PlSR 1«, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



4S 



lencc 'if its fish, that they resolved to make an annual pil- 

 grimage to this region. 



Tin' ~l:il-ir- was BO n:imed by an old-time surveyor, (Joshua 



BlTOWn) after Fezeeko. a friendly Indian chief. Th first 



whiri' settler ai this place was j-Jhadrach Dunning, who came 



: in 1827. hi the year 18S4 arrived Rensselaer Van 



Rensselaer and David Woolworth. who were soon followed 



; ii Rudes from. Saratoga. On a beautiful headland that 

 cuminflnded a fine view of almost the entire lake the latter 

 buili a loghonsej but a lew rods from where Walton Sail 

 new stana 



jfhe secretary of the club has left on record an ace.ovmt of 

 thi'ir first arrival and reception at Mr. Rudes' primitive 

 allude If there was lack of comfort there was none of hos- 

 pitality. "The family bed was given up, but when a light 

 was' -aVke.d for to retire with, they were informed that there 

 had ttot been a candle iii the house for a twelvemonth 1 Corn- 

 meal, with the fish caught, formed their only food.'' 



Ihu (fie Hseoo Club lacked not food or comfort after this 

 first visit"; for Brunduge, the veteran stage driver, wa.s wont 

 for many a year to entertain his patrons with marvelous 

 stories of the sayings aucldoings of those worthy disciples of 

 Izaak Walion; never failing to tell how it took one wagon 

 to carry the: anglers and another to carry their meat and 

 drink. 



By thy month of May, IS hi, a comfortable frame dwelling, 

 two stories in height, had been erected, with the ready 00- 

 i operation of Mr. Rudes. and duly named in honor of "their 

 patron saint. For about ten years these rare spirits gathered 

 here annually, at the eud of May or by the begmning of 

 June, In that unpainted, weather-worn, 'grim-looking abode 

 what brightness has flashed; what thoughtfuluess of discus- 

 sion bee£ there displayed, with sharp sullies of wit and quick 

 repartee; What geniality and niirthfulncss, as the flame 

 roared iip through the capacious chimney into the frosty air, 

 and the shadows danced merrily on the wall! A sweet mem- 

 ory these men have left around the waters they loved so well. 

 Their piaisc is often in ihe mouths of men, and to this day 

 they will' repeat texts, comments and illustrations which Dr. 

 Betbune made use of thirty-five years ago, showing what a 

 remarkable impression be must have made. 



The entire bearing of these brothers of the angle came as a 

 sort of revelation to Piseco, their gentle manliness contrib- 

 uting au abiding impulse for good. They were gentle men; 

 anglers, not fishermen; men of skill, patience ami courtesy, 

 not of nteve cunning and rude force. The difference has 

 been well .stated by one who had seen much of both classes: 

 "An angler, sir, rises the finest tackle, and catches his fish 

 scientifically — trout, for instance, with the artificial fly ; and 

 he is mostly P. quiet, well-behaved gentleman. A fisherman, 

 sir, uses any kind of hooks and lines, and catches his fish 

 any way — so he gets Ihem it's all one to him — and he is gen- 

 erally a noisy fellow, sir, something like a gunner." 



'Tis true these men of Walton Hall did not disdain to sit 

 in the stern of a boat, each with his guide at the oar, and 

 troll over the' lake from top to bottom, but they were true 

 anglers withal. They took no undue advantage. Their 

 tackle was of the most delicate, demanding infinite skill in 

 the successful taking of the fish. Into the golden shiner 

 used as bait they fixed a gang of hooks so smaU that the bend 

 would "scarcely allow the barrel of a quill to rest in them." 

 "With bits of steel so tiny, fastened to silken line by single 

 gut leader from six to nine feet in length, they did angliug 

 with rod and reel that is worthy of the record it has re- 

 ceived. 



In Dr. Bethmie's sumptuous edition of Izaak "Walton's 

 "Complete Angler " there is a detailed account of the work 

 that was done at Piseco from 1842 to 1847. For the statement 

 of what occurred alter the latter date we are indebted to the 

 courtesy of George Trott, Esq., of Philadelphia, who, with 

 Col. John B. Duane, of Schenectady, is the only survivor of 

 the club. The data that Mr. Trott furnishes are taken from 

 the Boston Transcript of February, 1856, when a series of 

 articles entitled " Angling Incidents," appeared over the sig- 

 nature of D. E. K". — the secretary of the club. 



Whilst reading the record, it is well to bear in mind that 

 the lake trout of the Adirondacks, the true Salnio conjiiu's, 

 seldom attains a greater weight than twenty-five pounds, 

 the average not being over four pounds, thus differing 

 gastly from the Great Lake trout, the Solmo amethy&tus, 

 (uai/maeush), which lias frequently been taken from the 

 Columbia River, weighing as much as sixty poimds. Hal- 

 lock, in his "Fishing Tourist," speaks of it as "often at- 

 taining a weight of seventy-five pounds." Nbrris says that it 

 has been taken in Lake Superior weighing a hundred pounds, 

 whilst Dr. Betbune places among his notes (I. p. 72) tin- re- 

 port that this fish has been known to weigh one hundred 

 and twenty pounds, and to measure in length more than six 

 feet. 



The following is the record of nine years' fishing: 

 Year. Sfo. of Days. No. of Anglers. No. of Pounds. Largest Fish. 



1843 

 1843 

 18(1 

 1845 



is II, 

 IS 17 

 1848 

 1811) 

 1851) 



4* 



829 



715 

 1,019 



nm 



:iss« 



rom 



12 lbs. 



24 



Hi: 



IV! 7 



8 fi 883 



*One flatting only Ave days. tOne fishing only three days; two only 

 six days. } One Ushiug only six days. Two fishing only five days. 



That is, an average of less than six men, fishing, on an av- 

 erage, less than nine days annually, succeeded in capturing 

 in a period of nine years more "than three tons of trout. 

 Large quantities were* kept on ice for transportation to the 

 homes of the anglers, and the surplus was distributed among 

 the dwellers around the lake. In 1815 several hundred 

 pounds were sent by the guides to Saratoga, of -which the 

 historian says that "never, probably, were the bipeds of a 

 watering-place so gorged with good fish." 



Among the largest take trout' ever taken out of Piseco was 

 one weighing twenty pounds and a quarter, which measured 

 three feet, less half an inch, in length; and two feel, 

 less half an inch, in circumference. "In June. 1847, the 

 president of the club killed a red-fieshed lake trout that 

 weighed Iweuty-four pouuds, the largest that was ever 

 there taken by {rolling. Al 4 o'clock, QfJ Friday morniitL r . 

 June 21. 1812. Timothy I). Warner-, a native of Piseco, took 

 a "laker," at anchor fishing, that weighed twenty-six poimds 

 and eight ounces ! In the records of the club this fish is al- 

 ways alluded to as the "Emperor." 



But our heroes of the rod did not confine themselves to 

 rrolhng for large game. Full well they knew bow to cast 

 the fly. From the inlets that come down from Oxbow, 

 Fall, Fly, and other lakes: from the little stream that : 

 through the "Ma'sh" into Irondaquoit (rubjo Gfirundagut) 

 Bay a I the Bouthern extremity, from the tortuous out] e1 

 from thu foaming rifts and dark pools of the West Branch, 



large quantities of brook trout Were frequently taken, the 

 w< ight of which is included in the figures that have been 

 given. In 184-1, were taken in the Outlet, during one after- 

 noon and the following forenoon, by one man, forty-four 

 Hounds of brook trout. In 1845 two members took fifty 

 pounds ill one day. 



This could not so continue forever. Signs of scarcity hav- 

 ing manifested tbera selves in lite later years, and other places 

 holding out. greater Inducements, the club was led, in 1852, to 

 transfer it.s interest in laud and hall to Mr. Rudes, whose son 

 Daniel still holds possession. From time to time smaller and 

 smaller additions have been made to the original building, thus 

 giving it a rather telescopic aspect. As long as there is room 

 anywhere in the house, the comer is gladly welcomed and 

 will entertained at an absurdly low rate. But let no one go 

 in the hope of rivaling the work from '43 to '50. Forty j ears 

 of fishing have wrought many changes. Nearly all the in- 

 lets are at present protected "by law. The hike trout are 

 neither as abundant nor as large as formerly; still, great 

 numbers are taken in May and June, though seldom of 

 greater weight than six or seven pounds. During the months 

 of July and August they are very scarce. At the Hall there 

 is an abundance of mutton, lamb, poultry, beef and pork, 

 but no trout, 



In every direction the lake 18 environed by mountains of 

 most graceful outline, whose sides are ever quick to catch the 

 varying moods of the sky. Wonderful echoes sleep in then 

 deep recesses. Glorious sunsets flame up over those western 

 heights, kindling mighty Conflagrations, till the mountains 

 glow and the lake becomes a sea of molten gold, flecked with 

 purple aud dashed with crimson. 



All along the west side the mountains rise rapidly from five 

 to eight hundred feet above the surface- of the lake, which 

 itself lies sixteen hundred and forty-eight feet above the level 

 of the sea. Days of extreme heat are unknown here. The 

 average temperature at 2 P. M., during the month of August 

 last, was 75. 8° F. , the maximum being 85° F. The water 

 that was drawn from the well was but eighteen degrees above 

 freezing. On the 12th of August, at 7 A. M., the mercury 

 stood at 45 v1 F., which leaves" it obvious how comfortable 

 were the morning and evening tires that were kindled almost 

 daily. 



Within a few years encampments have become numerous, 

 being scattered all around the shores of the lake. The oldest, 

 and the only permanent one, is that of Floyd Ferris Lobb. It 

 is merely a rude bark shanty that lie occupies, but how to make 

 it: comfortable both in winter and summer he understands to 

 perfection. The last thirty-five years he has spent on and 

 around these waters, over which he lias rowed maiay an adept 

 in angling, and out of which he has lifted many a ton of 

 trout. The' flute of Tenner and the violin of Lobb gave zest 

 to innumerable gatherings in the years gone by. The burden 

 of three score, and ten years be carries lightly indeed. Partial 

 deafness makes conversation difficult, but, when the 

 mood seizes him, he can pleasantly entertain his auditor, 

 seasoning his speech with shrewd sayings, and a peculiarly 

 dry and grim humor. He is kind-hearted, helpful, and gen- 

 erous to a fault. Whether he trails his hue from Eagle Point 

 to "Gcrundagut," or rides patiently there at anchor," may his 

 years be many more, and the wind's ever propitious. 



Half a mile north from Lobb's camp at Steep Rocks, where, 

 too, are the summer abodes of S. R. Shepard, Esq. , of Plants- 

 ville. Conn., and of David Palmerton, the guide, lies Camp 

 Palatine, at the very "Tree Tops." whither the members of 

 the Piseco Club daily resorted at noontide, to discuss the feats 

 of the morning, the" plans for the rest of the day, and the re- 

 lative merits of the inevitable punch and chowder. Worthy" 

 successors to those noble men of olden time are these modern 

 fugitives from the editor's sanctum, the doctor's and lawyer's 

 offices, the artist's studio, and from the turmoil of manifold 

 business pursuits. The doors of their cabins are ever open, 

 and a friendly greeting awaits the caller. Good cheer is there, 

 and never a lack of trout. These are men after Izaak's heart, 

 men of skill and perseverance, men "that are lovers of virtue, 

 and dare trust in Providence, and be quiet and go a-ang- 

 ling." 



Aside from that at Walton Hall, there is but one other 

 clearing. This is at the head of the lake, where lie scattered 

 about the forlorn remnants of the sometime village of Piseco. 

 Because of the abundance of lumber, the cheapness of land, 

 and the excellence of water-power, some one came here, 

 about forty years ago, and, in an incredibly short time, 

 erected a grist-mill, a saw T -rnill, a machine-shop, a hotel, a 

 boardmg-house, and half a dozen dwellings. The place was 

 advertised as a modern El Dorado. It was not long before 

 about two hunched and fifty persons were gathered here. But 

 suddenly there was somewhat amiss; somebody had blun- 

 dered, and the colony melted away as quickly as it had ap- 

 peared. The sharp winds of many a biting winter have 

 whistled through the skeletons of" these immense struc- 

 tures. 



In the four or five houses that still remain habitable may 

 live twenty or twenty-five persons, whose souls are steeled 

 against all enterprise. With but a single exception the 

 dwellings are dilapidated and most untidy, and the occupants 

 are in perfect keeping therewith. With truth could the guide 

 quote this bit: 



" Once the red Indian here took his delights, 



Fished, fought and bled; 

 Now the inhabitants are only whites, 



With— nary red." 



We spoke of oue exception. Just across the bridge that 

 spans the little stream which flows through the clearing 

 stands a small log house, a model of comfort and tidiness. 

 Here lives George Youmans. an aforetime hunter, trapper 

 ami guide, with his thrifty housewife, an aged couple, whose 

 unlikcncss to all else fills one with admiration. The linen is 

 white and spotless, the floor shines with frequent scrubbing, 

 and on whiteware and glass is not a speck of lint. Here, as 

 at Walton Hall, a few guests are occasionally entertained at 

 the rate of five dollars a week, the use of boats being in- 

 cluded. 



Education is not neglected at Piseco. On an eminence 

 south of Walion Hall, stands a small structure, about twenty 

 feet by twenty-four. As is the ease with nearly all bnildings 

 in this region, there is no lock on the outer door, a thumblatch 

 offering ingress to any passer-by. In the dusk of the evening 

 we enter, Not. a soul is there, but on the walls hang coats 

 and aprons, and on the desks lie books and stationery undis- 

 turbed. There are but five desks, just enough to aeeommo- 

 date ten pupils. From May to November the school is open, 

 with an average attendance of seven pupils. Here we are 

 in the depths of the wilderness, but the maps hanging on the 

 walls, and the histories and geographies on the desks, indi- 

 cate that even these children, far removed from the centres 

 of enterprise and of culture as they may be, are yet in close 



contact with the outside world, and will doubtless be well 

 prepared to take their places in the world's battle wheu the 

 summons a a i 



T Lake Iks aboul four miles due west from the upper end 

 of Piseco. "It goes up, up, up— all the way up," as Lobb 

 said. Following a fair trail, with a line of blazed trees thai 

 isnctycl > : v:. c'd the journi v is ma.; it eaaior taan one 

 would', at first, be led to suppose. Still, the four miles seem 

 to stretch out longer and longer till the lake is reached. To 

 allow three hours for the four miles is not allowing too much. 



To trace out the T demands some alacrity of imagination. 

 The horizontal top-line runs east and west, the stem diverg- 

 ing northward not far from the middle. Along the former 

 line, the southern shore, lies our course. It increases in 

 roughness; deep ravines, tangled undergrowth and fallen 

 trees constantly impeding progress. As we look over to our 

 fjglit the lake itself is not attractive. The water is low, 

 warm and stagnant. Guides maintain that there are no fish 

 of any kind "to be found here: and yet, all along the line, 

 numerous and recent traces of otter were found, and a 

 fine specimen tool: to the water hefore our eyes. When there. 

 is snow on the ground their "slides" must be very abundant. 



Hunting and" trapping are the principal occupation of the 

 natives during the winter. The woods are full of those 

 peculiar little pens, made of stakes driven into old stumps or 

 fallen trees, where the traps are placed for marten and like 

 game. When we reflect that a prime pelt of otter or marten 

 is worth from eight to ten dollars, it becomes evident that 

 trapping needs not be altogether profitless. As to bunting, 

 it is sufficient to say that one Piseco guide alone killed thirty- 

 six deer during the* past season. 



The waters of T Lake find an outlet at the western 

 extremity, to which direction they run till they empty into the 

 east branch of the West Canada Creek. Along this outlet 

 the advance becomes more and more difficult, it is safest to 

 take the bed of the stream, although occasionally detour-. 

 have to be made up the steep banks on either side. In the 

 stream the. journey is made by jumping, wading, slipping 

 and gyrating; or by creeping carefully along the slippery 

 sides, 'clinging to rocks and roots and bushes, 1 ill. at last, an 

 abattis of fallen trees, a deep pool, or a precipitous water- 

 fall, forbids all further progress. If we take tb the woods the 

 way is more arduous still. The pitch of the hills is very 

 sharp, thickets are closely intertwined, rocks rise up on eyery 

 side, decaying trees of immense size obstruct the path, and 

 the earth herself is treacherous, frequently letting the 

 intruder slip thigh-deep down through centuries of decay. 



The natural meadows, which are here called "flies,"" are 

 always hailed with delight. Between the lake and the falls 

 are three of these, the largest of which has a length of three- 

 quarters of a mile, with an average width of "fifteen rods. 

 Tln-y are Covered with a long, coarse grass, through which 

 the deer usually have their "runways" — narrow, well-trodden 

 paths, for which the exhausted wanderer is devoutly grate- 

 ful. But even these have their drawbacks. Burrowung- 

 animals and underground rills are constantly making pitfalls 

 by which the unwary are caught and worried and fatigued, 

 if not lamed. 



So the toilsome struggle goes on, till at last a patch of 

 light is seen among the dark foliage of the trees. The 

 stream widens; the rock beneath our feet is smooth us a 

 floor; one turn to the left, and what a prospect! The 

 rock bed curves down before us into an abysmal chasm. A 

 mile across, mountain rises up above mountain, range upon 

 range, shading away from darkest green to the most delicate 

 gray in the distance. The depth is fell ; the whole being is 

 thrilled with dread and delight. Incredulity gives way to 

 Amazement. Over the hard, pitiless, Eozoic rock-bed, the 

 laughing waters rush down into the unseen below, six hun- 

 dred and ninety feet! 



Descent is made on the right side of the Falls. The soil is 

 remarkably scant ; majestic trees, from sixty to seventy feet 

 in height, stand flax on the bare rock, their roots being covered 

 by scarcely a foot of earth. The water is gradually denuding- 

 the entire mountain side. 



The going down can hardly be called a going; it is rather 

 one continued sliding, chopping, and plunging "forward, over 

 deep beds of embrowned needles of pine, till the bottom is 

 reached. The valley is very narrow, not over fifty feet in 

 width at this point, From each bank of the stream the 

 mountains begin to tower upward. At. the foot of the Falls is 

 a beautiful pool called Snowstorm's Delight, so styled not 

 because the daughter of winter loves here to disport herself, 

 but because " Snowstorm" was the pet name of her that was 

 beloved by him who named it, 



In mid-summer but little water comes clown from the lake, 

 but, in spring and autumn, immense volumes come thundering 

 down the amazing height with such velocity, that their 

 monotonous booming can be beard distinctly at "Piseco, fully 

 eight miles away. 



In winter the Falls are covered from top to bottom with a 

 glare of ice, which glitters under the western sun as one vast 

 mass of burnished silver; whilst from below are built up 

 mimic cathedral spires of purest crystal, that lift themselves 

 io greater and greater heights, tfll the vernal sun breaks the 

 bauds of the forces that are held captive above, and the qrdet 

 vale is turned into deafening, seething pandemonium. 



In reference to the height of the Falls there are afloat many 

 extravagant statements. The matter has been partially settled 

 by Col. J. T. Watson, of Clinton, N. Y., who made measure- 

 ments in 1870. The swift rapids at the top of the Falls are 

 one hundred feet in length; the sharp pilch, three hunched 

 and ninety feet; and the almost perpendicular fall below, two 

 hundred feet, yielding a total of six hundred and ninety fee- , 

 Until Mi-. Colvin's interesting and valuable labors shall have: 

 been extended into this section, we must remain, content with 

 these figures. In width the Falls vary from thirty feet above, 

 to three hundred feet below. 



The place is undoubtedly more easily accessible from More- 

 houseville than from Piseco. Theodore C. Remouda, a trust- 

 worthy guide from the former place, has brought in many 

 parties that included ladies in their number. The distance 

 from that place is nine miles, three of which can be made by 

 boat Along this route also, lies Bluff M::unt -■-■-a. on v hose- 

 heights eagles are wont to congregate, and from the cliffs of 

 whose base ice w r as cut out on the 33d day of An-;: 



Not more than three rods from Snowstorm's Delight stands 

 an open bark shanty, a god-send to the wearied tourist. 

 Doubly weather- fended is he, by bark and by foliage. How 

 toothsome the salt pork, how sweet the odor'ot tin- bushy bits 

 of balsam, that make a tied as soft as down. The camp-fire 

 burns brightly, revealing endless beauties in beecheu canopy 

 and on many-hued boies. The waters croon a drowsing 

 lullaby; the stars o'erhead keep wn t eh and ward. Deep and 

 restful is the repose from eight of the evening to eight of the 

 morning. Healing and strength come witheverv jubreathin ' 

 of this pine-ble*t ah. This is" re-creation., 



