Adirondack Local History

THE ADIRONDACKS

3,000 crystal clear lakes, over 30,000 miles of sparkling rivers and
streams and 6 MILLION ACRES of Wilderness twice as big as
Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined!

The Northeastern part of New York State is host to the ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS,
( highest elevation Mount Marcy - 5, 344 feet) and geographically is part of the Canadian
Shield/Lauretion Mt. Range of the Canadian Northeast. The Adirondack Mountains are
nestled in the Adirondack Park, the largest park in the United States. Encompassing over
6 million acres, it is almost twice as large as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand
Canyon parks combined. Its untouched primal wilderness has been constitutionally
declared "FOREVER WILD"since 1982 and is protected by New York State law .

The Adirondack Park boasts of almost 3,000 lakes and approximately 30,000
miles of rivers and streams. Between pristine, sparkling waters, verdant pine
forests, rocky elevations, abundant wildlife & breathtaking panoramas, the
Adirondacks are easily one of the rarest jewels in America's crown.

Besides being blessed with natural beauty, the Adirondacks have also been the backdrop
for many historic events in American History. Pivotal Revolutionary War battles have
been fought in this region as well as the "French and Indian War", immortalized by
James Fennimore Cooper in his novel "The Last of the Mohicans" . The tapestry of this
region is woven into the fabric of many historical events. Rarely can a corner be turned
in this area without confronting some reminder of the past and its historic content.

The Adirondack's natural beauty and its proximity to New York City has also
been a major attraction of the rich and famous from the bygone era of the
"Guilded Age". At the turn of the century names like Rockerfeller, Whitney,
Vanderbilt, Durant, Pierpont Morgan, as well as many other well- to -do
New Yorkers became owners of the "Great American Camps" as they came
to be known. These famous getaways from the heat of New York City in
the summer were no small rustic cabins lost and forsaken in a vast wilderness,
although indeed they tended to be built in very remote areas.

The "Great Camps" were exotic and extravagant log and timber creations that could hold up to 100 guests at a time. All the "modern" conveniences of the time were lavishly employed, yet the architecture and furnishings, although elaborate, retained a rustic quality. A style emerged reminiscent of the early pioneers and their rural past but with a distinctly elegant flair. Twig and bark furniture, and the use of native local timber and logs as decorative enhancements both in the interior and exterior of these camps have endured through the past century to become known as the classic Adirondack style that is so popular as rustic furniture today.

From pioneer settler braving the wild frontier through historic
wars and foreign invasions, to the rich and famous' playground, the
Adirondack Mountains emerge unscathed; true unto itself. It remains
a wilderness beyond compare. In its elusiveness to those who
try to capture and tame it, it retains its silent mystery.

As the Native Americans have believed for generations....
we are the temporary caretakers of the land...
it can never truly be owned by any man.
The Adirondacks are living proof of this.