USA > New York > Warren County > Warren county : a history and guide > Part 21
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Crossing the lake once more, the steamer passes to the north of DOME ISLAND (L), highest in Lake George, and RECLUSE ISLAND (L), where the Jesuit Pere St. Bernard lived in seclusion after torture and escape from the Indians. Then it enters the broad and almost land-locked bay whose shores are occupied by the busy summer and winter resort of BOLTON LANDING. Along the shore to the south (L) at the bay's entrance may be caught glimpses of the palatial estates along "Million-
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aire's Row." An impressive white mansion with tall, graceful columns is a fine example of the summer homes on the luxurious estates grouped in this region.
A few minutes out of Bolton Landing, the boat steams to the dock at GREEN ISLAND which is joined to the mainland by a short bridge. From the wharf a smooth, green lawn slopes gently to the gleaming white, circular, columned portico of the famous Sagamore Hotel.
Stretching away north of the island is NORTHWEST BAY (L) , larg- est arm of the lake, overshadowed by the towering heights of TONGUE MOUNTAIN which projects three miles into the lake.
Twelve miles in a direct line down the lake the route enters THE NARROWS, perhaps the most charming part of beautiful Lake George. Green-robed mountains on east and west narrow the lake to a bare half mile. Dark-foliaged islands crowd the waters and leave only narrow pas- sages for the steamer. The precipitous, wild, broken shoreline is unsuitable for cottages, hotels, or camps, and the scenery is as untouched and primi- tive as in the days before the white man came.
This is a historic as well as a scenic region. MONTCALM POINT (L), FRENCH POINT (L), RANGER ISLAND (L), and FLOATING BATTERY ISLAND (R) are names reminiscent of battle days. FOUR- TEEN MILE ISLAND (R), at the entrance to The Narrows, was the scene of a bloody skirmish between English and American scouts in 1779.
Today the 40 or more islands in The Narrows, almost all State-owned, are choice camping and picnic sites. The steamer here meets passenger motor cruisers, sightseeing speedboats and the rowboats and canoes of island campers. GLEN ISLAND (L), among the first group reached, houses the headquarters of the ranger in charge of island campsites.
PARADISE BAY (R), about two miles beyond the entrance to The Narrows, is a romantic cove on the east shore hidden by islands, a spot of great beauty frequented by sightseers.
Two miles beyond Paradise Bay the steamer passes west of the MOTHER BUNCH ISLANDS (R) which range from fairly large, dark green leafy patches to tiny rocky dots with one or two solitary trees. Fourteen of the islands are property of the State. The largest has been renamed Isle de Lac du St. Sacrement, after the name given Lake George by Father Jogues in 1646.
Rising above the east shore BLACK MOUNTAIN (2,665 alt.) (R) casts its vast dark shadow over the Mother Bunch Islands and the sur- rounding waters. A State-marked trail leads to the summit of Black Mountain where a fire tower provides a magnificent vista of woods and waters.
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Almost directly across the scant mile of water from Black Mountain rises a sheer precipice called DEER LEAP because of the tradition that a hunted deer once leaped from its summit into the tree tops 1,000 feet below.
Twenty-three miles down the lake are the HARBOR ISLANDS (L), one of fair size, the rest little more than specks on the dark waters. Owned by the Paulist Fathers, the islands are used as a summer retreat. In July 1757, a party of 300 to 400 rangers, mostly recruits from New Jersey, were ambushed at the Harbor Islands by a horde of Outaouac Indians. Very few escaped death or capture. Father Roubaud, a Jesuit missionary, wrote a vivid eye-witness account of how they tortured their prisoners.
Reaching broader and more open waters the steamer turns toward the dock at HULETT'S LANDING on the east shore. A large, frame hotel and its numerous cottages, like a brood of chicks about a mother hen, cluster among the trees on the narrow flatland at the base of Black Moun- tain which towers above the landing. Guests, in all manner of informal attire, group at the dock to see what the boat may bring.
Steaming again to the west shore, the route touches SABBATH DAY POINT, end of the eight-mile Narrows. Beyond the low cape State 9N, which to the north follows closely the west shore of the lake, can be seen making a white ribbon up over the high pass between Catamount and Nine Mile Mountains, to pass behind Tongue Mountain and return to the lake on the far side of Northwest Bay.
Hugging the west shore the steamboat next arrives at SILVER BAY, less than two miles beyond Sabbath Day Point.
Three miles out of Silver Bay the steamer enters the broad, circular bay at HAGUE, one of the busiest summer resorts along the west shore.
GLENBURNIE, across the lake from Hague, is a resort center of hotels and camps directly under ANTHONY'S NOSE (1,048 alt.), a mountain which, in profile, is said to be reminiscent of Mad Anthony Wayne.
From Glenburnie the steamer passes into a section of the lake widened by COOK'S BAY, across which row after row of mountain peaks loom against the skyline. In the foreground is ROGERS ROCK (1,078 alt.) (L), dipping steeply into the water, its lakeside face known as ROGERS SLIDE. Various legends relate how Major Robert Rogers the daring New Hampshire scout of the Colonial Wars, awed his Indian pursuers by elud- ing them at this sheer rock wall after the famous Battle on Snowshoes.
Passing the hotel community (L), between Rogers Rock and COOKS MOUNTAIN (1,230 alt.), the boat reaches its terminus, BALDWIN, 36 miles by steamboat route from the head of the lake. Busses, which supplanted the two-mile Delaware and Hudson spur line in 1934, take steamer passengers to Ticonderoga.
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North of the docks and a few frame buildings at Baldwin, Lake George quickly narrows to THE OUTLET, which once carried its waters down a steep rocky bed over musical cataracts which gave the name Carillon, a chime of bells, to the French Fort where it enters Lake Champlain. To- day almost all the water flows through penstocks into turbines which supply power for industrial and domestic use.
Camping
C AMPING has become a popular sport since the State has made available long stretches of the best water front on Lake George and Schroon Lake as free public campsites. Almost 100,000 visitors each year come to camp, picnic, or rest in the groves near the sandy beaches where many of them bathe. At the peak of the season it has been neces- sary to turn away thousands for lack of space, and therefore the State is planning to open the most extensive camping ground in the Adirondacks on the west shore of Lake George in the shadow of Rogers Rock.
Those who would prefer to camp in wilder sections of the Forest Pre- serve rather than in the well-populated public sites where some conven- iences are provided, may do so by obtaining a permit from the district forest ranger at North Creek or from a local ranger stationed in most resort communities. To build a permanent tent platform, however, per- mission must be obtained from the Conservation Department at Albany. Simple regulations must be observed, especially in regard to sanitary con- ditions, fireplaces, and putting out campfires.
Hunters, fishermen and travelers may, under permit, build lean-tos or open camps in the big woods. They may be occupied for a reasonable length of time by hunters and anglers and for three days only by hikers. Travelers who use tents may camp on any State land for three days with- out a permit. This regulation allows many thousands of tourists each year to bivouac by the roadside wherever night overtakes them.
Other groups of tourists and vacationists put up at private camps or cabins of which there are many along Warren County's main roads. There are no camps designed specifically for trailers only, but these homes on wheels are readily accommodated at public and private campsites.
Most popular of all camping places are the 155 State-owned islands located principally from The Narrows north in Lake George. For infor- mation and two week permits address the State Forest Ranger, Glen Island, Bolton Landing, N. Y.
The lakeshore and island public camps are a boon to those who come by motor for canoeing, hiking, mountain climbing, and other outdoor sports. Here, also, may come picnickers for whom a special section with tables and fireplaces is set apart. These visitors also may use the bathhouses that are provided at bathing beaches at the public campsites. All prospec- tive campers must register with the caretaker in charge. He will issue a two-week permit and assign them a site number. Rules and regulations, promulgated by the Conservation Department to safeguard campers and campsites, are conspicuously posted at caretakers' headquarters. Three of these public campsites are located on main highways of the County.
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LAKE GEORGE BATTLEGROUND CAMPSITE
Battleground Campsite, situated in a grove of white birches and pines on the east side of US 9 near the southern entrance to Lake George Village, accommodates nearly 100 camping parties, and includes a bathing beach on the shore of Lake George. In addition to campers, thousands of pic- nickers and bathers visit the site annually.
A site of historic associations in the Colonial Wars, the campgrounds are separated only by a roadway from Lake George Battleground Park (see Tour 1). Across US 9 to the west rises Prospect Mountain, climbed by easy trails and offering from its crest a vivid panorama of Lake George (see Hiking) .
HEARTHSTONE POINT CAMPSITE
Hearthstone, with entrances (L and R) on State 9N, 2.8 m. north of Lake George Village, is one of the largest State camps. It has 350 tent sites, 2,000 feet of lake front, and extends up wooded slopes on both sides of State 9N. Beside the lake is an extensive picnic section. The bathing beach has two bathhouses and a children's play ground. This campsite entertains upwards of 40,000 persons during its summer season.
Hearthstone is used by many as a base from which to explore the trail system developed by the Conservation Department on Tongue Mountain (see Hiking), and as headquarters for boating, fishing, or motoring trips.
EAGLE POINT CAMPSITE
With two entrances on US 9 (R) at 2.3 miles and 2.5 miles north of Pottersville, Eagle Point Campsite gives the public free access to a mile of sandy beach on Schroon Lake. It accommodates from 40 to 50 camping parties and the extensive beach attracts thousands of bathers. The lake, over nine miles long, provides excellent opportunities for canoe and boat trips. Its waters, and the streams and ponds in the vicinity of Eagle Point, offer a variety of sport to fishermen.
CAMPS AND SHELTERS FOR HIKERS AND CANOE PARTIES
The Conservation Department of New York State has built many an Adirondack leanto or open front cabin all through the Adirondack State Park in remote wilderness areas as overnight shelters for hikers, mountain climbers, hunters, and anglers. Some of those in the more frequented parts of Warren County are listed below.
THIRTEENTH LAKE REGION
On Puffer Pond: Two open camps and fireplaces, one at east end and one on north shore of pond.
On Wilcox Lake: One open camp and fireplace, south end of lake.
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LAKE GEORGE REGION
On Sweetbriar Island: One open camp and fireplace for temporary shelter only.
On Picnic Island, Mother Bunch Group: One open camp and fireplace for temporary shelter only.
On Dollar Island: One open camp and fireplace for temporary shelter only.
On O'Dell Island: One open camp and fireplace for temporary shelter only.
On Tongue Mt. Trail: Three open camps and fireplaces.
On Prospect Mt .: Two open camps and fireplaces near summit. One camp and fireplace at trail junction just below summit.
At Hearthstone Point Public Campsite: Two open camps and fireplaces for temporary shelter only.
Golfing
N TORTH, south, east and west throughout Warren County stretch the green fairways and the natural and artificial hazards of many golf links on rolling uplands where the natural beauty of the sur- roundings adds much to the enjoyment of following the elusive white ball. The number of courses and the standard of their upkeep testify eloquently to the popularity of the sport in this summer vacationland.
Innumerable minor contests and tournaments are held on all the public and private courses, but the big event of the County is the Sagamore Annual Invitation Golf Tournament, held in August at the Sagamore Golf Club (see below), Bolton Landing. In 1939, 75 amateurs competed, 80 in 1940, and in 1941, the tenth year, there were 75 contestants.
A brief description of the golf courses of the County follows.
BOLTON LANDING
Far up Federal Hill, off State 9N, are the eighteen holes of the Sagamore Golf Course. From it there are many fine views of Lake George. The links stretch over 6,704 yards of undulating terrain. Greens fee $1.50, 9 holes; $2.50 a day, 18 holes or more. Privileges extended to golfers acceptable to the management.
CHESTER
Scaroon Manor Country Club, US 9, 3.9 miles north of Pottersville (R) on the shore of Schroon Lake. The entrance gate is 0.2 miles south of the Warren-Essex County boundary. 9 holes, 3,200 yards, greens fee $1.50 per day, public.
In Essex County, 1.5 miles beyond the Warren County boundary on US 9, are two more golf courses, each 9 holes, 3,200 yards: Schroon Lake Golf Club (R), greens fee $1.50 per day, public; and Schroon Lake Coun- try Club (L), greens fee $1.50; privileges extended to visiting golfers acceptable to the management.
GLENS FALLS
Glens Falls Country Club, off US 9. The 18-hole links are laid out over rolling hills, partially wooded, with mountains in the background. Greens fee $2.50. Admission by card only.
HAGUE
Arcady Country Club, State 9N, 9 holes, 3,030 yards, located on slightly rolling land along the shore of Lake George. Greens fee $1.50. Privileges extended to visiting golfers acceptable to the management.
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In Essex County on State 9N (L), 7.3 miles north of Hague, and 3.0 miles beyond the Warren County boundary, is the Ticonderoga Country Club in the Lord Howe valley at the base of Three Brothers Mountain. The golf links have 18 holes, 6,105 yards. Greens fee $1.50, semipublic.
LAKE GEORGE
Lake George Country Club, State 9N, 9 holes, 5,000 yards on sloping and slightly hilly grounds along the shore of Lake George. Greens fee $1.50. Privileges extended to visiting golfers acceptable to the man- agement.
LAKE LUZERNE
Luzerne Villa Country Club, State 9K, just across the bridge over the Hudson in Hadley, Saratoga County, has a tree-lined course on almost level terrain with an interesting glacial pothole as a water hazard at the Number 6 hole. 9 holes, greens fee $2 a day, semipublic.
QUEENSBURY
Top 'O the World Golf Course, 6 miles from Lake George, 1.5 miles south of State 9L; 10 miles from Glens Falls, 1.5 miles west of Bay Road (see Tour 7) 9 holes, 3,000 yards. The links occupy a plateau 700 feet above Lake George on the shoulder of French Mountain with unob- structed view north, east, and south at many points. Greens fee $1, free to guests of The Lodge, semipublic.
WARRENSBURG
Queen Village Golf Club, off US 9, 9 holes, 3,131 yards on a low plateau with the Hudson River as a water hazard. Greens fee $1, semipublic.
Hiking
C UTTING well marked trails in the Adirondacks was begun by the State in 1920. Hiking clubs and other groups began to organize at once and offer their services and funds for clearing trails and im- proving existing facilities. Today every resort in Warren County has readily accessible miles of marked woodland and mountain trails.
In remote and wilder areas, especially on mountain trails and along the lakes and streams, lean-tos or open camps with fireplaces have been built to provide overnight shelter on long hikes or for shelter during storms. Local information regarding lean-tos or any particular trail should be sought by persons unfamiliar with the woods before undertaking extended hiking trips.
Many important resort villages and large numbers of hotels, dude ranches, and summer camps provide planned hiking trips over mountain trails to points of scenic beauty and to places of interest along country roads, rivers, lakes or streams.
Trails of particular interest are those leading to fire towers on Crane, Gore, Prospect, Swede, and Tongue Mountains. Visitors are always wel- come, and the fire warden will help them find points of interest. The trails listed are easily accessible, but to describe all of the hundreds of miles of trail, not to mention pathless mountains that the hiker may explore for himself, would more than fill this volume and rob him of much of the joy of discovery.
CRANE MOUNTAIN TRAIL
Elevation: 3,254. Route: State 8.
Round Trip: 4 miles; 3 to 4 hours.
Crane Mountain, a rugged rock mass with many bare precipices and steep slopes, lies in a mountainous area south of Wevertown in the town of Johnsburg. Dirt roads lead from the outskirts of the little village of Johnsburg to the Putnam Place, a farm near the southwestern slope of Crane.
The shortest trail, identified by red discs, follows an abandoned road easterly from the Putnam farmhouse. After about a half mile the trail turns right from the roadway, passes the fire warden's cabin, and after a steep mile climb comes out on the gentler slope above the ledges of the northern face. A quarter mile more and the fire tower on the summit is reached.
The second trail climbs more steeply up the southwest slope, almost directly from the farmhouse. Cliffs and ledges make the climb interesting
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and offer wider horizons than those of the shorter, easier route. A mile from the start the trail passes Crane Mt. Lake, a glacial pond on the mountainside at an elevation of half a mile above sea level. Beyond the lake the trail mounts for about three-quarters of a mile through woods, over bare ledges along a ridge, and across cliff tops to the fire warden's tower on the summit.
From the crest may be seen Blue Mountain in the west, Mt. Marcy in the north, with mirror-like lakes shining between, the Green Mountains in the east, and to the southeast Greylock in the Berkshires just visible on a clear day, 70 miles away as the crow flies.
GORE MOUNTAIN TRAIL
Elevation: 3,595. Route: State 28 (see Tour 4) .
Round Trip: 2 miles; 2 to 3 hours.
Ascent to the summit of Gore is more ride than climb. A road branch- ing left from State 28 a few miles beyond North Creek, allows the first five miles to be done by auto. Of moderate gradient, this highway takes the climber to the garnet mines and the ski trails for which this mountain has become well-known. The mile from the end of the road to the moun- tain crest is up a steady grade, but not a steep climb.
The view from the fire tower is rewarding. Mt. Marcy, the Great Range, and their massive satellites make an impressive sight in the north. Lesser peaks dot the horizon on east and west. A high ledge near the tower also reveals a wide vista of the big woods stretching far away to moun- tains in the south, with Crane Mountain ten miles away.
PROSPECT MOUNTAIN TRAIL
Elevation: 2,021. Route US 9 (see Lake George) .
Round trip: 2 miles; 2 hours.
The marked foot trail to Prospect Mountain leads directly off Montcalm Street on the western edge of Lake George Village. In season, organized parties from the village climb Prospect almost daily. Those who prefer, may make the climb over marked trails without guides. During the ascent may be seen the abandoned cable railway. From the steel fire tower at the summit on a clear day the spires of Albany, 50 miles away, are vaguely outlined. Three ski trails start from the fire tower, and there are Adiron- dack lean-tos or open camps to shelter picnickers or overnight campers. .
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SWEDE MOUNTAIN TRAIL
Elevation: 1,800. Route: State 8 (see Tour 2) . Round Trip: 1 hour.
Easily reached from State 8, 5.7 miles west of Hague, the summit of Swede Mountain is about a mile from the road up an easy path. The tower, reached after a 20 minute walk from the road, provides a long range view. To the east in the background are the hazy Green Mountains of Vermont, and in the foreground the slopes rise from Lake George to the highest peak, Black Mountain (2,665 alt.), 9.5 miles to the southeast. To the northeast the smoke curling from Ticonderoga's industries screens the narrow, river-like waters of Lake Champlain. To the northwest is Pharaoh Mountain (2,552 alt.), beyond which a cluster of lakes marks the foothills of the higher peaks. With a sky line broken by loftier peaks, the view is even more pleasing than from the highest summits.
TONGUE MOUNTAIN TRAIL
Elevation at the highest point on the highway, 1,109. Route: State 9N (see Tour 3) .
Round Trip: 8.7 miles; 8 hours.
This trail is really a system of well-marked trails and bridle paths on Tongue and Fivemile Mountains, six miles north of Bolton Landing. Caution should be observed, but a guide is not needed. The path starts from State 9N as the highway climbs through the Tongue Mountain pass.
Turning left from State 9N close to its highest point, the trail begins with a steep zigzag climb up the northern slope of Fivemile Mountain, whose summit is five miles NNW from the tip of Tongue Mountain peninsula as it juts into Lake George between The Narrows and North- west Bay. Near the top, almost two miles from State 9N, are two leanto shelters. From the summit (2,258 alt.) looking southeast down a ravine, one can see the island-studded Narrows, with Black Mountain (2,665 alt.), the highest peak close to the Lake, rising abruptly beyond, flanked by Sugar Loaf (2,250 alt.) and Elephant Mountain (1,954 alt.) on the left and Erebus Mountain (2,253 alt.) on the right.
From Fivemile Mountain the trail dips and then makes another zigzag ascent up a northern slope to a lesser summit (1,994 alt.). For four miles more the trail then follows the ridge over a series of peaks, grading down to one close to the tip of Tongue Mountain (1,154 alt., 832 feet above the surface of the lake), named Montcalm Point for the French general of French and Indian War fame.
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About five miles from the beginning of the trail, a bridle path branches right and leads down the west side of the mountain to the valley of North- west Bay Brook and connects with State 9N. Approximately seven miles down the foot trail is the junction, on the left, with a branch trail down the east face of the mountain to French Point on the lake, a side trip of one mile. The trail ends nearly nine miles from the starting point on State 9N, at Montcalm Point, between Northwest Bay and The Narrows.
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Winter Sports
A S a sport for visitors and business for permanent residents, winter- time play becomes more important each year. So recently the sport of only a few, skiing has assumed a leading role during the past five- or six years, and winter resorts have sprung up.
For the skiing crowd there are slopes of varying difficulty with lifts to carry people to the summits. But an increasing number enjoy cross country hiking on skis or snowshoes quite apart from speeding down a prepared slope. Swamps, thickets, and rough ground that offer impass- able barriers in summer are easily traversed when the snow lies deep. For the Scandinavians skis are primarily a means of transportation. Only their athletes go in for jumping and other difficult ski contests, but everybody goes ski hiking in winter. More Americans are learning to enjoy this vigorous, but not too exacting sport.
Besides skiing, some centers offer facilities for skating, hockey, curling, ski-joring, ice-boat sailing, tobogganing, coasting and the like. Lake George and Lake Luzerne feature harness racing on tracks laid out on the ice of their lakes. Old-fashioned sleigh rides in big sleighs or cutters on the back roads, and motoring are other possibilities.
Ski boots and ski pants or slacks are essential equipment along with heavy sweaters, wind breakers, warm woolen or lined leather gloves or mittens, heavy underwear, and woolen socks. Plenty of warm but not too heavy clothing that gives the wearer freedom of movement is a "must."
Here are brief explanations of a few terms used by ski enthusiasts.
Christiana: a form of ski turn, generally used at a high speed, in which skis are kept nearly parallel.
Gelandesprung: a jump in which ski poles are used to aid in springing from the ground.
Herringbone: method of climbing, in which heels of skis point in and downhill, toes point outward, forming a herringbone pattern in the snow.
Slalom: downhill race in which the course winds between flags.
Snow-plow: method of breaking speed by pointing ski-tips inward, heels outward.
Telemark: form of ski turn in which outside ski is advanced as far as possible before beginning turn.
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