaves Caldwell on 
 arrival of train, 4:30 p. m., for Baldwin. 
 
 MEALS SERVED ON BOARD. 
 
 GENERAL OFFICE, P. W. BARNEY, 
 
 Burlington^ J't. Gen'' I Superintendent . 
 
235 
 
 THE RICHARDS HOUSE, 
 
 WESTPORT, ESSEX CO., N. Y. 
 
 This well-known kouse is located at the head of one 
 of the most beautiful ba3^s on the continent, and com- 
 mands an extensive view of Lake Champlain and the 
 Green Mountains of Vermont. 
 
 Its advantages for fishing are unexcelled, and will 
 be appreciated by those who are fond of the sport. 
 Boats furnished guests on aj)plication. 
 
 There is no Malaria here. The air is bracing and 
 the water pure and good. 
 
 There are charming drives in the vicinity; a good 
 livery connected with the house. Those who wish to 
 ride can be furnished with good saddle horses. 
 
 Free coaches to all trains and boats. Tele- 
 graph office in house. 
 
 Rates for board, $2 per day; $8 to $13 per week. 
 
 M, A. CLARK, Prop., Westport, Essex Co., N. Y. 
 TUC lilCCTDnDT lllil westport on lake cham- 
 
 |nC ffCdlrlllll inili PLAIN, NEW YORK. 
 
 Mrs. O. C. DANIELL, Manager. Mrs. HENRY C. LYON, Assistant. 
 
 A small, thoroughly well aopointed house, with good table, pure water supply 
 and excellent drainage, wide piazzas, with a superb view of the Lake and 
 Mountains. • 
 
 Good boating, fishing and fine drives. 
 
 Livery stable near the house. 
 
 It is within two minutes' walk of the Lake Champlain Transportation Com- 
 pany's wharf, two minutes from the Library and Post Office, and ten minutes' 
 drive from the Telegraph Office and Depot of the D. & H R. R. 
 
 Stages to and from interior points in the Adirondacks twice daily. 
 
 Address AVestport, N. Y. or 129 81. Uotolpli Street, Boston. 
 
 STEVENS^llOUSK, 
 
 VERGENNES, VT. 
 
 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR 100 GUESTS. SITUATED 
 AT HEAD OF NAVIGATION ON OTTER CREEK. 
 
 Bus meets boat on arrival from Westport, and all trains. 
 
 S. S. GAINES, Proprietor. 
 
236 
 
 71 
 
 f 
 
 EI-iISJL.BE1?:E3:TO^i7^3^, InT. IT. 
 ^ 
 
 Centrally situated on the routes to the Saranac Lakes, Raquette 
 
 Waters and St. Regis Lakes ; Au Sable Chasm, Keene Valley 
 
 and Mt. Marcy ; Schroon Lake, Lake Placid, John 
 
 Brown's Grave and the Indian Pass, etc. 
 
 Ticket and Teleg^raph Office in house. 
 
 Located amidst some of the finest mountain scenery in the Adirondacks. 
 
 Good drives radiate in every direction. Guides, Horses, Carriages, and every 
 requisite for mountain excursions at reasonable prices. 
 
 Fine Orchestra for Dancing. 
 
 The Hotel has been enlarged and improved, and has every appliance for health 
 and comfort. 
 
 An elegant line of Tally-Ho stages connecting with all trains and boats at West- 
 port, and with stages at Elizabethtown for Keene Valley, Lake Placid, Saranac 
 and St. Regis Lakes, etc., etc. 
 
 RATES, $2.5() to §S.OO per day. Special to paities making a protracted slay. 
 
 ORLANDO KELLOGG, Proprietor, 
 
 ELIZABETHTOAVN, N. Y. 
 
 DIRECT ROaTE THReaSH 
 
 -^s>- 
 
 AGNEW BROS.' STAGE LINE. 
 
 By consulting a map of the Adirondacks you will readily see that this is the 
 Shortest, Most Direct and Only Route leading through the Mountains. 
 
 Leave Elizabethtown daily, (Sundays excepted,) at 8 o'clock a. m. Fare to 
 Holt's Corners, 10 miles, $1.00 ; Keene, 12 miles, $1 50 ; Cascade Lakes, (dinner,) 18 
 miles, $2.00; Ames's, 22 miles, $250; Adirondack Lodge, (transfer station,) 22 
 miles, $2.25 ; Lake PUcid, 27 miles, $3.00. Arrive at Lake Placid at 2 o'clock p. m. 
 
 Returning, leave Lr^ke Placid at 10 o'clock a. m. (dinner at Keene Center,) arri>v- 
 ingat Elizibethtovvii at 4 o'clock p. m., connecting with Kellogg's Stages to trains 
 North and South. 
 
 FINE COACHES. SPLENDID HORSES. 
 
 GOOD ROADS. CAREFUL DRIVERS. 
 
 DELIGHTFUL SCENERY. 
 
237 
 
 IVIANSION HOUSE, =="^^i??T.S-I°^''- 
 
 1 ■ S'tUTted at the gateway to all the popular summer resorts in the Adiron- 
 dacks, seven miles f r ^m Westport Station, on the D & H. Co.'s R. R., Coo feet 
 above tide wat<-r. Finest mountari scent ry, purest air and best water. No 
 malaria, no hay fever. Tables uns irpussed ; ap; ointments modern; sanitary- 
 arrangements p:nfect. Write for circular. G. W. JENKINS, Manager. 
 
 INTERLAKEN HOUSE , atjgue ™ 
 
 ■ ■ ■ CHARLES FURY, Manager. ■ • - 
 
 One of the most attractive Summer and Winter Resorts in the Adirondack region. 
 2^o feet of veranda vv'ith oitside stairways to the lawn, making a coinpl te tire 
 escape f'oin ea h _floor. ROOM < LARGE AND NEWLY FURNL'^HED 
 throughout. The house is situated on the b:uiks of n chartning mountain lake, 
 five mil'-s from F^ort Kent, three miles from Au Sable Chasm, ^hree raiUs from 
 Poke o'Moonshiiie and Bald Face Mountain. Climate free frovi malaria atui hay 
 /e7'er. Mountain ;'nd lake scene ry unexcelled. First-class stable connected 
 WITH the house. Beautiful drives, .-^plemiid b.^ati^ig and fishiyn; nerr for both 
 Black Bass and Spcc-hd Trout. Fresh milk, cream and vegetables. Three daily 
 mails. Telegraph in immediate vicinity. For further parlicu'ars, address, 
 
 _ CHARLES FURY. KeesevUle. N.Y. 
 
 CUMPE;RUNDTlOLISE7Plattsburgh, N.Y. 
 Located on Trinity S(iuare. Richly furnished. Eve'-y convenience. Table 
 unsurpassed. Special attention given to Tourists and Sporti,j>ien. Fiee carriage 
 to all boats and trains. Rates, $2 00 per day. Special for extended stay. 
 
 S. G. CORBIN, Proprietor. 
 
 MITEL WTKDg©R 
 
 ROUSE'S POINT, N. Y. 
 Lake Champlain and Adirondacks. 
 
 Is delightfully situated on the shore of the beautiful Lake Champlain, near its 
 northern end. Its location makes it a very desirable residence for parties to whom 
 acquatic exercises and e.xcursions are a source of pleasure, united with charming 
 land trips and amusements. The air is invigorating and health giving, while the 
 nights are always cool and delightful, and free from that oppressive and depressing 
 sultriness so common to summer resorts. 3 1-3 Hours from Ottawa. 
 
 The Pleasantest and Healthiest Spot in North'n New York. 
 
 Neither malaria nor insects; no hay fever. Everything new and clean. Sani- 
 tary arrangements perfect. 
 
 The Angler will find at Rouse's Point every facility for enjoyment. Experts 
 with rod and reel find here the gamiest of fish, there being an abundance of Black 
 Bass, Pike, Pickerel, Muscalonge, Yellow Perch and other varieties of the finny tribe. 
 
 The Huntsman will find for his game bag Woodcock, Snipe, Plover and 
 Diick in abundance. Steam Yachts, Boats, Carriages, and Saddle Hors<.s. Two 
 daily mails from New York. Morning papers received in the tv« ning. 
 
 TERMS: $2.50 to $3. OO Per Day. 
 
 A Liberal Reduction made for Parties remaining by the Week and Season. 
 
 CHAS. BECK, Hotel Windsor, 
 Also Florida House, Dec. to May, St. Augustine, Fla. Kou.se's Point, N. Y. 
 
 k 
 
238 
 
 PT 
 
 Hl*)^ 
 
 -vv.v^^ "' 
 
 
 E"rE"?Tflal;;; 
 
 ?. 5 . - M M 
 
 M i ,,. J 1] !| p S J i^ ;1 f ^'CJJ ::' fU'i 
 
 k'f 
 
 
 "Jl?e ^otel Ql^amplaip" 
 
 BLUFF POINT, N. Y. 
 
 (Lake Champlain.) 
 
 THE NEW AND SUPERB 
 
 unr^nr^er cKofef of ifie Rorifi. 
 
 STRICTLY FIRST CLASS. 
 
 O. D. SEAVKY, Manager. 
 
230 
 
 PEASLEVILLE, Clinton County, N. Y. 
 
 Trout Fishing, Shooting, Boating, Driving. 
 
 ^ 
 
 " Those who seek the country for health and comfort ; for beautiful 
 scenery ; for pure air and water ; for good hunting and fishing ; for 
 abundant and wholesome country fare ; for a pleasant summer home 
 amid a respectable and hospitable people, with <ut the expense and 
 social exactions of a fashionable summer resort, will find them all at 
 Peasleville, in Clinton County, where the little Salmon River breaks 
 through between the mountains into the Champlain Valley." 
 
 Accommodations can be found among the farm houses in 
 the valley and on the mountain sides. Address for particulars, 
 
 ARNOLD & RICKETSON, 
 
 Peasleville, Clinton County, N. Y. 
 
 ADIRONDACK STAGE CO. #^ 
 
 5T/IQE AHl^ PMCKBO/lRb LINE 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 noRTR mee KffQLue mou nTAin lskg. 
 
 Through R. R. tickets are sold to and from Blue Mountain Lake 
 and all principal R. R. offices, and baggage checked throutjh, and 
 the Stage Co.'s Agent boards all arriving trains in season to re-check 
 baggage direct to hotels. 
 
 The Western Union Direct Express service is maintained to and 
 frntn all jtoints in connection with the Adirondack and Nuti'tnal 
 Hjrjtress Companies. 
 
 Coach Fares are as follows : Fron North Creek to North River, 
 50c.; to Indian Lake, (P.O.) |li.8o ; to Cedar River Hotel, $2.00 ; to 
 Blue Mountain Lake, $3.00. Applications for buckboard carriages, 
 time cards, etc., should be made by mail or telegraph to the Supt. 
 Adirondack Stage Co. Line, at North Creek 
 
 The six and four-horse coaches are supplemented by a large number 
 of very elegant canopy-top buckboard carriages, seating p rtie> oi 3 
 and 5. which can be engaged at a reasonable additional charge 
 
 Morning coaches from North Creek connect at Blue Vlt. Lake direct 
 with steamers for Raquette Lake and stages to Long Lake. 
 
 WALTER V. V. MARSH, Supt. 
 
240 
 
 1890. rr:E3::E: 1890. 
 
 «GHATEAUGAY RAILROAD* 
 
 BEIWKEN 
 
 PLATTBBURGH and HARANAC LAKE. 
 
 NEW ALL RAIL ROUTE 
 
 TO TME 
 
 ytdiporpdaek fI?oantain§, 
 
 IN CONNECTION WITH THE 
 
 DELAWARE & HUDSON RAILROAD. 
 
 The distance between New York and Paul Smith's 67 Miles 
 shorter than by any other route. 
 
 Daily Trains (Sundays excepted) throughout the year. 
 
 Two Daily Trains each way (Sundays excepted) during- the pleasure season. 
 
 A Sunday Train each way during July and August. 
 
 C> DRAWING ROOM CARS ON ALL TRAINS.«<1 
 
 It is the only line by which through tickets can be procured and baggage checked 
 to Chazy, (Jhateajgay, Loon and baranac Lakes, Lake Placid and S.iranac Inn. 
 Bloomingdale to Paul Smith's, only . , , .6 miles stage ride. 
 Saranac Lake to Lake Placid, " . . . 8 " ...» 
 
 " '■ Saranac Inn 14 " >. << 
 
 . " " Adirondack Lodge, ... 17 " " " 
 
 " " Cascade Lakes, 18 " •% »i 
 
 The extension of the Chateaugay Railroid from Loon Lake to Saranac Lake 
 enables passengers to reach Paul S.Jiith's with ONLY SIX MILKS STAGE RIDE 
 in six-horse Concord Coaches over tirst-class roads. 
 
 Wairiu'r Palate Sleepiua: Cars from »iv York to Plattshiiriirh, where car is set 
 off a>ia passengers called in time for breakfast at Fouquet House, direcily opposite 
 Union Ucpot. AMPLE TI.VIE GIVliN FOR MEALS. 
 
 Passe ig.^rs leaving New York by (9:00 .\. m. train, reach Plattsburgh for supper, 
 lodge, and take train following morning. 
 
 Tickets, Sleeping and Drawing Room Car AccommoJations, and Baggage 
 Checked from Paul Smitn's Hotel and all stations througn to destination. 
 
 A. L. INMAN, M. L. FRENCH, 
 
 General Manager. Supt., Plattsburgh, N. Y. 
 
241 
 
 UPPER CHATEAUGAY LAKE-ln the Adirondacks. 
 
 OLIVER YOUNG, Proprietor, - - Merrill, Clinton County, N. Y. 
 
 HOUSE OPEN SUMMER AND WINTER. 
 
 DEER, Bear, Foxes, Squirrels and Game Birds ; Speckled Trout, Salmon Trout, 
 Landlocked Salmon, California Trout, Graylinir and White Fish are caught 
 here. Post and Teleg^raph Office in the house. Base Ball and Tennis grounds. 
 Good Livery, Boats and supplies. 
 
 RATES: $10 to .S14 per week. Discount for small children. 
 
 l\AUf\' 
 
 llpner Clialeaniay Lake, 
 
 OPEN JUNE 15th TO OCTOBER. 
 RATES: $3 per day ; $12 to $i6 per week. J. W. HUTTON, PROP'r. 
 
 ||llOI3ilS mrnm^E mmSm, Opper Chateaugaj Lake. 
 
 ^is Pure air and water. No malaria. Boating, bathing. Trout fishing a spec- 
 ialty Native game, including Bear and Deer, killed by guests of the house. 
 BOARD : Per day, $1.50. Per week $8.00 to $10.00. Guides and boats at reason- 
 able rates. Special attention to sportsmen. Correspondence solicited. 
 
 Address, R. M. SHUTTS, Merrill, Cliuton County, N. T. 
 
 RAINBOW LAKE HOTEL, 
 
 ADIRONDACK^. 
 
 J. M. WARDNER, Prop. P. O. Rainbow, N. Y. 
 
 TUB tiest Hiiauag, Boaiing and risMng Grounds to De found in tie Adirondacks. 
 
 RECENT ADDITIONS and IMPROVEIvIENTS. House new and commodious. 
 Post office and telegraph office in the house. Mails daily. Carriages connect 
 with all trains both ways. Parties leaving New York at 7:30 p.m. arrive at Rainbow 
 in time for dinner the following day. A bountiful supply of fresh eggfs, milk and 
 vegetables from Rainbow farm. Board per day, $2.50 ; per week, $10.00 to Si5-oo- 
 Rainbow Lake abounds in the finest trout and affords the best trolling and fly fishing. 
 It has been restocked with 800,000 trout the past 5 years. The largest lake trout on 
 record was caught here— wt. 52 lbs. Boats guides and supplies for parties camping 
 out. Boating parties start within 50 feet of the house and have uninterrupted sailing 
 through numerous lak.;s for over 12 niles. This is noted feeding ground for deer. 
 
 (IB^Ygfi^Ii gPF^ING JI0U3E,BloomiEg(lale,EsseiCfl„NJ. 
 
 \J Phasant drives all about. G )od fishing. Situated about one and a half miles 
 from Railroad station Best of water and good tables. Board from $8 to $15 
 per week. Liberal reduction made for families and parties. 
 
 M. L. BALDWIN, Prop'r, Bloomingdale, N. Y. 
 
 FOWLER'S LIVERY, saranac n.jt. 
 
 IN CONNECTION WITH 
 
 HOTEL AMPERSAND and THE ALGONaUIN. 
 
 Carriages to meet parties at depot on arrival of all trains. 
 
 W. S. FOWL.EK, Proprietor. 
 
242 
 
 HOTEL AMPKRSAXI) IN WINTER. 
 
 THE M^lisL 
 
 OFSJSr THE! EnSTTIRE "X":E.A-R, 
 
 LOWER SARANAC LAKE, ADIRONDACKS. 
 
 Post Office Address, A>IPEKSAN1>, Franklin Co., N. Y. 
 
 One and a quarter miles from Saranac Lake station, Chateaugay 
 Railroad. Tally-Ho coach meets all trains. Fifteen hours from 
 New York, via New York Central & Hudson River Railroad or 
 Hudson River steamers. 
 
 Heated by steam, lighted with gas. Electric bells, elevator, bath 
 rooms on each floor. Large open fire-places in all public rooms and 
 large bedrooms. Cuisine and service of the highest standard of 
 excellence. 
 
 Rates from $21 per week upwards ; Transients, $4 per day. 
 Diagram of rooms and illusirated l)ook Iree on application. Other 
 information cheerfully given. 
 
 Trout fishing from May ist to September 15th. Deer hunting 
 from August 15th to November ist. Fox and Rabbit shooting during 
 the winter months. 
 
 Boats, Guides, fishing tackle, camp outfits and supplies furnished. 
 
 EATON & YOUNG, Managers. 
 
243 
 
 SARANAC LAKE HOUSE, 
 
 Saranac Lake, Adirondack Mountains, Hew York. 
 
 AN DNSUHPASSED SUMMER RESORT FOR SPORTSMEN p^^^ FAMILIES. 
 
 Situatd on the east shore of the lov<My " Lower Saranac Lake," at an elevation 
 of 2,ooD f_-et above sealeveL Deer, the ir mt, wild du !v and oilier game are plen- 
 lif 1, furnishing: a constant succession of sports from May to November. 
 
 The hotel is one of the largest and most, commodious in th<> A lirondacks ; nearly 
 surro' nded by a broj.d piazza, with 1,000 feet of p.omenadc ; has accommodations 
 lor 250 guests. 
 
 ROOMS LARGE AND WELL VENTILATED. 
 
 The tab'e is the best in the mountains, .nnd has all the d hcacies of the season- 
 as good as the bcSt at Saratoga. '1 rout and Venisun at all limes. 
 
 THE LOCATION AND CLIMATE 
 
 is such that it is highly recommended by eminent physicians f( r fl" r>'> suffering 
 from lung and pulmonary d scascs, vie. Maa.ia and hay lev; r arc u.'l.^nov^n. 
 Telegraph, Post Office, Boats and Livery connected wuh house. 
 
 FIRST-CLASS IN ALL RESPECTS. 
 For terms and further particulars, address, 
 
 D. J. GILLIGAN, Proprietor, 
 H. H. TOUSLEY, Clerk. Saranac Lake, N. Y. 
 
 l70-/flgor;)q6irp, 
 
 (FORMERLY ALEXANDER'S,) 
 
 ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS 
 
 )J 
 
 Located distant from Chateaugay Railroad Station and Village of 
 Saranac Lake one and a half miles, on an eminence ab )ve the 
 Lower Saranac Lake, a d commanding a most superb view of 
 Mountains, Woods and Water. 
 
 THE IDEAL MOUNTAIN RESORT, 
 
 and acknowledged to be one of the prettiest spots in the Adirondacks. 
 Extensive amusement grounds, including a good dirt Tennis Court, 
 etc., in connection with the house. Good walks. First-class Livery. 
 Safe Boating. Cuisine and service the best. 
 
 Rates from $ I 5 to $25 per week ; $3 to $4 per day. 
 
 Telegraph and Post Office address: | JOHN HA R1)IN(t}, Proprietor. 
 SARANAC LAKE, N. Y. I Late of Eaton & Harding, Hotel Ampersand, 
 
244 
 
 McCOY'6 RUSTIC lOPG^, 
 
 UPPER SARANAC LAKE. 
 
 Fourteen miles by water from Saranac Station on Chateaugay Railroad. Daily 
 mails. SUPERB FISHING AND HUNTING. 
 
 Kates, *2.50 per Day; »10 to ^14 per Week. For Season Rates 
 apply at Office. 
 
 Open May ist to October 20th. Guides, Boats and Hunting and Fishing 
 Supplies furnished. Pleasant Walks. Good Drives. Telegraph communication 
 within twenty minutes walk of the house. 
 
 „ ^^ ^ E. R. McCOY, Proprietor. 
 
 Post Office address, Saranac Lake. 
 
 Sweenfry Carry, Upper Saranac Lake ^^^ O 
 
 NEW HOUSE. OPEN MAY TO NOVEMBER. 
 For Particulars, address, 
 
 T. EDWARD KRUMBHOLZ, Manager, Wawbeek, New York. 
 
 Telegraph Office in the House. 
 
 SARANAG*INN, 
 
 UPPER SARANAC LAKE. 
 
 Post Office Address, SARANAC INN, Franklin County, N. Y. 
 
 THE COUNTRY OF FISH AND GAME 
 
 AND HEALTHFUL RECREAl ION. 
 
 TERMS AT THE INN, - - - $3, 50 Per Day. 
 
 Special Rates by the Week. 
 
 Trotit Kisliing from May ist to September 15th. 
 
 Deer JE-Iu.ntiiig from August 15th to November ist. 
 
 Boat"?, Guides, Fishing Tackle, Supplies and Camp outfits furnished 
 at the house. Correspondence solicited. Circulars and Maps sent 
 on application. 
 
 D. W. RIDDLE, Manager. 
 
245 
 
 • HIAWATHA -HOUS^- 
 
 Stony Cr<?<?t Pond^. -- /l{lirondiick5. 
 
 O the celebrated Indian Ca-rv between the Upper Saranac a^d Raquette waters. 
 Newly fuinished and surroundings beaulitied. Will be kept in tirs -class manner. 
 
 WE WILL MRKE EVERY EFFORT TO PLEASE THE SPORTING PEOPLE. 
 
 De- r seen almost daily from the house. Abundance of trout in the pond and 
 brooks within thirty rods of the door. 
 CHAS. WAKDNER, 3Iaiiajjer. JAMES H. PIERCE, Proprietor. 
 
 p^-m-^K T-» r^ \ /i TI> T "C^tr^Ci Kaquette River, south end of 
 
 ^ I ^KOiVl DjL^Cyli*' v!!>, bweeney Carry. Daily mail and 
 I expr ss to Saranac Lake Splendid river fishuif,'. BOARD, $io per week; 
 $2 oo per day. Opeu May ist to November ist. Ei^ht miles from Tupper 
 Lake btai.on, ^j/^^^/^j^^^^^^^ OLIVER TROMBLEE, Wawbeek, N. Y. 
 
 FENTON HOUSE, '^'^"^'Sw^i'*S?L«t.. 
 
 ■ More Deer and Trout than in any part of the Adirondacks ! 
 
 Cottages and ample play grounds make it a most desirable place for families 
 during the summer. 
 
 BOARD, $2.00 PER day; $9.00 AND $10.00 PER WEEK. 
 
 Address, OHAELES FENTON, Number Pour, Lewis Co., N. Y. 
 
 POR EASY COXVEYAXCES to and from the NORTH WOODS, apply to 
 JAY RAMSEY, Lo^wville, N. Y., 
 
 Who has wagons made expressly for this business, and can convey parties in the 
 most comfortable manner. 
 
 Parties should send their orders a few days in advance. 
 
 Cranberry Lake House, 
 
 i,6oo feet above the sea. ]3est Sporting Grounds in the Adirondacks. Guides, 
 boats, etc., f irnished. Board, «10.50 per jveek ; $3.00 per day. 
 (See page 207-B.) MRS. E. J. BISHOP, Clarksboro, N. Y. 
 
 TrlL WLolblUL tiUILLi evergreen and hard wood grove, 
 ' on a p ateaa 40 feet abjve the lake, and 1,900 feet above the sea, with charm- 
 ing mojntain. forest aad water scenery from the piazza. It is a large three-story 
 Duilding, with wide double piazzis on the front and each end, and each " )or is 
 supplied with runnino spring water. It is the only hotel on the shore of Lake 
 Pla-ii. Rjard, $3 per day; $[2 to #20 per week. Newcotta^es. Tables supplied 
 with vegetables f om the propriet jr's own garden. (See page 93.) 
 
 OLIVER ABEL., Proprietor, Elizabethtown, or Lake Placid, N. Y. 
 
 FRENCH'S HOTEL. North side of Whiteface Mountain $2 per day; 
 .tflo U >$.T per week. ' R. L FRENCH, Proprietor. Post Office address, 
 Franklin Fahs, N. Y. 
 
 Bttt CLEAR POXD HOUSE, BUNKER & RICE, Propr.et >rs. Capacity, 
 43. Bjard, Sj per day ; $t2 to $[5 per week. Post Office, Bl ^^.ningdale, 8 
 miles distant. Stage fare, $1.50. Op^n May ist to Novemoer. 
 
246 
 
 nrUPPKR I^AKK HOUSB, 
 
 A.. I^. CORKY, ("Lem Corey") F'ROF'RIETOR. 
 
 P. 0. Address, Saranac Lake, Franklin Co., N. Y. 
 
 Kecomnieudatioii. -' i he best location for sport and as healthful as any 
 ill the Ailiroudacks."— Dit. Ai.fkkdI.. Loumis. 
 
 This House is located at the head of Big Tnpper Lake, at an elevation of 
 l.r)75 feet above the sea, and is iu the very center of the Lake Rtgion, to which I)r 
 Looniis in his lecture before the Medical Society of the State of New York, called 
 the attention of the profession (Vide Med. Rec, Vol. 15, No. 17. April 26, 1879). It 
 is spacious and elegant, coiit;iii)ing accommodations for one huudred guests. It 
 contains large bedrooms, riuiging in size from 11x12 to 15x17 feet, and has open fire- 
 places in the parlor and principal b.drooms. Cold water is brought into all the floors 
 of the house from a mountain spiing. 
 
 ADVANTAGES TO GUESTS. 
 
 Located at the entrance of the GREAT MUD LAKE COUNTRY, this house 
 offers advantages to sportsmen who desire to camp near tiieir faniili s, and yet be 
 iu the part of the Adirondacks where deer and trout are found in abundance. 
 
 To those seeking rest and recreatiim it offers with its large, airy and well ven- 
 tilated rooms, superior location and benefits, there being fine Jake trout, fisliing in 
 Tupper's Lake, and brook trout fishing iu the adjacent lakes and rivers, no fatiguing 
 journey is required for a day's sport. 
 
 The temperature iu tlie hottest months seldom rises above 80 degrees. No 
 mosquitoee. The house is supplied witli vegetables fresh from ihe liotel garden. 
 
 Kates $3 00 per day ; $14 to !S31 per week. Special fur a longer 
 term. 
 
 In connection with the hotel is a sujiply and provision store stocked with the 
 best goods the New York market alfords. Campers can rely upon getting stall 
 times, in this store, everything nci-d- d iu the shape of provisions and groceries, 
 both staple and fancy. Tlie jjroprietor buys his goods of first hands in New York 
 and will sell at New York retail prices wiih freight only added. 
 
 Daily Mails after June 1st. Steamer runs to connect with t»-ain9 on thi 
 Northern Adirondack Railroad, Tupper Lake Station. Through Cars from 
 Grand Central Station, Mew York. 
 
 CHILDWOLD RARK HOUSE, 
 
 LAKE MASSA\VKF»IE, 
 
 Is an exceeding-ly attractive Game and Fish Preserve, charmingrly 
 located in the Wilderness of the Adirondacks. 
 
 The Park consists of upward^ of three thousand acres, embracing Lake Massa- 
 wepie and a group of fine, charming, mountain lakelets. 
 
 THE CHILDWOLD PARK HOUSE was erected in 1889 by the owners of the 
 Childwold Estate. It is located in a fiue grove of majest c forest trees, betweeu two 
 •of the Pat k lakes, and commands an uninterrupted view of Lake Ma«sawepie. 'I'he 
 House is throughly constructed, plea-^antly and conveniently arranged, and admira- 
 bly adapted to promoe the comforts and health of its guests. The tahle will be 
 suppliea with the best the market affords. 
 
 The huniiug and fishing is excellent. Canoes and experienced guides can be 
 procured at the hotel. 
 
 The soil is of a gravelly nature and readily absorbs moisture. The lakes are 
 peculiarly free from fogs. Malaria is unknown. 
 
 Dr. J. A. Thessell, of Boston, occupies a lodge in the vicinity of the hotel, 
 and may be summoned at anytime should the services of a skillful physician be 
 required. 
 
 Childwold Park House is reached from BOSTON ria Central Vermont R R 
 Frnm NEW YORK, riu N Y. C. & H. R. R. R. PILLMAX ( AHS FROM BOSTON- 
 AM) WAIiXEK (AHS FROM NKW VOHK TO CHILDWOLD STATION. Also 
 reached Irom PLATTSBURGH, ria Chateaugay R. R. and Saranac Lakes. 
 
 Terms, §3.00 to $3.00 per day. Special Rates by Week or Season. 
 
 WM. F. INCOLD, MANAGER. 
 
247 
 
 ae)ik(D]^e)j^g:k:b 
 
 MIRR0RLAKEH9TEL, 
 
 . GRAND VIEW HQ^SE, 
 
 pf eetTAGES, 
 
 HiJi-ICE I=rj^&.CIID. 
 
 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR 500 GUESTS. 
 
 ALL IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 Electric Light, Steam Heat. Elevator, Tennis. 
 Bowling, Billiards. Band and Orchestra, 
 
 Incites, $4 per Da^; $20 to fg5 per Week. 
 Address, H. S. ISHAIVI, 
 
 Xvlan^eer. 
 
UIRGRG * SR ALL * U GO ^^ 
 
 TO THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS ! 
 TO THE 
 
 MOUNT PORTER HOUSE, 
 
 I . KEENE VALLEY, ESSEX COUNTY. 
 
 It is a new house. It is furnished luxuriously. It gives good food, 
 w 11 cooked and well serv.d. Its vegetables are fresh every day 
 from ihi valley farm. It has an abundance of fresh eggs, and milk 
 and sweet new butter from the same source, and its manager does 
 eveiything possible for the c mfort of his guests. 
 
 It is on high ground, above all o'her hotels of Keene Valley. It 
 h s frequent mails, and stages running regularly to the steamboat 
 and D. & H. Railroad at Westport. It is on the borderland of good 
 hunting and fishing. 
 
 Its rates are $3. 50 per day ; $15.00 to $21.00 per week. 
 
 Address, J. S. HOLT, IVlaiiajjer, 
 
 KEENE VALLEY, N. H. 
 
 Repliuiiiar the " BetMh' House," \P M ULPFI'S I ^ IIA ^P 
 (Destroyed by fire March 3d, 1890.) J * L JL ^ J\ ^-^-J^-J 
 
 Formerly tlie " Widow Beetle's." 
 
 BEETLES, ESSEX COUNTY, N. 1\ 
 
 The above well known hotel properties have b en purchased by 
 the Keenk Heights Hotel Co , and will be conducted under one 
 management. 
 
 A new hotel, the ST. HUBERT'S INN, will replace the former 
 Beede House. 
 
 Spacious room?, open fire-places, steam heat, pure water, and per- 
 fect drainage are all provided for. 
 
 It being impossible to complete the (V/Z/Vr new building in lime for 
 the season of 1890, the accommodations will be limited. 
 
 Cottage opens June 1st. Inn opens July 1st. 
 
 r rooms and terms: 
 F. L. LOIIIXJ, MaiLiger. 
 
 Ad.re. for rocs and .™s: ggJJ,£ JJgJgpg ggygj^ (jg^^ 
 
 BEEDES, ESSEX CO., N. Y. 
 
2A9 
 
 TKHKiAZUS HOUSE, 
 
 KFKNE VALLKY, NEW YOUK. 
 
 The best of beds, the best of lare. Telegrraph ol'hce at post office, c ose by 
 
 RATES, $2 per day ; $< to $12 per week. Op-n June ist to October 15 I'. 
 Dining room enlarged. New Cottage connected witn thehouse. Five Loitagc:^ 
 to Let. Accommodations for 75 guests. See page 155. 
 
 GEO. EGGLEFIEL3, PROPRIETOR. 
 
 Keene Valley, Essex Co., N. Y. MARTIN BAHLER, A.M., Prop. 
 
 RATES, $fo.oo per week ; $2.00 per day ; full price for children over 5 yeais. 
 No transients. No Hebrews. Accommodations for about 35 guests. Open from 
 23d of June. 
 
 The most magnificent mountain scenery of the Adirondacks is found in and 
 around Keene Valley. Flume Cottage is beautifully situated on a grassy ridge at 
 the entn.nce of " Washbond's Flume." Special attention paid to home comforts, 
 and unusual facilities afforded for visiting points of interest. Table first-class, 
 with an abundance of fresh vegetables Running water from the high mountains 
 in the rear of the premises. 
 
 Dajly mail. Telegraph and express. Send for descriptive circular with full 
 particulars. Address, until June 20th, SUMMIT, N. J. 
 
 MAPLE GROVE MT. HOUSE, 
 
 HENRY WASHBOND, Proprietor. 
 
 Is situated in the central part of Keene Valley, on high ground, commanding a 
 view of " Giant " and " Noon Mark,'' two cf the principal mountains of the Valley. 
 In the rear of the house is a delightful maple grove, affording good shade. It is 
 only a short distance from church, post office and telegraph office. The water is 
 pure. Can accommodate about 40. 
 
 Terms, SI 50 per day ; 88 to SilO per week. 
 A good livery connected with the house. Address 
 
 HENRY WASHBOND, Keene Valley, N. Y. 
 
 G. F. MARVIN, Photographer. 
 
 PORTRAITS in all the popular styles and sizes mad with greatest care. 
 
 All FIELD WORK, VIEWS and INTERIORS promptly executed, by an 
 artist of long experience in that department. 
 
 All branches of the work by an experienced corps of artists, under the imme- 
 diate supervision of the proprietor. 
 
 Will be in KEENE VALLEY, from July 21st to August 1st. 
 BEEDE'S, from Aug-ust 1st to August 15th. 
 
 LAKE PLACID, from August 15th to Sept. 5th. 
 
 SARANAC LAKE, from S'-pt. 5th to Oct. 1st, 1890. 
 
 All orders promptly filled ani work done in any part of Adirondack region. 
 Correspondence solicited. Headquarters, KEESEVILLE, N. Y. 
 
ADIRONDACK LODGE,. 
 
 CLEAR LAKE. NORTH ELBA. 
 
 The Largest and Handsomest LOG- Building in the United States, 
 
 AND 
 
 The Most Comfortable House in the 
 
 ADIRONDACK REGION. 
 
 Tastefully built, in rustic style throughout, it is thoroughly 
 comfortal)le, and fitted with 
 
 EVERY MODERN IMPROVEMENT. 
 
 LOCATED 
 
 In the Midst of the Yarious Attractions of the Adirondack Mountains, 
 
 TRAILS RADIATE 
 
 From the Lodge directly to the following points: 
 
 THE INDIAN PASS, 
 
 AVALANCHE TASS- 
 
 MOUNT ISIARCY, 
 
 MOUNT McINTYRE. 
 
 MOUNT JO (or "The Rear"-), 
 MOUNT GOLDEN. 
 
 SOUTH MEADOW RASIN. 
 
 All of these trails have been carefully cut by experienced 
 guides, expressly for the Lodge, and others will be added 
 during the Summer. 
 
 The Lodge is the headquarters for mountain climbing in 
 Ihe Adirondacks. 
 
 The grounds of the Lodge comprise an area of 1*280 acres 
 
 For particulars, address, 
 
 HENRY VAN HOEVENBERGH, 
 
 Proprietor Adirondack Lodge, 
 
 Oascadeville P. 0., Essex Co., N. Y. 
 
 Or N. Y. Agency, l(M> iiinl [OH Liberty St., New York Citv. 
 
2e;t 
 
 ROCKWELL'S HOTEL,^''i=l^= 
 $2. 50 per day, according- to rooins ; per week, $10. 50 to $14. Children 
 and servants, $7.00 to $10.50 ; horses, $5.25 to $7.00. 
 REFERENCES.— Samuel M. Croft, V. P. United States Insurance Co., 115 
 Broadway, New York : E. B. Talcott, Mills Building, Broad Street and Ex- 
 change Place, New York. 
 
 OEOIJGE H. ROCKWELL, Owner and Proprietor. 
 
 LAKE LUZERNE, 
 N. Y. 
 
 Wayside Hotel and Cottages, 
 
 Located at the confluence of the Sacandaga and Hudson Rivers, 700 feet 
 ABOVE TIDE-WATER. Twenty miles from Saratoga on the Adirondack 
 Railroad. Western Union Telegraph in the house. The best of accommo- 
 dations ; cuisine unexcelled ; fine drives. $3.50 and 14.00 per day. Special 
 rates for Jime and September. 
 
 E. C. KING-, Manager. 
 
 Potiersville Hotel ""^ Schroon Lake. 
 
 Hunting- and Fishing Resort. Dining place for Schroon Lake 
 passengers. Rates I2.00 per day ; $7.00 to $10.00 per week. 
 Special for the season. JOHN B. WELLS, 
 
 P. O. Address, Pottersville, N. Y. F»roprietor. 
 
 l9Ga\}i++ §+a^G bir^G.-' 
 
 Riverside to Schroon Lake. Eug'ene 
 ■ Leavitt, Proprietor. Leaves River- 
 side on arrival of all trains from the 
 south. Returning, leaves Schroon Lake to connect with trains for Saratoga. 
 Fare, $1. New four and six-horse Concord coaches afford a delightful ride 
 through a picturesque region. 
 
 ^Invalids or parties wishing: easy carriages or special ries of any kind, cau 
 secure such on reasonahle terms hy addressing: at Pottersville. 
 
252 
 
 SCHROON LAKE. 
 
 HIS POPULAR HOUSE which contains 
 first-class accon.modations for 200 guests, 
 will be re-opened June 15, 1890. Hotel 
 grounds extend to the lake on two sides, 
 and are ornamented with trees, shrubbery, 
 summer houses, etc. Delightful Location, 
 Fine Scenery, High Elevation and Pure 
 Water. Finest Boating, Bathing, Driving, 
 Fishing and Hunting in the Adirondacks. 
 Carriage, Boar, Express and Telegraph 
 Office in the Hotel. Good Stables. 
 
 The pie sure of rural and forest life are 
 here combined with modern conveniences and 
 social privileges in a greater degree than in 
 any other place in Northern New York. 
 Terms, transient per day, $3.00 to $3.50 ; by 
 the week. $12.50 to $25. Special arrange- 
 ments for prolonged stay. 
 Send for circulars and diagram. 
 
 L. R. & E. D. LOCKE, Proprietors. 
 
 THE ARLINGTON OOTTACE. 
 
 SCBROOJN LAKE, N. Y. 
 
 Pleasantly located but a short distance from the lake shore. One- 
 half mile north of the steamboat landing. Supplied with pure spring 
 water Bath Room. Rates, $7 to |io per week ; |2 per day. Send 
 for circular. C. C. WHIT NEY , Proprietor. 
 
 "^ayloT^lloitsc atitl Cottages^ 
 
 C. F. Taylor & Son, Proprietors. Capacity, 
 $2.50 to $3.00 per day; $12 to $17 per week. 
 lor's-on-Schroon, Warren County, N. Y. 
 
 150 guests. Board, 
 P. O. address, Tay- 
 
 Grove Point House, 
 
 SchroonLake. T»rmp, $2 per day; $8 to $12 per wrek. Flea=ai\t]y situated 
 in a shady grove, on the west side of the]akt^, half a mile from thevillag''. Steamer 
 Effingham will land vou at the house. The room^ are large and \\ til furnished. 
 Table one of the leading features. Send for circular and nit of hon-e 
 CAPACITY 75 GUESTS. IV. A. MACKENZIE, Jr., Proprietor. 
 
 LAKE HOUSE, 
 
 Schroon Lake, Essex County, N. Y. Open from June 20 to Oct 1st. Terms 
 per day $2 25 ; adults, per week $10 50 to $14 00 ; children and nurses $7.00. E. E. 
 Ridden, Proprietor. (Formerly of the Riddell House Luzeri.e, Warr.n Connty, 
 N. Y.) BEST OF REFERENCES ON APPLICATION. Special rates to ex- 
 cursionists. 
 
253 
 
 CHESTERTOWN, N. Y. HARRY S. DOWNS, Prop. 
 
 High dry land. Pure air. Mountain spring water. Fine Drives, 
 and best bass fishing in the Adirondacks. A First-class Livery con- 
 nected. Terms, $2 per day ; l|io to $12 per week. 
 
 L^MEKICAM HOTEIL 
 
 NORTH CHEEK, Warren Co., N. Y. JOHN McINERNY, Prop. 
 
 Main Street, three minutes' walk from Adirondack Comp ny's Depot. Refitted 
 and furnished throughout in first-class biyle. 
 
 BOARD $6 to $10 per week ; meals 50c Trout and Game in their season. 
 
 N. B.-A first-class Livery attached to the House Parties vishiner 
 pnvd.te conveyances lo the wilderness, uc ieas>ji able priees, can be accommodated. 
 
 Address, JOHN McINERNY, North Creek, N. Y. 
 
 NORTH RIVER HOTEL 
 
 is on the Hudson River, 5 miks f'om ihe frminus of the Adirondack Railroad, at 
 N>.rth Creek, on tiie 
 
 Direct road to Bme Mountain Lake, and is ilie repl jr dining place for passengers 
 
 going and coming. TELEGRAPH (onn<cticn with tie Western Union. 
 
 Stages and paten C?nopy-top Eucl.b ards cany gucf ts to and fre-m ; II tr^ms. 
 
 DINNER 75 Cts.; $2.50 PER DAY; $10 TO $15 PER WEEK. 
 
 Buckboards run to this house on arrival of afternoon trains at North Creek, and 
 can be had for P>lue M( untain Lake next morning. 
 
 W. H. ROBLEE, Prop. North River Hotel, p. o, Nortu River, warren Co 
 
 LdkO PlSdSSnt HOUSGi A^'MJcoy. Pmprie^or.^'Ww FurnUure. 
 New Carpets. New Brds. Terms, S« to $12 per week, $; per day. Stage fare 
 from Northville $2. Private conveyances will meet parties at Nonhville at same 
 price. Daily stage after July TSt. Post office and telegrapli mi the house. Close 
 attention and care sriven to families. Mouse overlooks Lake Pleasant and Round 
 Lake. Pleasant drives and the finest scei ery. 
 
 FAIR YIE:W H0USS,^'-"^~'A°D",SL1!>'D^fe5g."'''-^- 
 
 Good Accommodations. Fine Boating, Fishing and Hunting. Store in 
 connection with Hotel with full stock of goods for sportsmen's outfits. 
 Prices : $10 to $14 per w^eek ; $2 per dav. Dinner, 75 cents. This popular 
 Hotel is at the beginning of a long and delightful water route through 
 lakes and, standing as it does near the water's edge, commands the finest 
 view of this THE FINEST LAKE IN THE ADIRONDACKS. Steamboats 
 leave the house at regular trips. Route via Adirondack R. R. from Sara- 
 toga to North Creek. Stages to house. 
 
 JOHN SAULT, Proprietor. 
 
BLUE MOUHTAIH HOUSE, 
 
 MERWIN S HALL, Proprietors, 
 
 is situated at the head of Blue Mou itain Lake, on an elevation of 200 feet above 
 its surface, ana 140 rods dista t. 
 
 The view of the surrounding laics and mountains from this point is unequaled 
 in this section. 
 
 Blue mountain is 3.824 feet abovf tide water ; an excellent path leads to i^s sum- 
 mit, from which iiixtetn lakes can be distinctly seen. 
 
 " 1*1:16 HtintirLg eind Kisliing is Excellent. 
 
 A line' of ''steamers make daily" trips throrgh Eaple. Utowana and Raquette 
 Lakes to Fort Lake Carry, making the most delightful excursion imaginable. 
 
 The climate is invigorating and owing fo its pl«vation and bracing air the place 
 is well adapted to those afflicted with Hay Fever, as many can testifv. 
 Sufferers here find almost instant relief on arrival, while those who come in ad- 
 vance of its anticipated attack, are not troub'el with it at all during their stay. 
 
 Passengers by Adirondack sleeper le ve Grand Central Depot, N. V.. at 7:^0 
 p. M., arrive here next noon. Leave Sarato;,'a Springs by morning train, arrive 
 for supper. 
 
 TERMS: $10 to $15 per week, $2 to $2. 50 per day. 
 Open from June 15th to October ist. All communications should t e .addressed to 
 
 MERWIN Sl hall 
 TELEGKAPH IN HOUSE. ^^^^ Mount'ain Lake, 
 
 HAMILTON COUNTY, N. Y. 
 t^"Be careful and address Blue Mountain >Touse , instead of Blue Mountain 
 Lakft House. 
 
 THE ISTE^W 
 
 ^JOHN G. HOLLAND, Proprietor, 
 
 Blue Alotintain LaUe, Hao^ilton^ Co., N. Y. 
 
 Blue Mountain Lake is the Cem of the Adirondack 
 L»kes, and is located in the Heart of the Treat Wild- 
 erness, 1 ,800 feet above tide. 
 
 The New Blue Mountain lake House is a large. dir?ble stturlurp, Ircrtfd on 
 a dry. sandy elevation 50 feet above the Lake, and. with its 01 tly'rg Coitagf s. 
 furnishes ample accr mmodation for over three hundred pucKts. M?in Farlcr 
 80x40 feet ; Dining Ror m. 125x40 feet. 
 
 Everything new, ^lain, cleanly, comfortable and home-like. First-clsfs hair 
 mattresses and woven wire springs in every sk eping room. 
 
 Pure Mountain Spring- T7ater, Perfect Drainag-o, Absolute Freedom 
 from Malaria. Positively Proof ag-ainst all forms of Hay Fever. 
 
 The surrounding scenery is a p em of beauty, and the pure, dry, invigorating 
 atmo.phere is Nature's l.fe-giving tonic. The breezes blow over pine, spruce and 
 other j.'ummy and resinous trees, which statistics prove conducive to health and 
 \ n=;evity Table first-class in every respect. Vegetables and milk fresh from the 
 H..tel farm. 
 
 Oi>en froiTi A.pril to >Io\'ei'nl>er. 
 
 RATES, $3.00 Per Day. Per Week, according to location of rooms. 
 
 Doily Mails. Tf kgrar^ f ff ^ e in tie Ptttl large Fire-place f in I^rlcr j rd 
 
 Office. Steamers leave Blue IV^cuntain Lake House deck daily for all foicts. 
 
25$ 
 
 jBtof • /'loonu<n ^ 
 
 KND 
 
 ^TEnnDoni • [int. 
 
 o o o o 
 
 tf. G. THOMPSON, Superintendent, 
 
 Si)Pue Mouat'aia "bafte. 
 
R 
 
 AQUETTE LAKE HOTEL, 
 
 (Formerly known as " Under the Hemlocks.") 
 
 Kiiqiietle Lake, llauiiiton County, New York. 
 
 EUGENE FINCK, FREDERICK FINCK, Proprietors. 
 
 The Hotel is located on an elevated point overlooking the lake, and com- 
 mands one of the finest views in the Adirondack region. Elevation i, 800 feet 
 above tidewater. It has been ueivly fur)iisJied throughout, and in addition 
 has fine new spring beds in every sleeping room. Suitable arrangements 
 are provided for heating the apartments when required. 
 
 The Climate is invigorating and bracing, and the abundance of Balsam, 
 Pine, Spruce and other resinous trees imparts to the air those healing qual- 
 ities so beneficial in throat and pulmonary difficulties. Tho.se afflicted with 
 Hav Fever or Rose Cold experience immediate relief. 
 
 For Sportsmen and Tourists Competent Guides are provided, with a com- 
 plete outfit for camping purposes. 
 
 Hiintini^ SlVkX Fis/iin,^ is excellent, and a fleet of Lake and Guide Boats 
 are provided for the accommodation of guests. 
 
 Pure Spring Water, Fresh Vegetables and milk. 
 
 Steamers on Raquette Lake connecting at Marion River Carrj^ jvith 
 steamers on Blue ^Mountain Lake stop at Hotel Dock at every trip. 
 
 Furnished Cottage.s to rent by th*« mouth or season. 
 
 Telegraph and Post Office in connection with the hotel. 
 
 OPEN FROM JUNE 1 5TH TO NOVEMBER 1ST. 
 
 RATES, $3.00 per day ; $15.00 to $25.00 per week, according to location. 
 Special rates for vSeptember and October. Special rates for Families. 
 
 A diagram showing location of rooms, and circular will be forwarded 
 upon application. 
 
 yHE ANTLERS, 
 
 KA^^lKTTE LAKK. Hamilton Co., >.Y. 
 
 SEASON OF 1890. 
 
 C. H. BEXNETT, Proprietor. 
 
 AN IDEAL FAMILY RESORT. 
 
 The Antlers is centrally located on one of the finest points on the lake, and 
 commands beautiful mountain views of the surrounding country. It is 
 built on the Colonization Plan, having in connection several Cottages that 
 can be rented entire or at the usual room rates. The table is the best that 
 can be found in the woods. Boats and Guides in connection with the House. 
 Wines served at the table only. For further information, address, 
 
 C. H. BENNETT, Baquette Lake, Hamilton Co.. N. Y., 
 
 or Browx (K: WlTliKKS, 169 Broadway, N. Y. 
 
 DHQniyDE-on-inQUEnc^s^ 
 
 A new and elegantly furnished nine-room cottage to lease for the 
 season. For particulars apply to J. 0. A. BRYERE, 
 
 P. o. Address, raquette Lake. Proprietor. 
 
257 
 
 ^liironclaGR Forestry. 
 
 A number of gentlemen have secured, and will preserve intact, a tract of nearly 
 4,000 Acres of unbroken forest on both shores of 
 
 Lonsro- ljl.k:e, 
 
 THE HEART OF THE ADIRONDACKS, 
 
 with miles of beautiful shores, sandy beaches, bold points, sheltered coves, and the 
 magniticent forest stretching back of all. 
 
 Limited number of Choice Camp and Villa Sites in 10 acre lots for sale, includ- 
 ing Game and Forest privileges of the entire tract, to unexceptionable parties, at 
 $250 a lot. (A few of the best held at $500.) 
 
 Any of these lots may be lease! for three or five years at $25 or $50 and taxes 
 per year, with privilege of purchasing at above prices at any time during lease. 
 
 Also, Forked Pine Camp to let for season. Roomy, rustic lodge, with big 
 fire-place. Kitchen and dining room separate. Landing, Beach, Spring— every- 
 thing complete. Apply to Trustees, 
 
 HAZARD STEVENS, 85 Devonshire Street, Boston, Mass. 
 OSCAR B. IRELAND, Springfield, Mass. 
 GEORGE E. TERRV, Waterbury, Conn. 
 
 Or, M. R. SUTTON, Agent, 
 
 LONG LAKE, HAMILTON CO., N. Y. 
 
 H-TJnTn? TTHTT^ t? long lake, N. Y. Located in a pine grove at the 
 U JtbU V Jj AU \J*^U, junction of the Blue Mountain and Raquette Lake 
 Roads, I mile from South Pond and 2^ miles from Owl's Head Pond and Mountain, 
 to which a good trail will be opened the coming season. Owl's Head Pond is said 
 to be one of the best grounds for trout fishing in the Adirondacks. Buttermilk Falls 
 is only 2 miles distant, where good bass fishing is to be had. Plenty of pickerel is 
 also to be found here, and good deer, partridge and duck shooting in their season. 
 Guides, boats and carriages to and from trains at North Creek furnished on appli- 
 cation. Board, per day, $2.50 ; per week, $10 to $14. Dinner, y; cents : Supper or 
 Breakfast, 50 cents. Open May 1 ; closes Nov. 15. DAVID HELMS, Prop. 
 
 L/4KE HOUSE J ^^""^ ^^^^' Hamilton Co., N. Y. 
 
 Boats, Guides and Supplies furnished. 
 BOARD, $2 per Day ; $10 to $12 per Week. Special Rates for the Season. 
 
 MRS. C. H. KELLOGG, Proprietor. 
 
 RAQUETTE FAUUS HOT^U 
 
 Is on the direct routes from Paul Smith's and the Saranac Lakes to Long, Forked, 
 Raquette and Blue Mountain Lakes. This section is noted for excellent Hunting 
 and Fishing. Guides, Boats, Supplies, etc., furnished on application. 
 
 Board, $10 to $12 per week : $2 per day. Correspondence solicited. 
 
 See page m. Addross, CEO. W. WALTON, Saranac Lake. 
 
25^ 
 
 DRS. STRONG'S SANITARIUM 
 
 AND SELECT 
 FAMILY HOTEL 
 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 A popular summer resort. Open all the year. Location central and unsur- 
 passed. Just near enough to all the whirl and far enough for rest All the best 
 remedial appliances. Table and appointments first-class. Send for circulars. 
 Address DPS. S. S. & S. E. STRONG, SARATOGA SPRINGS. 
 
 PH30TOdHRAP^Y\ 
 
 BECOMES A PLEASURABLE CE^BTAINTV BY USING 
 
 CMBOTt'S^DRrPtllTES 
 
 . . TRADE MARK . -.:;:? , o- ■••- - 
 
 ^ "CELLULIJID'^FIIP. 
 
 For Sale by All Dealers. Ask For and Take No Other 
 
 Keystone Dry Plateand Film Works, Wayne iflftci^Phila^ 
 
 You will enjoy a very pleasant trip by taking a sail up or down the 
 Hudson River on the Popular Steamers 
 
 DREW" or "dean RICHMOND," 
 
 people's^IvenTng line. 
 
 a 
 
 You will enjoy all the comforts of good living. Tables supplied with 
 the best the markets afford. The excellence of the cuisine is a feature 
 of this line. This is the tourist's and pleasure seeker's route as well 
 as the business man's. A steamer leaves Albany for New York (every 
 week day) 8 P. M. Leaves New York for Albany (every week day) 
 from Pier 41, N. R., foot Canal Street, 6 p. m. ' Rare, .$1.50. 
 Round Trip, $2.50. m. B. WATERS, G. P. A. 
 
 NEl^ YORK 
 
 AND 
 
 ALBANY. 
 
 steamers leave 
 Vestry St. Pier, N. Y., 8.40 A.M 
 22d " " " 9.00 " 
 
 RETURNING LEAVE 
 
 Hamilton St., Albany, 8.30 A.M 
 IvIUSIC. NIUSIC. 
 
 SEE THXT your tickets READ VIA 
 4^> 
 
 Through Tickets Sold at our Offices to all Points and Baggage Chocked to Destination 
 
259 
 
 E. &H.T. ANTHONY & CO., 
 
 591 Broadway, New York. 
 
 MANUFACTURERS AND IMP()RTERS OF 
 
 Photographic Instruments, 
 
 OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. 
 
 TTHEl F*. E). O. Gl^MEIRA 
 
 The latest improvement in DETECTIVE CAMERAS, takes pictures 
 
 4x5 inches in size, either vertically or horizontally. Can be 
 
 used with either our cut Films or Plates. Protected by four 
 
 Patents and another pending. Handsomely covered 
 
 with black grained leather. Price complete, with 
 
 three double holders, only $20.00. 
 
 Antliony's Cliinax Neplm Filins Reduce WeigM and Space to a Mlniiniiin. 
 
 • 14 DOZ. FILMS WEIGH LESS THAN 1 DOZ. GLASS PLATES. 
 
 Patent Detective, Fairy, Novel and Bicycle Cameras. The Phantom 
 Camera, the Champion Light Weight of the World, Anthony's Reversible 
 Back Camera, The Reversible Back Normandie and the Victor. Sole 
 agents for the Celebrated DALLEMEYJEK Lenses, .Send for Catalogue 
 or call and examine. Forty-seven years established in this line of business. 
 
 PUBLISHERS OF 
 
 ANTHONY'S PHOTOGRAPHIC BULLETIN. 
 
 PROF. CHAS. F. CHANDLER, EDITOR. 
 DR. A. H. ELLIOTT, ASSOCIATE Editor. 
 
 Su.t>scriptiorx Price, $3.00 per arxrxvLtra.. 
 
26o 
 
 • • TO fH^ roukisi • • 
 
 hi III III III 
 
 fWENTY-FIVE years ago if one desired to secure 
 a memento of his visit to a celebrated ruin, 
 waterfall, or other place of interest, he was 
 obliged to resort to the old and unsatisfactory 
 practice of pencil sketching which gave but an 
 imperfect idea of the actual view presented to 
 the eye. This is all changed now. To-day for a 
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 a kit of drawing implements one may procure a 
 
 (;omplGtG pl7ote^rapl7ic ©uffif 
 
 which can be transported without inconvenience, 
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 can take home with him faithful delineations of 
 any points of interest which he may visit. Those 
 interested may secure on application, without 
 charge, a catalogue of Photographic Cameras, 
 Outfits, etc., from 
 
 THE SCOVILLS ADAMS CO., 
 
 423 BROOME ST., NEW YORK. 
 
26] 
 
 NEW KODAK CAMERAS. 
 
 ** You press the button, we do the rest'' 
 
 (or you can do it yourself.) 
 
 SEVEN NEW STYLES AND SIZES 
 
 ALL LOADED WITH 
 
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 A system which admits of the practice of photography with- 
 out the least knowledge of the art is presented by the " Kodak." 
 
 Anyone can use this camera. The operation of making a 
 pictute consists simply of pressing a button. No dark room 
 or chemicals are necessary. One hundred pictures are made 
 without reloading. 
 
 By the aid of the " Kokak" a complete illustrated record of 
 every day incidents, a picturesque diary of every trip, 
 beautiful bits of landscape and hundreds of interesting scenes 
 may be readily obtained. 
 
 A handsome russet leather carrying case with shoulder strap 
 is a part of each outfit, and the operator is thus enabled to 
 carry about and use the Kodak as easily as though it were 
 a field glass. 
 
 THE EASTMAN COMPANY, 
 Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 ^^"ForSale by all Photo. Stock Dealers. Send for Catalogue, 
 
262 
 
 INTRODUCERS OF THE 25 CALIBRE 
 
 ' RIM FIRE STEVENS SPECIAL CARTRIDGE. 
 
 "^ 
 
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 o^ 
 
 
 CD 
 
 
 
 3oa u±uvo andid onot 3aanvo zz ^^ 
 
 -inddaONOM 3H± dO SdOXVNIOIuO 
 
A Picture Periodical Without Letter Press. 
 
 PUBLISHED MONTHLY. 
 
 EACH ISSUE OF ''SUN AND SHADE" CONSISTS OF 
 
 EIGHT TO TWELVE PLATES ON PAPER 
 
 11 X 14 INCHES. 
 
 TWELVE NUMBERS. 
 
 Single or Sample Copies, - - - 30 Cents. 
 
 Charming reproductions in most delicate colors of several noted 
 pictures. — /F rld^ New York. 
 
 A gallery of timely art. — Joitrual, Boston. 
 
 The first number is a sumptuous affair in its mechanical and artis- 
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 Show a remarkable advance, and demonstrate that America is 
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 ^l7e ♦ pl7ofo-(ara\}urG ♦ ^0mf)ai\y, 
 
 137 WEST 23d STREET, NEW YORK. 
 
264 
 
 MAPS, BOOKS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY S. R. STODDARD, GLENS FALLS, N. Y. 
 GUIDE BOOKS. 
 
 The Adirondacks, Illustrated.— 16 mo., 27:2 pages, pstudo- 
 cloth cover, '^5 cents. 
 
 Albanv Evening Journal.—" Koutes, fares to different points, 
 timf-tables, maps, guides, and whatever el.se 1 he traveler is nioet 
 cnncj-rned in Ivnowinj:, are treated clearly and inielliaeiitly." Ntw 
 YouK Times.— "A book that may be read ihrough from beginning 
 to end at any time, and be found full of interesting reading matter.'" 
 Troy Times.— "A delightful boolv, well spiced with anecdote and 
 a- 1 venture." 
 
 Saratop-a, Lake Georg-e and Lake Champlain, historical 
 and (l.iscriptive, lU mo., 200 pages, pseudo-cloth cover, 2.5 cents. 
 Contains colored map thn-e feet long, outline cuts of mountaius, 
 ieiands, etc., as seen from the passing steamer. 
 
 MAPS.— Map of the Adirondack Wilderness. Pocket 
 
 edition on map-bond paper, in board cover $1.00. 
 
 FoiusT & Strkam.— " It is the most complete map of the Adiron- 
 dj.cU region ever published, and is just what is wanted by a party 
 intending to camp out." Shooting and Fishing.—'* State officials 
 consult t and the Fish Commissioners depend upon it for use of 
 the state Game Protectors." 
 
 Map of Lake Georg-e. Scale 1 mile to an inch. Pocket 
 ec itiou on map-bond paper, board cover 50 cents. 
 
 Map of Lake Champlain. Scale 2% miles to an inch, with 
 smalitr maps of tile Richelieu Itiver, and routes and distances to im- 
 portant p> ints. Pocket edition on map-bond jiaper, board cover, 50cts. 
 BOOKS OF PICTURES. 
 
 Lake Georg-e. Twelve photogravure plates 10x12 inches, 
 comprising over 50 choice bits of Lake George scenery. Bound in 
 torchon board, wHh illuminated title, $1..50 Among the 
 Mountains of the Adirondacks.— Ten plates. Same st^le 
 and size ^s Lake Geoive. $1.50. Through the Lake Country 
 of the Adirondacks.— Same as above. $1.50. The Hudson 
 River, from its Source to the Sea —Same as above $1.50. 
 Au Sable Chasm. — Pli 'togravure. twelve pases of pictures, 
 5lox7 inches. Illuminated title. In mailing box, 50 cents. 
 
 SOUVENIRS OF THE NORTH. (P"ce 75 cents each, 
 contain from eighteen to thirty representative views of sections in- 
 dicated bv their titles, reproduced by the Photo-iiraviire Company. 
 Size o'.x? inches.) Saratotra, Lake George, Blue Moun- 
 tain Lake, "Raquette Lake, Long Lake, Tupper Lake 
 Region, Luzerne ard Schroon Lake, "Wild Lakes of 
 the Adirondacks, (An SabK' Lakes. Tear-of-the-clouds, Ava- 
 lanche, (.'olden. Saidfoul. Henderson, etc.) Elizabethtown 
 and Keene Valley, North Elba and beyond, Lake 
 Placid, The Saranac Lakes, Winter at Saranac Lake, 
 Glens Falls, Howes Cave. In mailing box 75 cents each. 
 
 PHOTOGRAPHS ^f f^e Adirondacks, Lake George. Lake 
 Champlain, the Hudson Kiver, West Point Military Academy, 
 Howes Cave, Mount Desert Islan-', the Bay of Fund v. etc. Prices, 
 per doz.. Crystal Stereos $2.00 : Boudoir Views (.5x8) $3 GO : Im- 
 perial Vn ws 1 7x9) S6 00 ; 10x14 Views, $1.00 each ; 16x20 Views 
 (uTMiionnled) in mailing t'lbes. $2,00 each. 
 
 Lantern Slides. Any subject in mv collection of views at 50 
 cents each. Transparencies in nickel frames 5x8 inches, $1 25 ; 
 8x10 inches, $2.50 
 
 All sroods above (except lantern elides and transparencies) sent 
 postpaid on receipt of price. 
 
 Address, S. R. STODDARD, Glens Falls. N. Y. 
 
265 
 
 A NKW IVIAP OF 
 
 LAKE GHAMPLAIN, 
 
 READY FOR DELIVERY NOW. 
 
 It shows Lake Champlain from Whitehall to the 
 head of Missisquoi Bay, on a scale of 2)^ miles to 
 the inch, giving its islands, reefs, points, etc., 
 named ; its surrounding counties, towns, cities and 
 villages, with roads and mountains, hotels, camps, 
 boarding houses, and man)^ private cottages. 
 
 It gives also a map of Lake George on the same 
 scale, a map of the Richelieu River from Rouse's 
 Point to the St. Lawrence ; maps showing routes of 
 he Champlain Steamers, charts of railroad lines 
 and distances to important points, from Caldwel', 
 Whitehall, Burlington and Rouse's Point, and rail- 
 road and stage lines and distances into the Adiron- 
 dack resorts from the various '* Gateways." 
 
 Richly colored by towns and sections. 
 
 Finished in Two Styles. 
 
 On fine map-bond paper, folded, in board cover, 
 for the pocket. Price 50 cents. 
 
 On heavy plate paper for framing or office use, 
 sent in mailing tubes to prevent creasing. Price 
 60 cents. 
 
 Sent postpaid on receipt of price. 
 Address, 
 
 8. R. STODDARD, Publisher. 
 
 Clens falls. N. Y 
 
266 
 
 MAP OF" THE 
 
 ADIf(ONDAGK WILDEi^NESS, 
 
 BY S. R. STODDARD. 
 [Light portion shows Hudson River drainage.l 
 
 Size 25x31 inches Scale 4 ni les to an inch Colored in counties. 
 On mip-bond paper in cloth cover f..r carrying in the pocket $1 00. 
 On heavy plate paper for framinc;, i„ mailino:'. tube to prevent 
 creasing, ,$l.()0, post paid on receipt of price. ^ 
 
 S. R. STODDAED, Publisher, Glens Falls, N. Y. 
 
 i B '07