Adirondack Life

WHO LIVED HERE 13,000 YEARS AGO?
REWRITING HISTORY
THE MAGAZINE OF THE MOUNTAINS SINCE 1969
Small Farm
Revival
Fresh food, festivals &
farmstays
BEST OF THE
ADIRONDACKS
WHERE TO EAT,
STAY & PLAY
JUNE 2017
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www.adirondacklife.com
page 36
page 44
VOLUM E XLVI I I , NO. 3 M AY / J U N E 2017
D E PA R T M E N T S
BOX 410
Letters to the Editor 7
SHORT CARRIES
Packaging the Park
BY ANNIE STOLTIE 8
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Reading Between the Blue Line 12
WORKING
Raquette Lake Navigation Co.
Contents
BY DAVID SOMMERSTEIN 14
PROFILE
Death of Jon Cody
BY CHRISTOPHER SHAW 22
F E AT U R E S SPECIAL PLACES
Links to the Past
Best of the Adirondacks 30 BY MICHAEL DEDIVITIS 68
Winners of our readers choice awards
YESTERYEARS
Star Struck
Seeds of Revival 36 BY JIM HUTT 72
How a wave of new farmers is transforming
Essex County towns INSIDE & OUT
BY LISA BRAMEN / PHOTOGRAPHS BY LISA J. GODFREY
Calendar of Events 79
BACK PAGE
The River Jordan 44 Name that Bloom 88
Exploring the storied wilderness waterway
of the northern Adirondacks
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHNATHAN ESPER
Wildcrafting Cocktails 50
Forage your way to delicious drinks
BY ELLEN ZACHOS
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KELLER+KELLER PHOTOGRAPHY
Hidden Heritage 54 Cover:

History books say that Native Americans didnt Sugar House Creamerys
Brown Swiss cows
live in the Adirondack uplands. New evidence dating
in Upper Jay
back 13,000 years reveals that they are wrong (see page 36).
BY CURT STAGER Photograph by
Lisa J. Godfrey
V OL UM E X L V III N UM B ER 3
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EDITOR Annie Stoltie
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CONTRIBUTORS Nancie Battaglia, Mark
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A D I R O N D A C K LI FE (ISSN 0001-8252) produces six
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in the Adirondacks each year and is published by
Adirondack Life, Inc., 12961 Route 9N, Jay, NY
12941. Periodical postage paid at Jay, New York, and
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4 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

VOTED BEST IN THE ADIRONDACKS 2016 BY THE READERS OF
ADIRONDACK LIFE MAGAZINE!
handcrafted routes 73 & 9n

in the adirondacks keene, new york
since 1920 drgoods.com
BOX 410
FOREVER
USA
LOOKING GOOD
The 2017 Photography Issue arrived
today and the photos are AMAZING!
BROOK TROUT
Favorite magazine.
Andrea Corona
via Facebook
SLAG TO RICHES
Im a new subscriber to Adirondack Life, FAST TIMES AT STONY CREEK
and when I received my very first issue Wow, what a terrific article (Stony
I was so pleased to read about the leg- Creek Inn, December 2016)! I remem-
acy of Benson Mines (February 2017). ber Gramma Arehart running the
My dad, Francis Rivette, and his twin square dances and Stony Creek lifer
sister, Kathryn, were born in the ham- Nelson Bennett kicking out his legs
let of Benson Mines and moved to Har- with his hands on the barroom floor
risville shortly after. My aunt Kate and to the cheers of the crowd.
her husband, Hubert Scanlon, worked The summer of 1949 I was 17 and
at the mines for many years. Kate was had a girlfriend who was 19 and life
the plant nurse. was good. We would go to Areharts in
Growing up in Corinth, we always my 1930 Model A Roadster from my
made annual trips to Star Lake to visit family camp up past Roaring Branch
family and friends. One of my memo- Road, where I helped Henry Gavit
ries from that time was the slag that build his stone house on property
was piled high across the road from now named Greenhaven Club. We
the plant. I am pleased to learn that would drink beer, dance and smoke
the slag has turned from ugly to lovely. cigarettes like there was no tomorrow,
Thank you for your wonderful mag- and craft a lifetime of memories.
azine. I look forward to many more I still have the camp and go by the
years of Adirondack Life. Inn all the time. Now when I go in,
Mary Rivette Maloney even with both hearing aids off, the
Greenfield, NY & Englewood, FL music is loud enough!
Many thanks for bringing it all back.
SOUTHERN HERITAGE William D. Hutchens
As someone raised in the southern- Fayetteville, NY
most tip of the Adirondack Park it is
rewarding to see Adirondack Life fea-
ture articles about our area. Growing
up with the legends of the adventures
of Nick Stoner, it was interesting to
read Phil Terries article about him
(February 2017). One tale that wasnt
included tells of Stoner being chased
by Indians to Canada Lake, where he
escaped by swimming underwater to
Nick Stoner Island. As youngsters, this
feat always left us amazed. We never Adirondack Life welcomes the
questioned it or wondered what hap- views of readers and will publish as
pened next! many letters as space allows. All architecture | interior design
construction management
Thank you for remembering those letters are subject to editing, must
of us who treasure our time at the bot- be signed and should be addressed phinneydesign.com
tom of the Blue Line. to Box 410, Jay, NY 12941. 518.587.7120 | info@phinneydesign.com
Carolyn Bishop Email: letters@adirondacklife.com 142 Grand Ave | Saratoga Springs
Caroga Lake, NY & Belmont, MA
May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 7

SHORT
CARRIE S
PACKAGING THE PARK

How an Adirondack entrepreneur found a
global market BY ANNIE STOLTIE
JACK MA, THE FOUNDER of AlibabaChinas conservation organization Paradise Internation-
version of Amazon.comis one of the richest peo- al Foundation, bought the property for $23 mil-
ple in China, worth an estimated $29 billion. In 2015 lion, according to the Wall Street Journal, as an
he purchased a 28,100-acre chunk of the north- occasional personal retreat, but principally for
western Adirondacks. conservation purposes.
Mas property, known as Brandon Park since The altruism of Maand the Paradise Interna-
William Rockefeller established the preserve in tional Foundation, which is involved with the prop-
the 1890s, includes trout ponds, a sh hatch- erty, now called New Brandonstretches beyond
ery, a mountain, miles of the St. Regis River, and the ora and fauna it protects: Locally hired staff
numerous grand homes and cabins. Its a Great maintain the estate; regional artists and artisans
Camp and grand spread, complete with an elite
owner and entourage. But what might seem like
a Gilded Age revival has a twist: Ma, a member of
the global board of directors of The Nature Con-
servancy and co-founder of the environmental
Marcy Miller, of
Pure Placid, and her
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMIE WEST MCGIVER
Adirondack-inspired
products.

contribute to its decor and stock it with
their Adirondack-made products. And
this spring, Ma and his foundation will
further their mission to conserve the
landscape and the livelihoods of those
who rely on it when some of those
productsamong them lotion, body
wash, shampoo, conditioner and insect
repellent made by Marcy Miller, of Pure
Placid, in Lake Placidwill appear under
the New Brandon brand on Taobao, one
of Alibabas online shopping sites.
Pure Placid is about to go global.
Millers bath and body products
are made with Lake Placid lake water
and other natural ingredients, pack-
aged in recycled bottles and, in a nod
to the Adirondack Parks Blue Line
border, wrapped in a sapphire ribbon.
The 39-year-olds Pure Placid line also
embodies what it is to experience the
Adirondacks.
Clementine and Balsam, Millers
most popular fragrance combination,
was inspired by hikes up her namesake
Mount Marcy. She and her family would
rest on the summit while snacking on
clementines, the smell of the trees car-
ried by the wind.
Her Sweet Lemon and Vanilla is a
tribute to Donnellys twist cones. A
Memorial Day weekend visit to the
roadside ice-cream stand outside of
Saranac Lake was a family ritual that
signaled the start of summer.
Mountain Cedar comes from sum-
mers at Whiteface Inn. Miller and her
friends would play tag around the cedar
bushes; shed stop and rub the leaves
onto her wrists.
Other scents are Sparkling Ginger
nal summer ginger-ale toasts at Lake
Placid, candles twinkling in floating
coconut shells; White Birchsmoky,
crackling campres; Maplewoodap-
jacks for breakfast, jumping in piles of
crunchy leaves in Brant Lake, where her
dad, Robert Doyle, was a forest ranger.
What Miller has created is an olfac-
tory map of Adirondack memories.
Bottling them, she says, is my way of
sharing this place.
And its working. Since opening her
Pure Placid boutique on Lake Placids
Main Street in 2015, shes seen dou-
ble-digit growth. Much of that has to
do with availability. Fifteen years ago,
when Miller, her mother, Claire, and sis-

SHORT CARRIES
Sarah, were operating Speedy Spa, in

Lake Placid, her concoctions were just
for friends and clients. Later, you had
to catch her at the farmers market in
Keene. The Pure Placid storeand the
Ma connectioncame with support
from the Adirondack North Coun-
try Association. But Millers success
is ultimately the result of a quality
productthe culmination of decades
of practice, including natural products
tutelage from AVEDA founder Horst
Rechelbacher.
Then theres the marketing.
Marthas Vineyard has its Black
Dog, Maines got L. L. Bean, and Ben &
Jerrys celebrates Vermonts dairy tra-
dition and its political and pop culture.
Our region is abundant with iconic
symbolsthe Adirondack chair, pack
basket, pine cone, guide boat, loon
and lean-tobut generic loons paint-
ed on dinner plates and Adirondack
chair wedding-cake toppers dont
say enough. The challenge continues
to be how to brand the Adirondack
experience.
Millers answer is an authentic sen-
sory message. Its a way for people
who care about this place to keep it
with them: by smelling it you remem-
ber it, take it with you, or explore it
for the rst time, even if youre as far
away as China.
Soon after Miller signed her deal
with the Paradise International Foun-
dation, she made contact with scent
superstar Ann Gottlieb, the nose
behind fragrances by Calvin Klein,
Dior and Carolina Herrera. Looking
for a mentor, Miller had reached out,
and Gottlieb, who liked the product
and story, according to Miller, offered
to help. Theyve met in New York City
and, together, are fine-tuning Pure
Placids formulas.
My life is like a fairy tale right
now, says Miller. She never imag-
ined that Pure Placids reach would
GARDEN TIME
extend beyond these peaks and
ponds, or that shed have such pow-
erful people on her side who also
care about this landscape. I want
to use this platform to promote the
Adirondacks and do good things for
the place that I love.
10 ADIRONDACK LIFE March + April 2017

NORTHERN LIGHTS
Keep It Clean
WHEN ANGLERS HEAD OUT this waterea could have long-lasting impacts
spring, they may encounter some- on a lakes food web. They feed on the
thing other than sh on the line: native zooplankton that are the principal
quarter-inch-long spiny watereas. prey of young forage sh, which are, in
This invasive zooplankton was rst turn, prey for popular sport sh such as
found in Great Sacandaga Lake in lake trout and salmon.
2008 and has spread to Lake Pleas- There are no known controls for spiny
ant, Piseco Lake, Lake George and, in waterea once they are introduced to a
2016, Indian Lake. lake, which is why prevention is key: Drain
According to Erin Vennie-Vollrath, and dry all equipment; high-pressure, cial boat washing stations). Dump all bait
aquatic invasive species project hot-water boat washing can remove buckets well away from watersheds and
coordinator for the Adirondack them from watercraft and trailers (see let anchor and shing lines dry for at least
Park Invasive Plant Program, Spiny www.adkcleanboats.com for a list of of- ve days in between uses.
SPINY WATERFLEA PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE ADIRONDACK PARK INVASIVE PLANT PROGRAM. TREE FROG PHOTOGRAPH FROM ISTOCK
BORHOOD WATCH
NEIGHGRAY TREE FROG
(Hyla versicolor)
Description: This miniature amphibian is one-and-a-
half to two inches long. The scientic name refers to
its color, which can change to match its surroundings.
Habitat: Moist deciduous woodlands, often six or
more feet above the ground.
Behavior: When tadpoles metamorphose into frogs,
the sticky suction cups on their toes allow them to
climb branches to hunt insects.
Fact: The distinctive trill mating call is surprisingly
powerful given the frogs size. On late May and June
nights their voices accompany spring peepers chirps
for the classic Adirondack chorus.
Happy Birthday, Blue Line!
25
ON MAY 20, 1892, the New York State Legislature established the Adirondack
1
Park to be forever preserved, maintained and cared for as ground open for
the free use of all the people. One hundred and twenty-ve years later, these
lands are still the peoples park, open 24/7, 365 days a year.
Adirondack Life is marking the occasion with a series of blogs listing 125
things to do and places to go in our six-million-acre playground, beginning on
May 25 at www.adirondacklife.com.

READING BETWEEN THE BLUE LINE
We get a lot of people that come in and

want to buy the menus and buy anything
that says Howard Johnsons on it.
John LaRock, operator of the worlds last HoJos restaurant, telling the Glens Falls Post-Star that
reports of the Lake George businesss death were greatly exaggerated, after a for-sale sign sparked
rumors of its impending closure. LaRock promises the landmark will be open for years to come.
Gateway
to Prosperity
COWBOYS, INDIANS, dancehall girls, banjo pickers and a Wild
FRONTIER TOWN PENNANT PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE ADIRONDACK MUSEUM, BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE
West atmosphere were served up at North Hudsons Frontier

Town starting in 1952. But since the late 1990s the 85-acre
theme park at Northway Exit 29 has languished.
Early this year Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled a $32-million
DEPARTMENT plan to revitalize the spot. The Gateway to the Adirondacks will
OF CORRECTIONS: be a world-class tourism hub at a strategic location to attract
Scene Savers (Northern Lights, Feb- new visitors to the Adirondack Park and drive economic growth
ruary 2017) contained several errors: in the North Country, he said in a prepared statement.
Since 2000, Mike Carr has served as A visitor center with interactive exhibits, a large state camp-
executive director of both the Adiron- ground, horse trails, shops, a restaurant featuring regional boun-
dack Land Trust (ALT) and the Adiron- ty and a new facility for Schroon Lakes Paradox Brewery are
dack chapter of The Nature Conservan- expected to create more than 100 new jobs. The gateway is near
cy, but is now focused solely on ALT. new state land acquisitions such as Boreas Ponds and outside
ALT was established in 1984, not 1994. of the heavily visited High Peaks. This facility is hoped to relieve
And the F. M. Kirby Foundation grant
some pressure on that increasingly popular wilderness area.
established an endowment for land
stewardship work, not for purchasing Cuomo also proposed millions of dollars for upgrades at
conservation easements. state-operated ski areas Gore and Whiteface Mountains as well
Two Instagram handles in Post as a new 750-mile Empire State Trail that would incorporate the
Masters (April) were incorrect: Erie Canal and Hudson River Greenway network of walking and
Manuel Palacios is @zone3photo. biking routes to cross New York from west to east and south to
Kevin Lenhart can be found at north, passing through the Adirondacks en route to the border.
@userwiththatnamealreadyexists. These projects are expected to boost tourism considerably and
garner national attention.

WO R K I NG
RAQUETTE LAKE In the late 1980s, Donna Pohl was a school-

NAVIGATION CO. teacher; her husband, Dean, was a contractor
at a time when new home construction had
Floating a family business tapered off in the area. He got tired of jacking up
the foundations of old camps. I dont wanna do
this, Donna remembers him saying. Tourism was
BY DAVID SOMMERSTEIN
on the upswing. So the Pohls took a gamble on
a new tourist attraction. Dean had the steel hull
2:30 P.M. of a 60-foot-long cruise ship built and shipped
A luxury dinner cruise with Raquette Lake Nav- in two pieces from Michigans Upper Peninsula;
igation Company starts in the Pohls rustic the roads would have been too narrow to haul it
family home, tucked behind a hill that rises up in one piece. With the help of two employees, he
from the waters edge. A longtime-customer- built the rest of the W. W. Durant from the water-
turned-front-desk-employee folds napkins and line up, including installing the engine, plumbing,
takes last-minute reservations over the phone wiring, two decks, everything down to the glow-
(chicken, prime rib, salmon, sea bass or ank ing wood paneling in the dining room. Its a mod-
steak?) in the cluttered, wood-paneled ofce. ern boat, but its reminiscent of the steamboats
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NANCIE BATTAGLIA
Rocky the cat slinks by. that plied Raquette Lake in the late 19th century.
Donna Pohl, matriarch and ofcial majordo- The Pohls four children grew up working in
mo of the operation, breezes through, armed the family business. The eldest and the youngest
with a clipboard, pages of checklists for tonights found their calling in other careers, but the mid-
voyage. Every single cruise we ever do has to dle two, Rachel and Jim, were 13 and 10, respec-
The Pohl family be the best one weve ever done, Donna says, tively, when they startedRachel waiting tables,
and crew have been noting Raquette Lake is close to pretty much Jim washing pots and pans. For 16 years Jim
wining and dining nowhere. We have to make the experience so has been the ships Culinary Institute of Amer-
guests aboard the
W. W. Durant for wonderful you cant wait to go home and tell icatrained executive chef. For the last decade
26 years. your friends and sign up again. Rachel has been the head bartender, beverage

manager and leading brand extender
(she sells a line of Rachels Raquette
Lake Elixir bloody mary mix across
New York State). Now, as Donna
and Dean start to irt with retire-
ment, Jim and Rachel seem poised
to become the second generation of
ownership of a popular Adirondack
attraction.
3:39 P.M.
Jim Pohl is in the kitchen roasting
prime rib crusted with oregano and
black pepper, pan-searing airline
chicken breast with a Dijon mustard
glaze, and flour-dusting sea bass
thatll be nished with a citrus cream
sauce. It all happens simultaneously,
set to a precise timeline that ends
with serving dinner just after passen-
gers have enjoyed cocktails and the
sunset overlooking the Adirondacks
largest natural lake. Were a cater-
ing operation, Jim says. We start
everything on land, and then nish it
on board.
You can tell it has its stressful

WORKING
moments. All of the food must be

precisely undercooked here, so that
it nishes, perfectly cooked, inside
the portable warming ovens the crew
carries down to the boat. Jim esti-
mates hes prepared 15,000 meals
this summer.
Jim is tall in a plain white T-shirt
and Syracuse University ball cap. He
strides outside to the porch, past
bags of onions and potatoes and
a small mountain of empty card-
board boxes, to check on the chefs
special sizzling on the grill: bal-
samic-marinated flank steak with
whole-grain mustard. Ever since I
was a little kid Ive wanted to be in
the restaurant business, Jim says
as he turns each steak. After grad-
uating from CIA in 2003, he worked
summers here and winters at high-
end restaurants in Florida, Las Vegas
and New Orleans. Now hes raising a
family in Raquette Lake. (His daugh-
ter, six-year-old Avery, is Dean and
Donnas only grandchild.) This is
where Ive always been drawn to.
I dont even think of it as a job. Its
more of a hobby, Jim says.
Jims sister Rachel hustles in,
ushed from the sun. We just came
off the afternoon excursion, she
says between mouthfuls of left-
over garlic mashed potatoes. Just
restocking and snagging some food
before the dinner cruise.
In addition to daily dinner cruises,
the Pohls offer lunch cruises, fami-
ly-friendly pizza excursions, moon-
light trips, wine and beer pairings,
and Sunday brunch. Its like a crazy
breakneck speed during the sum-
mer, Rachel says. But then we get
a break in the winter and were all
refreshed and ready to do it again in
the spring.
For Rachel, being a part of this
family enterprise has made her feel
rooted, to her job and to this extraor-
dinarily beautiful and isolated place.
Its a path in life, and its shaped who
I am, she says.
Outside, Captain Dean Pohl rum-
bles up in a four-wheeler, in full mar-
itime regalia. Dean is a prominent
and sometimes controversialpub-

WILDERNESS LANDSCAPES
BOULDER WALLS
X Staircases X Seawalls
X Natural stone patios & walkways
X Fire pits and outdoor living spaces
X Native plantings & restorations
X Barge services available
WORKING
lic gure in the Adirondacks. Hes a

councilman on the Long Lake town
board. Hes clashed with the Adiron-
dack Park Agency and with environ-
mentalists over the popular Marion
River Carry tract; he sold a portion
of the property to the Open Space
Institute in 2013.
Jim comes back in the kitchen and
looks around. His prep cook, Lake
George high-schooler James Bridges,
chops up lettuce for salads. We are
right on schedule, Jim announces.
The chickens about to come out of
the oven. Prime rib is almost there. I
just need to grill lemons. Then hell
buzz home to shower and change
into his starched chef uniform before
its time to shuttle the food down to
the waterfront.
5:35 P.M.
The shadows off the islands are just
starting to lengthen as a golden sun-
set bathes Raquette Lake. In the pilot
house, Dean Pohl blasts the horn and
eases the 57-ton boat from the dock.
Hes the embodiment of a captain
crisp white uniform, epaulets, cap-
tains hat. On the upper deck, a few
dozen people clink glasses. Classic
jazz oats from the sound system.
People duck their heads in occasion-
ally to greet the captain.
Dean grabs a microphone and wel-
comes passengers. We will begin our
cruise heading in an easterly course
heading down South Bay. This bay is
four miles long, with Golden Beach
lying at the far end of the bay.
Deans monologues are perhaps
the best-known feature of these
cruises. Theyre loaded with historical
GREAT CAMP SAGAMORE

fact, sometimes blended with myth
and wry humor. He points out Camp
Pine Knot, built by the boats name-
/BUJPOBM)JTUPSJD-BOENBSLJOUIF#MVF3JEHF8JMEFSOFTTOFBS3BRVFUUF-BLF /: sake, who developed this area in the
19th century. He indicates properties
that used to be vibrant hotels when
he was a child, always incorporating
new details into his speeches to keep
repeat customers entertained.
SEASONAL TOURS RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS MAY TO OCTOBER
6:45 P.M.
GREATC AMPS AGAMORE.ORG 315 354-5311 Tonights voyage is nearly sold out
the boats traditional dinner cruises

.qqqq
AAA
Save BIG with pre-sale tickets at

ADKWINEFEST.COM
WORKING
seat 64and the dining room bus-

tles with laughter and conversation.
Theres a family from suburban Phila-
delphia, a couple from New York City
celebrating their honeymoon, and no
fewer than three groups who have
been dining on the W. W. Durant for
its entire 26-year existence.
Bob and Karen Kendall, from New
Jersey, bought a camp on Raquette
Lake the same summer the boat rst
launched. It was amazing, Bob says.
There were a bunch of boats in the
water and they were beeping their
horns. It was exciting for this lake to
see a boat this large being launched.
Out of all their options, the Kendalls
chose to celebrate their 40th anni-
versary here. We feel this is one of
the nest restaurants in the Adiron-
dacks, boat or no boat, Karen says.
As peach Melba and coffee are
served, Donna Pohl sits behind
Dean, shoes off, grinning, another
successful work day in the books.
Doing anything in the Adirondacks
is more difcult than anywhere else
in the world, Dean says. The couple
has reached the age when retirement
is an ongoing consideration. Donna
talks about spending more time trav-
eling. Dean, on the other hand, says
he isnt sure what hed do with him-
self. You can only play so much golf,
or sh so much, he says. Im pretty
happy that Im doing what Im doing.
Both of them are clearly proud of
the business their family has built.
No one thought this was going to
succeed but us, Dean says.
Its dark now, and the stars are
glistening off the lake as Dean guides
the boat back to the docks. Tomor-
row theres a lunch buffet cruise, an
afternoon excursion, the traditional
dinner cruise, and then a nighttime
voyage with music by a guitarist vis-
iting from Greenwich Villagemore
opportunities to convince passen-
gers theyll want to return for another
posh and delicious experience in the
heart of the wilderness.
For a schedule of cruises, call (315)

354-5532 or visit www.raquettelake
navigation.com.

NEW YORKS BREATHTAKING NORTH COUNTRY WITH
JUNE 25JULY 1 and Leave the driving to Country Travel DISCOVERIES in two
seven-day adventures highlighting the best of the Adirondacks,
SEPTEMBER 23 29, 2017 including sweeping vistas, lake cruises, birding and y-shing
outings, and a Great Camp tour.
Highlights Include:
Visit Pine Knot, rst of the Adirondack Great Camps
Breathtaking coastal drive along Lake Champlain
Relive the Miracle on Ice at the Lake Placid Olympic Center
Cruise Lake George on the steamboat Minne-ha-ha
Meet the editors and regional experts at Adirondack Life
Visit Crown Point
Meet Wayne Ignatuk, rustic craftsman
Guided walk with birding expert Joan Collins
Tour and cheese-tasting at Asgaard Farm, Au Sable Forks
For a full itinerary go to countrytraveldiscoveries.com/ADL
or (855) 744-TRIP (8747). Mention code ADL17A.
CELEBRATING THE 125th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADIRONDACK PARK

PROF I LE
DEATH OF and lost his rental house in Bolton Landing. The VA
JON CODY eventually put him in a house in the hills outside of

Hague, near Ticonderoga, miles from his friends,
a place I never had a chance to visit but which he
The man behind seemed to think was ne. It gave him needed sta-
bility. A home health aide came once a week and
the myth cleaned and did his laundry. He kept his regular hos-
pital follow-ups.
BY CHRISTOPHER SHAW After his illness we saw each other twice a year,
usually meeting in Stony Creek and driving in his
Bronco over the mountain to his cabin in West
WHEN MY SON, NOAH, emailed me to tell me Stony Creek. The chemo had reduced him drasti-
Jon Cody had died, in July 2015, I was at our cabin cally, enfeebled him, shortened him. Decades of
on the Saranacs recovering from a stem-cell trans- imbalance from his missing arm had corkscrewed
plant. I read the message on my phone while sitting his spine. His hair was wispy and straw-like, his voice
at the picnic table in the sunshine and let it sink in. a dry croak. I drove his aging Ford down the other
When I called an hour or two later, Noah said that side of Bear Pen Mountain, Forest Preserve on either
Gail, his mother, had heard it from a friend of hers side, through the beech and maple hardwoods into
in Stony Creek. They found him at his cabin in West the close-set spruce and balsam, everything swarm-
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID OWENS
Stony Creek the day before. He was 75. Noah didnt ing with associations and confused memories. Inside
know much more. we opened the doors and the blinds made from wool
Cody had been sick off and on over the years, blankets, went through all the automatic motions of
most recently from throat cancer in 2010. For much opening up, occupied the chairs on the porch and
of that time he was in a VA rehab center, alternately cast our eyes over the meadow and the valley with
charming and exasperating nurses. But in the after- the past welling up in plumes. I sensed our prepa-
math he could no longer maintain his old-time curio ration for the inevitable, not as long in coming as it
shop, Traditional Outtters, in Lake George village, appeared then.

The place occupied the middle
of approximately 200,000 more-
or-less roadless acres, part of the
Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, a region of
creeks, ponds, low mountains and
old-growth pines visited primar-
ily by sportsmen, snowmobilers,
four-wheelers, trappers and game
violators. Twenty miles to the south
lay Great Sacandaga Lake and the
town of Day; west, the Route 30
corridor leading north from the
Mohawk Valley to the St Lawrence;
to the north, lonely Route 8 and the
114,000-acre Siamese Ponds Wilder-
ness; east, the winding paved roads
and mixed forest of eastern Warren
County and the Hudson River.
On old topo maps the road was
marked Oregon Trail and ended
another 12 miles west on Route 8,
at Oregon (not the other no-place
called Oregon near Bloomingdale,
in Franklin County), on an uninhab-
ited stretch of wilderness highway.
All this east-west business could get
confusing. If you looked at the maps,
however, you could see how the
place was liminal between two zones
of early European settlementfrom
the south and west by the region
around Johnstown, the seat of Wil-
liam Johnsons multiracial colonial
empire; and from the south and east
by the Glens FallsSaratoga axis of
18th-century wars of conquest and
revolution, each conferring its own
orientation on the watersheds.
The ambiguity enhanced the com-
pact geographys feeling of apart-
ness. During periods of severe wash-
outs and deep snows you might be
stranded for days or weeks. The low
rocky knobs surrounding it made up
for what they gave away in altitude
by enfolding you, protecting you.
They also cut you off from outside.
Their local namesKeyes & Burns,
the Cobble, Mount Blue, Bear Pen
appeared on no maps except the
mimeographed one made for hunt-
ers at Jack Bakers old camp at the
other end of the pond. Everything
about it was Out There.
The rst of those nal visits was
almost ponderously Beethovian,

PROFILE
tinged with brooding. The elds had

grown in with berries and aspen sap-
lings. Hardwoods overhung the rough
dirt road west from Jons cabin,
the Wigwam, which had once run
through open fields. Cody hadnt
been there in two years, and was at
the lowest point of his recovery. He
wanted to inventory the antiques,
art, tools, ne old bookssome of it
his and some left over from the orig-
inal owner, a music publisher from
Chicago. We talked about where it
might go. Hauling it all down to the
Thurman Historical Society seemed
the best idea, but we didnt know
what kind of money or facility it had
to store the stuff, if any.
In a drawer we found some of his
letters from the late 60s and 70s,
when he had been caretaking the
place after his car accident. I read
them to him out loud, as you had to,
his undiagnosed, untreated dyslexia
at the root of so much of his char-
acter, so many of his catastrophes.
One letter excoriated him in color-
ful, profane terms for destroying
a hunting season visit by some of
H I S T O R I C C R A F T S M A N S H I P the owners friends. Jon had been
missing, the owner wrote, unhelpful,

wasted, acting out in strange ways to
draw attention to himself, shooting
wildly into the night. It was a bitter
and unrelenting indictment. Cody
listened with a rueful look. What a
fucking waste, he said, as if the let-
ter summed up all the compounded
errors of his life. We closed up and
drove in low range the rest of the way
to Baldwin Spring, on East Stony. Lot
of wild stories back in this country,
he croaked, though he didnt have
the energy to recount any. I knew
them all anyway.
IF ANYONE LIVED larger or

bestrode the southeastern Adiron-
dacksUpper Hudson region with
more Bunyan-esque grandiosity than

Jon Cody, I dont know who it was.
He covered the territory and knew
)&+ *'( )%)% the ground as much as you could
from a Jeep or a snow machine.
Born in Schenectady in 1941, he

"
!'+

occupied a succession of ne leath-

Inspired.
Personalized.
Delicious.
lakeviewcateringadk@gmail.com
www.lakeviewdeli.com
137 River Street
Saranac Lake
New York 12983
518-891-2101 gail brill design

Invitations Calligraphy Maps Illustrations
www.gailbrilldesign.com
gailbrilldesign@gmail.com

PROFILE
er shops, antique stores and knick-

knack emporiums in Saratoga and
Lake George and dealt on the side
in sporting arms and mid-level mar-
ijuana sales. With an arm lost to a
succession of car and snowmobile
accidents, he kept a large and rag-
tag band of woods hippies, back-
to-the-landers, survivalists, artists,
musicians, bartenders, waitpersons,
carpenters, cooks, cops, lawyers and
judges all stoned for 30 years. He
mingled with the highest and low-
est and everybody in between, had
friendships across multiple socio-
economic strata that spanned more
than half a century. If he was a friend,
you knew the power of that friend-
ship, the sometimes crazy heights
of its expectations. But he would
do anything for you. His motto was
every days a camping trip.
A friend in Lake George, now in her
60s, says that when she was in high
school she knew him only as a larg-
er-than-life gure who had one arm,
lived in a cabin far out in the woods
and came and went in a black Jeep
with a big dog sitting in the pas-
senger seat, often with a paper bag
full of pot on the back. He had a big
voice, a big smile, long blond hair and
beard, and was known above all for
knowing everybody, for grand ges-
tures of defending the weak, and of
embarrassing acts of generosityif
you admired his knife or pack basket
or parka he would immediately say,
Here! and hand it over.
Despite the macho exterior, the
Cody I knew could be painfully sensi-
tive, vulnerable, a meticulous crafts-
man with cultivated tastes in art and
antiques. He loved a good story, and
told one about as well as any old
Adirondack yarn-spinner I ever met.
He had disasters, usually romantic,
automotive or alcoholic, often all
three, but I never knew him to spend
a night in jail. After the mid-80s, he
mostly didnt drink, except when he
did and the inevitable usually hap-
pened.
The public Cody, the mythic Cody,
always seemed to be in three plac-
es at once: buying the bar a round

PROFILE
A modern twist on the

in Lake George, giving out handfuls
of the areas rst Afghani seeds in
Adirondack wedding
Saratoga, appearing at somebodys
house in Stony Creek with a crisp
hundred to ll the oil tank or get a
hernia repaired. Our friendship took
place mostly out of sight, during my
visits to camp over four decades, the
months in the 1970s when I worked
for him in the leather shop, and later
in the 80s designing and selling pack
baskets all over the Adirondacks. At
its center was our shared affection
from entirely opposite points of
viewfor what William James would
have termed the strenuous life,
meaning in this case living rough but
cozily without electricity and only
gravity-fed spring water, in all sea-
sons. And of not coming out some-
times for weeks at a time, a prac-
tice that, shall we say, permanently
changes your view.
EVENTUALLY, THE STORY of

Jon Codys death came out. When
he didnt show up for a follow-up
appointment one day a nurse alert-
ed Social Services, who told the State
Police. They sent two rookies over
the mountain to West Stony who
couldnt really fathom the ambig-
uous geography and drove right
past the cabin. They kept going on
the rugged dirt track, past Madison
Brook, as far as the ford over East
Stony Creek at Baldwin Spring, where
they realized theyd gone too far and
turned back.
When they had rst passed the
cabin, Jons dog, Storm, a sheepdog
from Montana crossed between a
Russian wolfhound and a Great Pyr-
enees, bred to ght off coyotes and
ercely protective of Jon, had either
let himself out of the cabin or had
already been let out. When the cops
got back to the end of Jons drive-
waya twisted two-track climbing
the sandy mound of glacial till to the
cabinthey found Storm standing in
the middle of the road blocking the
way. They stopped and approached
the animal. Massive and hostile to
strangers, Storm let them read his
Darrah Cooper Jewelers
Main Street, Lake Placid www.DarrahCooper.com 518-523-2774
brass tag, the same tag worn by all

PROFILE
the ve dogs of Jons I had known:

Storm, Property of Jon Cody, West
Stony Creek NY, hammered into it.
Then, like freaking Lassie, Storm led
them on foot up the driveway and
barked at the door of the cabin. They
found Jon inside on the low antique
cot he had always slept in to the left
of the door facing the replace, and
called the Stony Creek emergency
squad to send up an ambulance.
When they got there Storm pro-
tected the body for more than an
hour and bit two of the emergency
squad members.
He would have loved the story,
and I could see him standing in front
of the replace passing a scienti-
cally rolled joint, relishing every iron-
ic detail about his own death and the
mystery of how Storm got out, tell-
ing it over and over again. Everything
about it came straight out of the
playbook of the Cody era, the Cody
epic, the Cody mythos, the divine
Cody comedy.
I heard a lot of people say he was
like a character in a book. Cody inhab-
ited a grand fantasy built out of bits
and pieces of popular culture, stories
of trappers and mountain men, Tar-
zan movies, Saturday morning seri-
als, his military service in Panama, a
little bit of Neal Cassady and a little
bit of a bodhisattva. Eventually the
fantasy became the reality and our
participation in the myth increased
its power.
In a lot of ways, he was like the
crazy old monk who comes down
from his mountain retreat and dis-
tributes his treasures freely in the
marketplace. Those long weeks in the
woods had changed his view forev-
er. And now we know how the story
endedit ended well, and it ended in
West Stony Creek, where he had lived
longer and was more deeply entan-
gled than anyone. If you go there now
you may nd him, as Walt Whitman
said, under your boot soles.
Christopher Shaw is at work on a

memoir of 60 years in the Adirondacks.
He teaches at Middlebury College and
is a former editor of this magazine.

G E A R A N D H A R D G O O D S F O R L I F E O N T H E W AT E R +1 2 0 7 8 6 6 4 8 67 S H AWA N DT E N N E Y. CO M

Winners of our Readers Choice Awards
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY KATE MCDEVITT
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NANCIE BATTAGLIA
RESTAURANTS and ngerling potatoes. And the

Here in the Adirondacks, we like to 46 varieties of sandwiches at
keep it simple. Thats certainly true of Lake Placids Simply Gourmet were
our Best Burger winner, The Tavern, in voted, well, simply the best.
Eagle Bay, with its two dining options:
hamburger or cheeseburger. What this BURGERS
beloved roadhouse lacks in variety, Winner: The Tavern
it makes up for in lip-smacking quali- 5520 Route 28, Eagle Bay
tyand a made-to-order attitude. You (315) 357-4305, on Facebook
can even get your burger topped with Runner-Up: Turtle Island Cafe,
Hofmanns German-style franks. Willsboro
Many of our readers favorite bites
reect the simpler things in life: home- SANDWICHES
style cooking at Walts Diner, in Old Winner: Simply Gourmet
Forge; slices served up at Screamen 2099 Saranac Avenue, Lake Placid
Eagle, Inlets go-to pizza-and-beer joint; (518) 523-3111 PIZZA
the pub fare on tap at Big Tupper Brew- simplygourmetlakeplacid.com Winner: Screamen Eagle
ing, in Tupper Lake; or the joys of a sh Runner-Up: Lakeview Deli, 172 Route 28, Inlet
fry at Daikers, overlooking Fourth Lake. Saranac Lake (315) 357-6026
For ve-star plates theres Five Corners screameneaglepizza.com
Cafe, in Old Forge, winner of Best Fine BREAKFAST Runner-Up: Little Italy, Saranac Lake
Dining thanks to earthy offerings like Winner: Walts Diner and Tupper Lake
caramelized Brussels sprouts in a warm 3047 Main Street, Old Forge
maple vinaigrette or rainbow trout with (315) 369-2582, on Facebook DINER
local sweet corn, roasted red peppers Runner-Up: Tamarack Cafe, Inlet Winner: Walts Diner
3047 Main Street, Old Forge
(315) 369-2582, on Facebook
Runner-Up: Noon Mark Diner, Keene
Valley
OUTDOOR DINING
Winner: Daikers
161 Daikers Circle, Old Forge
(315) 369-6954, daikers.com
Runner-Up: R. F. McDougalls at Hungry
Trout Resort, Wilmington
CASUAL DINING
Winner: Big Tupper Brewing
12 Cliff Avenue, Tupper Lake
(518) 359-6350
bigtupperbrewing.com
Runner-Up: The Lean-To at Great Pines,
Old Forge
Treats from Adirondack
Chocolates, in Lake Placid,
Best Candy winner. FINE DINING
Winner: Five Corners Cafe

DRINKS
Liquids & Solids at the Handlebar, in
Lake Placid, is still the undefeated
champion of the Adirondack cocktail,
gaining lifelong fans with creative sips
like The Vanilla Cat, a concoction of
tequila, blood orange, ginger, chocolate
bitters and vanilla chili syrup. Mean-
while, a newcomer has taken the micro-
brewery category: Fulton Chain Craft
Brewery, in Old Forge, has been winning
hearts and minds since 2014 with an
impressive lineup of locally sourced
suds. But our readers favorite spot
to enjoy both cocktails and beerand
music and foodis Old Forges Daikers,
which has been doing a rollicking year-
round business for 60 years.
COCKTAILS
Winner: Liquids & Solids at
the Handlebar
6115 Sentinel Road, Lake Placid
(518) 837-5012, liquidsandsolids.com
Runner-Up: Wakelys Speakeasy at
Van Aukens Inne, Thendara
MICROBREWERY
Winner: Fulton Chain Craft Brewery
127 North Street, Old Forge
(315) 369-1181
3067 Route 28, Old Forge 1556 Route 86, Saranac Lake fccbrewery.com
(315) 369-2255, vecornerscafe.com On Facebook Runner-Up: Big Tupper Brewing,
Runner-Up: Hungry Trout, Wilmington Runner-Up: Northern Lights Tupper Lake
Creamery, Inlet
BAR
TREATS CANDY Winner: Daikers
Summer isnt summer without a velvety Winner: Adirondack Chocolates 161 Daikers Circle, Old Forge
twist cone from Donnellys, in Saranac 5680 Route 86, Wilmington, and (315) 369-6954
Lake, or a luscious homemade gelato 61 Main Street, Lake Placid daikers.com
from Northern Lights Creamery (an Inlet (800) 232-4626 Runner-Up: Wakelys Speakeasy at
institution that lost the ice-cream cate- www.adirondackchocolates.com Van Aukens Inne, Thendara
gory by only a whisker). And many trips Runner-Up: Candy Cottage, Old Forge
to the High Peaks region include a visit
to the Candy Man, in Wilmington, now DONUTS RECREATION
known as Adirondack Chocolates with Winner: The Donut Shop Whether its thrills on the lake or the
a second location in Lake Placid. But 5474 Route 28, Eagle Bay trail, the slope or the links, this six-mil-
it would also be a mistake to miss out (315) 357-6421, eaglebaydonuts.com lion-acre playground has something
on the Donut Shop, in Eagle Bay (serv- Runner-Up: Marys White Pine Bakery, for everyone. To score a great game of
ing up our readers favorite fry cakes), Inlet golf, our readers suggest the Donald
or Marys White Pine Bakery, in Inlet, Rossdesigned Thendara Golf Club. You
where fans line up early to get the best BAKERY can gear up for a day on the water at
baked goodies fresh from the oven. Winner: Marys White Pine Bakery Wilmingtons Hungry Trout Fly Shop, a
152 Route 28, Inlet favorite outtter stationed on the bite-
ICE CREAM (315) 357-5170 rich Ausable River. And we hear Placid
Winner: Donnellys Runner-Up: Cake Placid, Lake Placid Boatworks, two-time winner of Best

Thendara Golf
Club, Best Golf Course
winner. Top: Whiteface
Mountain, in Wilmington,
voted Best Ski Center.
Boatbuilder, crafts the best canoes.
Although Lake Placids renowned Olym-
pic Mountain got the top nod for down-
hill delights, this year McCauley Moun-
tain, Old Forges hometown hill, almost
knocked it from its pedestal.
GOLF COURSE
Winner: Thendara Golf Club
151 Fifth Street, Thendara
(315) 369-3136
thendaragolfclub.com
Runner-Up: Inlet Golf Club, Inlet
SPORTS OUTFITTER
Winner: Hungry Trout Fly Shop
5239 Route 86, Wilmington
(518) 946-2117
hungrytrout.com/y-shop
Runner-Up: Mountainman Outdoor
Supply Company, Old Forge, and The
Mountaineer, Keene Valley
BOATBUILDER/RESTORER
Winner: Placid Boatworks
263 Station Street, Lake Placid
(518) 524-2949 But in large part, Adirondack culture EVENT
placidboatworks.com is the culture of fun: checking out a Winner: Saranac Lake Winter Carnival
Runner-Up: Hornbeck Boats, band at a rehabbed speakeasy, climb- Every February, Saranac Lake
Olmstedville ing onto a frozen sculpture in the shad- saranaclakewintercarnival.com
ow of Saranac Lakes iconic ice palace, Runner-Up: Oktupperfest, Tupper Lake
SKI CENTER or taking on the 280-foot Killermanjaro
Winner: Whiteface Mountain at Old Forges Water Safari. TOURIST ATTRACTION
5021 Route 86, Wilmington Winner: Enchanted Forest Water Safari
(518) 946-2223 ARTS ORGANIZATION/GALLERY 3183 Route 28, Old Forge
www.whiteface.com Winner: View (315) 369-6145, watersafari.com
Runner-Up: McCauley Mountain 3273 Route 28, Old Forge Runner-Up: The Wild Center,
Ski Area, Old Forge (315) 601-9728, viewarts.org Tupper Lake
Runner-Up: Lake Placid Center
for the Arts RUSTIC/ADIRONDACKANA STORE
CULTURE Winner: Dartbrook Rustic Goods
Adirondack culture is hard to dene. MUSEUM 10923 Route 9N, Keene
Maybe its a mouthful of campre cof- Winner: Adirondack Museum (518) 576-4360
fee set to the soundtrack of crackling Routes 28N and 30, dartbrookrustic.com
logs. Or a shanty full of anglers swap- Blue Mountain Lake Runner-Up: Old Forge Hardware
ping sh stories. It can also be the top- (518) 352-7311
shelf works at the annual Adirondacks adirondackmuseum.org
National Exhibition of American Water- Runner-Up: The Wild Center, LODGING
colors at Old Forges View, or a rustic Tupper Lake Some folks like the Adirondack expe-
furniture installation at the Adirondack rience to be up close and personal
Museum, in Blue Mountain Lake. Rustic MUSIC VENUE morning mist blanketing the breakfast
style is a beloved part of our regions Winner: Wakelys Speakeasy table, a bear brushing past the tent
past as well as its present, with favor- at Van Aukens Inne after midnightothers would rath-
ite shops like Keenes Dartbrook Rus- 108 Forge Street, Thendara er enjoy the view from an elegantly
tic Goods stuffed to the rafters with (315) 369-3033, vanaukensinne.com appointed room. Whether you prefer
Adirondackana. Runner-Up: Daikers, Old Forge the pampering of the Mirror Lake Inn,

in Lake Placid, a bunking-with-wildlife
adventure at the Old Forge Camping
Resort, or anything in between, our
readers have picked just the place.
HOTEL
Winner: Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa
77 Mirror Lake Drive, Lake Placid
(518) 523-2544, mirrorlakeinn.com
Runner-Up: The Woods Inn, Inlet
RESORT
Winner: Silver Bay YMCA
87 Silver Bay Road, Silver Bay
(518) 543-8833, silverbay.org
Runner-Up: Great Pines, Old Forge
BED-AND-BREAKFAST
Winner: The Tumble Inn
875 Route 9, Schroon Lake
(518) 532-7605, tumbleinn.net
Runner-Up: Moose River
House, Thendara
COTTAGES
Winner: Dartbrook Lodge
2835 Route 73, Keene
(518) 576-9080, dartbrooklodge.com
Runner-Up: Sunset Beach Lakeside
Cottages, Inlet
CAMPGROUND
Winner: Old Forge Camping Resort
3347 Route 28, Old Forge
(315) 369-6011
Dartbrook Lodge, in Keene, oldforgecamping.com
voted Best Cottages. Runner-Up: Lake Placid/Whiteface
Mountain KOA, Wilmington
HOT DOG PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ADIRONDACK DOG HOUSE
And the Weiner Is ...

OK, WE GET IT. For as long as weve been tallying Best of the Adirondacks write-
in favorites, our readers have let us knowloud and clearthat they would relish
the inclusion of the Adirondack Dog House for Best Hot Dogs. Other categories
that refused to be ignored were Best Cheese (carried by Sugar House Creamery, in
Upper Jay), Best Soap (the clean winner was Marthas Rainwater Soaps, in Keene),
Best Antiques Shop (Antiques Market Place, in Lake George) and Best Adirondack
Chairs (crafted by Charles Grover Woodworks, in Long Lake).
But the majority of the write-ins were all over the map, from a wide selection of
prized views, desserts, coffee, soups and salads, to singular votes for Most Incon-
venient (Ironman) and, our favorite, Best Dog. Good girl, Layla!

o
HOW A WAVE OF NEW FARMERS IS

TRANSFORMING ESSEX COUNTY TOWNS
BY LISA BRAMEN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LISA J. GODFREY
FOR 169 YEARS THE ESSEX COUNTY FAIR has cel- Rather than milking a herd of cows or planting a eld of
ebrated the regions agricultural heritage. But lately atten- corn and selling it to a major producer from awaythe con-
dance for the ve-day extravaganza of fried food, livestock ventional modelthese new farmers are part of the small-
exhibitions, carnival rides and demolition derbies in West- farm or local-food movement, focused on creating a food
port has wobbled. One explanationFarming is just dying system that feeds the community they live in and keeps the
in Essex Countywas related to Schroon Lake business money circulating locally. They espouse a commitment to
owner Lisa Marks about a year ago. healthy food and a healthy environment, with a general ten-
I was astounded that anyone could make that state- dency toward organic practices. Racey Henderson, of Reber
ment, says Marks. After all, the countys thriving local Rock Farm, calls this ethos the triple bottom line, balancing
food scene was one of the things that had lured her and the nancial, social and ecological aspects of their business.
her husband, Edward, to open Pine Cone Mercantile and In the process, these farmers are changing not just the
North Woods Bread Company here in 2015. I think [local local agriculture scene, but the countys economy, culture,
farming] is more vibrant than ever, she says. tourism andcruciallyits demographics.
Which impression is more accurate depends on your
frame of reference. Historically speaking, the pessimists ON A SATURDAY EVENING in April 2016, Dogwood
have a point: Once a mainstay of the Adirondack economy, Bread Company, in Wadhams, was packed. The crowd, pri-
agriculture slid steadily from its peak around the turn of marily farmers, skewed well below the median age46of
the 20th century, when the Champlain Valley had more the Essex County population at large. They mingled over
sheep than people, until the dawn of the 21st. wood-red pizza topped with local ingredients before set-
But there are hopeful signs that the tide is beginning tling down to the evenings business: the inaugural meet-
to turn. In 2007, for the rst time in more than a century, ing of the Adirondack Farmers Coalition, a local chapter of
the United States Department of Agriculture census noted the National Young Farmers Coalition.
an uptick in both the number of farms and Sophie Ackoff, eld director for the Hud-
amount of acreage used for farming in Essex Clockwise from top left: son Valleyheadquartered group, explained
County. By 2012, the last time the census Juniper Hill Farm vegetables its mission as organizing to make it easier to
was conducted, the amount of farmland had at the Adirondack Harvest start and stay in farming. She said the Adiron-
Festival. North Country
grown by almost 5,000 acres over the last Creamerys Clover Mead dack launch represented the organizations
dozen years. Caf, Ausable Brewing Com- biggest number of new members theyd ever
Since then, even more farmers have moved pany and Mace Chasm had at one time.
Farm have turned their rural
in. But in many cases they are doing things dif- Keeseville road into a In a place like the Adirondacks, where
ferently from their predecessors. locavore destination. hand-wringing over the aging population is

Helping a farm and
keeping it going creates all
kinds of jobs, not just
on the farms. It has this
multiplier effect thats
hard to quantify.
a perennial topic of discussion, any inux of young adults is

notable. As paper mills, mines and other major employers
have closed or moved elsewhere over the last few decades,
young people have been forced to leave the region after
high schooland few return. The exodus has affected
everything from school attendance to health-care costs.
The young farmers moving in, and in some cases starting
families, represent one of the few bright spots in the overall
demographic picture.
Though similar pockets are popping up throughout the
Adirondack Park, the small-farm trend is most pronounced
in Essex County, particularly in the Champlain Valley. The
reason for this is simple: the same things that made it a
farming mecca a century ago are still working in its favor.
With rolling hills spilling gently toward the western shore
of Lake Champlain, this region has always stood apart from
the rest of the Adirondacks, resembling parts of Vermont or
the Hudson Valley more than the High Peaks. Its fertile soils Seventeen-piece
New Orleans brass
and availability of farmland make it appealing to young band Wits End per-
people looking to start a farm. And, compared to Vermont forms al fresco at
and the Hudson Valley, the land is relatively affordable, Mace Chasm Farm.
especially with grants from land-conservation organiza-
tions such as the Open Space Institute and the Essex-based
Eddy Foundation.
But it will take more than cheap property to entice young
farmers to move hereand to keep them here. spends more on food than any other generation and wants
In early 2016 the Wild Center, in Tupper Lake, released a spaces to hang out. We need more gathering places. Noth-
report it had commissioned called Connecting Millennials ing else is going to keep young people here.
to the Adirondacks. While it was geared toward tourism, In some Essex County communities, the farms them-
the reports insightsespecially Millennials attitudes selves are becoming gathering places. A couple times a
about foodcould easily apply to attracting more young year, Grimes-Sutton and Thomas-Train host their friends
people in general. Sixty-four percent of survey respondents bands for concerts on their property. Last August, while
said they were interested in food, wine and breweries, and traditional New Orleans jazz band Tuba Skinny performed
66 percent said they were interested in farmers markets. in the barn, the couple served gumbo and boudin sausage
Overall, food quality is a high priority to Millennials, the from their food truck. If theres food, it becomes an event,
generation born from about 1981 to 2000. Grimes-Sutton says.
Courtney Grimes-Sutton, 34, who started Keesevilles On Thursday nights throughout the warmer months,
Mace Chasm Farm with her husband, Asa Thomas-Train, the couple park their food truck across the road at Ausable
in 2013, says the studys conclusions ring true. Our gener- Brewing Company, cooking up tacos from their own pas-
ation wants to learn something when they go somewhere, ture-raised meats and other local ingredients; they also

bring it to special events around the region. The food truck season. Locals come to ll their reusable bags with freshly
doesnt add a lot to their income, Grimes-Sutton says, but baked scones, beets and hockey pucksize wheels of Lit-
its important as a gateway to buying our food. tle Dickens, Sugar Houses soft-ripened cheese, but theres
Between Mace Chasm Farm, Fledging Crow Vegetables, more to it than stocking the refrigerator. Its also about
North Country Creamery's Clover Mead Caf, and Ausable connecting communities, says Brooks. People who [come
Brewing Companyoperating under the states farm brew- to] live here want to live intentionally, and they want good
ery license that Governor Andrew Cuomo established in food thats nourishing.
2013this little section of rural Keeseville has been trans- If anywhere is the cultural center of the Essex County
formed into a destination for the locavore set. farming scene, its the Whallonsburg Grange, smack in the
Sugar House Creamery plays a similar role in Upper Jay, middle of the highest concentration of farms in the county.
a sleepy hamlet with fewer than 300 residents (see Sugar The revival of this community center, which dates to the
House Creamery, June 2015). On Sundays from late Octo- Champlain Valleys original farming heyday, is represen-
ber to early June, Margot Brooks and Alex Eaton, 32 and tative of the burgeoning local farm movement as a whole.
33, respectively, host the Snowy Grocery, a scaled-down Nearly every week the 102-year-old building, renovated in
farmers market, after the one at Marcy Field closes for the 2008 after decades of disuse, hosts cooking classes, lm

screenings, lectures or square dances. to differentiate themselves in their offer-
In August, Kristin Kimball, of Essex Farm, ings and business models, some of them
introduced a guest speaker on farming and Farm Stays novel. Instead of a Community Supported
the environment. Standing in front of the
4 Agriculture (CSA) system, where members
grange halls recently restored painted the- pay an up-front fee for a share of the years
ASGAARD FARM
ater curtain, Kimball said, In the 13 years bounty, Reber Rock opted to open a farm
Stay in the renovated
weve been farming here weve seen a com- store; in addition to grass-fed beef and
two-bedroom Emerson
munity of farmers spring up. While head- other pasture-raised meats, they make and
House, designed and built
lines in the rest of the country are all about by artist Rockwell Kent sell sunower oil and homemade soap. KZ
agricultural decline, in our little area we in 1930. Today the Au Farm, in Westport, produces the ingredi-
have headlines about agricultural growth. Sable Forks farm is known ents for their Poco Mas taco truck; owners
for its goat cheese and Josh and Sarah Kingzack are experiment-
KRISTIN AND MARK KIMBALL were goats milk caramels. ing with packaging sauerkraut and pickled
the pioneers of the small-farm movement $190/night vegetables to extend their business to the
in Essex County, a story Kristin detailed www.asgaardfarm.com off-season. Farmstead Catering at Echo
in her 2011 memoir The Dirty Life. Directly Farm, in Whallonsburg, provides all of
BLUE PEPPER FARM
and indirectly, the Kimballs were respon- the food and owers for custom wedding
In summer, Shannon
sible for bringing other young farmers to events, planting and raising only what it
and Tyler Eaton rent out
the area. Some, like James Graves and Sara needs for up to six weddings per year. Its
their renovated four-
Kurak, of Full and By Farm, in Essex, and bedroom farmhouse with a like a CSA for your wedding, says Dillon
Courtney Grimes-Sutton, of Mace Chasm, pool, while they and their Klepetar, who started the business in 2014.
came to the Adirondacks to work at Essex young sons move to a People are deciding for themselves
Farm before starting their own ventures. yurt across the pasture on what res them up, what makes them
The Kimballs formed the Essex Farm their 46-acre working happy, Henderson says. In the end,
Institute in 2012 to offer on-farm expe- farm and sheep dairy in Jay. though, she adds, Were all competing for
rience to beginning farmers. In 2016, the $450/night the same dollars.
organization changed its mission to focus www.bpfarm.com How much bigger the local movement
on supporting the farmers in the commu- could grow will depend in part on whether
DACY MEADOW FARM
nity through farm visits and workshops these new businesses can reach more cus-
Dave and Cynthia
on topics like welding and protecting live- tomers. If a hundred percent of Adiron-
Johnston operate
stock from predators. Racey Henderson, of CynDa Croft bed-and-break- dackers actually only ate local, we could
Reber Rock Farm, joined as program coor- fast on their 72-acre West- support so many more farms, says Brooks.
dinator, a position that dovetails nicely port farm. They also offer The barriers are cost and convenience.
with her experience as a rural develop- farm-to-table dining in their Thats a bigger social issue. We all need to
ment consultant in Africa. Localvore Gallery. gure out how to make it more accessible
Henderson, 39, is another Essex Farm $50$100/night and more convenient.
alum; she met her husband, Nathan, when www.dacymeadowfarm.com One of the groups working on overcom-
she worked there between stints in Africa. ing those barriers is the Adirondack North
SOUTH MEADOW
When the couple, along with partner Chad Country Association (ANCA), based in
FARM
Vogel, went looking for their own farm, in Saranac Lake. The nonprot organizations
A six-room lodge on
2012, they initially avoided Essex out of mission is to support sustainable econom-
a Lake Placid family
concern the area couldnt support anoth- maple operation. ic development, with agriculture as one
er draft horsepowered operation like the Includes breakfast and of its focuses. Last fall ANCA and several
Kimballs and Full and By Farm, but they cross-country ski trails. partners launched Bike the Barns, a fund-
found the perfect spread a few miles away. $115$170/night raising bike tour with stops at area farms;
So far, the region isn't oversaturated, www.southmeadow.com the proceeds went to help subsidize CSA
in part because farmers are nding ways shares for people who cant afford them.
SUGAR HOUSE There are denitely hunger issues in
CREAMERY our region, says Josh Bakelaar, ANCAs
Clockwise from top left: Jori Wekin launched Two studio apartments,
the Hub on the Hill, in Essex, to support the director of local economies and agricul-
one with a kitchenette and
growing local food movement. Jay White is start- ture. Price is one of the things we can
ing a vineyard and winery in Essex, part
one without, on a 22-acre
work on.
of a new emphasis on agritourism in the region. dairy farm in Upper Jay.
Dillon Klepetar feeds the pigs at Echo Farm, in $110$130/night One problem is that fresh local food
Whallonsburg, which exclusively provides food Find on Airbnb.com is often more expensive than meats and
for custom weddings. Courtney Grimes-Sutton, produce shipped across the country or the
of Mace Chasm Farm, butchers her own pas-
ture-raised meats. world. But that doesnt mean local farm-

Piglets at
Mace Chasm
Farm, in
Keeseville.
ers are getting rich. On the contrary, the thing to help support them. We were in-
nancial risks for farm startups are great, spired by what was happening.
and many beginning farmers need a sup-
plementary source of income, whether a arm -F r e s h F u n Jori was instrumental in helping the
Whallonsburg Grange renovate its com-
F 4
part-time job or an Airbnb rental on their munity kitchen in 2012. She and several
property. APRIL 22 partners used it to start a co-packing busi-
Another obstacle is student loan debt. KIDDING DAY ness, now called Dak & Dill, making pick-
The National Young Farmers Coalition is Meet Asgaard Farms les, condiments and other value-added
lobbying to have farmers included among
newest goats. products from local ingredients. They soon
74 Asgaard Way,
essential public service professions, realized the need for a bigger work area for
Au Sable Forks
such as teachers and nurses, in a federal Dak & Dill and to help launch other busi-
www.asgaardfarm.com
loan forgiveness program. (518) 647-5754 nesses. In addition to the spacious, well-
Working off the land has always been a equipped kitchen, the Hub on the Hill has
physically demanding profession with lit- MAY 21 a fermentation room and cooled, frozen or
tle promise of nancial reward, but to the GREEN GRASS dry storage space for rent. Theres also a
farmers giving it a go here, thats not the GETDOWN self-service store featuring local foods and
point. Farming is totally a choice, says Watch Sugar House crafts. Poco Mas, Farmstead Catering, Fly-
Grimes-Sutton. Im very employable, but Creamerys cows prance ing Pancake Catering and Dak Bar energy
this work is the healthiest work for our with bovine joy as theyre snacks are a few of the businesses the Hub
minds and bodies.
released into the pasture has incubated.
after a long winter in
Building a thriving agricultural economy The next challenge to tackle, Wekin
the barn.
has implications well beyond the farmers says, is distribution. Right now, individu-
18 Sugar House Way,
themselves. Multiple studies have found Upper Jay al farms are making their own deliveries
that for every dollar spent on local goods, (518) 300-0626 and doing the legwork to nd restaurants
as much as 58 cents continues to circulate and other outlets for their products. Its
locally, while only about 14 cents of a dollar AUGUST 1620 a huge duplication of effortand mile-
spent at a chain store stays in the commu- ESSEX COUNTY FAIR agethat will need to be addressed for
nity. On top of that, farmers use the ser- A 169-year-old tradition. the movement to continue to grow and be
vices of local tradespeople and other local Essex County Fairgrounds, sustainable.
businesses. Helping a farm and keeping Westport
www.essexcountyfair.org
it going creates all kinds of jobs, not just DESPITE SOME INITIAL skepticism
on the farms, Bakelaar says. It has this from their older and more established
SEPTEMBER 16
multiplier effect thats hard to quantify. counterparts, the majority of the young
ADIRONDACK
HARVEST FESTIVAL farmers say they have felt welcome in
LIKE MUCH OF THE Adirondacks, most Food, music, farm their adopted communities. Most of the
Champlain Valley towns all but shut down demonstrations and more. local people that Ive talked to are pumped
in winter. But on a Thursday morning last Essex County Fairgrounds, because their businesses are growing right
December, a commercial kitchen in a for- Westport along with the farmers, says Klepetar, of
mer self-storage warehouse in Essex was www.adkharvestfest.com Farmstead Catering.
full of workers making hot sauce and pro- Jay White, president of the Essex Coun-
cessing vegetables. OCTOBER 1 ty Cornell Cooperative Extension board of
Launched in 2016 by Jori and Andy Wekin
BIKE THE BARNS directors, works with farmers of all stripes,
Tour the rural roads of
and Steve Blood, the Hub on the Hill is both giving him a good perspective across the
the Champlain Valley, with
a product and an enabler of the growing generational and cultural divide. The older
stops at local farms.
local food scene. btb.adirondack.org farmers sit back a little and watch [and say],
The Wekins moved to Essex from Ver- Huh, thats a different way of doing that,
mont in 2010 to manage Black Kettle Farm, a OCTOBER 8 White says. But when those young peo-
small operation associated with Lakeside ESSEX COUNTY ple call on those older farmers for help,
School, a Waldorf-style program where CHEESE TOUR theyre right there.
children spend a lot of time on the farm Tastings and tours at In any case, not all of the newcomers
and in the woods. The Wekins saw it as Sugar House Creamery, were born post-1980. Though the small-
an opportunity to dig in to a community Asgaard Farm and North farm movement is disproportionately
where they could raise their young chil-
Country Creamery. young, there are plenty of farmers in their
Upper Jay, Au Sable Forks
dren according to their values. 40s, 50s and beyond whose practices and
and Keeseville
As more farmers moved into the area, business models t comfortably into the
www.adirondackharvest.com
Jori says she and Andy wanted to do some- local-food scene. Some (Continued on page 76)

The River Jordan
EXPLORING THE STORIED
WILDERNESS WATERWAY OF
THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS
photographs by JOHNATHAN ESPER
FOR YEARS THE JORDAN approximately ,
18 miles of remote river that meanders from Sunset
Pond to Carry Falls Reservoir, had been at the top of
photographer Johnathan Espers adventure listpart
of what he considers the trilogy of northwestern
Adirondack wilderness rivers that includes the Oswe-
gatchie and Middle Branch of the St. Regis.
Last May, Esper, his brother Galen and mother,
Cheryl, spent three days paddling, portaging and
camping along this waterway. He says, The farther
we paddled, the more rewarding we found it. The
towering white pines growing along sections of the
Jordan River broke the monotony of alder bushes and
oxbow bends. And we never saw another person,
making it a memorable springtime paddle.

Campsite at an
oxbow the rst
night of the trip.
Facing page: The
Jordans many
twists kept us from
knowing exactly
how far we had
paddled, says
Johnathan Esper.

The bridge
above the
Jordans lower
rapids was a
welcome sight,
says Esper,
after portaging
48 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017 nearly two miles.
If You Go:
Getting to the Jordan River is a journey in
itself, starting with a 2.5-mile paddle up the
Carry Falls Reservoir and a 1.6-mile portage
beyond the Jordans mouth, where there are
rapids and a longtime private hunting camp.
A detailed guidebook, such as Phil
Browns 60 Great Flatwater Adventures (Lost
Pond Press & the Adirondack Mountain
Club, 2012), is essential in navigating river
access and state regulations. Paddlers should
be prepared with map, compass and appro-
priate backcountry gear, including bug spray.
The Buttery Kiss gets
its pink tinge and oral
taste from milkweed
ower syrup.
FORAGE YOUR WAY
TO DELICIOUS DRINKS
The syrup will keep up to three
by ELLEN ZACHOS months in the refrigerator. For long-
term storage, process half-pint jars in
photographs by KELLER + KELLER PHOTOGRAPHY
a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Leave -inch headspace.
A BUTTERFLY KISS a coupe and top with seltzer, spar- THE MERRY WOODSMAN
For years, common milkweed has kling water or club soda. No garnish Back when transatlantic travel
been dismissed as a weed rather required. involved months at sea (rather
than appreciated for its many vir- than a TSA pat down), sailors often
tues. Few people know that during Milkweed Flower Syrup got scurvy due to a lack of vitamin
World War II, the waterproof bers The nectar of common milkweed C in their diet. I hesitate to outline
inside milkweed seedpods were owers is thick and sweet, with scurvys symptoms here since this
used to ll life vests when the a unique avor. Its difcult to is supposed to be appetizing. Lets
United States no longer had access describe a new avor in terms of just say it ends with death.
to the traditional kapok lling familiar avors, so I suggest you Native Americans used local
imported from the South Pacic. taste the nectar straight off the evergreen foliage, which contains
Today those same bers are used plant to see if you like it. When the vitamin C, to prevent scurvy
as an effective material to absorb owers are ripe, each individual during winter months without
oil spills. bloom exudes a large, glossy drop fresh food. They shared this
Lepidopterists appreciate milk- of nectar. Dab that with your n- knowledge with European sailors,
weed as the essential food source ger and have a taste. Its oral (of who added spruce tips to their beer
for the caterpillar stage of the course), rich, and a little spicy, but for medicinal value.
monarch buttery, and foragers not in a hot-spicy way. I appreciate the evergreen
eat the young stems, unopened needles more for their bright,
ower buds, and immature seed- MAKES 22 CUPS citrusy avor than their preven-
pods as delicious green vegetables. 2 cups milkweed owers tative properties. In this cocktail,
The fully ripe blossoms of com- 1 cups sugar their tartness is balanced by the
mon milkweed make a naturally 1 cups water sweetness of elderowers and
pink simple syrup that can be the spiciness of ginger. The Merry
used in sorbets, ice creams, jellies Combine the milkweed owers and the Woodsman captures the essence
and cocktails. sugar in a glass or plastic container of a woodland spring, when a walk
with a tight lid, stir well, and let sit, through the woods reveals all
2 ounces vodka covered, for 24 hours. three plants at their avorful best.
1 ounces milkweed ower syrup Transfer the milkweed owers
(recipe follows) and sugar to a saucepan and add the 3 ounces spruce tip vodka
ounce seltzer, sparkling water water. Whisk over medium heat until (recipe follows)
or club soda the sugar is fully dissolved and the 1 ounces spruce tip syrup
liquid just begins to simmer. Remove (recipe follows)
TO MAKE ONE DRINK from the heat and cover. Let the syrup ounce elderower liqueur,
Combine the vodka and milkweed sit overnight. such as St-Germain
ower syrup in a shaker full of ice Strain the syrup and pour it into a 1 teaspoons ginger syrup
and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into pretty glass bottle or a canning jar. 1 ounces seltzer

(thank you, spruce tips), and reseal the
vodka in the quart jar.
Spruce Tip Syrup

Because spruce tips are tougher
than deciduous foliage like bee
balm leaves, youll need to simmer
them rather than just steep them
in boiled water. Combined with
spruce tip vodka, this syrup makes
a fresh, spicy Merry Woodsman
thats almost better than a walk in
the woods.
MAKES 11 CUPS
1 cup roughly chopped spruce tips
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Combine all three ingredients in a

saucepan, bring to a gentle boil, and
whisk to blend in sugar. Remove from
the heat, cover, and let the syrup sit
overnight. Strain and seal in a glass
bottle or canning jar.
The syrup will keep up to 3 months
in the refrigerator. For long-term stor-
age, process half-pint jars in a boiling
water bath for 10 minutes. Leave
-inch headspace.
Picking Spruce Tips

Citrusy spruce tips avor Young spruce tips (Juniperus spp.)
the Merry Woodsman.
are soft and feathery; its easy to
twist them off with your ngertips,
although you can also use pruners
if you dont want sticky ngers.
Young spruce tips, for garnish MAKES 1 QUART The difference between the ten-
(optional) 1 cup feathery young spruce tips der young tips and the stiff older
(see Picking Spruce Tips, below) spruce foliage is clear. Harvest your
TO MAKE ONE DRINK 1 (750 ml) bottle vodka spruce tips evenly from around the
Combine the vodka, spruce tip syrup, circumference of the tree. If you
elderower liqueur and ginger syrup in Place the spruce tips in a blender harvest from only one side of the
a shaker full of ice and shake hard for and add just enough vodka to cover tree, youll end up with an oddly
30 seconds. Strain into a highball glass, them. Blend on high until the spruce is shaped spruce.
top with seltzer, and garnish with a completely pulverized, then pour the
young spruce tip, if desired. green liquid into a quart jar and top SUMAC SPRITZER
off with the rest of the vodka. Emily Arseneau is a hospitality
Spruce Tip Vodka Seal the jar, shake the vodka, and consultant who landed her rst
Spruce tips are full of vitamin C, put it somewhere dark to steep. Taste bartending gig in 2006 at a pool
and macerated in vodka they give it after two days. You want a nice hall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. One
the spirit a light, citrus avor. Be lemony taste, and depending on how dive, two pubs, a beer garden and
sure to check the avor regularly old your spruce tips are, this may a few restaurants later, she arrived
as it develops. Left too long, the take two to four days. at Spirit of 77 in Portland, Oregon.
resulting infusion tastes more like When you like the avor, strain off It would change her perspective on
Pine-Sol than a cocktail. the vodka, throw away the spruce tips eating and drinking forever.

Emily is a frequent contributor following is her recipe. Top off with sumac soda and stir.
to the Dallas Morning News cocktail
lifestyle blog. She is currently 1 ounces gin Sumac Soda
collaborating with an internation- 1 ounce simple syrup To make sumac soda, you need
al bartenders collective, Collectif Sumac soda (recipe follows) to rst make sumac-ade, then run
1806, which focuses on cocktail the chilled sumac-ade through a
education. She appreciates both TO MAKE ONE DRINK soda siphon to carbonate it. Im
the traditional and the innovative Combine the gin and simple syrup in a often asked if you can do this
when it comes to cocktails. The collins glass, then ll the glass with ice. with a SodaStream, and while the
answer is a qualied yes, I dont
recommend it. First of all, it voids
the SodaStream warranty. Second
(and more importantly), you may
have a big, messy explosion on your
hands if the liquid isnt unsweet-
ened and 100-percent clear.
MAKES 1 QUART
2 cups dried sumac berries
1 quart room-temperature water
To make sumac-ade, combine the

sumac berries with the water and stir
vigorously for 2 minutes. Let the mix-
ture sit for several hours (or overnight),
until the infusion is dark pink in color.
Strain the liquid through a coffee lter
and refrigerate.
Sumac-ade can be very sour. Taste
it before carbonating and if you want a
sweeter soda, add sugar incrementally
until it tastes good to you. You want to
preserve the tart avor, so its better to
start slow rather than oversweeten.
Picking Sumac
All sumac shrubs with red berries
(Rhus spp.) are safe to eat. Poison
sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) is a rare
plant; it grows in swamps, bogs
and wetlands in the eastern United
States and has loose, hanging clus-
ters of white fruit. Stick with red-ber-
ried sumac and youll be just ne.
Sumac berries are at their most
tart and delicious immediately
after ripening. The sour avor
comes from a combination of acids
that coat the fruit. These acids are
washed away by rain, so gather
your sumac as soon as possible
after the berries ripen. The acid
The Sumac Spritzer reaccumulates a few days after each
features soda made from rain, but the berries become pro-
tart sumac berries.
gressively less tart (and less tasty)
with each successive downpour.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
HISTORY BOOKS SAY THAT NATIVE
AMERICANS DIDNT LIVE IN THE ADIRONDACK
UPLANDS. NEW EVIDENCE DATING BACK
13,000 YEARS REVEALS THAT THEY
ARE WRONG
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
BY CURT STAGER
THERE IS A FABLE circulating in
these mountains: The Indians didnt live
up here.
It is false.
Nevertheless, if you ask almost anyone
with a taste for Adirondack history you will
likely hear one or more explanations for why
the uplands were avoided by Native Ameri-
cans. It was too cold for them. The soil was
too sandy for crops. They were only passing
through to hunt. Because of such beliefs,
standard accounts of Adirondack history
FADDEN PHOTOGRAPH BY YVONNE ALBINOWSKI. SEVENTH LAKE PROJECTILE PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE ADIRONDACK MUSEUM
have more to do with white lumberjacks,

hoteliers or seekers of uninhabited wilder-
ness than indigenous people living with
minimal impact on the land for thousands
of years.
Our views of the past reect and shape
our relationships to the natural world, our
sense of place in history and the manage-
ment of wilderness. They can be difcult
to change. Ive studied environmental his-
tory in the Adirondacks for nearly three
decades and was fascinated by History in
Fragments, a hard-hitting review of the
neglected Native American legacy of the
region that Lynn Woods wrote for this magazine in 1994. One glass case contains a large John Fadden and his
Even so, it was only recently that the long human presence clay pot that was found in a rocky sons Don and Dave
at Six Nations Indian
in these mountains felt real enough to me to transform crevice near Silver Lake Mountain Museum, in Onchiota.
my perception of the Adirondacks. I am therefore Exhibit during the 1940s. John tells us that Packed oor to ceil-
A for the human frailty that sustains the classic narrative the conical base and diagonal inci- ing, their collection
includes local arti-
of absence and for what it takes to change it. Here is the sions on the angular rim indicate facts, among them a
story of how the shift happened, why it took me so long, that it was made three to ve centu- dugout canoe from
and why it matters. ries ago. Similar Iroquois pots have the southern end of
Lake Placid.
My transformation begins in earnest during the summer turned up at Jones Pond, Rainbow
of 2014 with a visit to the Six Nations Indian Museum, in Lake and other upland sites, and
Onchiota, with my parents. Founded in 1954 by the late the museum has fragments of another one that was found
Mohawk educator Ray Fadden and his family, the private- near St. Regis Mountain during the 1970s. The discoverer,
ly owned museum is now operated by his son John and Jim Bickford, recently told me that he got a surprise when
grandsons Dave and Don. The long wooden building, which he reached into a cranny in a rock face while hunting. I
evokes the shape of an Iroquois longhouse, is packed from was thinking that I was the rst person ever to touch this
oor to ceiling with stone artifacts, beaded wampum belts, spot, he recalled. Then I felt the pieces under my hand.
photos, baskets, historical accounts hand-written by Ray Experts speculate that such pots may have stored provi-
and illustrations by John and Dave. sions or served as territorial markers.

ment cores that showed signs
of lower water levels during
severe droughts of the last
millennium, and Lake Placid
is on our list of study sites.
Perhaps the dugout lay in
shallower water back then,
hidden there to await a hunt-
ers return that never mate-
rialized.
With Dave Faddens help, I
later bore a cylinder of wood
from the boat and send it to
Beta Analytic, a reputable lab
in Florida, for radiocarbon
dating. While we await the
results, I learn that Canton
boatbuilder Everett Smith
found another dugout in Lake
Ozonia during the late 1950s
while snorkeling. It is current-
ly on display in the Adiron-
dack Museum, in Blue Moun-
tain Lake. Paul Hai, director of
the Adirondack Interpretive
Center, in Newcomb, told me
that another one was found at
Arbutus Lake and stored at the
Ticonderoga Heritage Muse-
um. An 18-foot behemoth,
large enough to carry several
adults, was dredged from a
wetland along with a smaller
one in 1984 during the devel-
opment of a private estate at
Twin Ponds near Malone. It is
kept at the owners residence
in Jay. That discovery inspired
the late Mohawk poet Maurice
Kenny to compose a poem
Three- to 500-year- On the oor in another corner of titled Dugout. He wrote, This is the story of four men
old clay pot at the
Faddens museum, the museum lies a dry, splintered who boarded a boat so many years ago. Fog has covered
discovered near Silver dugout canoe chipped from a white footsteps, wind drowned voices.
CLAY POT PHOTOGRAPH BY YVONNE ALBINOWSKI
Lake Mountain. Simi- cedar log. It was found in the south- Dugouts can last for centuries in the cool, oxygen-poor
lar vessels have been
found at other Adiron- ern end of Lake Placid in 1960. A pair muck of a lake bed. Originally, they were hollowed out of
dack upland sites. of divers spotted it in about 15 feet of soft cedar or pine logs by burning and chipping with stone
water while looking for sunken logs tools, but the arrival of sharp steel hatchets and gouges
to salvage, John explains. They told us that the singer Kate later sped the process. Euro-Americans also used them, as
Smith waved to them from her camp while they were haul- Winslow Homers painting The Trapper attests, and only a
ing it to shore. They sold it to my father for $125. I ask how pre-Columbian age rmly identies a local dugout as native
old it is. We dont know, John replies. We havent had the in origin.
resources to date it. My father turns to me and says, You The Lake Placid boat turns out to be younger than we
have a research grant. Why dont you get a date for them? expected, no more than three centuries old. I should not
I do have a grant from the National Science Founda- have been surprised. None of the other Adirondack craft
tion for radiocarbon dating of samples from Adirondack are particularly old, either, perhaps because rising lake lev-
lakes. My students and I have already collected lake sedi- els and deeper burial over the centuries have made older

NATIVE PEOPLE WERE COOKING ON
THE SHORES OF LONG LAKE WHEN THE VIKINGS
SETTLED GREENLAND, AND YET MANY OF US
IMAGINE THAT THEY COULDNT HAVE LIVED
HERE BECAUSE IT WAS TOO COLD.
sunken craft more difcult to nd. The most ancient one enous peoples, Tim tells me on a subsequent visit. Their
discovered thus far is the Twin Ponds monster. A sample ancestors migrated here from Siberia and theyve lived all
I collected from it is roughly four centuries old, and the over Canada and Alaska since the last ice age in climates
charring and lack of sharp cut-marks suggest indigenous colder than the Adirondacks.
makers. The dark, lumpy beast seems too large and heavy Mean winter temperatures in Lake Placid and Wanakena
to carryespecially when waterloggedor to navigate the are only two to three degrees Fahrenheit colder than in the
shallow outlet stream to or from the St. Lawrence River. It Champlain and St. Lawrence Valleys, and some days are
is therefore almost certainly not a war canoe as some have actually warmer in the uplands than in the lowlands. Then
imagined, but was more likely made at Twin Ponds to serve as now, rugged forested terrain blocked erce winter winds
as a platform for shing, hunting or trapping by several and created microclimates that could have been more hos-
adults or perhaps a family. pitable than at terrain at lower elevations. People back
Four centuries may sound like a long time, but for a sci- then were tough and resourceful, Tim continues, and they
entist who is used to thinking in terms of ice ages, these knew how to handle harsh conditions. To doubt that they
dugouts only hint at greater depths of history. I want more. could tolerate Adirondack climates says more about our
I soon learn that a new professor of archaeology at the own limitations than theirs.
State University of New York at Potsdam has begun an Direct accounts conrm that at least some indigenous
excavation on Long Lake. Tim Messner is the only archae- people wintered in the uplands centuries ago. The Jesuit
ologist from a local university working on the deep history missionary Isaac Jogues was held captive by Mohawks in a
of the uplands, and I am eager to meet him. Woodss arti- hunting encampment during the winter of 16421643, most
cle describes pottery fragments and stone implements that likely in the Saranac Lake region. In Adirondack: Of Indians
were picked up along the shore of Long Lake during the last and Mountains, author Stephen Sulavik quoted a 17th-cen-
century, but Messner is the rst to conduct a formal dig tury biographer who described Joguess ordeal. Always,
there. My wife, Kary, and I join him and his students on a they were climbing to higher altitudes, into the towering
chilly autumn day to watch them open a shallow pit beside mountains white with snow. His captors, who included
a lakeshore cabin as the owner looks on. elderly men and mothers with children, weathered the cold
This is really exciting, Tim says as he points to a cluster in conical shelters covered with bark and hides.
of st-sized cobbles on the sandy oor of the pit. Kary and Another mistaken assumption is that maize, beans
I glance at each other skeptically. Whats so thrilling about and squashthe three sisters crops of the Iroquois and
a bunch of rocks? Algonquianscant survive in the uplands either. In her
I think its a hearth, he explains. See how rusty-look- doctoral thesis, University of Toronto historian Melissa Otis
ing and cracked they are? Thats what we call FCR, or documented reports of maize and other vegetables culti-
re-cracked rock. Before the age of pots and pans, people vated by indigenous residents at Piseco Lake, Indian Lake
boiled stews by dropping hot rocks such as these into con- and the Indian Carry on Upper Saranac Lake. There seems
tainers of bark, basketry, hides or animal stomachs. This to be a disconnect, however, in accounts of the relative abil-
dark material mingled with the FCR is charcoal, Tim says, ities of natives and immigrants to grow native crops. In
which would be perfect for radiocarbon dating. I take the Contested Terrain, historian Phil Terrie cites poor soils and
hint and send a pinch of it to the dating lab with my next short growing seasons as reasons why indigenous peoples
batch of sediment core samples. The charcoal is a thousand are said to have avoided the uplands while also describing
years old. the gardens of early settlers. The Adirondack Corn Maze
Native people were cooking on the shores of Long Lake at Tucker Farms, in Gabriels, and backyard vegetable plots
when the Vikings settled Greenland, and yet many of us throughout the region today conrm that suitable soils and
imagine that they couldnt have lived here because it was microclimates exist in the high country. It is possible that
too cold. We shouldnt underestimate the abilities of indig- cold-hardy strains of crops were grown in the past, as well.

The feasibility of farming in the uplands Guide Mitchell Sabattis described as arrowheads, most Adirondack
is actually irrelevant to most of Adirondack at Long Lake, 1886. projectile points were used to tip spears or
Mitchell was the son of
history. According to archaeologist John Hart Peter Sabattisan Abenaki long, slender darts that were hurled with
at the New York State Museum, in Albany, veteran of the War of 1812for atlatls, throwing-sticks that enhance the
maize was occasionally grown in the North- whom Peters Rock, a camp- power of a hunters arm.
site on Lower St. Regis Lake,
east as early as 2,000 years ago, but hunting is named. Its likely he and Rivers and lakes were both resources
and gathering was the predominant lifestyle other native residents camped and travel routes to, from and through the
until large agricultural settlements became herethe end of the river uplands, and many beaches and lakeshore
route into the uplandsbefore
common after 1000 AD, and it worked at least Paul Smith evicted them campsites that are now operated by the
as well in the uplands as in the lowlands. to build his hotel. New York State Department of Environmen-
Persistent doubts that people lived in the tal Conservation were also used by original
Adirondacks may have more to do with semantics than inhabitants. A 3,000-year-old soapstone cooking bowl kept
data. They reect whatever we mean by live. In ages past, at the Adirondack Museum was discovered near the Jes-
a home territory was where one pursued prey as a serious, sup River. A grooved stone ax picked up beside Long Lake
full-time occupation, not a sport like todays recreational is closer to 4,000 years old. Projectile points found at Rich
hunting and shing, and camping was not a luxury but a Lake, now on display at the Adirondack Interpretive Cen-
lifestyle. Through most of human history people moved ter, were crafted over many centuries from chert, a form
seasonally over broad geographic areas they considered of int, that came from all over New York State and possi-
home, and the same was true in the North Country. It was bly western Vermont. One of them, a gray Brewerton point
the only way to survive without depleting local resources. with a broad stem, is about 5,000 years old, roughly the age
Ancient artifacts conrm the long human presence in of the pyramids of Egypt.
the Adirondacks, and where soil is exposed they often What have we learned in the more than two decades
appear. Projectile points thousands of years old have been since Woodss overview was published? Prehistoric arti-
found in farm elds in Gabriels, Norman Ridge, North Elba facts have now been reported by archaeologists and local
and Malone. Such stone points are particularly informative residents at more than three dozen sites above 1,000 feet
because their distinctive styles can often be linked to spe- elevation, the zone I use here to dene the Adirondacks
cic cultural periods of known age. Although commonly as a coherent ecological region rather than a larger polit-

BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE LIVED HERE
LONGER THAN FORESTS, VAST TRACTS
OF UNINHABITED ADIRONDACK WILDERNESS
THOUGH BEAUTIFULARE AS ARTIFICIAL
AS THE SKI JUMPS AT LAKE PLACID.
ical construct bounded by the Blue Line. They have more years ago. The lake is a bit lower and smaller because it has
than doubled the known length of human presence in the not yet been dammed. The adjacent mountain lacks a ski
uplands. When repairs to the Pierceeld dam lowered the resort, and there is no town or forest. Tundra and scrubby
level of Tupper Lake in 2007, a projectile point of red-brown spruce thickets cover the barren landscape. Your Paleo-In-
chert was found on the shore. A long ute or groove at the dian hosts wear clothing of soft caribou hide that emits
base links it to paleolithic hunters who roamed the North- the sweet scent of woodsmoke, and they live a semi-no-
east shortly after the last ice age. Dozens of other artifacts madic lifestyle much like that of people in northern Europe
found nearby show that indigenous people lived at Tup- and Asia at the time. They offer you a wooden ladle of musk
per Lake throughout the intervening millennia to modern ox stew boiled in a leathery pouch into which hot cobbles
times. Sediment cores from local lakes that date the transi- have been dropped. You leave a cluster of conical, hide-cov-
tion from ice to open tundra in the uplands set a plausible ered shelters to sit beside the shore after brushing aside the
starting point for local history at roughly 13,000 years ago. sharp chips that a tool-aker left there earlier. Dont wan-
The implications for park management are mind-boggling. der far from camp, though. Huge brown bears live here too,
Because people have lived here longer than forests, vast as might some of the regions last remaining mastodons.
tracts of uninhabited Adirondack wildernessthough If you linger through many generations on this lakeshore
beautifulare as articial as the ski jumps at Lake Placid. you will see more pines, oaks and birches arrive as the
It is difcult to grasp such large numbers on a meaning- climate gradually warms. By about 9,000 years ago your
ful intuitive level, even for experts, and splitting Adirondack neighbors still live in tepee-shaped shelters, but the walls
history into simple pre-contact and post-contact catego- are often covered with bark as well as hides. People tend
ries risks making false equivalency between them. Try this to stay put longer now because they pursue deer, moose,
instead: If a century were as long as an inch- turkeys and passenger pigeons in the forest
SABATTIS AND SOAPSTONE BOWL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ADIRONDACK MUSEUM
long nger joint, then the American Revolution Rivers and lakes were instead of following migrant caribou herds.
is less than a ngers length away and the time resources as well as These so-called Archaic hunters still use
since Columbus is roughly the span between travel routes to, from and spears and atlatls, but their more diverse pro-
through the uplands. Many
the tips of your pinky nger and thumb. To of todays popular waterside jectile points lack the uting their ancestors
touch the rst inhabitants of the Adirondack campsites were also used favored. Visiting artisans bring creamy pink
uplands 13,000 years ago, a temporal gap more by original inhabitants, as Flint Ridge chert from Ohio and greenish Cox-
proven by this 3,000-year-
than six times wider than the one between old soapstone cooking sackie chert from the lower Hudson Valley
us and the time of Christ, you would need to bowl found near the to use or to trade. Local residents net white
reach across a distance of more than 10 feet. Jessup River. suckers that spawn in streams in spring and
The seemingly empty historical hook lake trout through the ice
space between you and them is not in winter. In summer they hunt
vacant at all, but simply unrecord- deer, gather blueberries and rasp-
ed by most modern writers. berries in the woods, and harvest
We will never know all the mussels, turtles and muskrats
details of life in that great gulf from lakes and marshes. Their
of time, but we can now infer stews, now full of venison or sh,
the basics from sediment cores, are still stone-boiled in skin bags,
upland artifacts and related cul- baskets or bark containers.
tures elsewhere in the Northeast. As 6,000 years of Archaic cul-
Imagine, for example, that you ture pass, hemlock, beech and
are visiting residents of Tupper maple become more common
Lake on a summer day 13,000 in the woods. People still come

HIDDEN HERITAGE
SILVER BAY YMCA and go from all directions. Roughly

CONFERENCE AND FAMILY RETREAT CENTER 3,000 years before the Euro-Ameri-
can invasion, women begin to make
on Beautiful Lake George
clay pottery for cooking and storage.
Renew, Refresh, and Nurture Your Spirit, Mind, and Body Some use soapstone vessels instead.
Archaeologists will later describe
this Woodland period as a time
when signs of squash and maize
cultivation appear rst, followed in
more recent centuries by beans and
tobacco. They will debate whether
small triangular points represent
the rst arrival of arrows and bows
in the hunters arsenal and spec-
ulate about possible connections
between early residents and the
later Iroquoians and Algonquians
VOTED BEST VENUE FOR who met the first Anglo visitors
A REUNION BY UNIQUE VENUES during the 16th century.
2016 - 2015 -2014 To summarize the entire Euro-
American chapter of this long story
SILVER BAY YMCA in more proper proportion to its
87 Silver Bay Road, Silver Bay, NY 12874 duration would require only a single
silverbayymca sentence. A recent ood of immi-
www.silverbay.org 1.888.758.7229
grants cleared forests, killed wild-
6LOYHU%D\<0&$LVDFDXVHGULYHQQRQSURWRUJDQL]DWLRQ life and built permanent structures,
obviously expecting to remain on
the ancestral territory of local resi-
dents who, in spite of it all, still live
here. Native Americans now com-
prise six percent of the population
of Franklin County, which includes
the reservation at Akwesasne, but
less than one percent of upland
communities.
With so much information avail-
able, why do so many of us still cling
to short versions of Adirondack
history? Part of the problem was
the Euro-American invasion itself.
Indigenous peoples were decimat-
ed during the 1600s by plagues of
smallpox and measles. Genocidal
wars triggered by white encroach-
ment also destroyed and scattered
native settlements. So great was the
carnage that relatively few people
were left to inhabit the mountains
by the time the rst detailed writ-
ten records were made, and early
accounts of the Adirondacks might
have described an articially depop-
ulated landscape. When combined
with a disregard for indigenous ways
of living on the land, the assumption
of absence can lead to a self-serving

HIDDEN HERITAGE
conclusion: The Indians werent

really using it, so we took it. Deny-
ing that they were even here at all
adds insult to that injury.
Sampling-bias among scholars is
another factor. In The Archaeology of
New York State, William Ritchie pre-
sented maps of ancient sites that left
the Adirondacks mostly blank, but
absence of evidence is not evidence
of absence. Low-elevation sites such
as Lake George and the Champlain
Valley are more heavily studied, in
part, because farm elds, road-cuts
and cellar holes are more abundant
there than in the wilder uplands,
making sites easier to nd. Large
settlements also tend to be more
productive to excavate, and there-
fore more tempting for archaeolo-
gists, than smaller encampments
that were probably more typical of
the uplands.
Private collectors also play a role.
Woods mentioned a list of artifacts
found in the Adirondacks by lay
citizens and professional archae-
ologists alike that was compiled by
a consulting rm, Hartgen Archae-
ological Associates. When I called
Hartgen it no longer possessed the
document, but staff at the New
York State Museum later provided
me with a copy to supplement my
own growing list of sites. The doc-
ument mentioned several upland
locales, but in the process I learned
that the museum and the New York
State Ofce of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation also have
more detailed lists that they do not
readily make public. Yes, conspira-
cy theorists, the government really
is hiding secrets from you, but its
not a sinister plot. They do it for the
same reason I am not specifying
exact locations on these pagesto
protect our cultural heritage.
In many other countries, laws
prevent people from destroying
or selling antiquities, but Ameri-
cans who nd artifacts on private
land can legally do with them what
they will. One resident of the North
Country who refuses to commu-
nicate with archaeologists has

HIDDEN HERITAGE
removed numerous rare Paleo-In-

Your Home Will Thank You For dian artifacts from his familys
property and priced them for sale.
Another private collector spray-
paints the ancient objects he nds
to make them unappealing to sci-
entists. If the spectacular paleo-
lithic art in Frances Chauvet Cave
had been discovered in the United
States, a land-owner would have
been free to scribble on it or chisel
pieces loose and sell them on eBay.
Such conicts of interest between
scholars and the public sometimes
lead people to hide sites and artifacts
from professionals. It shouldnt be

that way, says archaeologist Ralph
When we build, we believe in building forever... Rataul at the New York State Muse-
um. Were not out to conscate arti-
facts, but we do wish people would
With a passion for Adirondack Life, an array of furniture-grade wood tell us about their nds so we can
choices, timeless design options, and custom sizes and shapes, youre better understand local history.
When I mention a recent conver-
sation with a collector who said he
would rather not have his discover-

ies disappear into a box on a muse-
um shelf, Rataul shakes his head.
Anyone can visit our collections by
appointment as youre doing now.
Within the forest there s a wonderful enchanted place If you hide things in a box of your
TRVBSFGFFU of gallery rustic furniture and designer accents, own, nobody else can study them
mountain resort wear, accessories and more.
and they can be lost forever when
Visit our outlet center, browse the new furniture and bedding annex,
and enjoy our vintage sweet shop. you pass on or move away, especial-
ly if you dont clearly record where
An Adirondack Country you found them.
Store experience unlike The need for proper documenta-
any other because.
8FLOPXOBUVSFJOTJEF
tion becomes clearer to me when I
PVU! visit two of my students, Elliott and
Rory, at their rental home near Twin
Near the historic train station overlooking the Hudson River in North Creek, NY Ponds. After we discuss the short-
t)VETPO3JWFS5SBEJOH$PDPNt0QFOEBJMZBU
age of data on indigenous agricul-
ture in the Adirondacks, Elliott leads
me into the garage and hands me a
foot-long cylinder of smooth black
stone. It is a pestle, possibly used
for pounding maize centuries ago.
They are commonly found in the
lowlands of the northeastern Unit-
ed States but none have yet been
reported from these uplands. It
was leaning in the corner when we
moved in, Rory explains. Because
the former owner was deceased and
left no label we will never know if
the pestle was used by early Adiron-
dack farmers.

HIDDEN HERITAGE
Lee Industries
Perhaps the main reason why so Extraordinary
many people believe the Adiron- and eco-friendly
dacks was uninhabited is that inu- US made upholstered
ential authors have inadvertently chairs and sofas.
obscured history. In his poem The
Hundreds of styles
Adirondacs, Ralph Waldo Emerson
and thousands of
described a trip to Follensby Pond
fabrics and leathers
with quick delivery.
in 1858 as a journey into untouched
NOW AVAILABLE AT
nature. In a recent lecture Tim Mess-
DARTBROOK RUSTIC GOODS
ner noted the irony of that depic-
tion, in which Emerson claimed that
his companions would wield the
rst axe these echoes ever heard,
unaware that stone axes sound-
ed nearby for thousands of years.
Alfred L. Donaldson is a more wide-
ly cited source, not because he was
a formally trained historian or sci-
entist (his primary expertise was in
banking), but because he published
a two-volume book in 1921 that is
widely available and easy to read.
Donaldson claimed in A History of the
Adirondacks that the Indians never
made any part of what is now the routes 73 & 9n keene, new york I drgoods.com I 518-576-4360
Adirondack Park their permanent
home. Like many other authors of
his day Donaldson seemed to doubt
that Native Americans had a signif-
icant history at all. In one passage
he wrote that many of the relics
found in the Adirondacks indicate
the presence of a people antedating
the Indians, and possessing a skill
in the rude arts far ahead of theirs.
Even The Adirondack Atlas, published
in 2004, reports that the inhospi-
table environment was avoided by
Native Americans and Europeans
alike. With such accounts in cir-
culation it is not surprising that the
fable persists.
Fortunately, the fable is now
beginning to fade. Complement-
ing the labors of the Faddens, the
New York State Museum scholars,
and Lynn Woods are the research
and outreach of new investigators
like Tim Messner and Melissa Otis.
The Wild Center, in Tupper Lake, is
now weaving local indigenous per-
spectives into its natural history
displays, and for the rst time, a
signicant portion of the Adiron-
dack Museum will soon focus on
Native American history. According
HIDDEN HERITAGE
to director of interpretation Jenni-

fer Bine, a primary aim of the new
installation will be to demolish the
myth of absence. We want to chal-
lenge the idea that people didnt live
here unless they built a brick house
and stayed forever.
My own sense of Adirondack his-
tory has been most decisively trans-
formed at Paul Smiths College,
where I live and work. Once a lux-
ury resort on Lower St. Regis Lake,
the former hotel became a college in
1946. It now trains students in natu-
ral sciences, forestry, hospitality and
other professions. The standard ver-
sion of its history begins with Apol-
los Paul Smith, who carved a rustic
hunting lodge out of the woods in
1859. He and his wife, Lydia, turned
it into a world-class destination that
catered to the rich and powerful one
percent of their day. After the hotel
burned in 1930, Phelps Smith willed
a fortune to establish a college in
his fathers name despite resistance
from relatives, and the local commu-
nity has since viewed the site as Paul
Smiths legacy.
As with many such heroic ver-
sions of history, however, new nd-
ings yield a more nuanced account.
In his memoir, Footprints and Sunset
on Adirondack Trails, James Wardner,
of Rainbow Lake, wrote of meeting
Smith in 1855 when the young man
was a squatter-farmer who also
worked unhappily at his familys
hunting lodge in Loon Lake. Ward-
ner recommended that Smith estab-
lish his own lodge on the shore of
Lower St. Regis Lake about where
the Indians are camping. When he
found nancial backing to buy the
property and build his hotel, the
native residents were evicted.
Directly across from campus,
smooth gray anorthosite juts into
the water near the outlet to the St.
Regis River. Peters Rock is a pop-
ular campsite maintained by the
college, but few users know who
Peter was. Captain Peter Sabattis
was an Abenaki veteran of the War
of 1812. James Wardner claimed in
his memoir that, as a youth, Sabattis

HIDDEN HERITAGE
earned the nickname Prejeune

(Young Father) for his missionary
work in Ontario and that during his
military service English-speaking
compatriots adjusted his nickname
to Captain Peter. It is likely that the
rock was named for him because he
camped there, perhaps as part of
the community that Smiths hotel
later displaced.
According to an interview with
Peters son, Mitchell, published in
the Journal of American Folklore in
1900, the lake was previously known
as Pokuizasne, an Abenaki version
of the Mohawk name Akwesasne
(where the partridge drums). That
label makes sense because the lake
marked the end of the river route into
the uplands from what is now the St.
Regis Mohawk Reservation at Akwe-
sasne on the St. Lawrence River.
On a warm, sunny day in June
2016, my wife, Kary, and I walk to
the crest of a pine-capped knoll that
protrudes into the lake beside the
student center. A light breeze cools
our faces as we look across the lake
to St. Regis Mountain. This spot
was known as Picnic Point since the
hotel days until my colleague Craig
Milewski and his students began to
meet here to discuss wilderness lit-
erature and philosophies of nature.
They now call it Turtle Island in
reference to an Iroquoian creation
story in which the world was made
by smearing lake sediment on the
back of a swimming turtle.
Kary lingers among the fragrant
red pines while I clamber down the
dusty slope to a shelf of bedrock on
the waters edge. In my imagina-
tion, a canoe bearing students back
to campus becomes a dugout bear-
ing new arrivals from Akwesasne.
I envision Peter Sabattis waving to
them from his campsite. Perhaps
they have come to hunt moose in
the woods, or to net the white suck-
ers that spawn in a brook near the
campus. Perhaps their ancestors
sat here to ake stone implements
where the view is grand, the sun
is glorious and the wind keeps the
bugs at bay.

HIDDEN HERITAGE
Lost in my thoughts, at rst I dont

notice Karys voice. I turn to see her
beckoning with something in her
hand. It is a projectile point.
The triangle of pale gray chert
bears a long stem, which suggests
that it could be thousands of years
old or maybe as recent as the encamp-
ment the hotel supplanted. The
feel of the smooth stone between
my ngers is thrilling, a direct link
to people in ages past who surely
loved this place as much as we do.
Searching amid the camouage of
shed pine bark, I also nd a sharp-
edged piece of dark gray chert with
a groove and end-thinning flake
scars at the base. Jonathan Lothrop,
curator of archaeology at the New
York State Museum, will later con-
clude that it could be an unnished
uted point from the end of the last
ice age. It was likely shaped from
Champlain or Hudson Valley chert,
perhaps by a Paleo-Indian caribou
hunter between 13,000 and 11,600
years ago.
Maybe it is this personal connec-
tion that suddenly allows a new per-
HALL ception of the Adirondacks to open

for me like a ower, or maybe it is the
DESIGN sheer weight of new information that
nally opens my eyes to this hidden
*5283 heritage. The blending of people and
wilderness in the Adirondacks was
BUILDINGS. not invented with the establishment
IN TERIORS. of hotels, colleges or the Blue Line. It
P.O. BOX 182 is thousands of years old. The long
Essex, NY human presence in these moun-
518-963-7620
tains, of which I am also a part, is
www.halldesigngroup.com
more ancient than the forest that
now cloaks the terrain and every bit
as natural. We are not separate from
nature in the Adirondacks as many
of us imagine, but integral parts of it,
and I feel grateful to the people who
lived here before us for helping me to
understand that.
Curt Stager is a professor of nat-

ural sciences at Paul Smiths College
and author of four books, including the
upcoming Still Waters: Reflections
on Lakes in the Age of Humans
(Norton). He wrote about crows and
ravens in the February 2016 issue of
this magazine.

F I N E D I N I N G A N D L O D G I N G I N T H E A D I R O N DA C K R E G I O N
.......................................
THE ADIRONDACK REGION
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include three hearty, healthful meals a day.
Brochure. 518-648-5494 or 802-453-2540.
www.timberlock.com.
NORTH CREEK, NY 12853

The Alpine Lodge, with 14 guest rooms & 5
kitchen suites, all with an Adirondack motif,
is the newest and one of the most unique
lodging facilities in the beautiful 4-season
Gore Mountain region of the Adirondacks. Its
located in the charming small town of North
Creek, a convenient downtown location in the
midst of the Adirondacks. Whitewater rafting,
hike, mountain/road bike and sh! 518-251-
2451. www.adirondackalpinelodge.com. TIMBERLOCK ADIRONDACK FAMILY RESORT
PEASLEEVILLE, NY 12985 SINCE 1899
Cozy Adirondack Cabin. Escape to a little 518-648-5494
piece of paradise in our beautiful Adirondack www.timberlock.com
cabin. Centrally located in the High Peaks Re-
gion. Bike riding, walking, or hiking on near-
by state trails. Fishing in the Salmon River,
within steps of the cabin. Comfortably sleeps
eight. Full kitchen with appliances. Wood
stove with wood provided. Come relax on the
deck and immerse yourself in the wonderful
sights and sounds of the Adirondack Moun-
tains. 518-643-0330. Lindab135@ yahoo.com.
RAQUETTE LAKE, NY 13436

Raquette Lake Navigation. Dining aboard
the WW Durant is a sensual experience. Tan-
talize your taste buds and feast your eyes
with meals Chef Jim Pohl, a 2003 graduate
of the Culinary Institute of America, creates.
Beverage manager Rachel Pohl rotates our
wine selection periodically to keep it fresh,
exciting and appealing. 315-354-5532. www.
raquettelakenavigation.com.

SPECIAL PLACES
LINKS TO THE PAST

The demise of the
Cleveland), famous composers (Irving Berlin and
Loon Lake Golf Course George Gershwin) and literati (Oscar Wilde and
Theodore Dreiser) vacationed at the resort.
BY MICHAEL DEDIVITIS I read up on the history of the area, but many
anecdotes came from long-time superinten-
dent Leo Collins. Leo had worked for the Chases
BUILT 30 YEARS AFTER the Civil War and when he was a young man fresh off the farm,
nestled between Loon Lake and the southern back when the Loon Lake House employed many
base of Lookout Mountain in Franklin County, local people. Old Mr. Chase red this feller who
the Loon Lake Golf Course was carved into the worked in the kitchen because he heard the man
woods, manicured and maintained for more than laughing and thought he was laughing at him,
a century before absentee landlords raised the Leo told me. The man needed a job so he went
leasing fee and made it prohibitive to operate. to Mrs. Chase and she hired him back to work
My wife, Cheryl, and I were the last people to with the hotel grounds crew. When Mr. Chase
lease the course. We poured our hearts and souls saw him working outside, he asked, Say, didnt I
into keeping it going, but it wasnt enough. just re you a couple of days ago? The man said,
The Loon Lake area was rst developed in No, that was my twin brother. Times was tough
1878 by a Vermont couple, Mary and Ferd Chase, back then and Mrs. Chase didnt want to let a
who turned it into a protable and well-known good man go just because Mr. Chase was in a
upscale resort. At one point, the Chases owned bad mood. People had to feed their families. She
4,000 acres on and around the lake. Mary Chase was good to us, but I think she cared more about
was known for her bright red wig and her par- animals than she did people.
rot. Their hotel, the Loon Lake House, grew to The resort fell on hard times at the onset of
accommodate 500 guests, and 60 cottages the Depression, and Mary Chase died in 1933,
Left to right: Undat- were added later. At its peak, from 1883 to 1915, two years after she was forced to sell it.
ed postcard of Loon
Lake Golf Course. U.S. Presidents (Benjamin Harrison, McKinley and The original nine-hole golf course opened
The Loon Lake
House, circa 1880.
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SARANAC LAKE FREE LIBRARY

in 1895. Designed by noted golf- RENEW
course architect Seymour Dunn, it
still tested the skills of a golfer a Your Driveway
century later. The back nine holes
were heavily wooded and some ri-
...with the ALL-NEW
diculously narrow. The front ninea DR POWER GRADER!
wide open, up-and-down pasture
with gorgeous views of nearby Kate Starting
Mountain, the Alder Brook Range at just
and the distant High Peakswas $
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added in 1926. The holes were
short and a golfer could wind up
three fairways over and still have
an unobstructed shot at the green. SAVES YOU MONEYloosens and redistributes
95626X 2017
Leo worked all through the hey- existing material, saving you from purchasing
day of the resort and beyond. He left new gravel or stone.
once when he was a young man to EASY TO USEtows behind your ATV or
riding mower, lling in potholes and ruts.
work on a railroad crew in Canada,
PRECISE CONTROL of grading depth is
but returned after an accident killed adjustable from your drivers seat.
everyone on his crew but him. He AMAZINGLY DURABLE carbide teeth last 10X
continued to work at the course and longer than steel on ordinary box scrapers.
as a caretaker for many Loon Lake
camps until he was almost 90. FREE SHIPPING Call for FREE DVD and Catalog!
He watched the old hotel and golf
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ber of times and maintained the
grounds when the course was closed
during World War II. He witnessed a
steady decline in the quality of the
&<&/(
food and accommodationsLeo
told me of one owner who served a
dinner of plain spaghetti to guests at
the hotel. When a diner complained
about the lack of sauce, the owner
the Adirondack Seaway

handed the man a bottle of ketch-
up and said, Heres your sauce!
The old hotel burned to the ground
in 1956, shortly after those owners St. Lawrence County, New York
bought the place.
By the time he was in his late 80s,
NorthCountryGuide.com
Leos mind began to slip back to
the past. Although he had become
overwhelmed and confused by the REQUEST YOUR
daily routines of life, the course was
MAP & CUE SHEETS:
a comfortable place for him to be; he
reluctantly retired once he became
unable to work. When no one else
wanted the job, I became the super-
intendent. Leo was placed in the hos-
pital while waiting for a nursing home
vacancy. I went to see him in the hos-
pital and he was unsure who I was,
but once I got him talking about the
old course, he was lively and friend-
ly. His stories skipped back and forth
through time, long dead friends and

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Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company presents
family returning to visit in his tales. It
was a pleasure listening to him and New York Paddlefest
seeing him so happy. After a while, a
nurse poked her head in the door and
said, Mr. Collins? Were having ice
and Outdoor Expo 2017!
Americas Largest On-Water Canoe, Kayak & SUP Sale!
cream now; would you like some?
Leo looked at me and said, Nice Saratoga Springs: May 6 & 7 Old Forge: May 19, 20 & 21
talking with ya, gotta go!
Most days on the course were the
Over 1,000 Canoes, Kayaks & SUPs on Sale!
same but rarely ordinary. The rewards Featuring Canoes, Kayaks, SUPs,
of my labor were vibrantly green fair- Outdoor Gear, Bikes and Clothing
ways in early spring and the privilege for Outdoor Enthusiasts of All Ages!
of being out before the sun in July, as
sprinklers satised the thirsty grass.
Or being mesmerized by the sound
of bagpipes from a nearby inn as the
sun set in late summer.
Then, in 2003, the course closed
after 108 years of operation. It took Test-Paddle 100s of Models of Canoes & Kayaks!
me a few years to accept its fate. It
was gone and deep down I knew it,
but I kept hoping for a resurrection.
For a while I mowed and played a
form of golf on a fairway hidden from
the road so I could keep part of the
course alive. Trailer, Camping & Hiking Gear Sale!
Others expressed interest in tak-
ing over the lease, but the value
the landlords attributed to it far
exceeded its worth. The course and
over 2,000 acres around and on the
lake are owned by a wealthy fami-
ly from Italy and are just one of a
SUPs for Everyone in the Family!
number of the familys multination-
al holdings.
Today the land has been reclaimed
by nature. Raspberries and mullein
have taken over the greens, a plan-
tation of Scotch pines sprang up on www.MountainmanOutdoors.com
the 13th and 17th fairways, and ATVs Old Forge (315) 369-6672 Saratoga Springs (518) 584-0600
have desecrated the front nine, spin-
ning gure-eights on the dried-up
fairways and launching recklessly off
a ramp constructed from the dug-up
green high atop Number Nine Hill.
The course and land around it are
currently up for sale. Theres no way
to tell if the golf course will return
in another incarnation, but anyone
who truly loves the game of golf
would welcome the opportunity to
swing a club and watch their ball soar
through the air, come down and roll
once more along the old, hilly fair-
waysto be out playing golf the way
it was meant to be played.

YE STE RYEAR S
STAR
STRUCK
Space-Age
shenanigans in THE TIP TOP TOWN of
the Adirondacks, Tupper Lake
Tupper Lake in the 1950s could have served
as a backdrop for a Hollywood
BY JIM HUTT movie about hometown Amer-
ica. Busy, friendly, it was a great
place for my friend Dave and
me to grow up. With the Tupper Lake National Bank, Ginsburgs and LaRoques
department stores, a Newberry ve and dime, numerous hotels and restau-
rants, and a record-setting number of taverns, it served as a shopping center
for neighboring communities as well as a destination for Canadian tourists
the epitome of small-town America. Every neighborhood had a small grocery
store, most often owned by Syrian or Lebanese descendants of peddlers from
the peak of the logging era. At the center of all the action, with its prominent
big city marquee, sat Schines State Theater. The 16-cent Saturday matinee
bought us a feature movie, most often an oater (Western) or a mystery starring
Charlie Chan and his numbered sons, a newsreel and a serial. We loved the
movies, but we really loved the serials.
Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers were among our heroes and, with the begin-
nings of the Space Age, my friend Dave and I became space addicts. We would
emerge from Saturday matinees feeling like we had been part of the crew
IMAGES FROM ISTOCK
with Flash and his beautiful assistant, Dale Arden, when they did battle with
the evil emperor, Ming the Merciless on the planet Mongo. With raw mate-
rials scavenged from Sherman Joness junkyard and objects recycled from
department store and hotel rubbish bins, we built space helmets, model rock-
et ships and space weapons. We even created a puppet show called Rocket
to the Moon, complete with a rocket ship that made strange buzzing noises

just like Flashs rocket ship. We built
the stage and the puppets, wrote
the script, painted the scenery, and
printed and distributed posters
throughout the neighborhood. Only
two customers showed upthe
neighborhood bullies: Scrapper
LaVigne and Bennie Dumas (we pur-
posely mispronounced Bennies last
name, but only when we knew he was
at least 10 miles away). Despite our
terror, the show went on. Strangely,
they sat, quietly watched, and actu-
ally applauded after the show. And Picture yourself in the Adirondacks.
they neither beat us nor our puppets Picture yourself with Peace of Mind.
to a pulp before they left.
Having survived what could only Picture yourself at The Glen
be called our toughest critics, we
felt we had entered the same realm the very best in senior living.
as Flash, Buck and Dale. But ctional
outer space wouldnt satisfy us for Call us at (518) 832-7800 or
long. As the next summer vacation
approached, we began to think we
visit us at www.GlenHiland.com.
might actually be able to build a rock-
et that could make it to the moon, INDEPENDENT LIVING THE TERRACE ENRICHED HOUSING RESPITE
or at least into outer space. Our early
attempts were propelled with wad-
ded-up cap-pistol ammunition that
TRAVEL OFF
made impressive popping noises, but
the rockets barely moved. More gun-
powder was probably an answer, but
we couldnt get our hands on gun-
powder or the ingredients for mak-
THE BEATEN PATH.
ing it without getting in trouble. As
we were playing with a small steam
engine I had received as a birthday
present, we realized how powerful
steam could be, especially when
we heard my grandfathers stories
of Stanley Steamer automobiles
exploding or mowing down garage
walls. We began to envision a rocket
Enjoy miles of paddling on pristine waterways
as a piston, pushed by steam, like a or reel in a trophy fish on
cannonball shot out of a cannon. We the famous Salmon River.
needed to know more.
Come watch as over 40,000 raptors and hawks
Steam? Stanley Steamers? Now migrate north along Lake Ontario this Spring.
Explore Oswego
why would these two boys be in my
library studying steam when they
County this Spring!

could be outdoors on this beautiful
summer day? Mrs. Simmonss sus-
picions probably went back to one of
our previous visits to the library when Call (315) 349-8322 for
we needed a warm place to recover Free Travel Brochures
from smoking our rst cigarsrum- 1-800-248-4FUN(4386)
soaked crooks. (We had chosen the
Derby Hill Bird O
bservatory www.visitoswegocounty.com
weirdest sounding cigars in order to

YESTERYEARS
convince Sam Corey, owner of the

small Broad Street store in Tuppers
French Village, that we were actual-
ly buying the cigars for that lumber-
jack guy at the Waverly Hotel.)
Mrs. Simmons seemed content to
just watch us like a hawk, and so we
found what we needed. The Stanley
Steamer stories were impressive and
the steam engine information con-
rmed that a rocket could act like a
steam-powered piston. We drew up
a list of materials and headed out,
leaving Mrs. Simmons scratching
her head, still wondering about kids
wanting to actually learn stuff at the
start of a summer vacation.
With stops at Sherman Joness
junkyard, my fathers and grandfa-
thers garages and Daves basement,
we gathered supplies: a length of
galvanized metal pipe with its end
threaded to receive a metal cap,
and a bucket of water and match-
es. Then we were off to the proving
grounds, the sawdust eld, as we
called it, at the intersection of Boyer
Avenue and Park Street. The eld
was big enough for a football game
and certainly big enough for a rock-
et launch. It had formerly been the
site of a sawmill and was half a foot
deep in sawdust and wood chips.
We cleared an area where we would
build the bonre to provide the heat
we needed, even providing a ring of
stones to contain the re (some-
thing we learned from an Injun-
uities card from a Shredded Wheat
cereal box). We pounded the pipe
into the ground, lled it with water
and screwed the cap on. Now all we
needed was a big bonre to heat the
water and make steam.
From a safe distance, we sat
admiring our bonre and wondered
how high our rst real rocket could
y. We soon began to hear sizzling
sounds, but we also heard the sound
of a door closing as our nemesis,
Chief J. Edward Timmons, climbed
out of the police car and strolled
2017 Authors Night, Tues Aug 8th
across the eld toward us. Chief Tim-
2017 Annual Tent Sale, Aug 10th-12th
mons was actually quite an amiable
2017 Octo-Bear-Fest, Sat SEPT 30th
fellow. He served daily as crossing
guard at Holy Ghost Academy, our

YESTERYEARS
parochial school, greeting each of us

by name as we crossed. He seemed
to have a sixth sense about Dave and
me, perhaps due to some earlier inci-
dents, most recently our attempt at
launching marbles into space with
our Wham-O slingshotswe thought
the marbles had gone into orbit; our
Nils Edward Luderowski Architect
neighbors begged to differ. Keene Valley, New York / 518.576.4446 / www.luderowskiarchitect.com
The chief stood facing us with his RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IN AN ADIRONDACK VERNACULAR
back to the re and said, Howdy,
boys, thats a really big re. Whats
going on? We assured him that we
were being very careful, pointing out
APA SITE PLANS
A D K S u r v e y i n g .com
the ring of stones and the bucket of
water we had nearby to later quench BOUNDARY,
the re. We told him we were plan-
TOPOGRAPHIC,
ning on hot dogs for lunch and that
Dave was about to go home to fetch SUBDIVISION,
the xings. He noted our precautions and MORTGAGE
and with a nal safety admonition, SURVEYS.
began to depart. Suddenly, a huge
blast nearly knocked him off his feet
as our rocket launched with a burst Call 518.946.7571
of steam that scattered the re and Ralph Schissler, L.S. Owner
the ring of stones all over the saw-
dust eld. There wasnt even time for
us to look up and savor our success-
ful launch, since almost immediately
all three of us were racing around the
sawdust eld stamping out dozens
of small res.
The good news is that the rocket
must have gone into orbit (we want-
ed to believe) since we never did
nd it. The other good news is the
chief didnt see the actual launch so
he had no idea what happened. As
we were pondering for the chiefs
benet what might have occurred,
a lightbulb lit over Daves head as
he exclaimed, Wow, Ill bet one of
the rocks from the ring must have
exploded from the heat. I quick-
ly agreed. The chief was skeptical, Nature makes life better.
but it was the best we could come Please help us protect vital Adirondack lands and
up with. Without a better answer he waters, strengthen ties between communities and
looked to make sure all the res were nature, and inspire broader support for conservation.
out, got our assurance that we would Visit nature.org/adirondacks
not build another bonre, shook his Email adirondacks@tnc.org
head and headed for the police car. Follow @AdirondackTNC
Photo: Erika Bailey
His nervous ticwhere he appeared

to be trying to bite his left earhad
not been apparent earlier. Now, it
looked like his ear might be in serious
danger.

SEEDS OF REVIVAL
Continued from page 43
are lifelong farmers, while others

are doing it as a second or retire-
ment career.
Blue Flag Iris Pendant Jay White, who is 47, is a good
Locally crafted pottery
pendant with adjustable example. He and his wife, Sarah, have
cord. Measures approx- professional careers, but he longed
imately 1.5. Makes a to return to his familys agricultural
great gift or addition roots (his grandparents had a fruit
to your collection.
BFI 65S $15.95 farm in the Hudson Valley). In 2014
they bought 85 acres in Essex, with
Green Tote
This cotton carryall has a snap closure and front, plans to turn it into a ower farm,
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growing emphasis on agritourism, a
Green Wool Cap way to expand on the Adirondacks
Top off your day with our adjustable wool appeal as a vacation destination.
baseball cap with our logo embroidered White is also spearheading an effort
on the front. GWC 15L $16.95
to establish several state-designated
cuisine trails that guide tourists to
League of Women farm stores, farm-to-table restaurants,
Boaters T-shirt craft breweries, wineries and other
Raspberry crew neck,
short-sleeve T-shirt. foodie destinations. It is inspired by
100% cotton with our a similar trail in the province of Que-
Adirondack Life logo bec, called the Circuit du Paysan. Last
on the sleeve. Womens
summer a contingent of farmers and
sizes S, M, L & XL.
RPB 91N $18.95 local ofcials toured part of the cir-
cuit with their Quebec counterparts;
they hope to build a cross-border
partnership that will bolster both
regions tourism efforts.
Gray Mountains
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Classic gray cotton 2016, interest from businesses want-
t-shirt with Adirondack ing to be included on the cuisine trail
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GTM 39K. $16.95 cap embroidered with our
markets for six connected regional
Adirondack Life logo.
NVB 24B $16.95 trails, with two each in Essex, Frank-
lin and Clinton Counties.
The Wild Centers Millennial study
showed that travelers in that genera-
tion are looking for authentic expe-
riences they cant have elsewhere.
It only adds to the draw of a region
to have special regional products
that arent available in Brooklyn or
wherever, says Margot Brooks, of
Sugar House Creamery. The people
who already come here for recreation
often also appreciate good food.
ON A GORGEOUS SATURDAY
in September the Essex County Fair-
grounds hosted a new event called
the Adirondack Harvest Festival that
brought all of the strands of local agri-

SEEDS OF REVIVAL
culture and tourism together. The day

started with a hamlet-to-hamlet
hike on the Champlain Area Trails,
while the fairgrounds, in Westport,
were transformed into a farmers
market with food trucks, a pig roast,
music, craft beer and wine tast-
ings, cheese making and beekeeping
demonstrations, farmer discussions
and screenings of Keene Valley pho-
tographer Ben Stechschultes 2012
documentary, Small Farm Rising. The TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
only kids rides were on a horse- CALL 518.480.4878 OR VISIT ATFESTIVAL.ORG
drawn wagon.
The event was everything that
the new farmers say is missing from
the Essex County Fair. [The coun-
ty fair] is a perfect example of the
divide between the old and new,
says Racey Henderson. It centers
around food, games and agricul-
ture, but the food is not local food. It
doesnt attract the new folks.
At a meeting in September, mem-
bers of a fairgrounds task force came
to a similar conclusion. I think
weve got to put more ag participa-
tion back into the agricultural fair,
said Shaun Gilliland, the 58-year-old
town supervisor of Willsboro, where
he and his wife raise grass-fed beef,
lamb and pork on their 500-acre Ben
Wever Farm.
Henderson hopes the county
fairs organizers can nd a way to
breathe new life into the 169-year-
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cartographic carryall features our Adirondack Park map laminated on
the water-resistant surface. Choose northern Adirondacks or southern
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mounted on the wall,
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they are useful.
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May June
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
INSIDE 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
& OUT
28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30
For more parkwide events,

check out our full calendar at
www.adirondacklife.com.
Spring Fling
Dust off your canoe or kayak on
May 13 for the Round the Mountain
ANASTASIA OSOLIN COLLAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST. MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPH BY MANUEL PALACIOS. KAYAK PHOTOGRAPH FROM ISTOCK
Canoe and Kayak Race, an ear-

ly-season entry in the Adirondack
Watershed Alliances schedule. The
10-and-a-half-mile course runs from
Ampersand Bay Resort, on Lower
Saranac Lake, to Lake Flower, in
Saranac Lake. Registration begins
Picture Show at 9 a.m.; race starts at 11 a.m. For

details call (518) 891-2744 or visit
www.macscanoe.com.
Since 1969, Adirondack Life has been celebrating
the park through stunning photography. Starting
on May 5, well be bringing the celebration to Tup-
per Lakes Wild Center (518-359-7800, www.wild
center.org) with Visions of Adirondack Life. The
daily slide show will showcase year-round images
from top regional photographers, as well as the
best shots from our 2017 photography contest and
rare viewpoints from drones.
Collage Credit
Artist Anastasia Osolin draws inspiration for her collages
and assemblages from the history of science and astronomy,
mysticism, Victorian ephemera and industrial decay. My pri-
mary creative impulse, she says, involves seeking the fan-
tastic within the mundane. See Osolins work at View, in Old
Forge, from April 1May 28. For more information call (315)
601-9728 or visit www.viewarts.org.

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NATURES ADIRONDACK DESIGNS. Handcrafted
Rustic one-of-a-kind Frames, Mirrors, Lamps, High
Peaks Plaques, and Home Accessories inspired by the
Adirondacks. Etsy.com/shop/naturesadkdesigns
ANTIQUES
AdkByOwner.com For a week ... or a lifetime ... youll

nd it here.
SALMON FISHING STREAM: 6 acres, 501, Pekin

ARBORIST Brook, use Trout Lake & Salmon River. $28,900. www
.LandFirstNY.com. (315) 387-2600.
FULLY INSURED / FREE ESTIMATES RENTALS

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GREAT CAMP HEMLOCK LEDGE. Prime lakefront,
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,(.-,)*-**** weekly rental year-round. www.hemlockledge.com

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Custom Draperies
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Outdoor Cushions
Fabric Sales COZY CABINS ON SERENE LAKE DESOLATION. 15
minutes from Saratoga Springs/NY Thruway. Dog
Saranac Lake, NY RAINBOW LAKE Vacation home rental. WATERFRONT! friendly. www.lakedesolation.com. email: ldcabins@
518-891-1390 http://www.adkbyowner.com/listings/VR9271.html hotmail.com. (888) 870-5495.

INSIDE & OUT
SPORTS & OUTDOORS

May 67: Hudson River Whitewater
Derby. Canoe and kayak races for
novices and experts. North River,
North Creek and Riparius. Registra-
tion begins at 9 a.m. both days; com-
petitions start at 11 a.m. (518) 251-
2005. www.whitewaterderby.com
May 13: The Grand Hike. Eleven-mile

trek from Wadhams to the Essex
Inn. Sponsored by Champlain Area
Trails. Register in advance. (518)
962-2287. www.champlainarea
trails.com
May 13: Spring for the Arts Golf LUXURY

WATERFRONT
Tournament. Benets Lake George
Arts Project. Register in advance.
PET-FRIENDLY
Cronins Golf Resort, Warrensburg.
1 p.m. (518) 668-2616. www.lake
georgearts.org
May 1920: Ausable River Two-Fly

Challenge. Catch and release on the
West Branch. Register in advance. @lakeplacidvacations|518.523.2519|LakePlacidVacations.com
Whiteface Mountain Regional Visi-
tors Bureau, Wilmington. (888) 944-
8332. www.whitefaceregion.com STUMP GRINDING
May 1921: Adirondack Paddlefest.

More than 1,000 canoes, kayaks
Mt. Marcy
and SUPs to test-paddle, plus Text classisied order form
clinics and demonstrations. Moun-
Let over 163,000 readers know with a
tainman Outdoor Supply Company,
Mt. Marcy Marketplace classied ad.
Old Forge. Friday, noon; Saturday
RATES: 1x rate-$2.90 per word, 3x rate-
and Sunday, 9 a.m. (315) 369-6672.
$2.80 per word, 6x rate-$2.65 per word, 8x
www.mountainmanoutdoors.com
rate-$2.60 per word. 10-word minimum.
Insertions must be consecutive. No agency
May 20: Champlain Bridge 5K. Race
discounts allowed. We accept checks,
with views of the New York-to-Ver-
money orders, Mastercard, Visa.
mont span. Crown Point State His-
Payment or credit card information must
toric Site. 10 a.m. Register at www
accompany your order.
.racewire.com or www.lachute.us
June 17: Bass and Pike Fishing Derby Issue: Deadline Release Date
on Long Lake. Registration begins July-August May 1 Mid-June
at the town beach at 6 a.m.; shing Sept.-Oct. June 12 Mid-August
starts at 6:30 a.m. (518) 624-2145. Home Issue July 17 Mid-Sept.
www.mylonglake.com
FAIRS & FESTIVALS

May 7: Fire and Spice. Juried com-
ADIRONDACK LIFE, INC.
Mt. Marcy Marketplace,
petition of amateur and profes-
P.O. Box 410, Jay, NY 12941
sional chefs. Seventh Lake House,
Inlet. Public tastings begin at 2 p.m. Call (518) 946-2191 ext. 108
(315) 357-6028. www.seventhlake E-mail: jjohnson@adirondacklife.com
house.com Publisher will not be liable for errors due to illegible handwriting.

INSIDE & OUT
May 31June 4: Ultimate Elvis Festi-

val. Concerts, cruises, parties and a
parade. Townwide, Lake George.
Check for times and venues. (888)
406-5885. www.lakegeorgeelvis
fest.com
June 24: Great Adirondack Birding

Celebration. Field trips, naturalist
programs, childrens activities and
more. Paul Smiths College VIC.
Check for schedule; register for
some outings in advance. (518) 327-
6241. www.paulsmiths.edu/vic
June 34: Adirondack Woof Stock.

Doggie competitions and demon-
strations, food, music and more.
Behind Chestertown Town Hall.
9 a.m. each day. (518) 321-0076.
www.trilakesalliance.com
June 911: Adirondack Boreal Bird-

ing Festival. Outings and seminars
throughout Hamilton County. Reg-
ister for outings in advance. (518)
548-3076. www.adirondackexper
ience.com
June 18: Fathers Day Frog Jumping

Contest. Kids show off their cham-
pion frogs; dads sport their wackiest
ties. Old Forge lakefront. Noon. (315)
369-6983. www.oldforgeny.com
MUSIC & THEATER

May 12: Pamelia Stickney, ther-
emin virtuoso, accompanied by
Brian Dewan. Lake Flower Landing,
Saranac Lake. 7:30 p.m. (917) 887-
6342. www.lakeowerlanding.com
May 12: Gospel by Reggie and Kim

Harris. Sponsored by East Branch
Friends of the Arts. Keene Valley
Congregational Church. 7:30 p.m.
(518) 708-5607
May 2728: Rock N Roots Festival.

A mashup of rock n roll, reggae
and roots music. Charles R. Wood
Park, Lake George. Check for times.
(518) 222-0151. www.nyrockn
casella.com roots.com
CASELLA RESOURCE SOLUTIONS
June 10: Mike Dekle. Nash-
ZERO-SORT RECYCLING COLLECTION
ville-based singer/songwriter.
ORGANICS ENERGY BIOFUELS LANDFILLS Tannery Pond Center, North Creek.

INSIDE & OUT
7:30 p.m. (518) 251-2505. www

.tannerypondcenter.org
June 1625: Fiction. A literary cou-

ple untangle a life of secrets and
lies. Pendragon Theatre, Saranac
Lake. Check for times. (518) 891-
1854. www.pendragontheatre.org
TOURS & WORKSHOPS

May 13: Traditional Cheesemaking.
Register in advance. Adirondack
Folk School, Lake Luzerne. 9 a.m.
(518) 696-2400. www.adirondack
folkschool.org
May 13: Spring Wildower Walk.

Naturalist Peter OShea showcases
beautiful blooms at the Adiron-
dack Interpretive Center, in New-
comb. Register in advance. 1 p.m.
(518) 582-2000. www.esf.edu/aic
Wildlife
Conservation
May 20: Map and Compass Fun- Society
damentals. Register in advance.
Adirondack Mountain Clubs Heart
Lake Program Center, Lake Placid.
(518) 523-3441. www.adk.org
June 25July 1: Adirondack Dis-

coveries Tour. Celebrate the 125th
anniversary of the Adirondack Park
with a seven-day coach tour curat-
ed by Adirondack Life. Register in
advance. For details call (855) 744-
8747 or visit www.countrytravel
discoveries.com/ADL
EXHIBITIONS
May 6June 9: Linear Landscapes.
Mixed-media paintings by Rachel
Kohn. Opening reception May 6 at
4 p.m. Lake George Arts Projects
Courthouse Gallery. (518) 668-2616.
www.lakegeorgearts.org
June 230: Watercolors by Valerie

Patterson. Opening reception June
2 at 5 p.m. Adirondack Artists
Guild, Saranac Lake. (518) 891-2615.
www.adirondackartistsguild.com
Editors Note: Because Inside &

Out must be prepared so far in
advance of publication, telephone
numbers are included for the confir-
mation of dates and times of events.

5($/(67$7(6$/(69$&$7,215(17$/6
LEADING IN WATERFRONT SALES
ECHO POND LODGE - IN LAKE PLACID
The Echo Pond Lodge is located on the 15 acre Echo Pond in Lake Placid as the sole private owner of the pond with
contiguous Forever Wild NY State land. This 70 acre retreat provides a rare unique and private setting that is
conveniently located within walking distance of Mirror Lake, Lake Placid, Main Street shops, restaurants and the
arenas. The historic original 1930s log cabin has been renovated and expanded to its current and stunning compound
with a gorgeous main house & guest cottage by an Adirondack builder/designer in 2010 with custom rustic high end
finishes throughout. There are 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, 4 fireplaces, a gourmet chefs kitchen, game room, deck,
enclosed porch and an attached 2 car garage. This property sitting amidst the beauty of nature offers 4 seasons of
activities just outside your front door with a private dock, swimming deck, fishing, kayaking & ice skating on your
own pond or venture out to hike, cross country ski or snowshoe throughout the vast acreage that will surround you.
The main lodge & guest cottage are year round residences that offer a rare lifestyle opportunity with an abundance of
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REAL ESTATE BROKER/OWNER - MARGIE PHILO

2429 MAIN STREET LAKE PLACID NY 12946
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Lowville, NY 13367 Lake George Discover the
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Video tours available @
THE ANTLERS Lake George!
GoodMorningRealty.com Gorgeous year-round 3-bedroom,
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ST-1, T/O Webb $349,900 with sub-zero fridge, granite count-
4 BR/2 bath log home with 95' ers, 6-burner stove, wet bar, wine
WFF on Stillwater Reservoir, cooler & large pantry. Sumptuous
known for snowmobiling, shing lake-view master suite with walk-in
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oor bedrooms & bath with walk- association amenities; pool, beach
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full bath & full basement, partially GLEN LAKE! TURNKEY!
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btu generator hard-wired to home.
& wall of glass lake views! Kitchen
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NEW Color Me Placid
The Adirondacks: by Nip Rogers
Season by Season by DIY Adirondack masterpieces
photographer Carl Heilman II in this brand-new adult
A stunning tribute to the coloring book. Paperback,
Adirondack Park, one of 20 scenes on heavy stock.
Americas natural treasures. 23 pages.
Hardcover, measures 8 x 8. LPC 30N $17.95
TAS 91H $29.95
Best Easy Day Hikes

Adirondacks
Adirondack Outlaws Concise descriptions and detailed
ADIRONDACK LIFE senior editor maps of short, easy-to-follow
Niki Kourofsky exposes the trails that lead to some of the
North Countrys shadowy past of parks most scenic destinations.
crime and dark deeds. Her wry, Hikes for everyone, including
lively storytelling puts readers families. Paperback. 128 pages.
right in the thick of shootouts, BE 97D $9.95
jewel heists, bank robberies,
manhunts and unsolved mur-
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AOB 47K $14.95
Flowerbeds & Borders in
Deer Country
What to do to keep deer away
Tahawus Memories from your plants? The author
offers techniques and describes
19411963 dozens of trees and other plants
The Story of a Unique
deer dont like to eat. Paperback,
Adirondack Hometown
101 pages. FB 18D $9.95
A company town in the shadow
of the High Peaks once held the
worlds largest titanium mine.
Photos, stories and documents Murder in the Adirondacks:
recount life in the village that An American Tragedy Revisited
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Paperback, 312 pages. fully revised and expanded edition
TAH 63LG $21.95 of the denitive book about Ches-
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Adirondack Waterfall Guide
New Yorks Cool Cascades
Over 70 waterfalls await discovery, from Northern Bounty
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includes easy-to-follow directions, 50 from ADIRONDACK LIFE
maps and 40 vintage postcard illustrations. 144-page paperback contains
Paperback, 248 pages. WG 37D $14.95 salads, sauces, entres and des-
serts gleaned from the pages of
ADIRONDACK LIFE. Paperback,
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At the Mercy of the
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Short Carries
True stories of survival and
Essays from Adirondack Life
tragedy, from famous histori-
cal cases during the early 20th By Elizabeth Folwell. No bookshelf
century to modern tales of is complete without this collec-
struggle in the mountains and tion of timeless observations of
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SC 69F $16.95.
For mail order please see insert card. 800-328-4461 www.adirondacklifestore.com

BACK PAGE
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
NAME THAT BLOOM

Can you identify these seasonal residentsincluding a couple of carnivorous charmersof
Adirondack woods, meadows and wetlands? PHOTOGRAPHS BY LINDA BENZON
8. Oxeye Daisy 9. Round-leaved Sundew (insectivore)

1. Painted Trillium 2. Common Milkweed 3. Pitcher Plant (insectivore) 4. Blue Flag Iris 5. Trout Lily 6. Pink Ladys Slipper 7. Sundial Lupine

INDIAN CARRY Camp
UPPER SARANAC LAKE
DETAILS:
List Price: $1,895,000 Lake Frontage: Views: Lake and Mountain
Bedrooms: 4 Year Built: 1983 Approx SQFT: 3,240
Baths: 2.5 Sauna Location:,QGLDQ&DUU\5G
7XSSHU/DNH1<
Acreage: 5.15 2 Car Garage
(QMR\WKHPDJLFRI8SSHU6DUDQDF/DNHJDWKHUHGDURXQGWKHUHSODFHLQRQHRI
WKHODNHVPRVWGLVWLQJXLVKHGERDWKRXVHVEXLOWE\$GLURQGDFN&ODVVLF'HVLJQV7KLV
PRGHUQL]HGDQGZHOOLQVXODWHGIRXUEHGURRPKRXVHLVWKHHSLWRPHRIFRPIRUWDQG -RQDWKDQ*RUJDV
DSSHDO$QDOOXULQJDFUHVLWHZLWKJUHDWYLHZVRYHUWKHZDWHUSURWHFWHGE\ 5HDO(VWDWH6DOHV$VVRFLDWH
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WHO LIVED HERE 13,000 YEARS AGO?

THE MAGAZINE OF THE MOUNTAINS SINCE 1969

VOLUM E XLVI I I , NO. 3 M AY / J U N E 2017

Hidden Heritage 54 Cover:

TO SUBSCRIBE, RENEW OR CHANGE AD DRESS: write

POSTMASTER: Send 3579 to ADIRONDACK LIFE, P.O.

CONTRIBUTORS: For editorial and photographic guide-

Member International Regional Magazine Association, Inc.

4 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

handcrafted routes 73 & 9n

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 7

PACKAGING THE PARK

8 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 9

Sarah, were operating Speedy Spa, in

10 ADIRONDACK LIFE March + April 2017

Happy Birthday, Blue Line!

12 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

We get a lot of people that come in and

West atmosphere were served up at North Hudsons Frontier

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 13

RAQUETTE LAKE In the late 1980s, Donna Pohl was a school-

14 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 15

moments. All of the food must be

16 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

lic gure in the Adirondacks. Hes a

GREAT CAMP SAGAMORE

18 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

Save BIG with pre-sale tickets at

seat 64and the dining room bus-

For a schedule of cruises, call (315)

20 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

CELEBRATING THE 125th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADIRONDACK PARK

DEATH OF and lost his rental house in Bolton Landing. The VA

JON CODY eventually put him in a house in the hills outside of

22 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 23

tinged with brooding. The elds had

   IF ANYONE LIVED larger or

24 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

137 River Street

New York 12983

518-891-2101 gail brill design

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 25

er shops, antique stores and knick-

26 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

A modern twist on the

EVENTUALLY, THE STORY of

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 27

the ve dogs of Jons I had known:

Christopher Shaw is at work on a

28 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 29

RESTAURANTS and ngerling potatoes. And the

May + June 2017 ADIRONDACK LIFE 31

32 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

34 ADIRONDACK LIFE May + June 2017

And the Weiner Is ...

IF ANYONE LIVED larger or

removed numerous rare Paleo-In-

from professionals. It shouldnt be