Am. S'?, 1891,J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lOB 



ADIRONDACK LIFE. 



ADIRONDACK MEMORIES. 



IT is a good many years, seventeen at least, since I vis- 

 ited the Adirondacks in neglige costume, though I 

 have chassezed all around them by rail of late, and only 

 as recently as Decoration Day passed through Boonville 

 and Lowville, where I fell in with such a mulliturle of 

 fishermen and anglers coming out of the wilderness with 

 rods and baskets, that I have ever since felt a realizing 

 sense that but little effort is needed to popularize^ this 

 much-va.unted summer resort. Of course tho Adix'on- 

 dacks of to-day are dilTerent from what they were in the 

 genesis of Pol" Smith and old "tiaugermong," and I am 

 frank to say that I am sorry for it. No doubt, were I to 

 go in now, a glimpse of their modern appointments and 

 attractions w^ould be as mucli of a revelation to me as St. 

 Paul's vision of the menagerie let down from heaven in 

 a sheet, but with more paucity and less variety of animals 

 indigenous to the country; for, by all accounts, panthers 

 are obsolete, and bears and deer are becoming scarce. 

 The bare idea is startling! 



When the wilderness was primitive, catamounts were 

 not uncommon; and I remember once, when pulling 

 leisurely around the Oxbow in the Raquette, with old 

 Steve Turner at the oars, of barely escajjing a misadven- 

 ture with one of the varmints which lay extended at full 

 length on one of the thick branches which protruded 

 iiorizontally over the river, ready to drop on us when we 

 passed under. Fortunately I was keeping a lookout for 

 up-coming boats, and so I happened to ask Uncle Steve 

 what was that queer-looking lump on the limb just ahead; 

 and when he rested his oars and turned to look the 

 "lump" rose up, and wheeling about, gave one tremend- 

 ous spring over the tops of the brush which skirted the 

 river and took to the depths of the jungle. 



Good old Steve! I am wondering if he is living now? 

 At sixty years of age he could pack a 70-pound boat over 

 the three-mile Sweeny Carry with the best of the boys, 

 and he didn't mind the mosquitoes and flies on the 

 St. Germain any more than would an ironclad man-of- 

 war. He was short and sturdy rather than great and 

 mighty, and so I used to wonder at his prodigies of 

 strength, for he seemed an old man then. But here am 

 I, verging on the self-same steps of time, still hale and 

 blooming, and thankful for preservation of health and 

 manhood, though I cannot carry off a load — like that. 



"Ad u'ondack Murray" had his camp then on Raquette 

 Lake, down river (was it in 1867?), and his comely wife was 

 with him, attired in a Tarn U'Shanter cap and a mountain 

 suit of red and crimson plaid. How jaunty she looked! 

 How hamadryadic! They kept open house iu those days, 

 ■with the latch string out, and a halo of welcome was 

 luminous about the rustic roof. By my halidome I ( what- 

 ever that is) those were halcyon days for all of us, ere 

 yet the hair had grizzled or the pitcher been broken at 

 the fountain, for vicissitudes had not ripened. How we 

 have scattered and wandered since. 



My attention was first directed to the Adirondacks 

 some time in the '40s, by reading Rev. John Todd's "Long 

 Lake," a sprightly book printed about the time that Mr. 

 William C. Pj'ime wrote his inimitable "Owl Ci'eek Cabin" 

 letters. Dr. Todd was a companion of Audubon at times, 

 occasionally visiting him in his hermitage when he was 

 making his painstaking studies of birds. Of course, we 

 know that there has always been a representative Long 

 Lake herj^iit, whose cabin is shown with deferential index 

 to the new comer, but I have the word of Sabattis. Sr., 

 the old pioneer guide (dead now, I suj^pose?) that Audiibon 

 was the original and only simon-pure recluse of that 

 region. Whoever wishes to read the earliest reminiscences 

 of the Adirondacks shoidd examine Dr. Todd's book. It 

 is in the libraries. A.s for Audubon, I am rejoiced to 

 learn that the praiseworthy movement inaugurated by 

 the New York Academy of Sciences to place a suitabre 

 monument over the grave of the great naturalist in 

 Trinity churchyard, is likely to prove successful. I used 

 to know old Sabattis pretty well, and once he pulled out 

 of the woods for a fortnight and found me at my residence 

 in Brooklyn. Alas! the trail that he followed is cold 

 enough now. 



In the time of my periodical visits to the North Woods 

 I had to take a stage road of forty -seven miles to the hos- 

 telry of Paul Smith, which had just been located on St. 

 Regis Pond. It was a pretentious structure for the time, 

 but was subsequently enlarged considerably, and at last 

 bloomed out into a full-blown modern caravansary. Few 

 ladies ventured in in those days. There were no rail- 

 roads then until the short spur was completed from 

 Plattsburg to Ausable Forks, and I wish there were none 

 now, with all deference to the ladies, and the lazy, who 

 think a long drive too much of an undertaking. So, 

 "if wishes were fishes, we would have some fried," 

 Nevertheless, railroads now penetrate to every mountain 

 crevice and ravine, and that is perhaps why I do not go 

 there as of old. Pleasure and transportation are made 

 too easy in these days. Desires are too easily gratified to 

 be valued. 



Martin's on the Lower Saranac Lake was my ideal of a 

 wilderness snuggery. It was built with an axe of split 

 logs — a pretty large house of its kind. It was the pioneer 

 hotel of that region. Bartlett's was a favorite resort of 

 mine at the outlet. It was there that I caught my first 

 lake trout on the fly. Then there was old Mother John- 

 son's pancakes, Graves's Lodge with its cream toast, its 

 wild honey, its venison steaks and its baked trout selected 

 to average a half pound on the platter, and done to a turn. 

 Fenton's, Number Four and Big and Little Tupper. Only 

 to think of pu.cting steamboats on these secluded waters ! 

 It is sacrilege; and old Tahawus, shorn of his ancient 

 name and prestige, bends his proud head with sympathy 

 and resentment. Eheu ! their glory has departed. 



Let those who like innovations be content with, the 

 present, and happy with the outlook. To my eye there 

 are clouds upon the mountain peaks, and "Baldy" him- 

 self cannot raise his head above them. Conservatives like 

 myself will never forget the days of auld lang syne. 

 Perhaps I shall never visit the Adirondacks again, 'if I 

 should happen to do so, I know where there is a cache of 

 old reminiscences, but I must not mention them now. 

 Modern society will dub me a crank more gloomy than 

 Poe's raven. So I leave it to take its chances among the 

 railroad men, the lumber speculators, the land monopo- 

 lists aad the promoters of the National Park, For the 

 prwenfc I mupt keep silent, Chabioes HAl*tO0K. 



THE CRANBERRY LAKE COUNTRY. 



THERE is yet a region of the Adu-ondacks which has 

 not been overrun by tourists, though sportsmen 

 have pretty thoroughly explored it. I refer to the north- 

 ern part, bounded on the south by Beaver River and on 

 the east by Raquette River. Cranberry Lake is situated 

 nearly in the center of this territory, and diverging from 

 it are trails and old roadways to many of the smaller 

 lakes and various i-ivers. The lake is said to have an 

 altitude of 1,649ft., is some seven miles in length, wdth 

 varying widths, as shown by the shore line of more than 

 twenty miles. Originally, where as nature made it, the 

 lake was a widening of Oswegatchie River, but some 

 twenty years ago a dam was erected on its outlet for mill 

 purposes below, which raised the water about 15ft. , kill- 

 ing the timber on the margin and rendering the shore 

 unapproachable. There is a belt of flood wood entirely 

 around the lake, unsightly in appearance, preventing 

 the landing of boats, and objectionable in every way. 

 But for this it would be a majestic lake. In the south- 

 ern distance small mountains invite attention, while in 

 the vicinity of the lake are several hills which bear the 

 name of mountains. 



The lake is accessible from DeKalb Junction, on the 

 Rome aaid Watertown railroad, a distance of thirty-six 

 miles by livery. W. R. Bishop has the only camp upon 

 it, and his hostelry very comfortably and satisfactorily 

 accommodates' thirty or forty people. The fishing is all 

 some distance from the house, and in springtime is very 

 good; but at this season of the year the catches are not 

 large, for no rest is given to the "spring holes," when the 

 trout seek cold water and only can be found. Undoubt- 

 edly there are many spring holes in and on the shores of 

 the lake, but the guides have never made search for 

 them, perhaps fearing that fishing so accessible might 

 interfere with their vocation, and yet this could hardly 

 be, for there is but one boat here, which, like the pro- 

 verbial toothbrush, "belongs to the house." As it is, 

 they find plenty of time for thought and reflection, for it 

 costs |4 a day to employ one of them — an extortion which 

 every sensible person, however wealthy he may be, will 

 rebel against. 



Chester S. Lord, of the New York Sun, who recently 

 left here, made an excellent sportsman's record. He 

 caught several large trout, several of weights of Slbs. and 

 more. He is always active and has studied the locality 

 until he is quite as familiar with it as most of the guides, 

 and his outfit is always thoroughly complete. 



Justice Irving G. Vaun, of the Court of Appeals, has 

 been here with his family since early in .July. He casts 

 off the ermine for the corduroy and looks the accomplished 

 woodsman that he is. His outfit embraces every article 

 that can be desired, and he entertains his friends royally 

 at his superb Big Rock camp, which he occupies oc- 

 casionally for several days at a time. He has spent many 

 vacations here, being the chosen locality of several which 

 he has visited, and is familiar with every lake and stream 

 for many miles around. He is also a student of natural 

 history, and in a quiet unassuming way becomes very 

 entertaining while relating observations which he has 

 made. He is a successful angler, having studied the 

 conditions which one must understand if he would know 

 how to succeed. Among others who are spending time 

 here are R. K. Dana and family, of New York; Judge 

 Northrup, C. H. Lewis, C. G. Baldwin, E. M. Allen and 

 family, and D. H. Brun, of Syracuse; and Dr. Reeves, of 

 Long Island. Another judge and several more lawyers 

 will arrive tliis week. So that it may be possible to 

 promptly try any offender of the game laws; but it is to 

 be hoped that the guests and guides of this locality are 

 law-abiding people, There are many deer in this vicinity, 

 and when the season for shooting them opens, the larder 

 of the camiJ will reek with luscious venison. 



Divertisement for an "off day" is found in chartering 

 the steam laimch A. Ames Howlett, and going here and 

 there about the lake as the freaks of its passengers may 

 suggest. A noonday lunch in some pleasant shade and 

 near some one of the many remarkably cold springs (some 

 as low as 43°) is one of the occasional enjoyments of the 

 place, though we have not as yet had such pleasure. 

 There are days, you know, when zest gives way to indo- 

 lence, especially when the weather is clear, the sun hot. 

 and the general conditions wholly opposed to activity. 

 There are plenty of trails to follow for him who goes out 

 only for exercise, almost any one of which abounds in 

 nature's best gifts to the thought-woodsman. The change 

 from his daily life at home is so great as to invest him 

 with surroundings of a character to almost entirely 

 change the bent of his mind, and when he thinks, it is of 

 the teachings of the new book opened before him. Most 

 people whose minds are occupied with law cases and 

 business affairs during ten or eleven months of the year, 

 cease thinking when they come here, giving their minds 

 as tvell as their bodies opportunity for recuperation. It 

 is a splendid place for perfect rest. 



I wonder how it is that people who need rest which the 

 vacation season is supposed to give, can spend the time 

 at Saratoga and fashionable seaside resorts, or even go to 

 Paul Smith's, Loon Lake or the Ampersand, where soci- 

 ety's laws and customs are unrelaxed and hold all in 

 restraint. At such j^lales as this one is, the barber, boot- 

 black and laundry may be neglected without causing 

 criticism. I do not mean by this that the law of cleanli- 

 ness may be set aside, and it is not. Flannel takes the 

 place of linen, and there is a kind of foot wear which 

 without blacking looks best here. The barber may be- 

 come an ally of fleas if he removes the beard and gives 

 the insects opportunity for freely lancing the face. 

 Where there are so few people, and all of one mind, sleep 

 is quiet and undisturbed, though it is a universal practice 

 at such secluded places to have breakfast at 7 o'clock. 

 But good appetites are ready for every meal. 



"Mercy, "how the boarders yell 

 When they hear the dinner belL" 



I have said that this northwestern region of the North 

 Woods — or Adirondacks, though somewhat distajit from 

 the mountains of that name — is all that is left to the 

 woodsman. And this region is rapidly going the way of 

 all the rest. The havoc of lumbermen is seen on every 

 hand and is constantly increasing. A railroad was built 

 from Carthage several yoars ago to Benson Mines (iron) 

 some forty-three miles in an easterly direction. It is 

 now proposed to extend that road northerly nearly to 

 this place solely for the pm-pose of opening several lum- 

 ber camps. This would eooh result in a further exten- 

 sion to Boroe point on the railroad from MoU'a to Tapper's : 



Lake. Such a railroad would very thoroughly open up a 

 large part of this tract to the masses, driving the sports- 

 men elsewhere. He has been driven about much as the 

 American Indians have been made to seek new resting 

 places from time to time, as made necessary by the ava- 

 rice or pleasure of the white man. But let us hope that it 

 will be many years before annihilation shall come to 

 him. Let us rather hope that the people of the State 

 will awaken to the fact that they owe it to those who are 

 to come after them if not to themselves, to see to it that 

 the 3,500,000 acres which constitute the Adirondack 

 region shall constitute a State Park and become the prop- 

 ertv of the people for their proper uses forever. 



By his purchase of 850,000 acres, Dr. Webb has pos- 

 sessed himself of the very heart of the forest, and the 

 story goes that he will inclose it with a wu'e fence to pre- 

 vent ingress and egress to people and game. The entire 

 purchase is even now under police surveillance, to the 

 great disgust of the many people who would enjoy the 

 pleasures and comforts which its beautiful lakes and 

 rivers have for so long heretofore extended so invitingly. 

 We must meet the question as to whether this forest shall 

 be controlled by capitalists or the people very quickly and 

 decidedly if the people are to have any right to enter upon 

 these millions of acres in the future. The law of eminent 

 domain can be made to do the work, and every acre of 

 private land ought to be condemned to the uses of the 

 State wdthout delay. There are hundreds of thousands of 

 acres which could not be sold for twenty-five cents an 

 acre, while there is considerable acreage of greater value; 

 but the cost of the aU that is owned by individuals is not 

 of such consequence as to be considered. The present 

 waste of the State for a single year would go very far 

 toward paying the entire sum under a condemnation 

 award. 



But I have run off from the general subject of this 

 letter. The Beaver River country has long been regarded 

 as the most prolific of game; but as that begins to fail 

 from an abuse of privileges, this locality seems to be the 

 most favored in this respect. Deer are very plentiful 

 hereabouts, and the guides freely admit that there has 

 been a large percentage of increase since the enactment of 

 the law regulating the shipment of game. Bears are oc- 

 casionally seen and killed, but panthers do not seem to 

 have made a home here, though they have a fondness for 

 deer and are generally supposed to abound where deer are 

 plentiful. Although it has become an historical fact that 

 Gov. Seymour killed the last moose slain in these woods, 

 there are guides here who will tell you that they saw 

 moose as late as twenty years ago, some time after the 

 last one is supposed to have disappeared. 



I hope some time to wa'ite you a chapter of Recollec- 

 tions of Adirondack Life, in which I shall have consider- 

 able of incident and experience to relate. Here in this 

 stillness, surrounded by health-giving evergreens, an 

 atmosphere laden'with balms for many ills, with springs 

 of water everywhere of perfect softness and pm-ity, with 

 all conditions to give rest, restore health and extend en- 

 joyrdent, here, I say, I have spent some of the most 

 profitable periods of my life. Those who have spent 

 vacations in this wilderness as I have spent them, know 

 what benefits nature affords most bountifully; those who 

 have not been so privileged cannot too soon pass some 

 one of the many gateways to this great Eden. 



Cranberky Lake, Aug. 6. D. H. B. 



THE ADIRONDACKS IN 1858. 



HAVING heard much and read more concerning the 

 wonderful scenery and the numerous and beauti- 

 ful lakes and streams of the gi-eat North Woods, to- 

 gether with the reports of the great abundance of deer 

 and trout in its mountains, lakes and streams, such an 

 interest was aroused that nothing short of a personal ex- 

 perience would allay; a-nd being a first experience, its 

 scenes and impressions have remained with me during 

 all these years, and later visits have but intensified 

 them. 



Late in July of 1858 (thirty -three years ago next month 

 — a full generation) a party of three — of whom the writer 

 alone remains — started for the northern pai't of the North 

 Woods. 



On arriving at Whitehall we took passage on the 

 steamer Canada, in command of Capt. Lot Chamberlain, 

 and who ever has traveled on his boat has met a gentle- 

 man and knows what a clean boat is. The steamer in 

 those days took passengers at the village of Whitehall 

 instead of Ticonderoga and landed them at Rouse's Point, 

 a most delightful sail over beautiful water and amid 

 grand scenery. 



From Rouse's Point we went by rail to Chateaugay 

 village, thence team to Bellows' Hotel on lower Chateau- 

 gay Lake. There we met the then venerable sportsmen 

 Drs. Adams and Bethune, of Boston. Twenty-eight 

 years later I met Dr. Adams on Upper Chateaugay, still 

 hale and hearty and the most persistent fly-caster on 

 either lake. 



On the evening of our arrival at the hotel quite an ex- 

 citement was created by the report that "there was a 

 bear in the lake swimming for the shore." It took but a 

 short time to unpack and load our rifles, when all started 

 for the lake, some twenty rods, determined to have that 

 bear's pelt. It was growing dusk, but the bear could be 

 plainly seen and was making fair ])rogress, but quite too 

 far out in the lake for us to open fire; so we lay close, 

 waited and watched with cocked rifles and hated breath. 

 But the longer we waited and watched the feebler grew 

 our hopes of capturing the bear, of having a pelt to show 

 and steaks for breakfast. Irs nearer approach did not 

 increase its magnitude, and it was decided to be but a 

 cub, which we must not shoot, but take alive. To this 

 all agreed, for a live cub was better than the skin of a 

 dead bear to take home. 



In the meantime the bear held on its course, reached 

 the shore, climbed the bank, shook itself, looked at us, 

 and lo! it was a black dog retm-ning from a deer chase. 

 As our rifles must be unloaded — no breechloaders in those 

 times— we gave the dog a generous salute for its exploit. 



Learning that deer and trout were in great abundance 

 at Ragged Lake, some twelve miles over the mountain, 

 where Mr. Bellows had built a log shanty for the use of 

 his guests, we decided to make that our headquarters for 

 a week or ten days. 



Accordingly we engaged guides, procured the neces- 

 sary supplies— but no whisky— made a pack for each, and 

 having been set across the lake, took up our line of march, 

 a faint trail indicated hj blazed treesj nq team or bors^ 



