﻿NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Parti 
  

  

  SKETCH 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOGRAPHY 
  AND 
  TOPOGRAPHY 
  OF 
  

   THE 
  ADIRONDACKS 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region 
  is 
  included 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  crystalline 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  northern 
  New 
  York 
  that 
  is 
  approximately 
  bounded 
  by 
  the 
  

   Mohawk 
  valley 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  the 
  Black 
  and 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  rivers 
  on 
  

   the 
  west, 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  plain 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  the 
  Hudson- 
  

   Champlain 
  valley 
  on 
  the 
  east. 
  Roughly 
  rounded 
  in 
  outline 
  it 
  has 
  

   an 
  average 
  diameter 
  of 
  125 
  miles, 
  and 
  a 
  surface 
  of 
  about 
  12,500 
  

   square 
  miles. 
  Within 
  its 
  limits 
  lie 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  Essex, 
  Warren, 
  

   Hamilton 
  and 
  Herkimer 
  counties 
  and 
  portions 
  of 
  Washington, 
  

   Clinton, 
  Franklin, 
  St 
  Lawrence, 
  Jefferson, 
  Lewis, 
  Oneida, 
  Fulton 
  

   and 
  Saratoga 
  counties. 
  

  

  The 
  region 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  defined 
  physiographic 
  unit. 
  The 
  Adirondacks 
  

   and 
  their 
  foothills 
  cover 
  the 
  whole 
  area, 
  forming 
  an 
  uninterrupted 
  

   highland. 
  They 
  are 
  composed 
  mainly 
  of 
  long 
  parallel 
  ridges, 
  

   separated 
  by 
  longitudinal 
  valleys, 
  and 
  arranged 
  in 
  series 
  or 
  en 
  

   echelon, 
  with 
  a 
  prevailing 
  northeasterly 
  trend. 
  Toward 
  the 
  borders 
  

   the 
  ridges 
  gradually 
  fall 
  off 
  and 
  are 
  succeeded 
  by 
  the 
  bordering 
  

   uplands 
  which 
  are 
  constituted 
  of 
  outward 
  sloping 
  Paleozoic 
  strata. 
  

   On 
  the 
  east, 
  however, 
  they 
  terminate 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  abruptly 
  against 
  

   the 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  trough, 
  with 
  but 
  a 
  narrow 
  and 
  interrupted 
  

   fringe 
  of 
  sediments 
  on 
  that 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  is 
  diversified 
  throughout, 
  but 
  not 
  specially 
  rugged 
  

   except 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  central 
  portion. 
  Here 
  the 
  ridges 
  are 
  massed 
  

   into 
  mountain 
  groups 
  that 
  stand 
  out 
  prominently 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  their 
  

   bold 
  sculpture 
  and 
  elevation. 
  Essex 
  and 
  southern 
  Clinton 
  counties 
  

   contain 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  elevations. 
  The 
  Mt 
  Marcy 
  group, 
  the 
  

   highest, 
  has 
  a 
  few 
  peaks 
  rising 
  5000 
  feet 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  more, 
  and 
  there 
  

   are 
  many 
  others 
  with 
  peaks 
  above 
  4000 
  feet. 
  The 
  surface 
  has 
  a 
  

   general, 
  but 
  not 
  uniform, 
  slope 
  radially 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  

   group, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  from 
  the 
  directions 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  streams. 
  

   The 
  drainage 
  courses 
  are 
  influenced 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  however, 
  by 
  

   the 
  general 
  northeast-southwest 
  alinement 
  of 
  the 
  ridges. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  region, 
  in 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  county, 
  shows 
  a 
  

   more 
  subdued 
  topography 
  than 
  other 
  sections. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  plateau 
  

   broken 
  by 
  gentle 
  ridges 
  and 
  open 
  valleys, 
  with 
  occasional 
  elevations 
  

   rising 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  feet 
  above 
  their 
  surroundings. 
  The 
  surface 
  

   falls 
  by 
  gradual 
  stages 
  from 
  the 
  interior, 
  which 
  stands 
  at 
  about 
  

  

  