USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol II > Part 13
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As we leave the village and proceed northward down the beau- tiful shores of Lake George we approach a small island near the western border. This is called Tea Island, so named because a tea house was built here as far back as 1828. According to tradition, Abercrombie buried many valuables here, including gold ; but although the island has been dug over from time to time by treasure seekers,
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nothing important has ever been uncovered. North from here we come to Cramer's Point. According to tradition this was once an island. In the words of Stoddard ("Lake George and Lake Cham- plain"), "A former owner of the adjoining shore looked upon it with longing eyes; and one night the kind waves, or something equally efficacious, filled up the intervening space with earth ; the island and the shore clasped hands across the muddy chasm; the twain were made one flesh, and no law was found to put them asunder."
Next we approach Diamond Island, so named because of the countless quartz crystals originally found here. During the French and Indian War, Abercrombie placed a small force of men here, while during the Revolution, at the time of the Burgoyne invasion, the British used it as a base of supplies. An American force under John Brown attempted to capture it, but was driven off by the Eng- lish. In early days the island was a favorite place for rattlesnakes. The inhabitants of the mainland shunned it, and sometimes boats passing by were attacked by the reptiles. At one time a man named Jost Storm made a business of raising hogs on the western shore. He sold and agreed to deliver seven of them to a farmer who lived across the lake. One day Storm and his son set out in a boat with the swine. Suddenly when they were passing the island the hogs smelled the rattlers, upset the boat, and swam directly toward the reptiles, finally disappearing into the brush. The boat remained afloat and the men managed to paddle it ashore safely. Winter was coming on and the father became sick. In addition, he retained his fear of the snakes. Taking it for granted that the hogs had been killed in any case, he made no effort to trace them. The son, however, never ceased to wonder what had happened to the swine and after three years he set out with a friend to visit the island. Protected with high boots, thick gloves, shotguns and clubs they approached. To their surprise no snakes were visible. Even after they reached the shore they beheld only one rattler. Becoming courageous, they decided to explore the entire island. They ultimately found not seven hogs, but sixteen of the fattest ones they had ever seen. Evidently the swine had pros- pered at the expense of the snakes. It was butchering time, and the hogs were taken ashore and killed. Every one was full of rattle- snakes, and it is claimed that some of these reptiles were alive. According to Reid, "There was another queer thing about those hogs.
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One of them had a litter of pigs shortly afterwards, and sir, everyone of the piglets had a rattle on the end of its tail." One man made some sausage of the pork and reported, "It tasted all right, but I had to watch it while frying, because it tried to crawl out of the frying pan."
Another local legend is concerned with Reid's Rock, farther north. My subject is small, and my story is in proportion. It has to do with a man named Reid who enjoyed his liquor. One dark and stormy night in late autumn his love for rum led him across the lake. The next morning he was found on this rock frozen stiff and covered with a coat of ice from the spray.
Let us leave Caldwell with a picture in our minds of Abercrom- bie's huge army embarking proudly, preparatory to the assault on Ticonderoga. When the last man was aboard it is said that the army covered the surface of the lake so thoroughly that hardly a bit of water could be seen. The entire lake seemed alive with color. The bright red coats of the regulars mingled with the subdued colors of the provincials. Famous copper-colored monarchs of the forests advanced along with Abercrombie, Howe and other celebrated sons of Britain. There were Robert Rogers and his rangers; there were also Scotland's kilted Highlanders. Everyone was happy and confi- dent. Flags fluttered proudly, and drums, bagpipes and trumpets frightened eagles from their nests. Everything was conducted on a colossal scale that would rival Hollywood in its glory. Abercrom- bie's efforts were to prove futile, and his army was destined to become panic-stricken; but when the soldiers advanced proudly down the lake they gave the best show Lake George has ever seen.
Next we come to the town of Chester in the northern part, bounded on the west by Johnsburg, on the southwest by Thurman, on the south by Warrensburg, on the east by Horicon, and on the north by Essex County. It was set off from Thurman in 1799. On the west and southwest the Hudson River forms its boundary, while on the east it is bordered by the southern end of Schroon Lake and by Schroon River. The largest bodies of water entirely inside the township are Loon Lake and Friends Lake. An interesting natural feature in the northern section of this town is the Stone Bridge. The first settlers probably came here about 1794 and soon became occu- pied floating logs down the rivers. The main settlements are at Ches- tertown and Pottersville, the former dating from around 1805, while
C & G-35
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the other was of late origin. Chestertown is in the southeastern part of the township. A tannery was built here in 1849, while an impor- tant gristmill dates from about 1800. Pottersville, named for its first business man, is located in the northeastern section near the southern end of Schroon Lake. Although a tannery existed here, the principal industry, by far, was lumbering. By 1850, the town had 1,850 inhabitants, and by 1860 2,411. When the basic industries declined, population ebbed. In 1930 there were 1,610 residents. Since 1880 the resort business has slowly but increasingly become more important.
Warren County's only city is Glens Falls, located in the south- eastern corner. Originally it was included in Queensbury Township. Its early story is so closely interwoven with that of its parent com- munity that, in order to avoid duplication, its early history will be found in the paragraphs on Queensbury. We will be primarily con- cerned here with the city itself.
Abraham Wing, a Quaker born in Massachusetts, was the founder of Glens Falls. Until after the Revolution it was called Wing's Corners and Wing's Falls in honor of its first and foremost settler. Finally, about 1788, its name was changed to Glens Falls, in honor of John Glen, of Schenectady, who owned considerable land in this vicin- ity. A curious story has been told to explain this change, it being claimed by some that Glen gave an expensive wine supper at Wing's tavern on condition that the name would be changed. It became an incorporated village in 1839, at which time it had a population of 1,270. Its most spectacular growth occurred between 1880 and 1890, when the number of inhabitants increased 94.1%. In 1890 its population was 9,509. Here it did not stop, but continued to grow and, by 1930, it had reached a total of 18,531. It became a city in 1908.
Because of its location on the falls of the Hudson, Glens Falls was from the first destined to be prominent industrially. Wing, him- self, erected a sawmill here and the lumber industry rapidly moved to the fore. From the Adirondacks logs in constantly increasing quanti- ties floated down the Hudson to the Glens Falls market. When the Glens Falls feeder was opened to boats in 1832, enabling them to dock alongside the sawmills, lumbering received a great impetus. By 1860, one mill alone had twelve gates and two hundred and fifty
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saws in operation. In the year 1853, 36,895,490 feet of lumber was cleared through the collector's office here. Lime was first burned in important quantities in 1832, and first exported in 1834. The first paper- mill was built in 1864. The shirt and collar industry, for which Glens Falls became noted, began in 1876. By 1920 there were seventy-five factories here with products exceeding $11,500,000 annually. This is also the home of the Glens Falls Insurance Company and Glens Falls Indemnity Company. The city is more beautiful than most; its citizens are in general progressive; it has a high per capita wealth, and there seems to be no reason why Glens Falls should not continue to expand economically.
The town of Hague is found in the extreme northeastern corner of Warren County. It is bounded on the west by Horicon, on the southwest by Bolton, on the east by Lake George and on the north by Essex County. When it was formed from Bolton in 1807 it was known as Rochester, but in 1808 it was renamed Hague. Until 1838 it included a part of Horicon. Hague is a town of great natural beauty. Its mountains are the most picturesque in any town in War- ren County. Some of them rise abruptly out of the lake. Most famous of all is Rogers Slide in the extreme northeast corner, scene of the well-known legend previously related concerning that famous ranger leader. This mountain has an altitude of only 1,078 feet, but on its eastern side there is an awe-inspiring cliff that descends almost vertically into Lake George. Silver Bay, famed center of summer religious education, is also a place of beauty, as is the low headland called Sabbath Day Point. South of here, where the highway turns to cross the mountain, is an unusual view of the Lake, including the northern islands of the Narrows. Southernmost of those islands, in the township of Hague, are the Harbor Islands, scene of the incredi- ble narrative of Indian cannibalism, already related from the pen of Father Roubaud. North of these, we find Vicar's Island, which received its unusual name from a man named Vicar, who lived on it. One of the most interesting legends of the entire Lake George area reached its climax here. Captain Sam Patchen, of Sabbath Day Point, was the hero, or the victim, as the case may be. It seems that on one winter's day a strong north wind induced him to perfect a new method of transporting his grain to a gristmill in Bolton. He loaded his bags of grain into an old cutter, hoisted a sail, and started away
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with a pitchfork in his hand for a rudder. In the words of Stoddard, "The ice was glare, and the cutter sailed well-remarkably well; but there was not so much certainty about the satisfactory behavior of the steering apparatus. The old man, it is said, was given to spiritual things occasionally and had, on this occasion, evidently hoisted in rather too much rye in the liquid form to conduce to the safe transpor- tation of that in the bags. The craft insisted on heading directly for the island (Vicar's), and could not be diverted from its course-it was of the kind called 'jumper'-a meddlesome old jumper at that, and the captain had a great deal of confidence in its ability to do what- ever it undertook. So he decided to jump the island. He tried it. It was not, strictly speaking, a success. The cutter reached the shore, and paused against a rock, but Sam was anxious to get along, and continued on with the bags and finally brought up in a snowdrift. Captain Sam was always dignified, and on this occasion it is said his manner of resting on that snowdrift was remarkably impressive. Even the snow felt moved, and the island itself was touched, and when he came out and set his radiant face homeward he was not a Sam of joy or a Sam of thanksgiving, but a Sam abounding in language that would set a mule driver up in business, and bring despair to the boss canvasman of any circus traveling."
Sabbath Day Point was a favorite stopping place for both Indians and white soldiers. The reason for this name is not yet established. Some writers have assumed that it was due to the fact that Amherst conducted religious services here one Sunday on his way to capture Ticonderoga, but the name was in use before that time. We know that a famous Indian, named Sabattis, was connected with its early history, but whether the present name is a perversion of this, it is impossible to state definitely. An Iroquois Indian encampment was located here at one time. It is claimed that a house was built on the Point as early as 1765. Sam Patchen built his log dwelling in 1798. A man, named Reuben Davis, once occupied a farm nearby, which he paid for by selling live rattlesnakes and, also, their oil. Silver Bay received its name from its appearance. Friends Point, north of Hague village, was named from the fact that on one dark night dur- ing the French and Indian Wars two scouting parties met here and prepared for combat, discovering just in the nick of time that they were friends, rather than enemies. The origin of Hague's name is
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not known. Hague village is the oldest settlement in the township, although its dates are shrouded in doubt. Next oldest was Wardboro, settled in 1825, and located in the extreme southern end, next to Bol- ton. Although once a prosperous agricultural and lumbering center, an old cemetery and the remains of foundations are all that is left. It received its name from the fact that many of the settlers were Wards. In the northern part of Hague we find Graphite, where a mining settlement once flourished. Here, lead was taken from the soil and transported to the Ticonderoga mills. Around 1860 the town approached its peak so far as the lumber business was con- cerned, ten thousand logs being floated from this place to Ticon- deroga in that year. In recent times the tourist business has become increasingly important until today it is predominant. Hague's fine hotels and beautiful scenery are widely recognized. The township's population in 1850 was 717, approximately the same (741) as in 1930, some fluctuation occurring in between these dates.
Horicon is west of Hague and is bounded on the north by Essex County, on the west by Chester and Warrensburg, and on the south- east by Bolton. Until 1838 it was a part of Hague and Bolton. Its main stream is the Schroon River which, together with the southern end of Schroon Lake, forms its boundary with Chester and Warrens- burg. The chief body of water entirely in the township is beautiful Brant Lake. The first settlement was made about 1800, but for sev- eral years it did not grow to any appreciable extent. The two chief industries were lumbering and farming. Many logs were sawed here, but large quantities were also floated down the river to Glens Falls. The largest village was also called Horicon, although today the post office is named Brant Lake. This settlement is near the southwestern end of the lake of the same name. The only other important commu- nity is Adirondack, once called Mill Brook. It is located on Schroon Lake. Settled around 1850, its basic industry seems to have been tanning. In 1860 the township had a population of 1,542, while by 1880 it had increased to 1,633, which was more than double the number of residents (800) reported in 1930.
Next is the large township called Johnsburg. Its territory exceeds that of any two other towns in Warren County. It is located in the northwestern corner, and is bounded on the north and west by Ham- ilton County, on the south by Thurman, and on the east and northeast
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by Chester. It was created from Thurman in 1805. The largest body of water within the borders of Johnsburg is Thirteenth Lake, and the most important stream is the Hudson, which forms its bound- ary with Chester. The first settler was John Thurman, who came here soon after the Revolution. He engaged in a variety of occupa- tions, among other things erecting a woolen factory in 1795, and two years later establishing the first calico printing works in America, it is claimed. He it was who was killed by a bull in Bolton in 1807, and in his honor the town was named Johnsburg. At first, however, this place was called Elm Hill. The original settlers came from Eng- land, Scotland, Ireland and New England, doubtless attracted by the factories mentioned. Another of the town's leading industries in early days was the making of whisky. Although it was produced in con- siderable quantities, it is said that most of it was used for consumption in Johnsburg. At a later time tanneries were built and lumbering, of course, was carried on. The most important mineral is garnet. The Johnsburg deposits have made Warren County America's greatest source of this mineral. Garnets are used in the manufacture of a paper similar to sandpaper and are also ground into a powder. Both the paper and the powder are then used to grind and polish metals and glass. There have been at one time or another several small settle- ments in Johnsburg. The oldest was the hamlet of Johnsburg Cor- ners in the vicinity of Elm Hill. Most of the others owed their existence to the erection of tanneries, Weavertown not being settled until its first tannery was opened in 1833, The Glen being started in similar circumstances a few years later, while North Creek itself did not exist until a tannery was built in 1852. Johnsburg's population increased to 1,503 in 1850, and 2,742 in 1880. In recent times, how- ever, a decline has set in and between 1920 and 1930 there was a decrease from 2,242 to 1,887. This is apparently a transition period, and is not indicative of future trends. The old industries simply died away, causing some of the population to evaporate. Led by the village of North Creek, the resort business has been developing rapidly, par- ticularly in the winter sports field. For this, Johnsburg offers fine attractions.
Luzerne, in the extreme south, is bounded on the north by War- rensburg, on the east by Caldwell and Queensbury, while on the south and west the Hudson River separates it from Saratoga County. With
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the exception of Caldwell, it is the smallest township in Warren County. On the other hand it is one of the oldest, being formed in 1792 out of territory belonging to Queensbury. Originally it was called Fairfield, but its name was changed to Luzerne in 1808. The township as a rule is rather mountainous, but there are some produc- tive farms. Water drains into both Lake George and the Hudson. The best known body of water is beautiful Lake Luzerne. It is said that the first settlement in the township was made about 1770 along the Hudson. In any case a long time elapsed before there was any considerable development. The occupations of the inhabitants included lumbering, farming and laboring in clothing works; while later leather works and pulp mills were established here, and the resort business began to develop. Luzerne village is the only important community in the town. By 1850 there was a population of 1,300 within the township. Since then fluctuation has been slight, and in 1930 there were 1, 1 50 inhabitants.
One of the favorite Indian trails connecting Lake George with the Iroquois villages on the Mohawk passed through Luzerne. There is a legend in existence of the escape here of a soldier whom the savages intended to burn at the stake. The fires were already built when he managed to free his hands. He at once sprang through the flames, seized the son of one of the chiefs and then dashed back again inside the fiery circle. This act caused great confusion among the sav- ages whose thoughts were primarily of the boy. The soldier there- upon rushed down the trail toward the Hudson. Although he was pursued he was an excellent runner, and managed to cross the river, after which the red men gave up the chase.
Luzerne also was the home of a famous practical joker. It is claimed that he was the originator of a bet as old as the hills, and one often practiced. In any case he bet three dollars that he could throw a fellow-lumberman across the Hudson River at Albany. The other seized this opportunity to make what he thought was easy money. All the joker did was to hold him over the water and drop him in. When the fellow climbed out of the river he asked for his money, only to be greeted by the other with the exclamation that he would "try it a thousand times before he'd give up the money." Need- less to say the innocent victim decided he would rather lose the money than be immersed that often, and departed hurriedly, a sadder and a wiser man.
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Queensbury forms the extreme southeastern corner of Warren County. It is bounded on the east by Washington County, on the south by Glens Falls, the Hudson River and Saratoga County, on the west by Luzerne, and on the north by Caldwell and Lake George. The largest body of water within its limits is Glen Lake. Queensbury is not only the oldest township in the county, but also was first settled. It was first incorporated by patent in 1762. Later, in 1786, it was formed into a town of much larger size. Luzerne was taken from it in 1792, while it also lost additional territory to that town in 1802, and to Caldwell in 1810. Many of the early settlers were Quakers, chief among whom was Abraham Wing. Queensbury was particularly tempting to pioneers because of the fertile soil, the presence of water power in the Hudson, and the proximity of timber resources to that great waterway. During the Revolution the town was ravaged by both sides and the settlers served both in England's army and their own. Families were split into warring factions and for one period the settlement was practically wiped out. The later development of Queensbury was two-sided. On one hand there was the rapid indus- trial growth in the area around Glens Falls already discussed; on the other we find a characteristic rural development in the farm lands, and the formation of an extensive resort area along the shores of Lake George. In the Queensbury of today there are no important villages. Its population increased from 2,584 in 1920 to 3,169 in 1930, and today it has more inhabitants than any other township in the county. Queensbury is a land of beauty, featuring bays, points and islands which are characteristic of this lovely area.
The main interest of Dunham's Bay is prehistorical. Before the coming of the great ice sheet, at a time when Lake George did not exist, a river flowed southward through this bay to the Hudson. When the ice retreated it left the stream blockaded, thus forming the Lake. Today there is often a tendency to think of Lake George flowing southward in spite of our knowledge to the contrary. In fact there is very little elevation between it and the Hudson. French Mountain, on the west, presents some of the loveliest of all views of Lake George.
After passing Assembly Point we come to beautiful Harris Bay, named in honor of the most interesting of all of Queensbury's pioneer families. One of the earliest members of this clan was Gilbert ("Gil")
(Courtesy of Chamber of Commerce at Keeseville)
SKI TRAIL NEAR KEESEVILLE
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Harris. During the Revolution he became a notorious spy in the pay of England. His methods were very efficient and he was quite suc- cessful in transmitting military secrets through the American lines from one British army to another. He had a brother named Moses, who did not share his loyalty to England .. Fearing that the latter would give his secret away, Gilbert would have carried him away to Canada as a prisoner in spite of his old age and feeble health, except for the intervention of other Tories. They allowed Moses to remain behind when he took an oath not to reveal any secrets while the war lasted.
Moses Harris had a son of the same name who became a patriot spy attached to General Schuyler. This young man had been on friendly terms with his uncle Gilbert before the war, having fished and hunted with him. He now visited his uncle again, and secured his confidence by telling him that he was thinking of joining the English army. This declaration had the desired effect, and Gilbert employed him to carry British messages to and from Albany. Moses always delivered the messages as scheduled, but only after General Schuyler had read them. Naturally, when the English found that their plans had been discovered, they suspected him and had him arrested, but he managed to convince them of his innocence and resumed his duties. To help divert their suspicion, Schuyler arrested him and placed him in jail, but saw to it that he escaped to Canada where he was treated as a hero. Not only was he in danger so far as the English were con- cerned, but the patriots, not knowing his true mission, believed him to be a Tory and threatened to kill him. On one occasion he was forced to make known his occupation in order to escape death. He managed to live through these experiences. however, and rendered great service to his country. After the war was over, he settled in the section which is today called Harrisena.
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