F - a3S7^ ) ■■;> ' ■ ■' ■ /' 'i.'/^^ V . '• ',*<... I LAKE GEORGE; (ILLUSTRATED.) A BOOK OF TO-DAY. BY S. R. STODDARD. ALBANY: WEED, PARSONS AND COMPANY, PRINTERS, 1874. BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRART . CHESTNUT HILL, MASS, Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year eighteen hundred and seventy-three. By S. R. STODDARD. In the ofBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. WEED, PARSONS & CO., PRINTERS AND STHRKOTYPERS, ALBANY, N. V 56423 CONTENTS GLEN’S FALLS LAKE GEORGE SARATOGA LUZERNE SCHROON LAKE HOTEL TABLET MAPS — Lake George Schroon Lake Railroad TIME TABLES — Champlain Steamers Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad ROUTES, Distance Tables, etc FARES to Different Points PAGE 9 3 ° »25 148 160 V . (Back cover.) 160 116 118 “9 133 INDEX. PAGE. Alpha, Delta, Phi 68 Anthony’s Nose no Arrival at the Lake 29 An Adventure 45 A Surprise Party 91 Ausable Ponds 170 Ausable Chasm 175 Bloody Pond 26 Bolton 63, 73 Battle of Lake George, 1755 49 Caldwell 36 Church of St. Sacrament 79 Captain Sam 99 Chestertown 156 Distance tables 118 Down the Lake 64 Ego 3 Fort William Henry Hotel 32 Fort William Henry, Capture of.. .. 52 The Garrison 42 The Massacre S3 Fort George 43 Fishermen, prices 58 Friend’s Lake 157 PAGE. From Shore to Shore 80 Glen’s Falls 9 Hotels 10 Productions ix Soldiers’ Monument 13 Cataract 14 Cave 15 Business Houses 178 Game Laws 58 Hulett’s Landing Hague 109 Healing Spring 41 Howe’s Landing 113 Indian Kettles 107 Islands — A s You Were Island 94 Diamond Island 66 Dome Island . . 70 Fourteen-mile Island 81 Information 88 Half-way Island 95 Hen and Chickens 83 Harbor Islands 95 Isolabella (Schroon Lake) 164 Long Island 67 IV Index PAGE. Prisoner’s Isle 113 Recluse Island 71 Refuge Island 83 Scotch Bonnet 108 Tea Island 64 Vicar’s Island ^ 98 Lo, the Poor Indian *. 40 Lake George, Discovery, Name, etc. 30 Hotels 32 History 46 Drives 62 Park 112, 180 Monastery 66 Luzerne 148 Lake 149 Hotels 149 History 153 Drives 154 Landon Hill 161 Long Lake 176 Schroon Lake, map 160 Steamboat Landing 163 Stone Bridge 162 Isolabella 164 Village 164 Hotels 165 Drives 168 Steamboats 168 Rowboats 168 Mud Pond 170 M ouNTAiNS — Anthony’s Nose no Black 92, 94 Blue Ridge 170 Deer’s Leap 100 Defiance 114 Elephant loi Marcy 171 Prospect 41 Pharaoh 163 Panther 157 Roger’s Slide in Shelving Rock 80 Sugar Loaf loi ^ruce 157 Twin 108 Mill Brook 163 Mould & Son 199 Modesty 200 Narrows, The 94 North Creek 155 North Hudson 169 Oflf for Lake George 6 On the Plank 16 Our Load 18 Pond Lillies 20 Parker’s Defeat 96 Palmer’s Falls 148 Pa^doxLake i68 PAGE. Photographic, List 177 E. & H. T. Anthony & Co 196 R. Walzl 198 Pottersville 162 Pharaoh Lake 157 Ruins of Fort William Henry 42 Ruins of Fort George 43 Ringing the Changes 54 Riverside 155 Root’s Inn 169 Roger’s Slide m Railroads, Adirondack 147 Rensselaer & Saratoga 146 Shelving Rock 80 Shelving Rock Falls 84 Shelving Rock House 93 Sabbath Day Point 104 Steamboats 55 Minne-ha-ha 59 Ganouskie 60 Lillie M. Price 60 Owl 61 Julia 61 Champlain Steamers, Excursions, 59 Time table 117 Hudson River Steamers 147 Saratoga 125 Battle of Saratoga 145 Parks 142 Drives 144 Saratoga Lake 143 Snake Hill 144 Mineral Waters 135 Springs, Congress 141 Crystal Spring 142 Excelsior 138 Empire Spring 139 Geyser Spring 142 Glacier 143 High Rock 139 Hathorn 141 Hamilton 141 Pavilion 141 Putnam 141 Red Spring 139 Seltzer 141 Star Spring 139 Saratoga A Spring 139 Ten Springs 138 Washington 142 The Historian Explains 46 Topographical 48 The Wanderer 8$ The Bosom 103 Williams’ Monument 23 W altonians. The 89 Receptions 90 HOTEL TABLET RESORTS. Name of House. Capacity. Terms per week. Pages. Chester Hotel X4O $10 to $16 156-191 Elizabethtown Mansion House. . . 200 10 173 French Mountain . • Geo. Brown’s.. .. 30 a pr. day 21-183 Glen’s Falls Rockwell House. . lOO 14 to ai 10-62-173 Keene Flats Tahawus House . . 40 8 to 10 174 Keeseville Ausable House... xoo 9 to 14 17s Lake George Fort Wm. Henry, 600 special. 3 * Nelson House 40 special. 35 Lake House 200 special. 35 Central Hotel 60 13 to 14 36-184 Crosby side 200 14 to 25 37-185 Seely e House XOO 10 to 20 39 Coolidge House .. 3 S 10 to 13 67-180 East Lake George . . . Griffin’s House... 20 10 69-181 Trout Pavilion.. . . 80 10 to 15 69 Kattskill House.. . 80 10 to 15 69-181 Bolton Mohican House. . . 90 IS 75-186 Bolton House 60 13 to 17 77-187 Wells’ House. ... 30 8 to 14 78-183 Braley’s 20 10 78-183 Fourteen Mile Island R.G. Bradley & Co 40 10 to 14 81-188 Hulett’s Landing .... Hulett’s 30 8 X 02 Hague Phoenix Hotel 50 10 to 13 XXO John Wheeler’s. .. IS 7 to 9 110-183 Fort Ticonderoga . . Hotel I dinner 59 Rockwell’s ISO 14 to 17.50 I5O-X9O Wayside 149 Wilcox House . . . 70 14 to 17 X59-179 Cascade House... 70 14 to 31 I 5 »-I 79 Long Lake Kellogg’s 30 xo 176 Bruce’s 20 x.co day X7O Ha.lf-wfl.y . 10 Pottersville Pottersville Hotel. 30 xo 162 Rara+ncyfl United States 129 Congress Hall x,ooo 126 Arlington House.. 300 10 to 14 132 Remedial Institute 200 IS to 25 133-189 Schroon Lake Leland House I 2 S 12 to 17.50 165-193 Wickham House. . XOO 14 to 31 165-194 Ondawa House... 90 10 to 16 167-195 Taylor House XOO 10 to 15 167 Sohroon River Root’s Hotel 35 10 169-193 r ( STRONG conviction of duty, a laudable de- sire to give informa- tion, and a philanthropic willingness to contribute some- thing, in shape of advice, to a long suffering people, coupled with the known fact that the public demand some source wherefrom can be drawn, as from a living fountain, supplies of knowledge, has induced the author, in a fit of temporary insanity, to attempt the semi-literary feat of perpetrating a guide book. I shall endeavor to write of Lake George as it appears to me, giving my impressions of things in general, “with malice toward none, with charity for all,” and if I err in judgment, if I either wrong or unduly extoll the virtues of any person, place 4 Lake George. or thing, it will be an error of the head and not the heart. My aim is to answer questions oftenest asked, to tell of things that seem most to interest the public, and in so doing will probably say many foolish things and talk about little things, but it is well to remember that life is made up of little things, and a laughing baby is more endurable than a cross philosopher, therefore do not expect bomb-shells from a shot gun, or very much sense in the follow- ing pages. Although the main object is to give information (for a consideration), I may occasionally slop over into sentiment, but will try and not afflict my read- ers very often in that way, while for the benefit of such as are in constant danger of making mistakes, I will point out places where it is considered emi- nently proper to go into ecstacies over scenery, etc. I am not going to write a history, however, because the wear and tear on an ordinary brain must be immense ; and, moreover, the country is full of them. All others who have written of the silvery lake have made discoveries, I have not. I regret exceedingly that such is the case. I have, however, served the principal events up in a neAV dress, and in the light of later revelations, twisted some of the old ones about so as to answer every purpose ; but it all happened some time ago, is, Ego. 5 consequently of little interest to the general reader, and has, therefore, been given in small doses, which may be skipped at pleasure for the hotels and other things of the present day. Thanks are due (in the first edition, as is custom- ary) to many kind friends for help in bringing it to a head, and especially to Dr. A. W. Holden, the historian, for valuable assistance in the particu- lar branch which has been his life study and as such to be relied on. Prefaces are detestable and seldom read, but if nothing was created in vain the writer hopes, by putting this excuse among the legitimate reading matter, that some absent minded ones may possibly struggle through to the end before discovering their mistake, and thus become acquainted with a few of the reasons, and perhaps think kindly of him who now bids farewell to earthly fears, and wades shiveringly into the surging sea of literature. Glen’s Falls, May , 1873. FF for Lake George ! How the heart bounds and the pulse quickens at the very sound of the words that bring with them thoughts of the holy lake. In fancy we once again breathe the air, heavy with the odor of pines and cedar, or fragrant with the breath of blossoming clover.. Again we wander among the daisies and but- tercups that gem the hillside, sloping so gently down to where the wavelets kiss the white beach, or floating among the verdant islands watch the sunlight and shadows chase each other up the mountain side, while every crag and fleecy cloud is mirrored in the quiet waters below. Off for Lake George. 7 Wanderers are we in search of the beautiful, as, ■ with our backs to the dusty city and our faces set toward the mountains, we move swiftly along. At length the ponderous wheels cease to revolve, and our iron horse, breathing forth fire and smoke, rests at the end of his journey. Here, at Glen’s Falls, the stages are taken for Lake George ; and it has been whispered among the knowing ones, that, as the outside seats are the most desirable, they are, as such, to be vigorously “ gone for.” Now all is confusion ; bundles are hastily gathered up ; babies are sorted, and, sallying forth under a triumphal arch of whips, we are cordially greeted by the holders thereof, and pressingly invited to take a free ride with them. Coaches for any part of the village ; coaches for the hotels ; coaches for Lake George, and coaches for the Adirondacks, are there. Everybody is asking questions which nobody finds time to answer; would-be passengers jostle against each other; runners shout, drivers swear, boys hoot and laugh, seeming to enjoy the scene, while loungers encourage the competitors and applaud the victors in the race, as, with frantic haste, like sailors boarding the ship of an enemy, they charge on the lake coaches, and swarm up over wheel and boot to gain the much coveted out- side seat. Perhaps you split your best coat open down the back reaching for the railing; drop your umbrella, cane, good manners, and a little swear or two; but what of that? “Victory is not to the strong alone, but the vigilant, the active and the brave.” You know it, and make a dash for the wheel, and with your hand on the top are about to b’ Lake George. swing yourself up, when a chap pokes his head vigorously against your unprotected vest pattern and basely taking advantage of your momentary weakness causes a total eclipse of your head by vigorously climbing up over it. You rally to the charge once more ; by a desperate effort you reach the top, and are permitted to witness a magnificent fourth of July celebration, in consequence of a col- lision with an energetic fellow, who comes up on the other side just as you triumphantly balance over on yours. Then breathlessly, and with a sigh of infinite relief, you slide into the only remaining seat, just as a young lady, with an eye to the same place, flutters contentedly down in your lap. Of course you ought to give it up and walk, if needs be, but you don’t ; you compromise, however, and condense, and by a little judicious squeezing — not such an objectionable thing after all, considering the company, and with harmony and the other arti- cles restored — proceed on your ride “over the hills and far away,” through the pure, fragrant air, with the coach swinging and swaying about, threatening all with apparent destruction, so that it is only by great presence of mind, in clinging firmly to your fair partner, that she is saved from an untimely death. Then somehow you discover that you have both been to the same place some- where else sometime, and you gabble all the time, and do get on amazingly ; and, bless you, it’s awfully jolly and interesting, and all that, you know. I’ve been there. UNDER THE ARCH. GLEN’S FALLS, First by the Indians called “ Che- pon-tuc,” meaning “ a difficult place to get around,” was afterward named by the English the “ Great Falls.” Then Abraham Wing, one of the first settlers, who received lO Lake George. a grant of land surrounding it, built a mill there, from which circumstance it became known as Wings ; but, in consideration of his footing, the bill for a wine supper (some say a bottle of wine). Wing sold his birth-right to a Mr. Glen, and it was ever after known as Glen's Falls. The vil- lage is situated on both sides of the falls, from whence it derives its name, with several large cities lying around, as near as they can conveniently get. Puritanic and eminently proper Boston, on the east, acts as a moral astringent, but the bal- ance of power is preserved by Chicago on the west. New York is only two hundred miles away, and coming nearer and nearer every year. Albany is near enough, considering the morals of that legislative place, and — since the peaceful adjustment of the Alabama and codfish questions — Montreal has given up all hope of being absorbed by this flourishing town. Just at present it con- tains only about 8,000 inhabitants ; but the young folks are getting married all the time, and it is really a go-ahead sort of place. The Rockwell House is new, built of brick; situated in the business center of the town. At its front squirts the village pet — the new fountain ; at its back is a pretty croquet lawn ; the rooms large, airy, luxuriously furnished, and supplied with all the modern improvements, and the proprie- tors, H. J. & C. L. Rockwell, are members of that well-known family of hotel men whose name alone is a sufficient guaranty of the excellency of the accommodations. It is advisable to stop over one stage at least, as Glen’s Falls. much will be found to edify and interest the pil- grim in the pretty village, the immense stone, paper, flouring and saw-mills, the glittering cata- ract, the fossiliferous bed over which it dashes, and the cave made memorable by the pen of the great romancer. Even if comfort alone is con- sulted, it will dictate a short stop, for here and at the “American” the accommodations are all that heart could wish, and the tourist will arise, like a giant refreshed with new wine, fully prepared to enjoy the very enjoyable stage ride (which should always be taken by daylight) over the plank, to Lake George, nine miles away. The American House, on Monument Square, kept by George Pardo, although ranking second since the erection of its more aristocratic neighbor, is still a first-class hotel, and its independent pro- prietor (an inveterate sportsman, who seems to keep it more for the accommodation of his friends than to make money), gathers around him a host of kindred spirits, even those who throw the dainty fly and track the wild deer and moose in their native forests. Glen’s Falls is noted chiefly for the production of lumber, lime and loafers. Lime stone is quarried below the falls in immense quantities, as is also black marble, which is sawed into slabs for table tops, mantles, etc. This marble is placed under gangs of toothless saws, which, moved by water power, swing slowly back and forth under con- stantly dripping water ; the friction secured by the use of a coarse, gritty sand, and the plates thus 12 Lake George. p covered slowly eat their way through the hard rock. The village boasts of six churches, a number of elegant stores, a paper mill, two flouring mills, three or four immense saw-mills, and about a hun- dred gin mills. Among the latter number I have classed the “ wine parlors,” not knowing just where to draw the dividing line, for when asked to tell the difference, I must honestly confess my igno- rance, and give the conundrum up at once ; from palace to pit is but a little way, it is simply A Ipha and Omega. The educational advantages are afforded by sev- eral public and private schools, an academy, a seminary, which turns off a number of young ladies every year with certificates of finishment and gold medal attachments. I have myself seen sev- eral of these young ladies, and unhesitatingly affirm that they are real nice, in which opinion I am not alone, judging by the host of young men who flock to the “ commencements,” and also by the unre- mitting attendance of said young men on the church to which the young ladies go ; there are also two opera houses, two newspapers, three engine companies, a young men’s association, ladies sewing society, Benedict’s unrivaled plasters and the village pound. The Soldiers’ Monument. 13 The soldiers’ monument is one of the finest in the country. Graceful and well balanced, it stands an ornament to the village, and a tribute of love to the brave boys whose blood stains southern battle fields, and whose names are graven on its surface. It is 46 feet in height, of Dorchester sandstone, and erected at a cost of upward of twelve thousand dollars. America’s symbol of eternal vigilance rests on the sum- mit ; .life-size figures with bowed heads — one leaning on his musket, the other rest- ing on his sword — stand on either side, while the cross, the crown, the oak leaves twined, keep fresh and green in the hearts of their countrymen the memory of “ Our Heroic Dead.” Water to supply the village is brought through pipes from the Luzerne mountains, a distance of five miles, the works containing within themselves such a power that a half dozen streams can be thrown at one time from hydrants to the tops of the highest buildings — which state of affairs has reduced the three engine companies to a peace footing, and rendered them more an ornament than a necessity. 2 14 Lake George. Two miles above the village the river is dammed — by the State, and the water through the “ feeder ” supplies the summit-level of the Champlain Canal — a part flowing north from this point, the rest south to the pa- rent flood again. Private enter- prise has also thrown a barrier across the river at the head of the falls, turning a part of it aside to drive great gangs of saws through the millions of logs that come floating down from the northern wilder- ness. Over this the amber waters break in one broad sheet, extend- ing from shore to shore. Paus- ing an instant on the brink, then churned into white fury in its fierce battle with the broken rocks, it plunges down the pre- cipice, seething, boiling, foam- ing, thundering, leaping from rock to rock, turn- ing back upon itself, its ceaseless roar sounding, and its spray rising high up against the rain- bow-spanned walls. The rocks are blue and Glen’s Falls. 15 black and gray, with curious markings, in which fossils of various forms and shells are found. Dividing near the head, its waters pass on either side of the island that is partially flooded in times of high water. Near the lower end, where the blue rock is notched and broken out, we climb down to the level of the water, and enter the cave made memorable by Cooper in one of his wild Indian stories. We can pass entirely through the outer, but the entrance to the smaller one is stopped up by logs and drift-wood. When the water is very low you can pass around the lower end of the rock up to the south opening, where the face of the savage so startled Cora, and revealed the hiding place to their enemies. Here Uncas, “ the last of the Mohicans f watched while the sisters slept, and the shores on either side teemed with their savage foes. Now ragged urchins, fully and more than posted in the wild legends of the place, point out the tiger and serpent in the dark rock, and the very /-dentical tree from which the Mingo fell, when spoken to by the unerring rifle of Le Long Carbine. There have been several of these identi- cal trees, and they are getting pretty well used up, but the boys are bound to perpetuate the thing if it takes all the trees in the country, and the story is rapidly growing to be a matter of history, the listener shuddering with horror as he pictures to himself the clinging savage and the wild, blood- curdling yell that went up, as clawing wildly the empty air, he fell, and the dark waters closed over him. “ ON THE PLANK.’ THE great ever- to-be-remem- bered feature of a trip to Lake George is the stage ride, affording, as it does, an inexhaustible subject for conversation and < ^ food for after-thought, fresh air, sunshine and an uncommonly fine opportunity for the study of character. This line is one of the finest in the country the stages, of the kind called “ Concord,” like the horses, are always in good order, carrying from twenty-five to thirty passengers, besides a small truck load of baggage, and making the trip in about an hour and a quarter. The outside seats are, of course, the favorite, affording the best view of the country, as they go swinging along, and sometimes it happens that all want to sit there, when, like some poorly-ballasted On the Plank, 17 ship, “ with all on deck and nothing in the hold,” they go with just enough of the spice ol danger about the position to make it interesting, their safety resting in the sure eye and steady hand of the one who guides the horses, for a little veering off from the narrow plank in some places might cause a hasty unloading of all, therefore only tried and trusty men are employed as drivers ; and, bless you, dont they know and feel their importance ? — only equalled by a country undertaker conducting a first-class funeral. Before the route was as well known as at pres- ent, many a purse of two to three dollars has been made up and given to the driver to repay him for the “ extra danger and labor of driving round by Bloody Pond and Williams’ monument;” and now, although against tne rules for one to pass another, it sometimes happens that the driver of a rear coach will drop a word that leads the passengers to think that he might be induced to pass the leading ones, and let them try the dust awhile. Soon an inducement is made up, and reluctantly (?) accepted by Jehu, when, curiously enough, something is very apt to happen to the leading coach that neces- sitates a stop, and the rear one goes on. The thing is a success, but somehow you feel like the Irish- man who shot the bird, and then bewailed the loss of the ammunition, as the fall itself would have killed it ; but be satisfied that if the purse had not been tendered no accident would have happened to the leaders. Verily telegraphy is a great science, and not confined entirely to wires either. And so it happened that, on a bright day in the i8 Lake George. summer of ’72, with a gay party of pleasure seekers, we found ourselves perched on top of one of these stages, drawn by four spirited horses, and con- ducted by that autocrat of the road, the festive stage driver. We had the usual assortment in our load : the cockney Englishman, with note book in hand, making all sorts of inquiries about every thing, to write “ ’ome to the hold country the patrician young lady with eye-glasses, who im- pressed one with the idea that she looks^ as a gunner would fire a bomb-shell, at such an angle as would best annihilate you when it descended ; the young ladies, to whom every thing was “ so nice ” and “jolly;” the aristocratic and high-toned young clerk, in faultless kids and paper cuffs, whose let- ters, for a month past, had come addressed to him at the Fort William Henry, where he was going to spend his year’s salary in two weeks of first-class bliss ; the uncomfortable looking but proud mother, who, at the Msk of her life, would persist in staying where sh . could admire her precocious offspring, just budding into delicate moustachehood, right from college, and consequently qualified and per- fectly willing to tell every body all about every thing ; the timid gentleman, with linen duster but- toned close up under the chin, hat planted on the back of his head, teeth tightly shut together, and hands frantically clutching the railing of the coach as it swayed from side to side, the very picture of determination, not to fall off, and with a large sort of grin on his phiz, as though he imagined he was making a heroic stand for life, while all the world On the Plank. 19 gazed in wondering admiration, and trembled for the result. There was also the ancient victim of a young wife, who could see “ nothing but damned nonsense in being jerked all over the country in all sorts of infernal machines, and at all hours of the day and night ” — these and more ; but the life of the party was my friend — dry, droll Jack A. — who goes with us, and to whom I am indebted for much that is interesting in the following pages. As bows the stately goose to enter a sixteen-foot barn door, so ducked we as we passed under the toll-gate, then leaving the fair grounds (where moral individuals, who wouldn’t be seen at a race course, attend the “ agricultural horse show”), on the left, crossed the old half-way brook, and rumbling along the plain, toiled up the long hill, paused a moment on the summit, looked back down the road to the village, nearly three miles distant, over farms and wood and fields of waving grain, spread out beyond us, while away in the east the mountains of Vermont rose up blue and beauti- ful in the morning light — then descended into the valley toward the north. As the horses came down to a walk at the foot of the hill on the further side, three or four ragged little boys dashed out from the corners of the fence, where they had “ laid ” for us, and ran along by our side, while, propelled from their hands, bunches of beautiful white pond-lillies, the most fragrant of all our northern flowers, shot upward, and describ- ing circles in the air, descended among us in a shower of sweetness. 20 Lake George. With ruddy cheeks, their eyes glancing eagerly from one to another of the passengers, and with rim- less hats held invitingly up for stamps, these grinning little chaps bobbed and danced along by our side, until satisfied that they had secured all the plunder ; then retired in good order, to lay in wait for the next vehicle that should chance to come along. Their lillies come mostly from the marsh on the west of the road, the business being in the hands of two, who claim the hills on either side as their ter- ritory, by right of discovery, and of orginating the scheme. Imitating the old knights of the road, they wait for the coaches, where the nature of the ground com- pels them to go slow, then by a judicious cannonade of flow- ers compel a surrender of stamps — in this way, having picked up over six hundred dollars in one season. At our right is the Albany Peat Wor^s,** which must have been a paying investment to the originators of the scheme, who sold more shares than peat, until the impression went out that shares On the Plank. 21 was all they ever expected to sell, which naturally hurt the business some. Then a twin enterprise was started in the mountain about two miles to the north-west, the Corning Iron Mine," which was conceived and conducted by the same gigantic intellect, and now, stock in that great company is considered good at present quotations, as there isn’t a chance for it to fall much lower. The strip of still water along the north side of the marsh is a branch of Long pond, which may be seen some distance away toward the east. THE HALF-WAY HOUSE. VERY perceptible straightening up of the driver’s spinal column, a whole spelling-book full of letter s’s in the air made by his long whip- lash, an extra dash of the horses, and we were brought up standing in front of the half-way house. “ Five minutes for refreshments 1” said the driver, mentally charging Brown the price of a cigar, which bill is always honored when pre- sented at the counter. The smiling landlord approached, rubbing his hands gleefully. “ Step out, gentlemen,” said he ; “ plenty of time while the horses are being watered. Get your ladies up a nice lemonade, milk punch, or any thing you want.” Some of us took the lemonade plain, some with a “stick” in it, and some took the stick" plain. 22 Lake George. George is noted for his lemonades, with or without lemons. “ What next, gentlemen ?” said he, as he poured the last glass out of the shiny tin shaker and wiped the honest sweat from his brow. Jack was very solemn as he said, in his most impressive style, “ A glass of water, if you please, landlord.” “ Certainly, certainly ; right this way,” briskly seizing hold of the ice pitcher. “ I de-clare I be- lieve the ice is all out,” said he, shaking it, “ and I guess the water is a keiie warm ; but I’ve got some first rate pop on ice.” Of course the pop was ordered. But Jack says the normal condition of that pitcher is to be with- out ice about stage time. The Half-way House — four miles from the lake, near Williams’ monument — boasts of a cabinet of Indian curiosities and relics picked up on the old battle grounds near by, a pond where good pickerel fishing is found, and especially noted for the game suppers, which nobody seem to know how to get up like “ Brown,” and without which no season or ride in that direction is considered complete. W e examined the Indian relics, then went out on the porch and sat down in one of the great arm chairs. A woman was crossing the road toward the barn, carrying something in a pail. Running ahead, around, on every side, of every size, age and color to be found in the extensive family, was a drove of about thirty cats ; and they allowed it wasn’t much of a day for cats either. An aldermanic dog, in shape closely resembling a roll of butter, waddled out, and appeared as tickled to see us as it was The Half-way House. 23 possible to express with his excessively abbre- viated narrative ; birds chirped and twittered con- tentedly in their cages on the flower-crowded porch, and, in short, every thing seemed so comfortable and well fed that we decided unanimously that “ George Brown knew how to keep a hotel.” Our timid friend was greatly interested in the flowers — smelled around until he got a bug in his nose ; then, in his frantic efforts to get it out, knocked over a vase of fuschias, stepped on the fat dog, and finally sat down on a very fine specimen of the cactus family. He didn’t stay long — didn’t take much thought as to his manner of going — but went ! “ All aboard !” sang out the driver. So aboard we all got, and away we went, bowing low as we passed through the old red toll-gate just north of the house. From Brown’s northward, the road follows along the west side of a thickly wooded ravine, nearly midway between the top and bottom, winding in and out as the sides project or recedes from the center ; and this constant turning seems to excite such a spirit of emulation in the horses, that they need no urging, but go along at a swinging pace, re- vealing a constantly changing panorama of beauty, new objects coming into sight, sweet little bits of foreground and lovely vistas opening up to sur- prise and charm the eye that sparkles with excite- ment, and watches eagerly as each new picture is unfolded, until a sudden bend in the road brings us in sight of a sign, bearing the inscription of “ William's Monuments 24 Lake George. The apple tree to which the sign was attached appeared venerable enough, but did not answer to our idea of a monument. “ Where is it?” “ Up there among the bushes on the side hill,” said the driver, jerking his head over his left shoulder. Looking, we saw a plain marble shaft, perhaps eight feet in height, white, clouded with blue, and standing on a huge boulder. “ What a lonesome place to be buried in.” Awful pokey, I think, don’t you?” said the young ladies, appealing to the nobby young man, who admitted that it was “ howwidl' “ I say, driver, what was William what-his- name’s object in locating in this outlandish place?” inquired Jack, innocently. “ I guess he didn’t have much to say about it, one way or t’other,” said the driver, “he was a Colonel or somethin’, and fell by that ar rock.” Good ^m-cious, did it hurt him much,” asked the astonished Jack, then, as the driver deigned no reply, save a look of pity for one so totally deficient in a knowledge of history, he concluded, philo- sophically, “ I s’pose it must, though, for that’s a pretty high stun to fall off of.” “Te-he,” remarked the young ladies. Our young college friend seemed on the point of bursting with suppressed knowledge, when a judicious question from the fond mother opened ■ the gates, and we were flooded with information. Williams’ Monument. 25 Williams’ Monument was erected in 1854 by the graduates of Williams’ Col- lege, in memory of the found- er of that institution. On it are inscriptions in Latin, to show the learning of those who erected it, and in En- glish, to show what it is all about ; from it we learn that it was ‘‘ erected to the memory of Colonel Ephraim W illiams, a native of New- town, Mass., who, after gallantly defending the fron- tiers of his native State, served under General John- son against the French and Indians, and nobly fell near this spot, in the bloody conflict of September 8, 1755. in the AF-d year of his age. Some say that Williams received his death wound while standing on the rock, but it is not probable, for he knew too much about Indian fighting to expose himself thus unnecessarily; he fell near by, however, and at the same time, a greater than he, — the old Mohawk Chief King Hendrick, who as he neglected to endow a col- lege, is seldom mentioned, in connection with the place. The old military road ran just above the rock. The country over which we are now passing is crowded with historic interest, and replete with wild legends of the past ; it is the ^'^Dark and Bloody Ground; ” and on the day when Williams fell was one great battle field, over which the tide swept, carrying at its flood the victorious French even to 3 26 Lake George. the gates of the English camp at the Holy Lake, and ebbing bore them back, defeated, over the road that had witnessed their victorious advance of the morning. BLOODY POND. Fringed with birches and elms, flecked with lilly- pads, with here and there great creamy white and yellow lillies shining out of the dark green, seemed little in keeping with the history of the place. Again the watchful mother found it necessary to turn on the stream of knowledge, and we were informed that it derived its name from the fact that “ during the revolutionary war the English killed fifteen hundred women and children, and threw their bodies into the pond, since which time the water has been the color of blood.” “Perfectly awful !” said the young ladies. “ Shock - ing !” said the swell young clerk, with a glance Bloody Pond. 27 which gave them to understand that he would protect them in case the Englishmen (who, just then, was looked upon as a member of a family of blood-thirsty cannibals) should show signs of approaching hunger ; but just in time to avert an approaching catastrophy, the driver dryly remarked that, “ excepting the time, number and kind of folks interested, the young man was pretty near correct.” The facts gathered are these : A party of the French, who (after driving the English into their for- tified camp at Lake George, and were in turn driven back), were seated around the pond at sunset, par- taking of their evening meal, when they were sur- prised by a party of English advancing from Fort Edward, who poured in upon them a destructive fire. The French, totally routed, fled in confusion, leaving their dead and wounded on the field, and their blood mingling with the water is said to have turned it red, from which circumstance it received its name. Here we reach the highest point in our ride, and soon we see gleaming through the trees Horican, “the silvery water,” a pearl in one of Nature’s grandest settings of emerald, and beauti- ful beyond description. The first full view of the lake is obtained when about a mile distant, and here, my gushing friends, is one of the places where you may go into unlimited paroxysms of ecstacy without fear of piling it on too thick, or overdoing the matter in the least. From where the road winds around the hill, down to the border of the lake, is a mile of checkered field and wood ; in the center, hidden in the grove of pines that line the shore, are the grass- 28 Lake George. grown ruins of Fort George. On the right, across the valley, is French mountain, sloping down to the lake, where, at the point, is “ Crosbyside.” On the west, under the shadow of Mount Prospect, lies the little village of Caldwell. A little nearer, and covered with stately pines, are the ruins of Fort William Henry ; close beside them the hotel bear- ing the same name. On the high land west of Fort George was the old entrenched camp, to which the English fled when pursued by Dieskau. Beyond, toward the north, the lake stretches away, dotted with verdant islands and hemmed in by mountains that seem to approach each other, until the way is blocked by the misty, dome-like form of Tongue mountain. As we wind around the side and cross a little gully the road makes a sudden turn to the right, and runs away nearly straight, with a descending grade. Here on the left is quite a high hill, on the summit of which are the remains of Fort Gage. At the time of Abercrombie’s advance this slope was clear to the water’s edge ; and here, one bright day, while awaiting the order to advance, a party of scouts played at the New England game of “jumping the stick,” and, among others, Putnam, Stark and Lord Howe, the latter jumping high- est of them all.* Down the long grade, across the bridge, up the little hill, through the arched gateway, around the graveled carriage road, we go at a slashing pace, and bringing up in front of the Fort William Henry, are received by a brigade * Bean. The Fort William Henry. 29 of uniformed gentlemen from Africa, who appear wonderfully pleased to see us, and whose desire to be of assistance is touching to behold ; they charge in battalions from below, they swoop down on us from above ; they pounce on innocent satchels, gobble up stray bundles, surround defenceless hat boxes, and invest unsuspecting dusters with a cordon of sooty hands ; they entrench themselves in front of harmless waterproofs, forage for um- brellas and canes, and there is no danger of their overlooking an article which, if it can be divided, is fair game for two. Of course they are actuated only by a laudable desire to be of assistance, and when the pleasant face appears, accompanied by the missing article, it will prove conclusively that your heart is not in the right place if you can stand the mute appeal to your pockets and allow the aforementioned face to disappear without the cus- tomary “scale.” And right here let me remark that Lake George, like watering places in general, is a “scaly” place; even the fish caught are often found covered with them. We endure the ordeal of alighting under fire of a hundred pairs of eyes, pass in review before the reception committee — which is a committee of the whole — register and retire to recuperate, while the committee on creden- tials goes up to the big book, to find out who we are and where we came from. LAKE GEORGE. AKE George is conveniently situated near the Fort William Henry Hotel, and we have reason to rejoice that a wise Providence placed it where guests of this popular house can have the op- portunity of beholding its beauties with- out too much exertion, as it is considered by some really very fine, and adding very much to the interest of the trip. It was written about in 1609, by Champlain, but the first white man known to have seen it was Father Jogues, a French priest, who, accompanied by Jean Bourdon, arrived at the north end on the 29th of May, 1649, and it being on the eve of the festival of Corpus Christi, he, in commemoration of the day, called it Lac du St. Sacrament. Different tribes gave it different names. Father Jogues called it by its Iroquois name, Andia-ta- rock-te, “ place where the lake closes.” In 1755 General Johnson changed its name to Lake George^ in honor of one George the Second, an Englishman, who, living on a little island just off the coast of Ireland, at that time, proposed to keep America for a summer residence, but his suc- cessors had a little difficulty in collecting rents in 1776, and gave it up as a bad job. Ho RICAN, the “ silvery water,” was simply a fancy of Cooper’s, He says: “It occurred to me that the French name of this lake was too compli- cated, the American too common-place, and the In- Lake George. 31 pian too unpronounceable, for either to be used famil- iarly in a work of fiction,” so he called it Horican. It is a little over thirty-three miles long, running north and south, nearly four wide at the broadest place, surrounded by high mountains ; dyains but little territory, and is fed by brooks from the moun- tain sides, and springs coming up from the bottom. It is nearly three hundred feet above tide-water, and two hundred and forty above Lake Champlain, into which it empties. It is said to contain three hundred and sixty-five islands, one for each day of the year ; and one accommodating little fellow, who goes and comes every four years, that the twenty- ninth of February need not feel slighted.* The air is cool and bracing, especially in the win- ter. Fishing is, as a general thing, good — and easy. Fishermen are constantly looking for the best ground, which, I find by referring to the reliable guide books, are near the largest hotels. This winter (1872-3) there has been an addition made in shape of a quantity of baby salmon from Seth Green’s nursery, and it is confidently expected that, in the course of two or three years, they will be large enough to be seen by the naked eye. *“Have photographed it, and, if modesty did not prevent my telling the truth, should say that, like all of my work, it is exceilent.” S. R. Stoddard. “ Most genuine.” J. Orcut. “ Caught a whale on it once.” Dr. Gumbs. ' Have discovei-ed it several times just below the surface ; always getting in my way.” Capt. A. Hulett. ' Leap-year periodical : just out ; ten cents.” B. S. Cowles, Partial Proprie- tor Picture and Paper Stand. “ Beats my relics.” E. J. Gale. Most wonderful thing at Lake George — next to my palace.” T, Roessle. An excresence on the bosom of Horican, superinduced by an acute attack ° jfiStire fours.” Dr. Dowling. Anchored in ninety feet of water at night, and found the ‘ Owl ’ high and "^^rtiing. Fact.” Capt. Lee Harris. A wear their horns off on it.” Cronkhite, Landlord Trout Pavilion and a host of others equally veracious. FORT WILLIAM HENRY HOTEL. AKE GEORGE was re-discovered in 1868 by T. Roessle & Son, who raised, enlarged and reconstructed the old wigwam at its head to such an extent that its former friends could hardly recognize it in the elegant structure now known as the Fort William Henry Hotel. It is from four to six stories high, surmounted by a mansard roof, and has a lake frontage of three hun- dred and thirty-four feet. Along the entire front extends a piazza twenty-five feet wide, the roof supported by columns thirty feet in height. Above the center rises a dome flanked by two towers, while at the east end of the building is another nearly as high. The center is on one end just at present, but Mr. Roessle designs to even it up soon, and make it, when completed, one of the most imposing structures of the kind in the country, and be, in fact, what he delights to call it — a palace. From the little balcony, hanging like a martin box high up on the dome, the tastefully arranged grounds may be seen spread out like a map beneath, while the beholder seems to have risen into a new world, with a widened vision which takes in over half the entire lake, extending away down into Northwest bay and over beyond the islands into the Narrows. Under the dome is the general office, which is also a point of general interest, made bright with the plumage of fair ladies; fresh and clean, with just a touch of color blending with its white and gold, and elegant in its rich simplicity. Fort William Henry Hotel. 33 Within the general office are those of the stage companies, telegraph office, and cigar and book stand, supplied with all the latest books, periodi- cals, daily papers, and photographs of the many lovely things found around this lovely lake. West of the office is the drawing room. On the east are suits of rooms, bijou parlors and the large billiard hall, while at the back is the grand dining room, always seeming cool and comfortable, and from which guests can look out through the large doors across the shimmering waters to the blue moun- tains beyond. The house is elegantly furnished throughout, and supplied with all the modern improvements, includ- ing gas, which is manufactured at the works erected on the grounds especially for that purpose. Stages leave the door tri-daily, connecting with trains on the Rensselaer and Saratoga and Adirondack railroads, while from the dock at the foot of the lawn the Lake George steamers start on their daily excursions down the lake. On Thursday evening of each week during the season a “ grand hop ” is held in the parlor, and every evening between the hours of nine and ten the great doors of the dining-rooms are thrown open, and, with the sound of many slippers, a stream of ministering waiters issue forth, bringing cake and delight and ice cream to all who will partake thereof. The Roessles are natural hotel-keepers, as witness their great popularity while in the Delavan at Al- bany, and in the Arlington at Washington, of which they are also proprietors. The two establishments 34 Lake George. require quite an army to conduct them, the Fort William Henry giving employment to nearly two hundred. Standing, as the hotel does, at the very head of the lake, it catches its share of the faintest breath that blows, its open position affording the winds from the south througK the valley, and those from the north over the far reaching water, full sweep, and it is seldom that there is not enough moving to stir its surface. Standing on the broad piazza, the outlook is very fine ; in the center of the lake the outreaching point from the west, terminates in Tea Island; over this is the round top of Shelving Rock, a little west of that. Tongue Mountain ; about two miles beyond Tea Island, at the right, is Dia- mond Island ; beyond this, partially hidden by it, is Long Island, at its right edge is West Point. About two miles away on the right, is Plum Point, on the high ground, a little nearer, the summer place of the Paulist Fathers. Still nearer among the trees, is Crosbyside, and over the beach at the east, the Seelye House. Over at the left, around the corner of the lake, which is here nearly square, is Caldwell. Some envious people, who live further down, think that it was assuming considerable for Caldwell folks to arrogate to themselves thirty-four miles of water when they drink so little, by naming their post- office “ Lake George;” but they ought to feel thank- ful that the originators of the idea did not call it United States, which would have necessitated a change in the name of the great confederation. The Lake House is the largest hotel in the village, and built on the oldest hotel site at the lake. It is three hundred feet long, three stories high, with front and back piazzas. From the house a lovely tree-covered lawn slopes down to the water’s edge, while the front is shaded by a fine double row of maples. On the grounds are three pretty cot- tages. All the steamboats touch at the dock, and stages leave the door, connecting with all trains. In the house is a barber shop ; within the general office, a book and paper stand, a telegraph office, and a magnificent collection of relics, consisting of a piece of bomb shell, Indian pestle, and a tumbler of tooth-picks. The hotel is open for the reception of guests from May to November. Connected with the hotel is the livery and board- ing stables of Jenkins & Burgess, where every thing found in a first-class establishment may be obtained at reasonable rates, for the proprietors are first-class and reasonable fellows themselves. The Nelson House, formerly occupied by Capt. E. S. Harris, is nearly new, and can provide for forty guests. It stands south of the Lake House, is well furnished, and although new to the place, its proprietor gives every evidence of thoroughly under- standing his business. 36 Lake George. The Central Hotel, nearly opposite the Lake House, has been thoroughly remodeled and reno- vated, the entire front re-arranged, with large hall, parlors and gentlemen’s sitting room, a large dining room added to it, and all repainted, papered and furnished, changing its appearance entirely, and making it a very attractive stopping place. With all these new things comes a new landlord, B. O. Brown, son of George Brown, of the famous Half-way House, and if he does not make a first-class hotel of the Cen- tral it will not be for lack of education. At the south end of the village is “ Carpenter’s Hotel,” also open the year round, which, with seve- ral private families who take “ city boarders,” con- stitute the accommodations for the class spoken of ; two churches — P^'esbyterian and Episcopal; three or four stores, where any thing in a small way, from a bustle to a banjo, may be obtained ; post-office ; the stately court-house, with cells in the cellar ; two pumps, and Harve. Crandell’s palatial blacksmithing establishment constitute the other attractions of this noted place. While tourists blossom on every hillside. Lake George presents a lively appearance ; but when the source of revenue is removed and cold winter sets in, it is said that the inhabitants imitate the example of bruin, who retires to some den and sucks his claws until awakened by the breath of spring, when he wanders forth, seeking whom he may devour. Beside the hotel proper, lately enlarged and improved, there are three cottages, which, with the summer houses and outbuildings, look like some pretty little village among the grand old trees that cover the point. As we approach, an air of intense respectability is wafted toward us from the shore, for you must know that Crosbyside is immense in that direction, numbering among its guests supreme court judges, D. D’s, Japanese princes and escaped editors, which would be rather strong society for the average touring mortal if the balance of power was not retained on the world’s side by the bevy of {jolly is the word, I think) young ladies who are annually banished from city homes by confiding mothers, satisfied that they will be safe with Mrs. 38 Lake George. Crosby (who seems especially designed by Nature to bring up girls in the proper way); by young men attracted by said young ladies, and by a few who come for the pure air, the delightful views, the sense of freedom that seems to go with the place ; and last, but not least, the bountifully supplied table, made very inviting by its crisp purity and dainty niceness. The house, as well as the broad, comfortable looking piazza and grounds, impresses one with its cool, roomy sort of look ; and, although open to all, on account of its retired situation, it gets but few “ transients,” assuming more the appearance of a great home, to which familiar faces come year after year ; while the pleasant face of the silver-haired proprietor makes you feel to ‘‘ bid farewell to every fear — ” and register at once. Crosby side has capacity for accommodating about two hundred guests. A drive of a little more than a mile through the woods and across the beach con- nects it with Caldwell. All the steamers touch at the dock. The “ Telegraph,” a fast barge, con- ducted by two experienced old salts, runs hourly to and from Caldwell, carrying passengers and mails ; and on the Sabbath every body goes over to the village on the “Owl” to attend church, listen to the magnificent choir, and see what the folks have on who come from the hotels. Seelye House. 39 The Seelye House, L. C. P. Seelye & Sons, proprietors, is entirely new, and but just opened for guests. It is situated on the sloping hillside, a little way south of Crosby’s, and is one of the most prominent objects in Yiew as you approach from the south, its dazzling white among the green of the surrounding trees contributing to make it so. It is three stories high beside the basement, where all the cooking and other unattractive necessities of a large hotel are performed, is nearly surrounded by a broad piazza, contains sixty sleeping rooms, large pleasant dining-room and parlor; ladies’ and gentlemen’s bath-rooms, and other conveniences ; is nicely furnished, and with a cottage on the grounds, has comfortable accommodation for one hundred guests. All the steamboats touch at the dock, and a fleet of skiffs are kept for the accommodation of guests. Terms, $io to $20 per week. 40 Lake George. LO ! THE POOR INDIAN. “ A remnant of the once mighty race of Mohicans still lingers they are given to lingering ; they pre- fer it to any thing else ; their wigwams are found in the borders of the forest, just west of the entrance to the Fort William Henry grounds. Six or seven families, in all, from the home of the St. Francis Indians in Lower Canada, coming in the spring and usually returning with the frosts; de- scendants of the Abenakis — “ O-ben-ah-^'&h. ” — they will tell you, and pure blood at that. Every body goes to see them, and so we went. We found “ the ancient arrow maker,” Lewis Watsaw, who was ninety-two years old last summer, and will be a hundred next ; split splints with fat, good natured Madam Powkett ; watched a half-dozen Indian blossoms wallow, like a brood of chickens, in the sun- warmed sand. We even tried our hand at Indian archery, to the imminent danger of every thing else but the target ; then wandered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of that wondrously beautiful Indian maiden, whom we remembered seeing a picture of once, clothed mostly in an elegant bead necklace. At last we were told where we would probably find the object of our search, and thither we repaired. Shades of the immortal Cooper! what an awakening I the wild flower of the forest in a dolly varden and a ten pound waterfall! We crept sadly away, and that night, at the hour when spirits walk, there was a funeral ; the last of the Mohicans” was laid tenderly away, “and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.” Healing Spring. 41 LOVELY road along the lake shore, something over three miles north of Caldwell, brings us to the “ Healing Spring ” and its honest, odd, old-fash- ioned owner, “ Uncle Joe,” as he is universally called, and whose faith in the efficacy of the water to cure “ all the ills that flesh is heir to,” is as unbounded as his good nature. Many and wonderful are the cures wrought by the waters of this spring, as affirmed by sundry certificates, which are won- ders of composition, and now in possession of the proprietor. It has been made the subject of a poem by Uncle Joe, which he has for sale, and which he says “ all the girls are after, it’s so funny.” It is well worth a visit, and all who feel that it is good to laugh and grow fat must, after seeing it, admit that, indirectly at least, that spring is a great benefit to suffering humanity. Another pleasant trip is up Prospect Mountain. All you do is to climb into one of the wagons pro- vided for that purpose, press a dollar into the hands of the driver, get a firm hold of the seat, and the way you go up that mountain is interesting to behold. The distance looks short ; but nobody was ever heard to complain that they did not get their money’s worth. First one wheel will drop down into a hole, and you go over to that side to pay your friend a visit, and find him coming up lively to see you ; then you are in considerable doubt — which, as this was written to fill out the page, may be settled by trying the trip. 42 Lake George. RUINS OF FORT WILLIAM HENRY. Just east of the hotel of the same name, under the pines, are the ruins of the old Fort. The out- line is well preserved, showing the form, nearly square, flanked on the west, south, and a part of the east side, by a ditch, on the north by the lake. It was built in 1755 by General Johnson, and cap- tured by the French, under Montcalm August 8, 1757. Putnam, who arrived as the French were retreating down the lake, describes the scene as horrible in the extreme, the air filled with the stench of decaying bodies and burning flesh which had been thrown among the still smoking ruins, for the French burned what- ever they coulcj not carry off. They could not steal or burn the “Old Fort Well,” how- ever, and it still re- mains near the east side, partially filled with stones and rub- bish. The garrison, at present, consists of one THE GARRISON, black boy in command of a brass field-piece, which belches forth its welcome to the “ Minne-ha-ha ” on her arrival, nightly. Here game abounds, and an Fort George. 43 opportunity is afforded to send missiles of death hurtling through the affrighted air at sheet-iron birds for two cents per pop. Just where the fence which now incloses the grounds on the east would run, if continued out into the lake — under water — ^is the old French dock. Out from the dock a little way may be seen, on a still day, the charred remains of an old hulk, her blackened ribs and keel half hidden in the sand. It appears to be about forty feet in length, and supposed to have been one of the number sunk by Vaudreuil in February, 1757. Shell and cannon balls have been taken away at different times, and ' in 1820 two small cannon were removed from the wreck. Fort George is east of Fort William Henry, and one day Jack and I waded through the half mile or so of sand, and went up the road to where we were told the ruins were situated. At last we found them, on the east side of the road, near Dr. Dow- ling’s cottage, and, seating ourselves on the walls, “read up ” in the history of the old fortress. It was built in 1759 by General Amherst, a good general, but rather given to shoveling. The present ruins is but a bastion of what, at the time, was designed for an extensive fortification. Although on an elevated piece of ground, it is commanded by others near by, and would not have been thought of at the present day, but in those times they had faith in the absent-mindedness of the enemy, who were expected to march regularly up to the places prepared for their reception, as was eminently proper for them to do, and much easier than cut- 44 Lake George. ting roads through the forests, or hauling heavy guns to the tops of mountains. On the table land, a little to the south-west of the fort, was the old entrenched camp, the scene oi Dieskau’s defeat by General Johnson in 1755. To the west was old Fort William Henry. It was a lovely afternoon when we sat on the ruined wall, gazing out over the stretch of reedy flats, gleaming sand and rippling water. The sun wa's sinking in crimson glory among the clouds that rested on old Mount Prospect. Purple shadows chased each other over the golden beach and up the mountain side ; flies buzzed lazily through the air ; bees droned among the flowers, and the music of rippling waves came faintly to our ears. “And is this all that remains of the once proud fortress,” said Jack impressively. “ Battlements crumbling, strong walls falling and wasting away, before the great destroyer. Time. Perhaps, in olden times, a soldier has stood on this very spot, and gazed out on just such a glorious sunset as this — his heart filled with thoughts of a distant home, and yearning to clasp the forms of loved ones to his bosom, little dreaming that, before the sun should make another circuit of the heavens, he would sleep the sleep of the soldier out under the daisy- gemmed sod, where weeping violets, bending sadly over — ” He paused — near by stood three or four ragged little villains, grinning horribly, and making observations in a very disrespectful sort of way. “ Gamin avaunt,” said Jack, with a threatening air. They didn’t seem inclined to do it, but con- Fort George. 45 tinued to cut antics, in the most extraordinary and exasperating manner conceivable. “ Poor feller,” said one, with a grin that opened an unbroken line of communication between his ears by way of his mouth. “Got it bad, ain’t he, ruther?” remarked a second. “ Tooken sudden, like,” said number three, with a horrible distortion of his face — intended for a wink ; “ but he ain’t the first darn fool that’s made a pious show ov ’imself on top ov that ar old lime- kill.” We were suddenly impressed with a conviction that we were liable to become victims of sunstroke, especially as a feeling of undue warmth spread over us, so we hastily sought the protection of the woods back of the ruins, followed by a series of yells that would have done credit to a whole tribe of Modocs. In making a circuit among the pines, and, juni- pers, we ran across the ruins — real ruins this time of the old fort — now but a great heap of earth sloping off from the edge to the center and north, and held in place by the walls, which are quite well preserved on the east side. A great share of the stone work has been removed, and burned for lime, at the scene of our late encounter with the young heathen. W e soon went back to the hotel, around the road, nearly a mile further, because these hor- rid animals were on the beach — apparently lying in wait for some one, and we had reason to believe that we were the objects of their attentions. 46 Lake George. THE HISIORIAN RISES TO EXPLAIN. 1609 Hendrick Hudson ascended the North river to its junction with the Mo- hawk, and Champlain sailed as far south as Ticonderoga, on the lake which now bears his name. Each nation, under whose flags the two men sailed — the French and Dutch — laid claim to the country dis- covered, it being an established rule among nations that whoever first planted the arms of their govern- ment on aboriginal soil thereby acquired that coun- try for their respective sovereigns. It was inhab- ited at that time by the Algonquins occupying the country north of the St. Lawrence, while all the country south was claimed by the Five Nations — a powerful confederacy, consisting of the Mohawks Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. They called themselves Aganuschiori, or “ united people by the Delawares they were called Mingoes ; by the French, Iroquois; and by the M aquas. The English claimed the country of this great people by virtue of a treaty with them, by which, in consideration of his protection, they submitted to the sovereignty of the king of Great Britain. Both nations aimed to keep the friendship of the Indian tribes, in which the French met with the greatest success, constantly extending their lines, while missionaries and traders went out among the red men preaching religion, and urging them to become Christians, murder the English, and be saved. Time passed, and still the beautiful coun- The Historian Rises to Explain. 47 try along "the shores of St. Sacrament and Cham- plain was an unbroken solitude, for the lakes, stretching to the north and south, formed a path- way through the wilderness, and nations were con- stantly going out to war against each other, laying waste every thing in their path ; this had driven all who were inclined to occupy the country beyond the mountains for protection; and this is why it received its Indian name, signifying “ the lake that is the gate of the country.” In 1731, while the nations were at peace, the French advanced to Crown Point and built a fort, which they called “St. Frederick.” The English remonstrated, but took no active measures to resist this encroachment on their soil, while parties of Indians gathered around, and, instigated by the French, fell upon exposed homes of settlers, “struck a blow and returned with some scalps.” To properly understand the movements of the armies operating against each other, it is well to take a glance at the topography of the country. Lake George. 4B W AY north, high up among the Adirondacks, the Hudson starts on its journey, and, fed by tribu- tary streams, advances toward the south, until turning east- ward it breaks through the Luzerne mountains; then pro- ceeding quietly along through meadow and wood it approach- es and takes the leap down the rocks at Glen’s Falls ; thence, circling around past Ft. Edward, goes southward to the sea. Nine miles north of the “ big bend ” is the southern end or head of Lake George, whose waters flow to the north, emptying into Champlain, where stands the old promontory of Ticonderoga. South from this, run- ning nearly parallel with Lake George, extends what, in old times, was called South Bay, at the head of which, twenty-five miles distant, stood Skeensborough, now Whitehall. From Fort Edward to Lake George the carrying distance was fourteen miles — to Skeensborough a little over twenty — which was reduced to less than a mile by going up Fort Edward creek and down W ood creek in small boats. Still, of the two routes, the first was usually preferred. The peculiar position of the country, with the difficulty of transporting men and stores, led to the general adoption of the Indian style of warfare — a sudden descent on some unprotected point ; a rifle shot, a gleaming knife or bloody tomahawk, and a retreat by the light of a burning building. BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 1755 the English felt that something must be done, and, on the twenty-eighth of August, General Johnson, at the head of his army, marched to Lac du St. Sacra- ment, at that time changing its name to Lake George. Said he, “ I propose to go down this lake with a part of the army, and take post at the end of it, at a pass called “ Ticonderogue,” there to await the coming up of the rest of the army, and then attack Crown Point.’' His intention was good, but while he was pre- paring to move, the Baron Dieskau, with fourteen hundred men, six hundred of whom were Indians, advanced to attack Fort Lyman ; but, when within four miles of the fort, the Indians refused to pro- ceed further, it is thought, from their known fear of cannon. In consequence of this the head of the army was turned toward Lake George, and had reached the place where Williams’ monument now stands, when news was brought that the English were advancing to meet them. Hastily forming in shape of a hollow square, open toward the north, the points extending on each side of the road, they awaited their coming. Soon they appeared — one thousand English and two hundred Indians — under Col. Ephraim Williams and old King Hendrick, all unconscious of impending danger, so sure were they that the enemy was at Fort Edward. It happened that among Dieskau’s Indians were some of the great league of the Iroquois, who, see- 5 50 Lake George. ing that the English were accompanied by a party of their sworn friends (the Mohawks), fired guns in the air as a warning, and, by this act, turned what might have been the annihilation of the detachment into simply a bad defeat. The French opened fire at once, killing Williams and King Hendrick, who, on account of his age and infirmities, was riding on one of Johnson’s horses. The English retreated, followed by the French. Hearing the firing, a body of 300 men was dispatched to their assist- ance, and a breastwork of fallen trees formed in front of the camp at Lake George. Soon came the English, in confusion, closely pursued by the French, on whom the guns could not be brought to bear, without injuring friend and foe alike. It appeared to be Dieskau’s object to keep thus close on the heels of the retreating English, and enter the fortified camp with them, but as, with joyful shouts, the survivors tumbled over the logs, among their friends, they, with wonder, beheld the French stop when almost up to the lines, while the Indians skulked in the swamps. The pause of the French was of a few minutes only, but it afforded the Eng- lish time to perfect their plans of defense, and when the enemy did advance they were received by a well- worked battery. The engagement commenced a little before noon, and lasted until about four o’clock, when the enemy retreated, pursued by the English and Indians. Dieskau was wounded and taken prisoner, afterward dying, it is said, from the effect of his wounds. Johnson was also wounded early in the engagement, and the command de- volved on General Lyman, who behaved with Battle of Lake George. 51 unexceptionable bravery throughout the entire engagement. At sunset a party of the French who had halted at Bloody Pond were surprised and routed by a party of English coming from Fort Edward. The French loss, killed and wounded, was nearly 400 men ; the English about 300. Thus ended the triune battle of Lake George, September 8, 1755 ; small in the number engaged, but great in its effect on the country, for here was the turning point of the great tidal wave that eventually swept over the entire country, brushing the power of France from the continent. J ohnsOn having earned glory enough for one season, the remainder of it was spent in . building Fort William Henry. In March, 1757, Vaudreuil, with 1,500 French and Indians, came over the ice to attack Fort Wil- liam Henry. At two o’^clock on the morning of the 19th, he approached, hoping to surprise the gar- rison, but failed ; he succeeded, however, in burn- ing every thing outside of the Fort, including a number of sloops and batteaux that were frozen in the ice. 52 Lake George. CAPTURE OF FORT WILLIAM HENRY. rT THE beginning of August, Mont- calm, with nearly 8,000 French and Indians, advanced on Fort William Henry, which is described as square, built of pine logs, covered with sand, flanked by four bastions, and sur- rounded by a ditch. On the morning of the 9th, Col. Monroe, having withstood the siege six days, and seeing no hope of relief from Webb, sent a messenger to Montcalm, stating the terms on which he would surrender, which substantially were that the English should be allowed to march out with the honors of war, carrying their arms and baggage. T hese terms were agreed to, and at twelve the next day they marched over to the entrenched camp, there to remain until the following morning, leaving the sick and wounded under the protection of the French general ; but, even while they were passing out, the Indians swarmed in through the embrasures, murdering the sick and helpless. Robaud says : “ I saw one of these barbarians come forth out of the casements, which nothing but the most insatiate avidity for blood could induce him to enter, for the infected atmos- phere which exhaled from it was insupportable, carrying in his hand a human head, from which streams of blood were flowing, and which he paraded as the most valuable prize he had been able to seize.” Morning found the English ready to march, and, as they filed out, protected by three hundred French, The Massacre. 53 the insufficiency of their escort became startingly apparent. The savages swarmed in the woods on every side, and hung like a dark storm-cloud along their path ; low, ominous muttering, like distant thunder, came from the surging, jostling crowd, gradually rising higher and higher, until, with fierce yells, they fell on the panic-stricken English, striking them down in the very face of their helpless guard. The great number of women and children accompanying the men increased the terror of the scene. Soon all semblance of order ceased, and the march changed to a selfish race for life. The butchery, which at first was the work of a few, soon became general. They even tore men from the ranks, and, like savage, wild beasts, fought among themselves for the sickening prize of a human scalp. Some have attempted to exonerate Montcalm from blame, but he knew the nature of the savages saw their treatment of the sick and wounded in the old fort the day before, and still on the morning of the massacre, with 6,000 French at command, sent only 300 to protect that long line of men, women and children from the wild beasts, thirsting for their blood. The number that perished is unknown, but has been estimated by some as high as 1,500. Their object accomplished, the French returned from whence they came, leaving the old fort a heap of smouldering ruins, and the bones of the English bleaching in the sun; the sweetly solemn music of the waves, rippling on the white beach below, and the sad sighing of the wind among the pines, their only requiem — then solitude reigned once more on the shores of the tideless lake. 54 Lake George. RINGING THE CHANGES. NOT HER act in the great drama of earth. A year has passed away, and the curtain rises on a scene of wondrous beauty. The same old mountains slope down, amphithea- ter-like, around the lake ; the mists of midsummer hang over the land ; martial music fills the air, and large bodies of men, under the banner of Abercrombie, are marching through the woods ; the sound of many bugles and of highland pipes echo back from the mountain side, as a thousand boats, bearing fifteen thousand men, in all the varied colors of military pomp, of royal court of clan and forest, with ban- ners waving, and hearts beating high with hope, move away over the glassy lake. Not as they went will they return, but sadly bearing their precious dead — yesterday, crowned with laurel ; to day, with asphodels — with banners trailing, and the sound of mourning for comrades lying in the forests and under the battlements of Ticonderoga. The following year Amherst passed through the lake, capturing Ticonderoga and Crown Point, thus driving the French into Canada, their hold on the lakes gone forever. STEAMBOATS. HERE has been eleven steamboats on Lake George, first, the James Cald- well, Captain WiNANS, commanding; put upon the lake about i8i6 to ’20. It had two long boilers and a brick smoke stack, and could go the entire length of the lake in one day — nearly, if not quite, as quick as a smart man would row the dis- tance ; but this stupendous achievement of engineer- ing skill could never have been attained without the connivance of the evil one, so it was very prop- erly struck by lightning on one of its early trips ; and, as even this warning did not prevent the stiff- necked owners from attempting to run her the second year, she was very mysteriously burned — with fire — while lying at her dock at Caldwell. It was thought, however, that she caught fire from over-insurance. The next boat that kissed the wave was the Mountaineer, commanded by Captain Laribee, and built about 1824. This boat, it is said, was sided with three layers of boards : the first running fore and aft, the second from keel to wale, then a layer of tarred paper ; and the outer boards, running fore and aft again, all fastened together with wooden pins, making a very strong basket-like boat, which, when the waves ran high, would bend and twist about in a way that eels might envy and vainly strive to imitate. This also required nearly the whole day to make the length of the lake; and while her commander, out of gallantry to the 56 Lake George. ladies, would “ slow up ” to take one aboard, it was considered an unwarrantable loss of time to stop for a man, as any good oarsman could row out and put a passenger into the steamer’s yawl, which was always towing behind, without interfering with her headway in the least. The passenger in the yawl could then pull up by the tow-line and climb on to the steamer’s deck without much trouble. She ran until 1836. In 1838 the William Caldwell came on and ran until 1850, when the John Jay, Capt. J. Gale, took her place, running until 1856, when, on the twenty-ninth of July of that year, as she was passing Friend's Point, on the home trip, a fire broke out in the engine room, and spread so rapidly that they could not hope to save her. Rounding W alto- nian Isle the bow was pointed toward the shore, the intention being to run her on the beach a little north of Hague. Capt. E. S. Harris, then pilot, stood at the wheel until the tiller ropes burned off, then going aft shipped the tiller and steered by guess. Blinded by the smoke they missed the beach, struck on a rock and rebounding, slid back into deep water, where it burned down and sunk. Six lives were lost on this occasion. A young man, living there, threw off his outer clothing, saved six persons from the burning vessel, and while he was doing it some public spirited person stole his watch. “ Old Dick,” who, for several years, wandered up and down the lake, with his box of “ Rattell Snaicks,” at “ sixpents site,” was aboard when the fire broke out. The box containing the “ snaicks ’ Steamboats. 57 was washed ashore, with a little girl clinging to one end, while, from the trap-door at the other, which had become unfastened, the heads of the reptiles were lifted up, swaying and moving about as they were tossed by the waves, and as the box touched the shore they glided over the side, across the beach, and disappeared in the thicket. In 1857 the Minnehaha commenced, and has run ever since ; beside these, there has been the steam yachts “ Hiawatha,” the “ Alice,” and the “ Dodo,” the latter owned by J. Buchanan Henry, Private Secretary to the Presidential “ Buck.” Also, the “ Horican,” a propeller, something smaller than the Ganouskie, lately taken overland to Lake Champlain. At present there are four : The Minnehaha (laughing water), side-wheel steamer, built in 1857; 4 draft; length, 144 feet ; breadth, beam, 22 feet ; over all, 36 feet. The Ganouskie (Indian name of northwest bay), screw propeller, built in 1 869 ; 7 feet draft ; length, 72 feet ; beam, 20 feet. The Lillie M. Price (named after a little daughter of Col. W. W. Price), screw propeller, built in I871 ; 6 feet draft; length, 61 feet; beam, 14 feet. The “ Owl,” screw propeller (pocket edition), brought up the Hudson in 1871 ; draft, 3 feet 6 inches ; length, 30 feet ; beam, 7 feet. There are several lighters for carrying wood, yachts for hire, and a large fleet of skiffs, mostly of the kind called “ Whitehall.” The prices are gen- erally: for a boat, one hour, fifty cents; day, $1.00 to $2.00; week, $6.00 to $10.00, Man and boat, 58 Lake George. one hour, $i.oo; day, $3.00 to $4.00, subject to variation, according to season and circumstances. Fishermen have from $3.00 to $4.00 per day, fur- nishing boat and every thing necessary for the sport, and, to be assured of any success, it will be necessary to have one along who knows the ground. The course usually pursued is to go to the nar- rows on the Minnehaha, towing a small boat be- hind. The captain is always willing to accomodate, letting passengers off, or taking them aboard, at any point in the steamer’s course. The sportsman is expected, however, to pay fare to the first landing beyond, with an additional 50 cents for towing the boat. The State being afflicted with a game law, it will be perceived that it is not proper to do some things at all times, but every thing in its season. The time for taking brook trout, is from March 15 to September 15. Salmon trout, March i to October i. Black bass and muscallonge. May i to January i. Season for shooting duck, goose, brant, Sept, i to May I ; woodcock, July 15 to Feb i ; quail, Oct. 20 to Jan. i; ruffed grouse or partridge. Sept, i to Jan. i. Season for shooting deer, Aug. i to Dec. i. No trespassing on lands without permission, nor shooting on Sunday. There is no law against shooting bears, which was probably an oversight, but those found guilty of taking muscallonge, moose or caribou at Lake George will be severely dealt with, as the law is very strict on these points, and the game constables are always on the warpath. STEAMBOAT EXCURSIONS. “ The Round Trip ” to Lake Champlain is one every way enjoyable, and the great excursion of the season at Lake George. It is made by passing down the Lake from Caldwell on the morning boat, reaching the lower landing at 1 1 A. M,, thence over- land four miles in Baldwin’s coaches to Fort Ticon- deroga where an excellent dinner can be obtained and plenty of time given for a stroll among the Ruins. At 2:30 P. M., one of the elegant Cham- plain steamers is taken for a very enjoyable after- noon ride through the lovely ever-changing scenery of the narrow river-like lake to Whitehall, 24 miles distant ; a swift passage by rail through the valley of Wood Creek, and to Glens Falls via Fort Ed- ward, then a dash in the early evening back to Lake George. It is probable that another year will see cars run- ning regularly on the N. Y. & C. R. R. from White- hall to Ticonderoga, thence to the foot of Lake George, when the large boats on Lake Champlain will run no further south than the Old Fort. Then the trip by stage and boat, and Baldwin’s stories, will be things of the past. All lovers of the beau- tiful should enjoy it before it is too late. The dis- tance is 87 miles. Fare for the round trip, $6.00. The Minne-HA-HA, Captain J. C. Babbitt, leaves Caldwell at 7:45, touches at the principal landings and reaches foot of Lake at 1 1 A. M. Here, passen- gers take Baldwin’s stages to the Ruins, four miles farther, where dinner is obtained, and return by 6o Lake George. same route, reaching Caldwell at 7 P. M. Fare to Ruins and return to Caldwell, $3.00. The Ganouskie, Captain A. Hulett, makes daily excursions to the Narrows, leaving Caldwell at 9:30, touching at all points on the route, and stopping at 14 Mile Island where passengers can go ashore for a fifteen minute stroll among the trees or a lemonade at the little hotel. Returning, reach Caldwell in time for dinner and the afternoon stage. Fare, round trip, $1.50. Captain Hulett, with his experience of half a century, is one of the institutions of Lake George. He was born at Dresden, at the north end of Black Mountain, has sailed on the “ Silvery Water ” from his boyhood up, is thoroughly posted in its history and associations, and freely offers his fund of infor- mation for the benefit of his passengers. To see him in his favorite position, resting on a high stool in the pilot-house, his any thing but Cinderella-like feet laid across the spokes of the wheel, steering thus, while he rests back against the side, the very picture of immense, unmeasurable contentment and in his hearty, jovial style dis- penses interesting bits of history, gossip, information or his pleasing reminiscences of “ye olden time,” Is itself a sufficient inducement for taking the trip, even if it did not include the loveliest portion of the Lake in its round. The Lillie M. Price, Capt. E. White, makes an excursion similar to the Ganouskie, leaving Cald- well at 3:30 P. M., touching at all the various landings to the Narrows, where, after some little time spent in threading the mazes of the Hundred Islands, Steamboats. 6i it starts on the back track, reaching Caldwell at 7 P. M. Fare, round trip, $1.50. The “ Lillie ” is one of the pleasantest of excur- sion steamers, and under its accommodating com- mander, Capt. E. White, with Bur. Phelps, who knows every reef and channel in the lake, as pilot, has become a very popular boat indeed. The Owl, Capt. Lee. Harris, has no regular trip, but is subject to charter at all times, and often taken by pic-nic or fishing parties, as its light draft admits of its being laid up close against the rocks, at almost any place along shore. Its time is about eight miles an hour. “ Capt. Lee ” is thoroughly acquainted with the lake, a jovial whole-souled fellow, and a great favorite with the old visitors. His terms for the Owl is $5 per hour or $25 per day. The Julia is a new boat to the lake, something larger than the Owl, a slim, beautifully proportioned, graceful running steam-yacht, under the command of Capt. P. H. Wait, and is advertised to make, dur- ing the season, daily trips (Sundays excepted), as follows : Leave her dock at Sheldon’s House at 6:45 touching at Trout Pavilion and Kattskill House, arrive at Caldwell at 8 o’clock, where she can be chartered if desired, returning at night to the dock, touching points as above. This is a long needed arrangement, and will be thoroughly appreciated by the guests on the east side of the lake. The Owl and Julia can be very readily distinguished from the row-boats by their smoke-stacks and the noise they make. DRIVES. Glens Falls. We take it for granted that the tourist has already visited Glens Falls, with its shaded streets, elegant stores and teeming mills, which cannot take away all the poetry of the waters that foam and rumble and roar down over the rocks, dashing up into the very mouth of the cave with its oft repeated story of Cora and the Mohican. The village is growing rapidly, one improvement following another in quick succession, the old fogies fortunately dropping out by the road-side occasion- ally, and men with life and energy taking their places. Of late it is attracting considerable attention as a summer resort, and why not? No place of its size has shadier streets, lovelier drives, a more interesting history, is more accessible or blessed with a better air, society or accommodations for those who come. Among hotels the Rockwell House stands deserv- edly in the front rank, and under the efficient management of its present proprietors, the Rock- well Brothers, formerly of the Lake House, is win- ning golden opinions from the traveling public. A day, at least, should be given to Glens Falls. A very pleasant drive of an afternoon or evening is to the “ Half-way House,” four miles from Cald- well, on the route toward Glens Falls, passing over the old battle ground ; by Bloody Pond and Williams’ Monument, and through a lovely winding tree-bordered road on the way. Drives. 63 Luzerne is reached from Lake George by a lovely drive of twelve miles to the south-west, through a picturesque pass between Mount Pros- pect and the Luzerne range. It is a delightful excursion, parties usually giving the entire day to the road, with perhaps a boat-ride on the pretty little lake, a visit to Palmer’s and Luzerne Falls, and a dinner at Rockwell’s, which is noted for the excellent manner in which game and trout are served on such occasions. Chestertown, eighteen miles north of Lake George, is another fascinating drive over the plank. Passing through the notch to Warrensburgh, and through wood and valley up the wild slope of Spruce Mountain and to the little village, the long road forgotten in the ever-changing beauties of the way. Down’s Hotel at this place has long been noted as a resort for those who enjoy quiet fishing, hunt- ing, and withal, good fare. Bolton is reached either by a drive of ten miles along the west shore, or by boats leaving Caldwell thrice, daily. The road takes in some of the prin- cipal private residences at Lake George, including the pleasant villa of A. D. F. Randolph, the mag- nificent residence of Colonel W. W. Price, and that of George H. Cramer, the Coolidge House, Cheon- diroge-on-Lake George — former residence of the late Judge Edmonds — giving ever-varying views of the lovely scenery, and some of them the finest on the Lake. The road is sandy and rather heavy but none the less enjoyable if a little longer time can be devoted to it. E had put on airs at the Fort William Henry, admired the relics at the Lake House, grown poetical on Fort George, haunted the post-office, talked Choctaw with the noble red man (who always wanted to “ borrer ” some- thing), climbed to the Mountain- House, swilled mineral water with “ Uncle Joe,” and then longed for “green fields and pastures new,” so we packed our other clothes, and, taking the “ Lillie,” went on a voyage of discovery down the lake. TEA ISLAND. One mile from the head of the lake, close under the western shore, is a perfect little gem, called Tea Island, looking like the crater of some extinct volcano, with the rim broken away, so that the water flows through from the east, forming a beautiful harbor in minature. Tradition says that Abercrombie buried treasure here, and a goodly share of the surface has been Tea Island. 65 dug over at different times by the treasure seekers. On the north side stands the remains of a two-story summer-house — the lower part stone, the upper, wood. It is said that, in 1828, a “ Tea-house ” (whatever that may have been) was kept here to accommodate visitors, from which circumstance, it is mistily pre- sumed, came the name. It is also reported that, before the eastern rim caved in, the hole went clear through, and Hawley imported all of his immense stock of teas direct from China via Tea Island, hence the name. The statement, however, should be received with extreme caution, as the author has been unable to find mention made of it by either Baron Munchausen or the veracious Gulliver. Across the bay, west of Tea Island, among the pines that line the west side of the road, is the modest little cottage of the genial poet-publisher, A. D. F. Randolph, of New York. On the east side, nearly a mile north of Crosby- side, is quite a large building, with trees crowding against it on all sides, and from the tower often 66 Lake George. comes the sweet, rich tones of a bell, calling its occupants together in the little chapel, “ And there — at the Queen Virgin’s altar, The Sun weaves its mantle of gold, And the hands of the Twilight are weaving A fringe for the flash of each fold.” The property was formerly owned by the celebrated lawyer, Charles O’ Conor, and by him presented to the society, who have since built there, commonly known as the “ Paulists,” and composed entirely of priests, or those who are studying for the priest- hood, they, in common with other people, having a love for the beautiful, come here to enjoy it. Now, on the left, at the water’s edge, is a gaily painted pagoda-like summer-house; following up the graded lawn, to the west, near the summit of the hill, we see the elegant summer residence of Col. W. W. Price, one of the finest buildings of the kind in the country. lAMOND ISLAND received its name from the quartz crystals found upon its surface ; the supply, of late, how- ever, “ growing small by degrees, and beautifully less.” It was fortified and used as a military depot by Burgoyne, after his capture of Ticonderoga, in 1777, and the same year was the scene of an engagement between the forces then in possession — the English, and a party of Americans, under Col. John Brown, re- sulting in the defeat of the latter party. In 1820 it was occupied by a family who gained a living by the sale of crystals found there ; east of Long Island. 67 it are two nameless little piles of rock, which go to make up the 365 islands of the lake. At the west, on the side hill, are the lovely grounds and tasteful villa of G. H. Cramer, of Troy ; a little way further north is “ The Healing Spring,” then Diamond Point, and west of it, Sampson’s bay, so-called after Sampson Paul, an Indian, who flourished about a half century ago, and once, with an ordinary fishing-spear, killed a panther, as he, benumbed with cold, was coming from the water. f HE COOLIDGE HOUSE is a quiet retreat, with good lake and brook fish- y near by. On the grounds is a spring, id to possess rare medicinal properties; d, through a break in the mountains, the west wind, which is so common at Lake George, comes, refreshingly cool and delicious. W e touch at the dock, then, taking the back track, cross the lake, in a southeasterly direction, leaving the three sisters on the left, and, when near the east shore, turn north, and make for the opening be- tween Long Island and the main land. At the south is Dunham s Bay. The land lying nearest to Long Island is West Point, a favorite camping-place, as is also the little island, apparently, at one time, connected with its larger neighbor, but now separated by the action of the water, which has washed a shallow channel between the two. Long Island is the largest in the lake — about one mile in length — having a neat farm near the center, and a steamboat dock on the east side ; the 68 Lake George. broad sheet of water extending toward the south is known as Harris Bay ; then, in succession, comes Slim Pointy Middle Bay and Sheldon s Point — another camping place of note. Here, at Sheldon’s Point, annually come a party of graduates of the college of the city of New York, who are members of the Manhattan chapter of “ Alpha, Delta, Phi,” rising lights in the literary and professional world, who, naturally enough, sandwich their epicurean entertainments with “feasts of reason,” and flavor their fish with a “flow of soul.” The society is very ancient, having its origin away back in the dark ages, before the English language was spoken, as will be readily understood from the name, which is the very beginning of ancient Greek. As an indication, however, that they are about to throw aside all relics of barbar- ism and emerge from the gloom of the past into the effulgent light of the later days is the name given to their camp — “ Camp Manhattan.’ ’ Manhattan being an Indian word, signifying “ a place where men get drunk.” It is hoped, however, that their convictions of the eternal fitness of things will not Kattskill Bay. 69 lead to a literal demonstration of the appropriate- ness of the name. In the bay, on the east side of the Point, is the East Lake George House, kept by J. Griffin ; it is a very pleasant, home-like place, with accommoda- tions for about twenty guests. The smaller steam- ers touch at the dock when required to do so. Under the mountain, on the east shore, is Trout Pavilion, noted especially for the fine natural attractions of the place and for Fourth of July dances. KATTSKILL HOUSE. FEW rods north of the last-named place is the “ Kattskill House,” kept by R. S. Self- ridge. It is new ; two to three stories high ; ninety -five feet long ; sleeping rooms large — each one having two windows, and well furnished throughout. All steamboats touch at the dock. Near by is a very fine bathing beach. The mountains back of the house furnish the usual amount of game, while the fishing in the bay is good and it is said that experts have excellent luck in the trout brook near by. From this point the steamers run in nearly a straight line for Bolton, bending a little from their course to clear the point of Little Green Island on the east. When in the broad lake once more we see, on the east. Buck Mountain rising about two thousand feet above the lake, with here and there a tree clinging to its rocky sides. Just south of it is Pilot Moun- tain, the two together known as the “ Deer Pas- ture.” Looking through the narrows from this 70 Lake George. part of the lake you can sometimes see the giant form of Mount Mansfield, resting like a faint blue cloud away off in the north. On our right, a little south of the summit of Buck Mountain, is Phelps' Point. Here a party have built a neat cottage, which they occupy with “ their wives and relations ” for two or three weeks each year, renting it to other parties at other times, “ furnished,” which is allowed to be better than camping out, especially if it should happen to rain all the time. OME ISLAND claims our attention as being the high- est in the lake. Seen from the north and south, it has the appearance of a huge dome, somewhat flattened, but having enough of the ap- pearance to justify the name. It is about nine miles, from Caldwell in a straight line. Following along on the western shore we see a group of three islands, known as “ The Brothers then farther north, and separated from the main land by a narrow strip of water, is Clay Island, owned by Rev. G. W. Clow, of Hudson, who, during his summer vacation, may often be seen swinging the axe or piling brush as energetically as the most enthusiastic votary of muscular Christian- ity could desire. RECLUSE ISLAND. Recluse Island probably attracts more attention than any other island in the lake. It is just west of the regular channel, between Dome and Clay islands. From its south end a long breakwater extends toward Clay Island. Behind it dance gaily painted boats, and a graceful bridge is thrown across to “ Sloop Island ” on the east. The encircling belt of whitened stones, the many- gabled cottage, with its out-buildings, rustic vases and arbors, cozy seats, swinging hammocks, and pleasant flower-skirted walks winding about among the trees, with many gay banners floating over it, makes the little island-home beautiful as a dream of fairy land. This is the island memorable as the subject of the earthquake hoax of 1868. Late one night a 72 Lake George. telegram was received from Glen’s Falls by the Associated Press, stating that a violent shaking of the earth had been felt at Lake George, and Re- cluse island had sunk to a distance of eighty-five feet. It took, and was so reported all over the country, receiving credence generally from the fact that, at that time, earthquakes were very popular, and no well-regulated community could hope to be considered respectable without at least one. But who is the proprietor of this much-talked-of little island ? Rufus Wattles, of New York, whom you will probably see stretched on the cushions of his yacht “ Le Solitaire," as it dances away over the water, or resting lazily in the shadow of some island, for he is an inveterate sailor, and never pulls when the wind will do it for him. For the especial bene- fit of the ladies, who are such jewels for keeping a secret, I will whisper one: Mr. Wattles is of that class known as “ wealthy bachelors,” who continu- ally hover around the delicious borders of matri- mony, often nibbling but never actually biting, and tantalizing would-be mothers-in-law by an unwar- rantable delay in being caught. BOLTON, Which ranks second in size and number of guests entertained, to some possesses attractions that place it first at Lake George ; for, while it is near good fishing ground, and within easy rowing distance of the narrows, it is still connected with the outer world by the steamers that touch daily, and a good coun- try road, forming a beautiful drive along shore to Caldwell. It is rather quiet, and patronized by a good class of guests, many of whom are booked for the season — but few for less than a fortnight ; while that glum, irresponsible species, known as “tran- sient,” is seldom caught in the neighborhood, its visitors apparently coming to enjoy the pure fresh air, and the free and easy sort of way that seems to go with the place ; and it is generally looked upon as the golden mean between two extremes — a sort of connecting link (according to the Darwinian theory) between the hunters in the narrows and the dan dies at the Fort William Henry. 6 74 Lake George. Strangers are sometimes at a loss to locate Bolton ^properly. To the guests it means the hotels. A little further south the “ Huddle,” where the post-office is situated, is Bolton. It is also gathering around the churches, and the shoemaker, pegging indus- triously away in the north part of the town, fondly imagines that that will be the spot where, at some future day, will gather the elite of this highly dif- fused village. Nearly midway between the hotels the road runs up the mountain, which, if followed, will give the climber some very fine views of the lake and sur- rounding country. From the pinnacle (the highest point seen from the hotels, and which is easy of access), nearly all the lake to the south and the narrows, dotted with its hundred islands, can be seen ; then turning slowly around to the north we see the bold promontory of Tongue Moun- tain, dividing the lake into-^tw’o parts, its broken, rocky sides reflected in Northwest bay ; while over against it on the west the cultivated fields slope gradually down to the water’s edge. The drive along the shore southward is delight- ful ; that to the north wild, and, at places, grand ; leading, as it does, around the head of Northwest Bay and over the mountain toward Hague. A good single “ rig ” can be obtained from “ Lon,” for a morning or afternoon drive, for about two dollars ; a double for four to six. Those desiring to fish will have no difficulty in finding men to accompany them, who furnish boat, and every thing needed for the sport, at three dollars per day. Is not, as its name would seem to imply, kept exclusively for the ac- commodation of that noble tribe of warriors. At present there are not enough of these eminently distinguished individuals traveling to insure success to an hostlery devoted exclusively to them. Neither is the proprietor a “ big Ingin ” of the tribe ; does not resemble them in the least in person or act ; was never known, in his most play- ful mood, to tomahawk a guest, or even wield the sportive scalping-knife, with intent to lift “har.” Tempting, as the ladies’ heads of the present day must make it, to a person given to that little recrea- The Mohican House 76 Lake George. tion, the only chance to prove damages is on the ground of deliberately conspiring with his cook to lead you into temptation, at his bountifully supplied and well-served table. The name was given the house, a long time ago, by an admirer of Cooper, and on the flag-staff that used to stand out toward the dock was erected a wicked-looking wooden warrior, wonderfully made, who, with tomahawk in hand, perpetually on the war-path, stood, through summer’s sun and win- ter’s storm, keeping grim and ceaseless vigils over the surrounding country. Time passed : the stately form was at last gathered to his fathers, and the last solemn rites paid to his memory, but his fame is perpetuated in the house that bears the honored name, and unprincipled agents still sell his biogra- phy, solemnly affirming that each one sold is actu- ally the last — of the Mohicans. The house is a long, low structure, two stories high, fronted by a piazza, and backed by a man who has spent the best part of his life catering to the public, H. H. Wilson, whose father, before him, kept the “Mohican” for many years. A part of the frame of the present hotel was erected away back before the beginning of the present century, and is said to be the oldest one standing in the country. It is also said that on the point where the dock now stands was once a building, destroyed about the year 1800, which had been used by a band of smugglers as a point of distribu- tion for contraband goods brought through from Canada. The lawn is shaded by maples and locusts, the long point protected by a new and expensive The Bolton House. 77 sea-wall, extending quite a distance out into the lake, and terminating in a substantial dock, where the guests repair at rosy morn and dewy eve to witness the arrival of the steamboat, which is con- sidered the great event of the day. A number of wealthy German families live here during the summer, and their refinement is dis- played in their happy, social ways, and love for their flower-draped homes. One of them, just south of “ the Mohican,” nearly hidden among the trees and bushes, is occupied by F. Thieriot; on the point south of this is another cottage, equally pretty. The large, comfortable looking house on the bay beyond is the residence of Mr. R. Kanz, an ex- banker, of New York, who cultivates his farm on scientific principles, to the no small benefit of the people round about, and makes it (considered from all but a financial point of view, which doesn’t seem to have much weight in the matter), a decided success. The Bolton House is new, three stories and a watch-tower high, with a verandah on two sides ; the rooms are large, airy, and nicely furnished. It is pleasantly located, a little north of the Mohican House, in an orchard, which, judging from the quality of the fruit found at present, would never have tempted our first parents to sin, had they been placed there instead of in the garden of Eden. Running along the north side of the grounds is a magnificent ledge of rocks, commanding a fine view of Northwest Bay, and “ so nice ” for young lovers to wander over. Just beyond is a fine beach for bathing purposes, with a bathing-house for the con- 78 Lake George. venience of guests ; west of the hotel is the church of St. Sacrament. The Wells House, kept happy Lon Dear- styne, is situated just south of the church of St. Sac- rament, on the road that goes up the mountain. It has comfortable accommodations for 30 guests, the rooms large and airy ; some of those situated in the new part being very desirable indeed. A little more than a mile north of the landing, opposite the point of the tongue, is the farm-house of Stephen Braley, which is spoken very highly of by those who have stopped there. The situation is pleasant, commanding an extended view of the lake toward the south, while that of the narrows, and mountain scenery, is grand. Beside the houses already mentioned there are others who take in strangers occasionally. / HURCH OF ST. SACRAMENT This church stands to-day a monu- ment to one who is still building, and shows what one earnest, Chris- tian woman can do. This is its history : In i86i, a young daughter of Mr. Thieriot formed the idea of erecting a church at Bolton, and to that end started a subscription paper. A Sabbath-school was organized in a barn near by, and the next summer continued under a rude shed, erected at the edge of the woods, a little south of Mr. Kanz’s house. The shed was open on three sides, rough boards for seats, and the font, — a calabash ; still the beautiful rites of the church were here observed, and a number confirmed within its shadow. In 1867 enough money had been raised to begin the building ; the ground was presented by some of the citizens of the town. The bell donated by a friend, who, in his generosity, gave too much bell for the church, and a separate tower had to be built to accommodate it. At last, in September, 1869, the church, costing about seven thousand dollars, was duly consecrated, and made over to the north- ern diocese of New York, entirely paid for, and that chiefly through the exertions of one weak woman — “ Miss Hennie,” as the villagers call her, and surely her faith, like the church which she has built, is “ founded on a rock.” tkm.” So Lake George. FROM SHORE TO SHORE. EAVING Bolton, the steamer runs in a north-easterly direction across the lake to Fourteen Mile Island, a distance of three miles, passing in its course close by the south end of Green Island, the second in size, which is about half a mile long, and separated from the main land by a shallow strip of water, which can be easily bridged. Next on the left is Crown Island, known in the past by the classical name of “ Hog.” North of this, stretching inland nearly six miles, is North- west Bay. SHELVING ROCK. There is something peculiarly grotesque about the appearance of Shelving Rock, viewed from the south, looking, as it does, like the head of an immense duck, stretched out on the water from its great mountain back on the east. There is the long, sinuous neck, the round head, the long, flat bill, extending toward the west, and the white speck on the end of the bill is the hotel on Fourteen Mile Island. presumed that the distance from the head of the lake was guessed at in old times, and called fourteen miles. It is, however, but twelve. It contains about a dozen acres of land and rock, covered with a scanty growth of Norway pine, oak and chestnut; the rocky surface is glorified with beautiful lichens, mosses and wavy ferns. On the east a deep and narrow channel, through which the steamers can easily pass, separates it from the main land. On the west side is the hotel, built originally as a hunting lodge, and added to as the demand called for more room. It will now accom- 82 Lake George. modate about forty guests ; is the lowest point at which the excursion boats stop, and noted especially for the immaculate neatness of its table. The island is a favorite resort for sportsmen, on account of its nearness to that mythical spot at Lake George, known as the best fishing ground ; for, to tell the truth, fishing “ ain’t what it used to was.” Experts, however, are very successful here, and make it a point of departure for the woods and water, managing to work up an appetite to do full justice to “Miss Jane’s” excellent substantial and irreproachable pastries. Lying out, as it does, between the point of the Tongue and Shelving Rock, with the broad lake spreading out on the south, and the Narrows, gemmed with its many islands, on the north — its open position, where the course of the sun can be observed from its rising above the frowning “ rock ” until its setting behind the pinnacle across the lake, together with the great variety of foliage, its ferns and moss covered rocks, renders the island pecul- iarly attractive to the artist. It is owned by E. C. Smith, of Albany, and, as a general thing, is not much given to the pomps and vanities of dress. Still, it crops out occasionally, and especially when the Waltonians come in their natty uniforms, to set every body crazy with admi- ration ; but even at other times young ladies need not be deterred from stopping for fear they will not receive proper attention, for the Chesterfieldian owner spends his summers here, and his ear is always open to the cry of beauty in distress, his boat and willing arm ready for a voyage of discov- Fourteen Mile Island. 83 ery among the islands ; or, if a mountain is to be climbed, his knowledge of the surrounding country, and services as a guide, are freely placed at their disposal. His zeal in this respect, coupled with his chivalric nature, has brought him to grief on more than one occasion, and compelled him to pass the night among the mountains, with a few boughs for his bed, and the sky above for a covering. He is said to be very fond of cold tongue ^ and “ thereby hangs a tale,” which you must get him to relate if you would hear. Just in shore, from the south end of Fourteen Mile Island, is the Flen and Chickens, not a cluck- ing, scratching, fussy, actual old hen, with her bug- pursuing brood, but a pretty little group of islands. Something over a mile further south are three or four great knob-like, rocky, moss-covered islands, rising above the surface ; the largest called Huckle- berry Island. South of Huckleberry, close under the mountain, is Refuge Island, so-called by Mr. Smith, who, with his sister Julia, and two friends, were here driven ashore, in a fearful storm, in the sum- mer of 1870. Turning their boat bottom upward, they made themselves as comfortable as possible for the night, while friends at Fourteen Mile Island vainly searched and swung signals, in hope that they might be guided home by them ; but morning came at last, bringing with it the hungry, be- draggled, starchless quartette, to the no small joy of some and disgust of others, who thought that, in surviving the storm, the aforesaid party had defeated the designs of providence, and lost their onl}'- chance of rendering their names immortal. 84 Lake George. Following the rocky shore south of Fourteen Mile Island you find many pretty bays and headlands. Further along, a little brook makes out over a beach, and entering the sandy gate you are within one of the most charming of thicket-guarded SHELVING ROCK FALLS. bays on the lake. Alighting where a noisy brook tumbles in, at its head, and following up a little way, you will be rewarded by the sight of a perfect little gem, called Shelving Rock Falls. Above this, it is very difficult following the bed of the stream, but by making a detour to the right you will soon reach the house and saw-mill, seen upon the east side, looking “ so lonesome,” from the deck of the passing steamer. THE WANDERER. Jack had been staying at Fourteen Mile Island for some time; had explored the rock-hemmed shores ; climbed the mountains near by ; fished and flirted with “ Uncle Mose ” and the young ladies ; and one morning, after assisting in the customary duty of seeing the steamer away on her trip down the lake, stood gazing at a well-known sail, evi- dently making for the island, when he was cap- tured and conducted mysteriously behind a neigh- boring tree by Mr. Smith, who, apparently, had some weighty communication to make. “ See that boat coming out there ?” he inquired, evidently excited. “ I’m looking at it,” said Jack. “ Elegant thing, isn’t it ? Looks like a snow plow with a dry-goods box on the hind end.” “ Exactly ; couldn’t describe it better myself. Sails like a stone-boat ; chucks on the waves like an old pile-driver, and will go every way but ' straight ahead. Know that long fellow lying around loose on the ‘box,’ trying to steer?’ 86 Lake George. “Well,” said Jack, “ Fm inclined to think it’s Victor Hugo’s devil fish, judging by the way he spreads out all over the top.” “ Pretty good — original idea ! W ell, that’s Stoddard, the photographer,* and that’s his boat, the ‘Wanderer.’ He wanders around all over the lake, taking views and money. Notice that picture on his sail, looking more like cancer in the old-fashioned almanacs than any thing else that I can think of? Well, he calls that his ‘ coat of arms ’ — legs would be more appropriate — and it is supposed to be himself astride of a camera (his hobby) in pursuit of wealth, there represented by a fat-looking money bag with wings, to show the nature of the game which he hopes to bring down by aid of his lance, that being, as he also claims to be an artist, a mahl stick. Now, heraldry is all right when it’s plain enough to be under- stood ; but everybody who sees that says ‘ Shoo fly !’ thinking his little bit of sentiment intended for a joke — a good joke on him, I think. Well, there he comes, apparatus, pictures and all, to lead us into temptation ; and I think it my duty to warn every- body of one thing — he’s an extortionist!” “ Horrible !” “ Fact ; and I think he ought to be suppressed. He came here once to take a couple of photo- graphs for me ; helped him myself nearly half the * If this should chance to meet the eye of the gentleman alluded to, I beg that he will pardon the language which my duty as a faithful historian compels me to use, and take it in good part, as it is hoped other passages will be received touching other gentlemen, who, by their individuality or position in society, have been brought prominently before the public. Certainly, if he does not take exceptions to language used others cannot. The Wanderer. S7 day ; got a splendid large one of the hotel and another of the summer house out on the east side of the island ; didn’t cost him any thing for his dinner — and what do you suppose he charged me for the two pictures ?” “ Two dollars.” “ Ten." ^^No!" “ Fact.” Outrageous ! ” ‘‘ So I think.” “ It’s abominable.” ‘‘ Never saw the like of it before in all my life.” “ Bergh ought to be informed of it.” ‘‘That’s so; good joke; but you don’t have any idea of the cheek the fellow puts on. I’d have set my Guy on him at the time only I was afraid it would poison the Dog if he’d bit him. Since that time I have every thing understood when I 'do business with him, and we get along pretty well, for I’m always willing to be friendly if a fellow acts half-way decent.” “ Where’s he from? ” “ Glens Falls, a pretty little village, but getting to be rather a tough place now ; that’s where these Waltonians come from.” “ Waltonians ? ” “ Yes ; a party who camp on Phelps’s Island, dress in uniform, and put on more airs than I can, and that is admitting a good deal. Still there are some pretty nice fellows among them if they do impose on the owners of Islands occasionally. Now I own this Island, and have a general supervision over 88 Lake George. two or three others. In 1856 my Father bought them of the State, six in all, for less than $400. Fourteen Mile Island, Dome, Clay, Crown (these people about here used to call it Hog, which I con- sider an imposition on good taste. Now I never could see any sense in it ; can’t imagine what they wanted to do it for, really, but have set it down to their ignorance and lack of refinement), Turtle over there by Tongue Mountain, and Flora, just west of us, named after a little niece of mine, who owns it. This cost $115 ; Dome, $100; Clay, $65 (since sold for $3,500), and they are increasing in value very fast. Now, as I said before, I own this, and am going to build a very fine house here soon, lay out walks, and beautify the Island generally, but I want the others to retain their natural wildness. I have no particular objections to parties occupying them if they don’t abuse the confidence reposed in them, but some cut down the trees and have no respect at all for private property, all of which goes to prove what I have always said, that while there may be honorable exceptions to the rule, these campers are a low set generally.” Poor Tray was killed for being found in the com- pany of bad dogs, and Mr. Smith is excusable for being severe, as he is a sufferer from the depreda- tions of the class spoken of, who often consider themselves outside the pale of civilization, and to sustain their reputation as jolly, lawless campists, act in a way that would astonish themselves if their sober, steady half, which their friends know at home, should come suddenly upon their sporting half around the camp fires at Lake George. THE WALTONIANS. HE Waltonians had come in all the glory of their new uniforms, and ordi- nary mortals were at a discount among the feminine portion of the guests at Fourteen Mile Island. Young men wandered disconsolately about, and cast ominous glances toward the camp on Phelps’s Island, that boded little good to the new comers. Even the velvet coat and embroid- ered slippers — hitherto considered such indis- pensable auxiliaries to the proper passing of the day — were entirely overlooked for the more recent importation of gray frocks and white mili- tary caps. Indignation meetings were held ; new and attractive costumes were introduced, and the question of spring guns and bear traps was mooted, but to no avail; the Waltonians had the inside track, and kept it. They fared sumptuously, and extended the hospitalities of their canvass establish- ment with a royal generosity ; gave magnificent dinners, gotten up regardless, under the supervision of their chef-de-cuisine and corps of assistants, and partaken of by the elite of the land, who were in a flutter of excitement until the emblazoned bit of pasteboard was received that entitled them to a place at the groaning board within the elegant dining pavilion. They were happy in the possession of a tonsorial artist, and rejoiced with exceeding great joy in the barbaric splendor of his adjustable chhir ; their culinary department was all that 90 Lake George. could be desired ; the store-room bursting with good things ; their sleeping tents luxurious in the extreme, while the “Half-way House” was abso- lutely indescribable. Words fail to picture its attractive glories. Conceived in the breast of genius, it was in the fullness of time brought forth a thing of beauty, brush and bunting, within whose mysterious precincts were concocted won- drous combinations of lake water, and other ingredients, which was the result of inspiration and long years of self-sacrificing study, and which flashed out before the awe-struck world in the triumphant culmination of a geometrically con- structed, mathematically demonstrated, well-pro- portioned Waltonian drink. Then in the evening receptions were held by the young ladies in the parlor of the hotel, with Mr. Smith at the piano ; and while intoxicating music rose and fell on the perfumed air, and the reeling senses floated in breathless ecstacy, as heart beat- ing against heart, added fire to love’s young flame — the old codgers, who had come for a quiet time, stumped grimly around the island, swearing men- tally or orally, according to the bigotry or liberal- ism of the church to which they belonged, until their venerable noses grew red with wiping, and their hoary locks were damp with the dews of mid- night. One Sunday night, owing to the straight-laced Puritanism of some of the fathers, the young ladies did not give a reception ; the masculine portion of the guests did, however. It was an impromptu affair, gotten up without regard to time or cost. A Surprise Party. 91 and, as such, a decided success, for, in the dead of night, a party, disguised as Walton ians, appeared on the scene, and summoned Bradley to come forth and nnnister to their wants. In mortal fear and a part of his clothes, this noted man repaired to the bar-room, where soon was heard the clashing of tumblers and the deadly sound of the old tin shakers, mingled with the musi- cal notes of the Waltonian warblers, while one after another, the sleepy guests were marshaled from their downy beds, and duly initiated into the mysteries of Waltonianism, after which the ladies were treated to that beautiful serenade, ‘‘the Wal- tonian camping song ” (which the party had in some unaccountable manner become possessed of), each voice taking a separate part, and rendering it with a vigor and finish that was wonderfully effective, when the fact is taken into consideration that th6y were all what might be termed independ- ent singers. Then they floated away into the shadow of the Tongue. The mystical silence of the unknown fell across the waters, and only the twinkling stars know of their journeying, for they were never heard of more ; and unto this day the Waltonians, with bated breath, tell of the phantom party who on this particular occasion assumed the human form and in their uniforms and their boats misled the good people at the hotel into the belief that it actually was them. 92 Lake George. :LACK mountain is the highest mountain at Lake George, the sum- mit being something over twenty- three hundred feet above the water. Still, the ascent is often made, even by ladies, and the view had from the top well repays one for the exertion of getting there, although at times it taxes the endurance of the most hardy. The point of departure from the south is at “ ‘ Popple’ Point,” about four miles north of Four- teen Mile Island. Leaving the boat at the clearing on the east shore, a little south of the summit, we follow in a north-easterly direction up a road used in the win- ter by the Black Mountain lumbermen. About three miles up we come to a little pond covered with lily-pads. Here, turning toward the north and west, we take to the brush, following up over fallen logs, climbing steep walls by aid of clinging vines, or following up the dry beds of what in the rainy season are the beds of mountain torrents. As we mount upward we leave the heavy timber, and at the top find simply bushes clinging to the rocks. From the summit nearly the entire lake may be seen. To the north is Lake Champlain ; at the east lie the Green Mountains ; on the west and north the Adirondacks rise one above another, growing dim with distance, while away toward the south, like a thread of silver, stretches the mighty Hudson. From two to three hours is usually occupied in making the ascent ; to return, it takes but one. black: mountain. On a point that juts out from the shore, on the east side, at the foot of Shelving Rock, one-half mile from 14 mile island, is the site for a future hotel, to be known as “ Shelving Rock House.” The location is capital for a summer house, affording a protected harbor for small boats, a good dock easy of approach for the large, and will undoubtedly become a popular resort of the hunter and fisher- man, by reason of the facilities it offers for sport ; of the artist for its lovely island and rock views, and the lover of good fare in knowledge of the fact that it is to be conducted by R. G. Bradly & Co., present proprietors of the Fourteen Mile Island House, where “Miss Jane” has astonished her company in times past with her excellent cooking. The house is to stand on the rising ground, com- manding a view of the lake and Dome Island at the south-west, and toward the north, over the islands of the Narrows, the lake with Sabbath Day Point and Bluff Head. It is expected that it will be com- pleted in 1875, with accommodations for 60 guests. 94 Lake George. THROUGH THE NARROWS. Leaving Fourteen Mile Island on the morning boat, we head for the west channel, which runs close under Tongue Mountain. A mile north the way seems blocked by a belt of land extending across the lake, but as we approach it separates into groups of islands, and the “ Minnie,” obedient to the slight- est touch of her pilot, with many a graceful curve, threads the labyrinth, and the emerald gates shut us in. We are now passing through the wildest portion of the lake ; close at our left rise up • the broken walls of “the Tongue.” Black Mountain, on the right, over the islands, stretches away to the north, seeming to recede as we approach, and travel with us, its granite crest lifted over two thousand feet above the lake ; its rocky sides seamed and scarred and reddened by fires that have swept over it in times past. A sentinel, it seems, overlooking the whole lake and mountains round about; the first to welcome the rising sun, and, at evening, glowing in the splendor of the dying day, while the valleys below are already misty with the shadows of coming night. The last of the group on our right, as we pass north through the narrows, is As You Were Island^' which received its odd name from the fol- lowing circumstance : An old hunter discovering a deer on it one day, fired at him, missed his mark, and, in his excitement, sang out, the semi-military command : “ As you were ! ” The startled crea- ture, hearing the unusual sound, stood trembling, Through the Narrows. 95 not knowing which way to fly, until the hunter had time to reload, and take aim again, this time bring- ing down his game. Close at our left is a rocky headland, known as French Point. For miles along our silvery pathway we see nothing but an unbroken forest, and wild and rugged mountains, unless it may be a solitary fisherman, or the white tent of some party “ rough- ing it.” Among the cliffs of Tongue Mountain eagles build their nests and rear their young year after year, and are often seen perched on some dead pine or floating, in breathless circles, high up over the water. “ Breathes there a man with soul so dead ?” There does, several ; and the proud bird of America is often shot by them, be it known to their everlast- ing shame. Half Way Isle is near the center of a circle, the circumference of which is the rim of a mountain that rises, amphitheater-like, around its western side, and, as its name indicates, marks the center of the lake. Close under the north end of Black Moun- tain lies a group called the “ Floating Battery Islands.” The Harbor Islands Are near the center of the lake, the steamers passing by their west border. The group is the first of any considerable size north of the Narrows, and^was the scene of one of the bloodiest engage- ments in the history of the lake. On the evening of the 25th of July, 1757, a party of between three and four hundred English, under Col. John Parker, left Fort William Henry, and proceeded down the g6 Lake George. lake on a scout. When near this place, at dawn ol the next morning, dark objects shot out from among the islands, and the surrounding gloom, to meet them, while the horrid war-whoop sounded on all sides. As the yelling horde advanced the English became panic-stricken, even throwing away their arms to lighten their load. They sought safety in flight, but their clumsy barges were no match for the light canoes of the enemy, who pursued and slaughtered them without mercy. Some threw themselves into the lake and succeeded in reaching the shore, there to be pursued and struck down by the savages, who were perfectly at home in the forests. One hundred and thirty-one of the English were killed outright ; twelve escaped, and the rest were taken prisoners. Of the latter a few were broiled and eaten by the gentle savage, the rest rudely snatched away by Montcalm and sent to Montreal. Concerning the Indians’ great love for their fellow- men, Father Roubaud writes : “The first object which presented itself to my eyes on arriving there was a large fire, while the wooden spits fixed in the earth gave signs of a feast — indeed, there was one taking place. But oh, heaven, what a feast ! The remains of the body of an Englishman was there, the skin stripped off and more than one-half of the flesh gone. A moment after I perceived these inhuman beings eat, with famishing avidity, of this human flesh ; I saw them taking up this detestable broth in large spoons, and, apparently, without being able to satisfy themselves with it; they informed me that they had prepared themselves for this feast The Harbor Islands. 97 by drinking from skulls filled with human blood, while their smeared faces and stained lips gave evidence of the truth of the story.” The good father attempted to reason with them, but to no avail. One said to him : “ You have French taste ; I have Indian ; this food is good for mef offering, at the time, a piece of the broiled Englishman, which delicate little compliment was not received in a very grateful spirit by the fastidious Frenchman. Six days after, when Montcalm and. his army passed by, to attack Fort William Henry, they saw the boats and mutilated bodies of many of the English floating on the water and strewn along the shore. 98 Lake George. “Captain Sam.” Vicar’s Island is just north of the Harbor Islands, Here, on its northern border, an affecting incident transpired once, of which Captain Sam Patchen, who lived at Sabbath Day Point at the time, was the hero. One winter’s day he conceived the idea of sailing his grist to Bolton mill on the ice. So, piling the bags of grain into the old cutter, with a pitchfork, held firmly in his hands, for a rudder, he hoisted sail and sped away before a strong north wind. The ice was “ glare,” and the cutter sailed well — remarkably well ; but there was not so much cer- tainty about the satisfactory behavior of the steer- ing 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 transporta- tion of that in the bags. The craft insisted on Captain Sam. 99 heading directly for the island, and could not be diverted from its course — it was of the kind called “jumper” — a mettlesome old jumper at that, and the captain had a great deal of confidence in its ability to do whatever 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 hesitated — a part of it. Sam was anxious to get along, and continued on ; then he got discour- aged, and paused — in a snow-drift. Captain Sam was always dignified, and on this occasion it is said his manner of resting on that snow-drift was remarkably impressive. Even the snow felt moved, and the island itself was touched. He felt persuaded that he had made a mistake in leaving his cutter, and attempting the underground route for Bolton, so he came out and set his radi- ant face homeward — not a Sam of joy or a Sam of thanksgiving exactly, but a Sam abounding in such language as would set a mule driver up in business, or even do credit to the boss canvasman of any circus traveling. TOO Lake George Deer’s Leap Mountain is on the west, a little in advance ; the top is rounded ; the side facing the lake a perpendicular wall of rock, which gives back a magnificent echo when called upon so to do. At its foot are great frag- ments of rock that have fallen from time to time, and said to be a favorite resort of the rattlesnake. Once on a time a buck, pursued by hunters, was driven to the brow of the precipice, with a yelling pack of hounds close at his heels. “ Not the least obeisance made he ; Not a minute stopped or stayed he- but leaping fearlessly, far out over the giddy height, was impaled on the sharp point of a tree below. THE DEER S LEAP. Now turn and look toward the sun. Black Mountain is again taking its position as the chief of the moun- tains, sloping from its clearly cut crest off toward the south and west. At its north end is The Ele- phant. See his well formed head toward the west. His eye, and that rift in the mountain side is the outline of his massive jaw. The wrinkled neck and great rounded back are there, with scattered bris- tles of dead pines clearly defined against the bright sky beyond. You must call on your imagination to supply the trunk, for he came before the lake was such a fashionable watering place as at present, and not feeling the need of a change of raiment left his trunk behind. Over beyond the spot, where all well-disposed elephants are wont to disport their fly-frightener, is Sugar Loaf Mountain. The name alone describes it. Its summit, from a little distance beyond Sab- THE ELEPHANT. 9 102 Lake George. bath Day Point, looks very like a pig lying down, his sharp snout pointing toward the east. These animals are a part of the lot created “ in the begin- ning,” and were probably overlooked by Noah; but, for all that, they are remarkably well preserved, and will undoubtedly stand for some time yet. At the foot of The Elephant we see cleared fields once more, and in the southernmost one is a white farm house, where Hiram V owers lives, and where, during the summer, enthusiastic sportsmen find a home free from the annoyance of the crowd and unfettered by the claims of fashionable society. Good fishing is found among the islands that line the shore. The slope commands a fine view of the lake each way, and from its exposed position is cool and airy. Hulett’s Landing is a little further north, and is the favorite point of departure for the summit of Black Mountain, something over four miles dis- tant. One of the oldest settlements on the lake, it still remains the wildest ; the view northward is fine ; that toward the Narrows grand in the ex- treme. A trout brook finds its way down the mountain side, forming in its descent a series of cascades. One is very beautiful, and often painted by artists, among them Durand, “ the father of landscape painting in America,” who, crowned with his silver hair, is still an enthusiastic student of Nature, and turns her pages with an eager hand. It is but five miles overland to Lake Champlain, striking it at a point about six miles north of White- hall. A lovely beach fronts the house ; water removed but a few degrees from the freezing point The “Bosom.’ 103 bubbles up at the door ; and, although in a retired situation, farmer Hulett usually accommodates a family of thirty, who come early and stay late. The house, is a “ base of supplies ” for parties camping out on the islands near by, and this retired little nook rejoices in the name of the “ Bosom,” whose sweet depths have from time immemorable been sought for milk and other luxuries not gener- ally found in camp. SABBATH DAY POINT FROM THE NORTH. SABBATH DAY POINT Has been the scene of many stirring incidents in the his- tory of Lake George. A sandy promontory, extend- ing from the west shore ; or, more properly, a projecting angle — for the lake, which, Sabbath Day Point. 105 from the Narrows, has a north-easterly direction, here turns once more toward the north. The point, originally, was toward the south, with quite a deep bay on the west side ; but the south winds have piled up a sandy barrier across to the west shore, and, relieved from the constant, surging of the water, the imprisoned bay has slowly filled with the rank vegetation of the marsh. It commands a fine view of the approach by water on either hand, and would naturally be selected for a camping place by parties who had reason to expect an enemy near. Here, in 1756, a body of provincials, under Putnam and Rogers, repulsed a superior force of French and Indians ; and, on the 5th of July, 1758, Abercrombie, with his splendidly equipped army of over fifteen thousand men, landed for rest and refreshment, remaining until near midnight ; then moved down the lake, leaving immense fires burning, to give the enemy the impression that they were still there. In September of the following year Gen. Amherst, with twelve thousand men, drew up his boats on the sandy beach west of the house, and passed the Sabbath with appropriate religious ceremonies. To this circumstance is usually ascribed the name, which is probably a mistake, for it had been called Sabbath Day Point for some years before. The origin of the name is unknown. Authorities differ, but it is generally conceded that an engagement did actually occur here in 1776 between fifty Americans and a force of tories and Indians, resulting in the defeat of the latter. In 1765, eleven years before the engagement spoken of, we find record of a house here, occu- io6 Lake George. pied by one Samuel Adams. In 1798, Capt. Sam Patchen (hero of the cutter ride to Vicar’s Island) built a log-house near the site of the present build- ing; since which the Point has never, to any ex- tent, been without its resident family. The present owner and occupant is also a Sam (Captain Sam Westurn), and it seems as though the race of Sam- uels was to be perpetuated at the Point (saying nothing of our universal uncle of that name), for the prospective heir to all the broad acres surrounding is also a Samuel — Sammy, Jr. There is something so hearty, and cheery, about the captain’s welcome that you feel rested and re- freshed at once. Then, when you go up to the house, and Mrs. Westurn dawns on you, like a good, motherly, substantial sort of a sunbeam, as she is, and bustles about in the preparation of good things wherewith to regale the hungry ones that gather around her spotless board, you feel that it is good to be there ; and, afterward, when “ Sammy ” and the great, rollicking dog, “ Major,” who seems to owe the steamer a grudge, and barks continually while it is near, has shown you the calves and the pigs, taken you across the beach, where Amherst landed, up the mountain road, past the lonesome, lovely old place, where stands the deserted house, to the rattle-snake farm ; lead you up the brook to the old mill, skirted the mountain side, down to the Indian kettles, and shown you every thing else of interest — then, after the lamps are lighted, and Sam, Sr., regales you with some of his yarns about the times when he was a seafaring man on the raging Champlain, and Mrs. Sam tells her story of The Indian Kettles. 107 ‘ Old Donica,” you are shown to your room, and vanish from sight in the snowy depths of one of her immaculate beds, while a lullaby comes up from the myriad voices of the swamp. Then you feel — well, it depends on whether you like feathers or not ; if you prefer to remain on the surface you can do so, but if you do not feel at home^ it will result from some cause outside of the treatment you re- ceive. * The Indian kettles^' a few rods north of the house, excite considerable wonder and discussion as to their origin. Some say that the Aborigines made them by building fires on the rock, then by throwing cold water on, crack the surface, which could be easily removed, and this repeated several times would give them the depth required. In these they pounded corn, and also cooked it in water brought to the boiling point by throwing in stones which were heated in a fire near by. They are found, close to the water edge, in the solid rock, varying in size from an ordinary pail to twice the size of a barrel. There is also one on an island in the Narrows, and several near Rogers’ Slide. The other theory of their origin is that they were worn out by stones kept turning about by the action of the water, long ago, before the clay on the shores had hardened into rock. What gives plausibility to the latter theory is the fact that, in the rocks at Glens Falls, and at other places, are similar holes, and no one presumes to ascribe their origin to any other cause. * Since writing the above Mr. Westurn has decided to receive no more boarders. The dock has been washed away, and the proprietor once more comes out in a small boat when signaled by the steamer. It is hoped, how- ever, that the house, enlarged to accommodate its many friends, will be opened in the course of another year. Leap on the south, the two together forming the “Twin Mountains.” Just north of the Point is the pleasant, home-like villa of J. F. Chamberlain, of New York, and across the lake, on Bluff Head, that of the Rev. A. D. Gillette, D. D. Four miles north of Sabbath Day Point is the Scotch Bonnet, a flat rock west of the channel, coming just a little above the surface of the water. It received its name from the resemblance which a cedar tree that once grew on its surface bore to a Scotch cap or “ bonnet.” Its place is now taken by a stone man, which is quite a work of art, and reflects credit on its unknown builder. The point beyond is a future hotel site, owned by George Pardo, of the “American,” at Glen’s Falls. HAGUE. Hague, situated on a broad, sweeping bay on the west side, is said to be at the widest part of the lake. The general character of its scenery is peaceful, lack- ing the grandeur of the Narrows, but the artist will find plenty of matter for study in the great variety of foliage, lichens and mosses, the many-colored rocks, the rugged islands and the graceful elms, whose slender branches droop and sway like the weeping willow, the like of which is seen nowhere else at the lake. Good bass fishing is found near by, and two fine trout brooks render the place attractive to those who throw the fly, while the shore, all the way I lO Lake George. back to Sabbath Day Point, is considered good deer ground. It is a point of departure for Lake Pharo, but seven miles distant. The “ Phoenix Hotel ” is three stories high, fronted by a two-story piazza; will accommodate about fifty comfortably, and is kept by J. W. Rising, who sets a remarkably good table at a very reason- able price. The situation is pleasant, and the pro- prietor is always anxious to please and promote the happiness of his guests. “ John Wheeler’s Trout house ” is a little further north on the shore of the lake — a quiet sort of a place, where everybody seems “ at home,” and is noted especially for the trout dinners which they get up there, parties coming even from the head of the lake to indulge in them at one dollar per head. The store kept by Lewis Burgess supplies the luxuries to a large circle of country round about. A cobbler’s shop comprise the remainder of the public buildings at Hague. At the beach, a little way north, lies the charred hulk of the John Jay, destroyed by fire in 1856. Anthony’s nose. From Hague the boat takes a northeasterly direc- tion, passing, in its course, a high, rocky island, for Rogers’ Slide. Ill some time used as a camping place by the “ Wal- tonians,” and still called by their name. It is one of the group known as Cook’s Islands. Just north of it is “Cook’s” or “Friend’s Point.” The east shore is “ Putnam,” from which extends, to- ward the west, the mountain called “ Anthony’s Nose.” From the bay, on the south, can be seen, on the wall of perpendicular rocks, a perfect face in profile, looking out toward the west, with smooth brow, Roman nose, firm lips, and bearded chin. The boat runs close to the point of the nose, so that a stone could be easily tossed from the deck against its iron-stained sides. Here the water is said to reach its greatest depth. Rogers’ Slide. Toward the west a rounded-topped mountain is seen, with a smooth wall of rock, descending, at a sharp angle, to the I 12 Lake George. water’s edge. It is said to have received its name from the following circumstance : In the winter of i 757~S, Robert Rogers, with a small party of Rangers, was sent to make observations at Ticon- deroga and Crown Point, where he fell in with a party of the enemy, and the skirmish which ensued resulted in the total defeat of the English. Rogers escaped, and, pursued by the savages, made for the summit of what was then called Bald Mountain, probably, with the object of putting in practice the ruse which his dare-devil nature had suggested. Arrived at the brow of the precipice, he threw his “luggage” down the steep walls, and, reversing himself on his snow-shoes, made his way down through a ravine, at the southwest, to the lake ; thence around to the foot of the slide. The savages, following to the edge of the mountain, where the track of the snow-shoes seemed lost in the path made by a falling body, expecting, of course, that whoever had attempted it could not have reached the bottom alive, must have been considerably sur- prised to see the brave major making off on the ice toward the head of the lake. It is probable that they took it for granted that he had actually gone down the steep wall ; this admitted, signs that at another time would have lead to the discovery of the ruse at once, were overlooked, and they, feeling that he must be under the protection of the “ Great Spirit,” with characteristic reverence for their Deity, desisted from further pursuit. Lake George Park is the name applied to a wooded point that juts out into the Lake just north of the Slide, where a dock, hotel and various other Prisoners’ Isle. 113 improvements are in process of construction and will soon invite tourists to stop. The views are fine, and one from the higher ground, toward the south, is superb. Howe’s Landing, which at present is no landing at all, but so called after the brave young general who lost his life at the time of Abercrombie’s disas- trous advance on Fort Ticonderoga, is on the point of the bay that here sets into the west shore and will be the southern terminus of the railroad now being built from the old fort on Lake Champlain to connect with Lake George steamers. Prisoners’ Isle, on the west side, near the outlet, received its name from a bit of history, to the effect that a body of Frenchmen taken by Abercrombie at the time of his advance on the works of Ticon- deroga, were here confined, and made their escape in the night by wading ashore. The island, prop- erly enough, receives marked attention on account of this very interesting and very probable story. It leads the contemplative mind to grope, in wonder- ing admiration, at the heroism necessary to induce men, at the risk of wetting their feet, to venture across that treacherous ledge to the west shore, while the surging water rolled fiercely upward to their very knees. It also suggests wonder that, if this eminently sagacious and far-seeing warrior, Abercrombie, trusted to the depth of ^ the water alone to keep a drove of Frenchmen, like a drove of sheep, he did not immediately, on discovering that they actually intended to fight, surrender him- self and army to them ; but, no ! by the most pro- found strategy he succeeded in making a brilliant Lake George. 1 14 retreat, and escaped, with the remnant of his army — consisting then of only about thirteen thousand men — from Montcalm’s overwhelming force of thirty-five hundred. Now we near the spot where once, when May flowers were blooming in the woods, came the martyr priest, the first white man known to have looked upon the silvery water, who named it Lac du St. Sacrament. A century passed, and in 1757 the brilliant French- man, Montcalm, went south to the conquest of Fort William Henry, and the year following came Aber- crombie to return the compliment, going back again while the flower of the English army lay on the bloody field in front of the old French lines. A little elevation at the right, which can hardly be dignified by the name of mountain, commands Ticonderoga, lying just over on the other side ; it received the name of “ Mount Defiance ” when Bur- goyne, from its summit, trained guns on the old fort, thereby compelling its evacuation by the Americans. Toward the north the lake rapidly narrows down to a mere creek, hastening forward to its fall ; and now, as the clay-stained water decreases in depth, the Minnie “ feels the bottom,” and, hugging down, slowly makes her way through the reeds, describing in her course the form of a reversed letter S, and followed by long outspreading waves that roll up muddily and crowd after, as if angry that we* were about to escape. Now comes a sharp stroke on the gong down in the engine room; another, followed by two quick At Rest. 115 ones, and the wheels stop, then turn slowly back- ward, and with the scuffling of many feet is heard the sound of complaining timber, as the boat grates against the dock, and the “ Minne-ha-ha ” rests at the foot of the Silvery Water. “ Ticonderoga ” is a continuation of LAKE George in narrative form; contains’ a history of the fort; glimpses of “ye olden time;” sundry pleasantries, including what transpired on the trip overland with The Great Stage Man, with a full page map of the ruins of to-day. “The old story is told in a semi-humorous way, and the reading relaxes the muscles and lubricates the joints of the mind, something like a chapter of Artemus Ward .” — {New York Daily Graphic. Price : paper, fifty cents ; cloth and gold, seventy- five cents. “ The Adirondacks Illustrated ” contains an account of the mountains, lakes and wilderness resorts, hotels, routes, guides, etc. Over 200 closely printed pages, size of “ Lake George.” Price : paper, 50 cts. ; cloth and gold, with large map, $1.25. CONIDEJNSED TIME T^BEE BETWEEN NEW YORK AND JRONTREAE, VIA XjA3s.e 0]3.^xxi.x>l^ixx a.zi.c3. Vermont, Capt. Wm. H. Flagg. Champlain, Capt. Geo. Rushlow. Adirondack, Capt. Wm. Anderson. A. Williams, Capt. B. J. Holt. Forming two lines daily each way (Sundays excepted), be- tween Whitehall and Rouse’s Point. The Steamers com- prising the line are entirely new, and are, as they always have been, models of neatness and comfort. Their general arrange- ments, decoration and finish are of the most artistic and luxurious character, and every attention is guaranteed the passenger. O-OIIsra- SOXTTil. a-OI2>rGr 3SrOE.TH:. STATIONS. Night Boat on Lake. Day Boat on Lake. STATIONS. Night Boat on Lake. Day Boat on Lake. Lv. Montreal “ Rouse’s Point “ Plattsburgh “ Port Kent “ Burlington “ Ticonderoga Ar. Caldwell 3.15 p m 5.55 “ 7.30 “ 8.40 “ 9.30 “ 3.30 a m 6. CO a m 8. 0 “ 8.00 “ 9.00 “ 10.45 “ 2.30 pm 7.00 •’ 4.45 “ 6.35 “ 8.15 “ 8.30 “ 7 Rt; “ eiooam 6.00 “ Lv. N.Y. via H.R.R.R. “ “ “ Steamboat “ Albany “ Troy “ Schenectady “ Saratoga “ Whitehall 10.45 a m "f. M p m 4.50 “ 5.00 “ 6.45 “ 8.20 “ 10.30 “ 3.00 a m 3.40 “ 5.00 “ 7.15 “ 10.05 “ 12.35 p m 11.00 p m 6.00 “ 7.00 am 7.15 “ 7.23 “ 9.10 “ 10.50 “ 7.45 “ 12.50 p m 5.00 “ 5.35 “ 6.. 30 “ 8.30 ’■ 10.30 “ “ Whitehall Saratoga “ Troy “ Albany “ Schenectady “ N. Y., via Steamboat “ H.R.R.R... 5.30 a m 7.40 “ 9.25 “ 9.50 “ 9.15 “ 3.30 p m “ Caldwell '. Ar. Ticonderoga “ Burlington “ Port Kent “ Plattsburgh “ Rouse’s Point “ Montreal Ogdensburg COT^TNEOTIOl^rS. At Whitehall, with trains of Rensselaer & Saratoga R. R., for Saratoga, Troy, Albany, New York, and all Southern and Western points. At Ticonderoga, with Steamer Minnehaha through Lake George. At Burlington, witli trains of Rutland & Burlington and Central Vermont Railroads, for all Southern and Eastern points, and the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire. At Port Kent, with stages for Keeseville and the Adirondack Sporting Region, At Plattsburgh, with trains of N. Y. & C. R. R. for the Hunting and Fishing localities oi the Saranac Lakes and the Adirondack Wilderness. At Rouse’s Point, with trains of O. & L. C. and Grand Trunk Railways for Ogdens- burg, Montreal, Quebec, and all points in Northern New York and Canada. Trams leave Plattsburgh fob Ausable Station at 7..S0 A. M. and 3.00 P. M. Returning arrive at Plattsburgh at 11.15 A. M. and 6 P. M. Dail^ line of four-horse Coaches leave Ausable for the forest resorts on arrival of morning mail. A. L. Inman, Gen' I Supi, DELAWARE & HUDSON CANAL CO. HREE passenger trains each way, daily, over the Rens- selaer & Saratoga R. R., connecting at Glens Falls with stages for Lake George, at Whitehall with Lake Champlain Steamers, and at Rutland with Vermont Central R. R. for the north and east. During the season of pleasure travel. Fast through Ex- press trains are run between New York, Saratoga and Glens Falls, for Lake George, Saratoga, Sharon Springs and Phila- delphia via Wilkesbarre, Pa., connecting at Binghamton with trains on the Erie Railway, for the west and south-west. Connection is made at Albany and Troy with Day and Night lines of Steamers on the Hudson. trains north. 1 81 3 5 7 9 11 Stations. A.M. A.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. Albany .Le. *7.00 *1.15 *4.30 .... 7.1s Troy *7-15 .... * 1-45 *4.50 1-25 8.20 Round Lake . . +8.12 +7 -57 2-35 + 5-47 .... .... 8.26 Ballston 8.28 8.12 2-53 6.05 .... . . 8-37 Saratoga 9.00 8.30 3.20 6.35 2.25 9.20 8.50 Fort Edward . 9.42 4.02 7 -iS .... .... Glens Falls . . . 10. 10 4-30 7.40 .... . . . Glens Falls . . . ,Le. 8.40 3-15 6.40 .... .... Whitehall . Ar. 10-35 4 -SS 8.05 ... .... .... Lake 10.4s 8.20 .... .... Rutland Ar. 11.50 — 9-05 .... — 8.55 TRAINS SOUTH . 2 4 6 86 8 10 32 Stations. A.M. A.M. P.M. P.M, A.M, P.M. A.M. Rutland .Le. 5.00 8.50 4.00 .... 10.00 Lake 5-50 4-45 .... .... .... Whitehall 6.10 10.35 S -05 .... .... Glens Falls . . . .Ar. 7-30 12.30 6.30 .... .... Glens Falls ... Le. 6.40 II .00 5-40 Fort Edward. . 7.04 11.28 5-56 .... 12.00 Saratoga 7-55 12.15 6.45 6.SS 9. 10 4.00 6.30 Ballston 8.12 12.34 7-04 7. II .... 6.45 Round Lake. . . . Le. t8.28 12.50 t7.2I +7.26 .... 6.56 Troy .Ar. 9-25 1.40 8. IS 10.10 5-00 Albany 9 - 5 ° 2.00 8.30 ii 5 * Trains Nos. i, 8i, 3 and 5 for Saratoga, Fort Edward and Whitehall, connect at Glens Falls for Lake George. Nos. i and s connect at Whitehall with Steam- ers on Lake Champlain for all points north, and at Rutland with Trains for north and east. No. ii connects from Day Boat for Saratoga. + Nos. 2 and 4 connect with Express Trains for New York. No. 6 connects at Troy with Citizens’ Line Steamers. No. 86 at Albany with People’s Line Steam- ers for New York. No. 12 at Albany with Day Line Steamer. For rates of fare, tickets or information, apply to ticket agents of any connecting line, or to the undersigned. H. V. OLYPHANT, S. E. MAYO, Ass’t Pres’t, Albany, N. Y, Gen. Ticket Agt. Lake George. 119 TABLE OF DISTANCES. UT few can realize the trouble encoun- tered in trying to learn any thing at Lake George until they try it. I don’t mean to say that you cannot get answers to all questions asked, but every body is so independent that they get most of their knowledge by personal observation or by guessing, and the consequence is they do not agree exactly. For instance, you get the impression that it is a certain distance to a given point ; but when you hire a man to take you there, you are astonished to learn that it is immensely further than you had any idea of at first. I have demolished considerable brain tissue in arranging the following tables, which I think pretty nearly correct : Caldwell To Montreal, _ _ _ _ _ 220 miles. New York, _ _ _ _ 214 a Saratoga, _____ 27 a Glen’s Falls, _ _ _ _ 9 a Half-way House, _ _ _ _ 4 • Williams’ Monument, u Bloody Pond, _ _ _ _ 2 n Fort Gage, - _ - - - 1 ii Fort George, _ _ - - - a Luzerne, _____ 12 a Warrensburgh, _ _ _ _ 6 a Adirondack R. R. at Thurman, - 9 a Chestertown, _ _ - - - 18 120 Table of Distances. Caldwell » Pottersville (Schroon Lake), 27 miles, Prospect Mountain House, 5 ii Down the Lake. Crosbyside, _ _ _ _ I U Tea Island, - _ - _ I ii Diamond Island, _ _ _ 3 ti “ Healing Spring,” o jl 02 it Coolidge House, _ _ _ 4 it Long Island, - - - _ 4 it East Lake George House, - 7 it Trout Pavilion, _ _ _ 7 n Kattskill House, _ _ _ 7 tt Recluse Island (air line). 9 it Bolton (less thirty-two rods) 10 it Fourteen Mile Island (air line). 12 it (Bolton to Fourteen Mile Island, Narrows, ----- 3 miles.) 13 tt French Point, - - - - 14 ti Harbor Islands, - - - - 20 tt Hulett’s Landing, - - _ 21 ti Sabbath Day Point, - - - 22 tt Hague, ----- 28 tt Anthony’s Nose, - - - - 3 oi tt Rogers’ Slide, - - - - 32 tt Dock at foot of Lake, 33 i tt Village of Ticonderoga, ~ 35 i tt Old Fort (steamboat landing). 372 tt Ticonderoga to Whitehall, - 25 (6 Ticonderoga to Fort Edward, - 45 it Ticonderoga to Glen’s Falls, - 50 ti Routes. Route New Miles. To Sing Sing 32 West Point 51 Poughkeepsie 75 Rondout 90 Catskill Ill Albany 144 Troy 1 51 Saratoga 182 Route Alb To New York •. 144 Troy 7 Cohoes 9 Junction 12 Mechanicville 18 Round Lake 25 Ballston 31 Saratoga 38 Route . Whit To Benson 13 13 Orwell 7 20 Ticonderoga 4 24 Larabee’s ...... 2 26 Crown Point 9 35 Port Henry 9 44 Route Rouse’ To Montreal .. 50 Boston Mooers Dannemora . . . No. 1 . York To Glens Falls Miles. Whitehall 223 Westport Port Kent 313 Plattsburgh 328 Rouse’s Point. . . . •••• 353 Montreal .... 403 Quebec No. 2 . .... 583 To Fort Edward 55 Glens Falls 60 Fort Ann 66 Comstock’s 70 Whitehall 77 Lake Station... 79 Castleton 90 Rutland lOI No. 3 . To Westport II 55 Essex 10 65 Burlington 15 80 Port Kent 10 90 Plattsburgh 15 105 Rouse’s Point. . 25 130 No. 4 . s Point To Chateaugay 17 45 Malone 12 57 Potsdam 47 94 Ogdensburg . . . 34 128 T " V 122 The Adirondacks. Route No. 5. Chateaugay Miles. To Falls I Lower Lake 8 Narrows ii To Upper Lake. . . . Head of Lake. Route No. 6. Plattsburgh To Point of Rocks . . 20 20 To Martin’s 7 55 Ausable Porks . . 3 23 Dannemora 16 16 Franklin P'alls . . 17 40 Chazy Lake 5 21 Bloomingdale . . . 8 48 Upp. Chateaugay 6 27 Paul Smith’s . . . 10 58 Lower Lake 6 33 Martin’s 8 56 R. R. at Chat’gay 8 41 Whiteface Mt. H. 30 33 Ausable Chasm.. 12 Wilming’n Notch 6 39 Montreal 74 North Elba . ... 6 45 Boston 260 Lake Placid .... 3 48 New York .'.... 328 Route No. 7. Keeseville To Burlington 14 Plattsburgh 13 Port Kent 4 Ausable Chasm 2 Point of Rocks 9 Ausable Forks 12 Franklin Falls 29 Bloomingdale 37 To Martin’s 45 Paul Smith’s 47 Whiteface Mountain. . 22 Wilmington Notch... 28 North Elba 34 Lake Placid 37 Martin’s 44 Elizabethtown 22 Route No. 8. “ ROUND TRIP.” Martin’s To head Saranac L., 6 Over Big Clear Pond 2 25 By River 3 9 Portage 26)4 Across Round Lake, To Bartlett’s Head Upper Lake . . 8 11)4 12 20 Upper St. Regis L. . Thro’ Spitfire Pond and Creek to Paul 1/2 ^ 7 H Carriage 3 23 Smith’s 2)4 30 Routes. 123 FARES TO DIFFERENT POINTS. New York to Albany — H. R. R. R $3 60 New York to Albany — D ay and night boats 2 00 Albany to Binghamton — Albany & Susquehanna R. R, 425 Albany to Saratoga — R. & S. R. R •. . i 20 Albany to Glens Falls i 95 Albany to Champlain Steamers 2 60 Albany to Rutland 3 20 Albany to Lake George via Glens Falls 3 20 Albany to Ticonderoga via Lake Champlain steamers, 3 60 Albany to Westport 4 60 Albany to Port Kent 5 70 Albany to Plattsburgh 6 20 Albany to Plattsburgh via Lake George 9 20 Albany to Rouse’s Point 6 60 Albany to Montreal via Bur. & Vt. Central R. R 8 60 Albany to Montreal via Lake George ii 45 Lake George Steamers (Excursion) 2 00 Whitehall to Rouse’s Point (Champlain steamers) .... 4 00 Saratoga to Profile House, via Lake Champlain, .... 10 45 Saratoga to Profile House, via Lakes George and Champlain 14 35 Saratoga to Crawford House, via Lake Champlain. . ii 20 Saratoga to Newport, via Lake Champlain 9 45 Saratoga to Burlington, via Lakes George and Cham- plain 7 25 Saratoga to Plattsburgh, via Lakes George and Champlain . . 8 00 Saratoga to Montreal, via Lakes George and Cham- plain 10 25 Saratoga to Montreal, via Lakes George and Cham- plain, Ogdensburg and the St. Lawrence l6 00 Excursion from Saratoga, through Lake George to Ticonderoga, and return by Champlain steamers, stopping over night at Caldwell 7 cxj 124 The Adirondacks. To THE Hunting Grounds. New York to Albany, via H. R. R. R. ; Whitehall, via Rensselaer and Saratoga R. R. ; Champlain steamers to Plattsburgh, rail to Point of Rocks, and stage to Paul Smith’s or Martin’s, (about) $15 00 New York to Port Kent, as above ; then via Keese- ville and Point of Rocks to Martin’s or Paul Smith’s by stage, 13 50 New York to Elizabethtown, via same route to West- port, then 8 miles of staging 9 20 Elizabethtown to Keene (12 miles by stage).. i 50 Elizabethtown to North Elba (Lake Placid), stage. . 2 00 Elizabethtown to Martin’s (34 miles by stage) 3 00 New York to Schroon Lake, via Albany, Saratoga and Adirondack Railroad to Riverside ; thence by stage to Pottersville, six miles, and by Steamer Effingham to Schroon, nine miles 9 75 New York to Long Lake, via Albany, Saratoga and Adirondack Railroad, to North Creek, fifty-seven miles, and stage via Minerva and Newcomb to C. H. Kellogg’s (about) 13 00 From Boston, via Fitchburgh, Bellows Falls, Rut- land, Burlington, Plattsburgh and Point of Rocks, to Paul Smith’s or Martin’s and return by same route, 22 00 The fashionable round trip in connection with this is from Martin’s to Paul Smith’s, via Saranac Lakes and others by boat, or the same passed in reverse order. See Route No. 8, SARATOGA. N 1767 Sir William Johnson, Bart., who, whatever his other failings were, was the firm friend and patron of the red man, heard through them of wonderful cures wrought by the waters of “ the great medicine spring ” at Saratoga, and guided by them was borne on the shoulders of men to where the sparkling flood bubbled up from un- known depths self-walled in the ages past.? This was High Rock Spring, and Johnson the first white man known to have tasted its waters. It was nearly twenty years after Johnson’s visit before a house was erected here although quite often visited ; then, in 1789 Gideon Putnam built his log house, and in 1803 opened the first hotel, patriotically calling it “ The Union.” It differed somewhat from the present hotel of that name. Of old the waters were only used as a medicine, but as the village grew and new ones were discovered it became quite fashionable to have some incipient ailment that necessitated a trip to “ the springs,” until at last people who couldn’t scare up the ghost of an excuse, with unblushing effrontery admit- ted that they went simply because they wanted to, and to-day Saratoga stands one of the gayest, wickedest and most fash- ionable resorts of culture and refinement, among watering places on the continent if not indeed in the world. Here are accommodations for the rich and the poor, the old and the young, steady and giddy, wise or foolish, fast or staid, rough or cultivated, all are welcome, for Saratoga is one vast caravansary, every house a hotel, and every resident glad to see the summer’s company, for it is meat, drink and clothing to the average native. 126 Saratoga. The village, at present, has a population of about 12,000, which, in the summer season, is increased probably to three times that amount. Its principal street is Broadway, of which any city in the world might justly be proud ; a broad, beautiful elm and maple shaded avenue running through the center of the village from the plains at the south, up the gently rising spur or point of the mountain chain that termi- nates here. On this, near its southern end, are the principal hotels, toward the north are smaller boarding-houses and ele- gant private residences. East of this, along a lower level, is the spring producing section, extending from a mile above the village, south to the congress, and although there are a few exceptional cases, the flow of mineral waters is confined principally within these limits. The various avenues, drives and walks about the beautiful village, are too numerous to mention, too lovely to be de- scribed. They show the enterprise and public spirit of the citizens, and undoubtedly bring back a rich harvest in the. added beauty and attractiveness of the place. Saratoga has the largest and finest summer hotels in the world, and enrolls, among its visitors, the beauty, fashion and culture of the world. From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh, there- fore, in response to the universal first thought, we will speak of the hotels. Congress Hall, Hathorn & Southgate, proprietors, being one of the oldest, commands first notice among the hotels, the gem of Saratoga, and one of the finest, if not the finest, hotel in this country. Extending from Spring to Congress street, with a front on Broadway of 416 feet, and reaching with its two mammoth wings 300 feet back, it is architecturally a perfect beauty. The rooms are large and elegant. The halls are ten feet wide, and broad, commodious stairways, with the finest elevator in the country, render every portion readily accessible. A front piazza, 20 feet wide and 240 feet in length, with numerous others within the grounds, and a promenade on the top of the hotel affording a charming view, contribute to render the house attractive. The dining halls, parlors, etc., are superb CONGRESS HALL, SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y. 128 Saratoga. and ample, and every thing about the house is on a scale of unequaled magnificence and grandeur. The proprietors have endeavored to incorporate into this hotel every thing that can afford comfort and pleasure, at whatever expense. The cut of Congress Hall will give some idea of its outlines, but fails to do it justice. It must be seen to be appreciated, and when seen commands the unqualified admiration of the beholder. The balls which occur every Friday eve surpass all others in America in rich toilets, fashionable attendance, and the music of Bernstein’s unrivaled orchestra. The Grand Union Hotel Is on the west side of Broadway directly opposite the Con- gress. It is of brick, shows a frontage of 1,364 feet, with side wings and cottages, covering nearly one entire square. It is said to display one mile of piazza, two miles of halls, 12 acres of carpeting, has 824 rooms, nearly 1,500 doors ; dining room 250 by 53 feet, 25 feet to ceiling, and will seat 1,200 people. It is owned by A. T. Stewart, and leased by Breslin, Purcell & Co. The Grand Hotel. This is an elegant new hotel, erected in 1871, on the west side of Broadway directly south of the Grand Union and opposite Congress park, which it has generously absorbed and adopted as its own . It is a very imposing building, occupying two sides of a square with a street front of 580 feet, and contains 650 rooms. An elevator renders all floors easily accessible, while an elec- tric annunciator puts every room in communication with the office. The Clarendon Is situated on the brow of the hill still further south, it is lux- uriously furnished, is first-class in every respect, is noted as a very quiet orderly place, is eminently respectable, and carries the heaviest metal possible in the line of propriety. Returning once more up Broadway, we behold Saratoga. 129 The New United States Hotel, That has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the old house, and stands, to-day, one of the largest summer hotels in the world. Its proportions are simply stupendous, a continuous hotel 1,400 feet in length, or more than a quarter of a mile long, covering 95,000 feet of earth, with sleeping accommodations for 1,200 guests, with 1,850 windows, 2,500 doors, miles of gas and water pipes, and constructed of upwards of 4,000,000 bricks. The entire cost is $900,000, of which the furniture cost $225,000 ; 30,000 yards of carpet are required to cover the floor. Steam pipes run through the building for use on a cold and unpleasant day. There are in it 768 lodging rooms, 65 suits of rooms, with bath-rooms attached. Its dining- room measures 212 by 50 feet ; drawing-room, 85 by 60 feet ; ball-room, ii2by 52feet ; ceilings, from ii to 26 feet in height. The halls are broad and spacious. Two passenger elevators, of the most approved pattern, touch each floor The broad piazzas measure 2,700 feet in length. The building occupies a plot of ground seven acres in extent, in the form of an ir- regular pentagon. It has a frontage on Broadway of 232 feet, 503 feet on Division street, 153 feet on Railroad Place, and extends back 54 feet, making the main building 887 feet by 54 feet, covering three sides of the plot. The “cottage wing” is four stories in height, the first three stories having a piazza to each, and facing the court. The grand ball room is located in the second story of the railroad front, where it is six stories in height, the sixth story being the Mansard roof, embellished by piedments, gables, dormer windows and cresting, and three large pavilions. The Broadway front has a three story piazza, twenty-two feet wide. The Division street front a piazza two hundred feet long, as well as the rear of the Broadway and Division street fronts, and also the rear of the railroad front. Each room is con- nected with the main office by an electric telegraph or annun- ciator, and each room is supplied with water, gas, etc. The entire building is divided into five sections with heavy fire walls between each, the openings protected with heavy iron doors. There are also fire hydrants in each section with hose Saratoga, [30 UNITED STATES HOTEL. Saratoga. 131 attachments on each floor. The main building presents the Norman style of architecture, is constructed of brick and stone, commencing on the rock, and has been carried up and finished under the personal supervision of the architects, Messrs. J. D. Stevens & Vaughan. It is one of the strongest as well as the largest hotel on the globe. The lawn or court is tastefully laid out in walks, with shrubbery, fountains, and is completely shaded. This magnificent establishment will be kept by Messrs. Ainsworth, Tompkins, Perry & Co., consisting of S. Ainsworth, H. Tompkins, John L. Perry, Jr., of Sara- toga Springs, W. B. Gage, Jr., and L. H. Janorin, late of the “ Fifth Avenue Hotel,” New York, and Major Wm. D. Field, late of the “ Delavan House,” Albany, N. Y., with the advis- ory counsel of Hon. James M. Marvin, late proprietor of the Old United States Hotel. 132 Saratoga, style, luxuriously furnished throughout, the table irreproach- able and absolutely faultless in its manner of being served. It has comfortable accommodation for three hundred guests, is open the entire year, being largely patronized throughout the winter months, and while it is first class in every respect the rates are considerably below other houses, as it is not found necessary to make three months of activity pay for nine of idleness and rust. The Arlington House, Campbell & Shaw, proprietors, is situated directly opposite the United States, fronting on Broadway, and extending up Division street toward the depot, but one block distant; a clean, solid looking house that makes but little pretension to ornamentation on the exterior, and small compared with the other great houses, but the interior is fitted up in the best of ARLINGTON HOUSE. Saratoga. 133 There are other boarding houses, a multitude of them scat- tered throughout the village, the rates being as low as six to seven dollars per week. “You pays your money and you takes your choice.” In a volume the size of this an exhaustive treatise cannot be expected on any subject, nor a full description of the thousand and one objects of interest of the town ; for such an one, a book that enters into the minutia of Saratoga life and doings, that says all there is to say and gives all the informa- tion the visitor can possibly require, look to “ Saratoga Illus- trated ” by Dr. R. F. Dearborn. The design of the writer of this is to make simply an outline sketch that the tourist can fill out himself, glancing hastily as the swift traveler does at the principal objects, devoting perhaps a little extra time to representative ones ; therefore we will notice among places of entertainment one of a class different from any yet mentioned, and then pass to other objects. The Remedial Institute Of Saratoga stands at the head of health institutions, it is under the immediate supervision of Drs. S. S. and S. E. Strong, graduates of the medical department of New York University, who have attained eminence in their profession, and while they are enthusiastic votaries of materia medica, the institu- tion is so admirably conducted that no one would imagine for one moment that they^were in an establishment of the kind ; in fact, during the boarding season, but a small proportion of the company are under treatment, or take medicine, other than that prescribed by the steward and compounded by the cook, and it detracts nothing from the merits of the place that a majority of the invalids require a label to be recognized as such. It is located on Circular, between Spring and Philla streets, is probably surpassed by no institution of the kind in this country, or Europe, in the elegance of its appointments and the completeness of its appliances. It has accommodation for about two hundred guests, and claims its patrons from among the cultivated Christian people of the land ; it is the summer home of a large number of 134 Saratoga. strong’s remedial institute. clergymen, among them the celebrated Dr. Cuyler, who has made his annual visit to Saratoga for twenty successive summers. The house is finished in the very best of taste, luxuriously furnished and heated by steam, while the bath rooms are ex- ceedingly elegant and one of the chief attractions at Saratoga. Among the special appliances used in the treatment of invalids is the equalizer or vacuum treatment, electro-thermal baths, Swedish movement cure, vibrator, Russian bath, sul- phur air bath, oxygen gas, Turkish and every other form of bath, and aside from its character of a home for the afflicted it meets all the requirements of a first class summer house. SARATOGA MINERAL WATERS. HENCE come the waters.? Why their cease- less flow ? Where the great laboratory in which nature distills this wondrous beverage and sends its bubbling and sparkling like showers of pearls to the surface, while a great worshipful world of people give thanks for the blessing. Various theories are advanced as to their appearance in this particular locality. One, that the fountain head is in some high mountain whose upreared summit has exposed the edges of the various strata composing it, down between which the waters from the clouds are filtered until they reach this lower plain, when breaking through fissures in the rock they rise to find their original level. Others say that it rises by the power contained in itself ; the carbonic acid gas which forms so essential a part in its composition. Still others that it is nothing at all but a trick of the villagers who doctor the springs with salt, old iron, boots and other like pleasing and economical ingredients which gets up some “ kinder of an action like,” while Eli Perkins, the historian of Congress Hall, intimates that the excellence of the water depends to a great extent on the number of defunct Aborig- ines and the size, species and activity of the snakes con- tained in the spring — it is a matter of little moment, how- ever, as to their manner of coming, but every one is interested in the fact that they are there, and Saratoga has reason to feel justly gratified thereat. It would be impossible to give directions as to the drinking of the waters ; a person in good health can surround an im- mense quantity and feel no ill effect thereby ; they are the ones who are the most decided as to the rules to be observed in drinking, having found by experience just what they can stand — they can usually stand almost anything. But there 136 Saratoga. are certain rules which the weak and delicate cannot trans- gress with impunity. Homoeopathic doses will probably hurt no one, but alter becoming accustomed to its taste one glass of the water usually excites a gentle thirst which it takes two more to gratify, these two call for four and so on until it reaches the very modest and fashionable dose of a dozen straight. It is always safest for one inclined to invalidism to place themselves under the direction of some competent resident physician, until, with his aid, they have, by studying its effects, established a rule for future guidance. The writer having a violent and unnatural attack of modesty when faced by the necessity of writing a learned disquisition on a subject of which he knew nothing, applied to one of the oldest physi- cians of the town and one to whom, as mover in many schemes for the advancement of the town, Saratoga owes much, re- ceived the following reply : Saratoga Springs, June 15, 1874. Dear Sir : — In reply to your inquiries as to my views and experience in the use of the mineral waters at Saratoga, as remedial agents, I would say that I have been a close observer of their use for nearly thirty years, and during all this time I have been in the practice of medicine here and have been consulted by invalids suffering with almost every variety of disease that flesh is heir to. The most obstinate forms of chronic diseases are found here. It has become the dernier resort, the last attempt to recover from the tightening grasp of chronic diseases, by patients from every part of this country, as well as foreign countries. Physicians baffled in every effort to cure these obstinate forms of disease, send their patients to Saratoga for the alter- ative and tonic effect of its mineral water. Leaving home, and home comforts, they come here worn out, maiw times discouraged by the repeated failures of their best efforts for recovery. With such a number of the worst forms of dis- ease, one would think that there must be many failures at Saratoga, and that such worn out cases would only come to find a grave at the Springs instead of health, but such is not the case. Almost every person that visits Saratoga, and makes a judicious use of its mineral waters, is benefited if not cured. Such is the peculiar effect of the water and climate on weak constitutions. Hope is inspired, the appetite im- proves, better assimulation is established, and the water kindly takes the place of the medicines. The liver and bowels Saratoga. 137 respond to its general aperient effect. The skin and kidneys are restored to a healthier action, and the recuperative powers of nature are awakened to a strong and vigorous effort to restore normal action. The result is, that the poor worn out invalid eats better, sleeps better, and gains some flesh, and with the disease still upon him, gains strength, and goes away better but not cured. This is the general effect of our min- eral water on chronic diseases and shattered constitutions. With regard to specific cases, and certain kinds of diseases, I would mention dyspepsia, that is often cured even when taken in its worst forms. Liver difficulties, kidney troubles of all kinds, dropsy, blood diseases, and all diseases of the skin and scalp. Many of these diseases are radically and permanently cured. Some new springs have been added to the list already large within a few years. Some of them valuable as active cathar- tics, and can be used by those needing such medicines with benefit. The most prominent is the Hathorn Spring, but the Congress and Empire, the Star and Excelsior are generally found as active as can be advantageously used by invalids. The Congress and Empire are the old springs for morning drink, and will probably hold their prestige for years to come. I should speak, before closing, of the Red Spring, lately, or within a few years, brought to notice by the proprietor retub- ing it and putting it in fine condition for use. It is an old spring, but had gone into disuse by neglect ; it is a powerful alterative, and has cured more severe forms of dyspepsia and skin and kidney difficulties than all the springs here. It has less saline properties than any mineral water in the place. Its effect on the blood is peculiar and powerful, and many wonder- ful cures are reported. Its friends have great faith in it. Many of our chalybeates or iron springs, generally known as tonic waters, are used by visitors as well as invalids. They are sparkling, and pleasant to the taste, and are used as a beverage quite as much as for medicinal effect. Our mineral waters have a vitalizing principle that makes them generally beneficial. They are exceedingly pleasant to drink and will always be favorite medicinal agents. Yours truly, L. E. Whiting. From Dr. Dearborn’s valuable work, of which we have had occasion to refer before, we extract the following Aphorisms. Do not mix the drinks. A moderate use of the waters will be found most beneficial. 138 Saratoga. The diet should be liberal, but an abundance of vegetables should be avoided, and only those which are perfectly fresh should be used. As an alterative, the waters should be drank in small quan- tities during the day. The IRON waters are liable to cause headache when taken before breakfast. They may be used with benefit before or after dinner or tea. From one-half to one glass is all that is necessary. The DIURETIC waters should be drank before meals, and at night, and should not be followed by warm drinks. Walking and other exercises increase the diuretic effect. Attention to system should characterize the use of these as of other remedies. 1. They are to be avoided in all cases of acute inflammations of any organ or structure whatever. 2. In organic diseases of the heart or great vessels. 3. In confirmed cases of consumption and cancer. When suffering from a “ cold,” the cathartic and diuretic waters should be avoided. They have a tendency to aggravate the trouble. When fatigued, especially early in the day, it is not well to drink large quantities. Except in very small quantities, and under fully competent medical advice, mineral waters are positively forbidden in all malignant diseases. This may be called the first axiom in hydrology, and completely disposes of all cancer cases. In true cancer, the fatal end is all the sooner brought about by the use of mineral waters, often with frightful rapidity. We will glance hastily at the springs, taking them in order as we approach from the north-east. The Ten Springs was the name applied to that number of rudely boxed affairs lying along up the low bit of land now included in Excelsior Park, and until quite recently, no effort was made to save the water, then somebody discovered that one spring possessed some very excellent qualities, and forthwith cried “ Excelsior ! ” Boxed it and is now barreling immense quantities for sale ; it is reached by following up Spring avenue, passing in line nearly all the springs of note in the valley. The water is pleas- ant to the taste and rapidly growing in popularity. Near by is Saratoga. 139 the Mansion House, toward the north Excelsior Lake at its outlet the water-works from whence, by the Holly system, water is sent to every part of the village. The Red Spring Comes next in order, is noted for its efficacy in the treatment of diseases of a scrofulous nature, it is covered by a pavilion in keeping with its name. Nearly opposite is the Saratoga “A” Spring. It is supposed to have received its name from the discoverer, who had no doubt about its being one. Jay Gould was presi- dent of the first original company who owned it, and prized it highly for Erie-sipelas. The Empire Spring Is at the north end of Circular street where it joins with Spring avenue, it has a very pleasant taste, similar to that of the Congress and High Rock, it is owned by the Congress and Empire Spring Co. The Star Spring Is next in order as we turn toward the south on Spring ave- nue. It first existed as the President, then was elected the Iodine ; which was a failure, and is now serving its third term as the Star, which is a success. It is extensively bottled and also confined in patent tin-lined barrels, in which condition it is shipped and sold on draught after being charged with gas to take the place of that which may have escaped. The bar- rel is generally coupled with a tube which passes through some elegant soda apparatus and the water comes out “ Con- gress ” usually, not always, for it has the peculiar property of passing for any and a,ll kinds of waters which is no fault of its proprietors but of the soda fountain ; it has a reputation of its own, however, that does not require it to travel under false colors. High Rock Spring, As we said before, was the first one known at Saratoga; Sir Wm. Johnson drank of its waters in 1767, and almost every 140 Saratoga. body who has visited Saratoga has taken th m since ; it is an irregular cone shaped rock about four ieet in height, built up by deposits of the water in unnumbered ages of the past. When Johnson came, and until quite recently, the water did not flow over the top, although it unquestionably had at some previous time ; but a few years since the owners removed the rock, lifting it by a powerful hoisting apparatus and succeeded in stopping the lateral flow, replaced it, and once more as of old, the crystal stream bubbles up over its miniature crater. The rock weighs several tons, and is composed principally of carbonate of lime ; beneath it were found four logs, two of which rested on the other two at right angles, and were evi- dently placed there by some one. Under this came seven feet of mixed tuffa and muck, then a layer of the rock forma- tion two feet thick ; then one foot of muck inclosing another log, and below this three feet more of rock, while there, sev-. enteen feet beneath the apex of the rock, they found the embers and charcoal of an ancient fire. As the formation is similar to that of the stalagmite the same course was adopted to discover its age ; it was found to contain eighty-one layers to the inch, and with this as a starting point the following estimate has been made.* High Rock, cone 4 feet, 80 lines to the inch 3,840 years Mixed muck and tuffa, 7 feet 400 Tuffa 2 feet, 25 lines to the inch 600 “ Muck, I foot 130 “ Tuffa, 3 feet 900 “ 5,870 “ By whom was the old fire kindled ? What ages have passed away since its light gleamed out among the forests that cov- ered the now busy place 1 The Indian traditions of the time when water ran over the rim were misty with age when the white man came ; beyond that turn back nearly six thousand years and we reach the time when Adam was a mere stripling and Eve in her short clothes. We modestly draw the curtain and take a drink to her, and the first man who could not tell a lie. * Dr. R. F. Dearborn. Saratoga. 141 The Seltzer Spring Is situated just south of the High Rock, and was named after Tarrant’s Seltzer Aperient (sometime). The water is mild and pleasant to the taste, and a glass tube, three feet in height, allows the visitor to behold it as it boils up, the bubbles chas- ing rapidly one after another to the surface. Pavilion Spring Is at the south end of Spring and on the south side of Lake avenue, a short distance from Broadway. It is handsomely covered, and the grounds around it very attractive, the water is strong but agreeable and pleasant. Under the Colonnade is the United States Spring, which, but a few feet removed, diff- ers essentially from the Pavilion, being rather flat and unpal- atable. Putnam Spring Is near Broadway, just north of Philla street. It is used chiefly for bathing, and supplies a house, standing close by, devoted to that purpose. Hathorn Spring Is situated immediately north of Congress Hall, and is owned by H. H. Hathorn, one of the proprietors of that house. It was discovered in 1868 by workmen while excavating for the foundation of a building there. It is very popular and pleasant to the taste, but should not be taken in too large quantities, as it is one of the most powerful of the cathartic waters of Saratoga. ^ Hamilton Spring, Back of Congress Hall, does not yield a very popular water, nor is it kept in very good order. Among so many good ones, some must be slighted. Congress Spring Is the oldest known spring at Saratoga, except the High Rock, and was discovered just three hundred years after America, which is a good thing to remember, and to it prob- ably more than all else is Saratoga indebted for its present prosperity and world wide fame. 142 Saratoga. It is in the fashionable center of the village overlooked by four of the great houses, inclosed in a tastefully laid out park which is generously thrown open to the public by its propri- etors, the Congress & Empire Spring Co. Beautiful marble statues gleam out from among the trees, lovely walks sweep gracefully around, here in sunlight, there in shadow, where tender beings drink in the passionate ecstacy of love’s young dream, while older ones are satisfied with congress water ; here the timid deer nips the tender green, there dears pluck the greeny ; here they gambol and sport in joyous play; there, the sport gambles in dead earnest. From the buck on the lawn to bucking the tiger the distance is short, in a north-east direction, and the printed warnings that stare you in the face so persistently are very appropriate : Young man, “ beware the Buck.” The Columbian Spring Is in the same inclosure a little nearer Broadway. The Crystal Spring Is under the south end of the Grand Hotel, it is ot little inter- est, and reasoning by analogy must be very weak, as it has to be pumped to the surface. Washington Spring Has earned for itself the title of the Champagne Spring by its effervescent nature, it is situated in the Clarendon grounds which are quite extensive, and noted for their abundance of game. Moose have been discovered here lately, and it is no uncommon thing to see the heads of a half dozen deer pro- jecting from the trees at one time. The guests of the house do not indulge in the frivolities of the chase however, so they (the wild ones) can be approached without danger. The Geyser Spring Is situated nearly two miles south of the village, the building was formerly occupied as a bolt factory until its owners, detect- ing signs of mineral water, decided to bore for it, and in 1870, when 140 feet below the surface, struck the vein and the Saratoga. 143 waters gushed out with great force, continuing to do so ever since, throbbing with long heart beats of its mother earth. The tube is of iron, lined with block tin, 85 feet in length and two inches in diameter, the water is often thrown up a distance of 25 feet by the force of the carbonic acid gas which it contains, making a ver)'’ attractive fountain. It is the strongest water at Saratoga, pleasant to the taste and very cold, being removed but a few degrees from the freezing point ; it is bottled extensively. South of the spring is a very pretty ravine through which the little stream takes its way, passing under the railroad embankment at the east. The Glacier Spouting Spring Is on the east side of the railroad, nearly opposite the Geyser. It was discovered in 1871, or rather brought to light by Mr, Jesse Button who also found the Geyser. At 300 feet below the surface, boring ceased, and through the opening a perfect flood of water rushed out, it is said, at times, shooting upward 80 feet ; it is a curiosity, but from some cause is little used ; it has a steady throbbing motion, and was especially beautiful when in the winter it assumed the form and was actually a fountain of glistening iron-stained ice. Saratoga Lake Is reached by a charming drive of six miles over a splendid road-bed where the dust is kept down by constant sprink- ling throughout its entire length, passing the race course. Lake Lovely and other interesting objects on the way. The avenue is a continuation of Congress street, which, as it passes the outskirts of the village, reaches out into a broad level boulevard, beautified by a triple row of trees that separate it into parallel streets, where those who travel it, remembering the rule to keep to the right, pass out on one side and back on the other. The lake is nine miles in length, and at its broadest part, opposite Snake Hill, is about three miles in width ; it is rather shallow, its beautiful wooded shores alter- nating with the glistening white beach impresses one with its quiet beauty, rather than any thing like the grandeur of Lake George, or the still wilder lakes of the Adirondacks. 144 Saratoga. Moon’s Lake House, Near the outlet where the road from Saratoga first touches the lake, is one of the loveliest places imaginable. It has but few resident boarders, the proprietor catering principally to the loads that flock there to enjoy his faultless dinners, for among other things Moon is noted for his game dinners, inimitable fried potatoes, and we might also remark price, but as every thing is princely, those who have plenty of money to spend find no fault, and those who have little know enough to keep away, for he is a harvest Moon in the fullest sense of the word, and does not rise to shine for nothing. Roll on, silvery Moon. A fleet of skiffs and two or three sail boats are at the foot of the lawn, and a pretty little steam yacht lies at the dock while all the necessaries for fishing are furnished when re- quired. Other houses are scattered along the shores of the lake, affording quiet retreats for those who would escape the rush of the hotels. Snake Hill, Four miles from Moon’s toward the South, is a gracefully rounded cone-like hill, that is the prominent, omnipresent center of almost every picture of the lake. A new avenue is now being opened upon the east shore from Mud Mill creek south, which, when completed, will admit of the entire circuit of the lake shore in carriages. Excelsior Park, The Ten Springs, the Mansion House, thence along the east side of Excelsior Lake, west to Glenn Mitchel and back into the village through Broadway, is a very pleasant drive, cover- ing about five miles in its round. The Race Course Is one mile east of Broadway on the boulevard to the lake, is splendidly fitted up, and one of the finest tracks in the country. On the ground are the large stables for the fast horses that here compete for the purses offered so freely during the protracted meetings of the society, while the grand stands and others afford ample shelter for the large congregation Saratoga. 145 who here assemble to worship according to the dictates of their own consciences. - The Saratoga Battle Ground Is not so near to the village that the timid visitor need fear any harm from the flying missiles or suffocation in its sulphur- ous smoke. About the only thing that Saratoga regrets is they didn’t select Congress park, or some other convenient place for that little affair, instead of going away off to Bemis’ Heights, where there isn’t a hotel worth mentioning, and fully fifteen miles away. Still, the road is very good, and it should be visited, for it is intensely interesting, and very likely some of the natives who live there can point out the place where it came off, or if not, it can probably be found on the map. The facts of the case are these ; Burgoyne and General Gates got into a fight out there and Burgoyne got licked. The society at Saratoga is the society of the wide, wide world. It is thoroughly cosmopolitan. The frivolous may appear to predominate, but we must remember that froth and foam come to the surface and pass away while the still deep water rests quietly in its conscious power. The butterflies may sport in the sunshine, and we love to see them, bright golden winged beauties as they are, floating on the balmy air and glorifying the common place with their presence, but the wheat is there also, and the brigtest, purest and noblest of the land who visit Saratoga year after year are not defiled. “ Saratoga society, What endless variety ! What pinks of propriety ! What gems of sobriety ! What garrulous old folks, What shy folks and bold folks, And warm folks and cold folks ! Such curious dressing, And tender caressing, (Of course that is guessing,) Such sharp Y ankee Doodles, And dandified noodles. And other pet poodles ! Such very loud patterns, (Worn often by slatterns !) Such strait necks, and bow necks. Such dark necks and snow necks. And high necks and low necks ! With this sort and that sort. The lean sort and fat sort. The bright and the flat sort— Saratoga is crammed full. And rammed full, and jammed full." NORTHWARD. HE Delaware & Hudson Canal Company is one of the oldest and wealthiest corporations in the country. From the coal field of Penn- sylvania, where it was organized, and where they ran the first locomotive used on the con- tinent, it has reached out and absorbed the smal- ler fry until now it stands in the front rank among carriers, the hand at Albany grasping the strong reins of the Albany and Susquehanna to the south and west, and the Rensselaer & Saratoga toward the north, with the various divisions and connections, and handling them in the most artistic manner possible. The Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad Is a section of the main artery of travel from the great city of the sea, north to the Canadas, and is, at present, one of the most systematic and best running roads on the continent. The road-bed is perfect, having steel rails a good share of the way ; the coaches are first-class, the trains always on time, and connection sure. During the season of pleasure travel, extra fast trains are run between Whitehall, Glens Falls, Saratoga, Troy, Albany and New York, and passengers can goto either of those points without change of cars. Northern connections are made at Rutland with the Rut- land & Burlington Road. At Whitehall with the elegant Champlain Steamers, and at Glens Falls with stages for Lake George, nine miles further, that being the route usually pre- ferred, as it is considerably shorter than any other. The time tables and routes published elsewhere will probably give all necessary information in this direction. Saratoga. 147 The Adirondack Railroad Starts at Saratoga, runs north until it strikes the Hudson at Jessup’s Landing, then follows along up the river until it finally dies out at North Creek, 57 miles from its starting point. It was intended that this road should open up the great for- ests to the rich mines at the Adirondack works, and extend thence in a north-westerly direction through the wilderness to Ogdensburg. The scenery along its line is diversified and picturesque, especially so between Jessup’s Landing and Riverside, and a season at Saratoga would be incomplete without a trip over the Adirondack railroad. SOUTHWARD. Connections are made at Albany with the A. & S. Railroad for Howe’s Cave, Sharon Springs and the south-west ; with trains on the H. R. R. R., and the day and night boats for New York. The Hudson River Steamers Are the finest and fastest boats in the world, and probably no single day can be better spent in pleasure than by a passage on the Vibbard or Drew, down the Hudson, from the “wilder- ness to the sea,” with Thursty McQuill’s reference book in hand, and if comfort alone is to be considered, a night passage in one of the floating palaces that ply regularly between Albany and New York, is far preferable to the dust and annoyance accompanying the long journey by rail. LUZERNE. UZERNE is situated at the junction of the Hud- son and Sacandaga rivers, twenty-two miles north of Saratoga. It is inclosed by picturesque, rounded, waving lines of hill, heavily wooded to their summits, save here and there a break where some ledge looks out on the valley below. On the west are the Kayaderosseras mountains, on the east the Palmerton range, that has its rise at Lake George, and falls away into the level of Broadway at Saratoga ; toward the north they are broken, rocky and picturesque. One curious round shaped mountain a thousand feet in height is old Potash Kettle. These are the outreaching spurs of the Adirondack that rest so grandly away to the north, from which The Hudson Comes flowing quietly along until it gathers among the great round boulders, then bounds, foaming and sparkling, forward through its narrowing channel ; plunges over the rocks, the exquisite little falls of Luzerne ; rests a moment in the shadow of the dark walls on either side, then hastens forward under the bridge and downward to its union with the Sacandaga at Ti-se-ran-do, “the meeting of the waters.” From this down the river to Jessup’s Landing It is six miles of still water, deep enough to float a steamboat (depending something on its size, however), then sweeps around until it points almost north again. At Palmer’s Falls It is gathered together in a narrow channel, a rift in the river’s bottom through which its whole volume can pass when not Luzerne. 149 swollen by the rains or melting snows, and with a multitude of little leaps and breaks, churned and beaten into foam by its fall, it rests at the bottom sixty feet below the point where it broke above. This is also sometimes called the Great Falls, as the river above and below for some distance is broken by numbers of smaller ones. It is owned by the Palmer Falls Water Power Company, is surrounded by quite an extensive city — on paper — and is utilized at present by a woolen factory and pulp mills. The former manager, Thomas Brown, was shot one night in 1869, by the watchman to whom he had given strict orders to deal summarily with trespassers when discovered there. The watchman mistaking him for a burglar, after calling on him repeatedly to stop, fired, killing him almost instantly. At the head of the falls, on the north side, a massive tower- like bluff rises a hundred feet above the water ; the view from its summit is very fine. Luzerne Lake Is a sweet little gem, a pearl in a setting of emerald, lying at quite an elevation above the village proper, a great crystal drop on the hill side, kept there by a narrow embankment through which the outlet finds its way, and after amusing itself among several sets of water-wheels, “A willowy brook that turns a mill,” it passes out into the Hudson and to the sea. One little island graces the center of the lake, and gaily painted boats float on its waters. Its shores are broken in alternate strips of wood and meadow, rising up sharp and bold on the east ; a pretty opening and a wooded bluff on the south ; a stretch of alder covered intervale to the north, beyond which we see the round crest of old Potash Kettle. On the west is gently sloping shores, rolling meadow lands, pleasant private cot- tages and The Wayside Hotel. This is comparatively a new house, an imposing pile, three, four, five or six stories high, although just exactly which it is not easy to determine, for the windows stick up through the roof at various altitudes and the roof hangs down around Luzerne. 150 the windows, and you are fairly demoralized in trying to sepa- rate them from the porches, balconies, stairways, gables, sharp peaks and dull peaks, acute angles and obtuse angles that are displayed i*n that remarkable building — “Anglo Swiss,” the Colonel calls it ; a reformed Dutch sort of an affair, but a very good wayside to fall by, if one must fall at all. The interior corresponds with its exterior; roomy, rambling, airy, original, summery in its look, with delightfully pleasant parlors, dining room and office, and a lovely outlook from the piazza that extends on two sides, and the various balconies above, over the waters of the little lake and the gently rolling meadow and woodland around. It has become quite a popu- lar resort under its originator and proprietor. Col. B. C. But- ler, author of “Lake George and Lake Champlain,” and sev- eral other productions of merit. Rockwell's Hotel, G. T. Rockwell & Son, proprietors, is down in the valley fronting on the single street that runs through the little vil- lage, and extending back to near the margin of the river that here presents one of the quietest, most charming bits of water scenery imaginable as you look up stream, then gath- ering on the brink of the fall, races downward over the rocks and away through the high walled chasm to where it joins the Sacandaga. The front is three stories in height and contains the office, parlors, etc. From this a long wing reaches back in which is the dining and other rooms suggested by it ; on the grounds with the same front as the hotel stands a very pretty cottage, and back toward the river, a large three story building divided up into pleasant high-walled rooms in suits, richly furnished and designed for parties who might prefer them to the more public places in the main building. Rockwell’s Hotel was established over forty years ago by the present head of the firm and has long been noted as one of the best “ feeding ” houses in the country ; is spotless and irreproachable in its table, furnished in the most substantial manner, beds that are of the very best kinds procurable, and in short it is one of the most thoroughly sensible hotels to be found anywhere ; it has earned for its proprietors a reputa- Luzerne. 151 tion for excellence that has made the name of Rockwell like that of Lcland — the synonym of all that is complete in that direction. The Senior Rockwell is a solid, pleasant-looking old gentle- man, who seems the very picture of health, and gives full directions how to become the same in a way that is very con- vincing to the listener, whether he decides to follow directions or not. “ Give a child all they want and any thing they want,” said he one day, when we interviewed him on the subject. “If chil- dren want cake, give it to them ; if they want preserves, give them preserves, and they won’t eat any more than they want as a general thing, no more than we older ones do ; then they wont feel, either, that they are denied a luxury, and the first chance they get to do it on the sly, make hogs of themselves for fear they never ’ll get another chance. Give ’em lots of exercise, and lots of pork too if they want it, and they never’ll die with the consumption, and while I’m speaking of it, pork is about the only thing necessary to take into the woods — pork and potatoes — the pork’s the best kind of seasoning in the world for fresh fish. I remember going in the woods with a man once, nice a man as ever lived, but one of those dainty fellows who would get sick if he smelt fried pork ; he took in extras of all kinds, dried beef, relishes, pies, and no end of cake ; well, it happened to rain a little, as it will some- times ; his things got wet, cake all soaked up, and some one sat down on his pies, and the poor fellow thought he would have to starve, and I just split.a trout open on the back, broiled it on a stick, at the same time letting the gravy drip from a piece of pork that I held just over it ; and he tried the fish, then a piece of the meat, and when we went out he could eat just as much salt pork as I could. I was born right across the river here ; there were twelve of us ; ten of us grew up and it never cost three dollars a year for doctor bills for the whole lot. In 1832 I started this hotel here, and kept it ever since with the help of my boys. You see what a family I have brought up ; I used to give them any thing they wanted to eat, as you noticed I did my little grand- child this morning ; I don’t think it ever made them sick, and 152 Luzerne. you see George is rather a healthy looking boy yet.” And he pointed to the “ boy ” who weighs a hundred and eighty if he does a pound, will carry his pack through the wilderness all day long and is one of the best posted as well as most successful hunters to be found in the great wilderness. The Wilcox House Is situated near the bank of the river, overlooking the falls and the gorge above the bridge. It is a large, pleasant-look- ing three story building added to the original front, and com- mands an extensive view of the valley up the river, affording a delightful promenade on the long piazzas, a stroll on the grounds, down among the rocks to the falls and along the rocky rim of the gorge below. The Wilcox House is patron- ized by the very first class of people, and is very quiet, orderly and home-like in its surroundings. It will accommodate about seventy guests. Terms, $14 to $17 per week. The Cascade House, John Peart, Jr., proprietor, is located on the west brink of the river, just below the bridge. It is three stories high, on the west, fronting the road, and four toward the river, with piazzas facing in either direction. From the east piazza the outlook is very fine, commanding a view of the gorge and bridge above, the pleasant shades of Indian Grove across on the opposite bank, Phelps’ Bay at the junction of the two streams and the river sweeping away until hidden by its wooded banks toward the south. The Cascade House is a new hotel, has earned flattering testimonials from its former guests, and has established an enviable reputation as a summer place during the short time it has been before the public. It has good accommoda- tions for sixty guests. Terms, per day, $3 ; per week, $14 to $21. (See page .) Combining the advantages of first-class hotels, churches, lovely drives, boating, hunting, fishing, and with all the facili- ties for approach which it possesses, Luzerne is a very popu- l.ar summer resort. It is nearly seven hundred feet above tide, and on account of its dry, pine-impregnated air, is favor- able for those liable to pulmonary troubles. Luzerne. 153 At the foot of the falls, in the deep water below the bridge, in the bay, and at various other points down the river, large bass and pickerel are often caught, and the trout streams around afford good sport for the expert, although the ordinary fisherman need not expect to find the speckled beauties very anxious to be caught in the neighborhood. History has been enriched somewhat by leaves from Luzerne. It was on the regular Indian trail from the great villages of the Mohawks to the head of Lake George. Here King Hen- drick and his braves encamped when on their way to join Johnson at the Lake in 1775, and it was also the route taken by Sir John Johnson, when he came from Canada for his buried treasures at Johnson Hall. Among its early settlers was Edward Jessup, after whom the landing below was named, and odd, old Ben Barrett, who was noted for his practical jokes, and to this day in that region if a “joke ” comes to light, whose paternity is unknown, it is at once ascribed to old Ben. Col. Butler relates in his pleasant accounts of early times that the old joker once rode a horse into Rockwell’s bar-room, took a drink, then rode out again ; at another time he saw a peddler carrying a basket of extracts and at once offered to bet a small sum that he could beat him across the bridge and carry his basket at the same time ; the bet was taken, for the basket was heavy, and they started. When midway in the course, Ben fell on the basket, breaking many of the bottles, and then solemnly admitted that he had lost, paid the bet, and left the brilliant peddler calculating how much he had made by the operation. He was also the one who bet with a man that he could throw him across the Hud- son river, at Albany, and when he failed the first time he seized and soused him in a second time, then a third, declaring that he would do it if it took him all day, until his victim was glad enough to get off on almost any terms. Mr. Rockwell gives some very interesting reminiscences of earlier times, and among them one that relates to this locality. When a boy he saw an old revolutionary soldier who, in 1777, with some others, was captured by the Indians near Lake George. They were then stripped of their clothing, their hands tied to stakes, and fires built around them, while 154 Luzerne. the savages gathered near to enjoy the sport. He soon man- aged to slip his hands out of the thongs that bound them, sprang through the flames, seized a little boy, who appeared to be the son of a chief, and before the astonished natives could help themselves, sprang back within the circle of fire once more. A rush was made to save the child, and in the confusion the white man dashed through the lines and made for the woods, with the yelling pack at his heels. He was a good runner and kept away from them, going through the valley where the road now runs toward Lake George, past the lake, past Rockwell’s, and down the steep bank back of the Wilcox House to a place just below the falls, where he jumped on a rock near the center of the river, thence to the opposite side, and climbed up the rocks, gaining the cover of the bushes on top, as the yelling savages appeared on the side he had just left. They then gave up the chase, appa- rently, for he heard nothing more from them, and succeeded in reaching his friends in safety. Drives There are a great many beautiful drives around Luzerne, the miniature grandeur — if I may be allowed the expression, for it seems but a reduced copy of grand mountain groups and ridges — of the river above, and quiet beauty of the scen- ery below, offers rare contrasts and scenes in keeping with every mood. One especially lovely trip is down along the west shore of the river, that is here almost always in a quiet mood where the trees that hang over the glossy stream appears no more perfect than those below, to Palmer Falls, then returning to Jessup’s Landing, cross, in the primitive style of olden times, in a scow that is held from floating down with the stream, by a rope stretched from shore to shore, and pass up on the east side. Another, to which a full day should be given, is to Lake George, passing over a beautifully diversified road of hill and dale, past old Potash Kettle, with its foreground of lily- covered ponds. And still another over the mountain to Glens Falls, occasionally catching rare mountain views from the higher points ; but the lover of nature cannot go amiss. Luzerne. 155 and it has just occurred to me, although it may seem some- what paradoxical, some lovers cannot go without a miss — in which case the scenery plays a very unimportant part in the programme. Trains run to and from Saratoga twice daily, through the summer. For catalogue of photographs, see Appendix. North of Luzerne the road runs up along the river, at times crowded close against its brink, as the valley narrows down, and the mountains grow more abrupt and precipitous ; past Thurman, where stages are taken for Lake George, nine miles distant, and at last reach Riverside. Riverside is 28 miles from Luzerne, and 50 from Saratoga, where the cars are left for Chestertown and Schroon Lake, otherwise the place is of little interest, save in the graceful suspension bridge, which is here thrown across from shore to shore, built by the towns interested, that are separated by the river. North Creek Is seven miles further, the road, winding and turning along up the rapid river, at times by the water’s edge, at others, running along high above it on the side. Here are saw-mills, and a very fine hotel, with accommodations for about 60 guests, kept by M. F. Coleman. From North Creek to Blue Mountain Lake, it is but about thirty miles, half of the distance being over a good road, and when, as is suggested, the road be improved the entire distance, and a line of coaches be put on, it will make one of the most direct routes into the great wilderness ; at present the usual route from this direc- tion, is from North Creek to Kellogg’s, at Long Lake, 34 miles distant, going via Minerva and Newcomb. CHESTERTOWN 5 a thriving little village of about 600 inhabitants, containing four churches — Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and Catholic — several stores and mills, and the large tanneries of C. H. Faxon. Tanning furnishes the principal employment for this part of the country, the raw hides being brought by rail and wagon from Albany, and the cities south, east and west, made into leather and returned the same way, the cost of transporting them to places where hemlock bark is easily obtained, being less than that of carrying the bark out. Chestertown is five miles from the railroad at Riverside, about the same distance from Pottersville, at the north, and 18 miles from Lake George, over a good plank road most of the way. It has quite an elevation above the sea, the at- mosphere is dry and invigorating, the surrounding country picturesque, with its many little lakes, valleys and rolling hills, that at places rise into quite respectable mountains, and the village itself has a thrifty, wide-awake, well-fed sort of look, suggestive of good fare, even the churches contributing to this idea by their spires, which resemble well sharpened tooth-picks, all of which brings around to the ultimate object of all this skirmishing, the Chester Hotel. It is oftener called Downs’ Hotel, because its proprietor, M. H. Downs, is better known throughout the country than the simple name of the house. He built the hotel at Potters- ville in 1856, which soon became a popular resort, and in 1867, came to Chestertown, taking charge of the house occupied at present, which he has made one of the most popular of sum- mer resorts for parties who enjoy hunting and fishing in a mild, easy sort of way. Chestertown. 157 The situation of the hotel is very pleasant, being on the highest land in the village, over which it looks, commanding it and the entire country around ; is three stories high, with a cool, pleasant, attractive look in its large windows and pleasant piazzas, and will provide for 140 guests. Water is conducted into the house through pipes laid from a cold, never-failing spring on the side of Panther mountain. The sleeping accommodations are excellent ; the table excep- tionally good, and, in short, it is kept by Downs who, for a jovial, accommodating, “sympathetic" old-time landlord, who enters heartily into all your plans, rejoices with you when you are happy, and weeps with you when your tears flow, has no peer in the wide world. Friends Lake Is 2 miles west of Chestertown ; the outlet is crossed at the foot of the lake by the road that runs to Riverside ; thence sweeping away to the north, and west it turns back and is again crossed where the Pottersville road unites with this. Loon Lake is also in a westerly direction 1% miles distant ; this is a very pretty lake, and good fishing. ScHROON River, outlet of Schroon lake, is about 2 miles east. Brant Lake is 2 miles further, affording splendid fishing, while Lake Pharaoh, Thirteen miles away, between Schroon Lake and Lake George, has long been noted for its quantities of large trout ; it lies high up among the hills at the base of the mountain bearing the same name, and is the best fishing-ground for miles around. Panther Mountain Is south-east of the house, an abrupt, dark wooded hill, nearly level on its summit, from which a grand sweep of mountains and forests can be seen, with lakes and ponds, and the strong Adirondacks away to the north and west. Spruce Mountain Is passed over — or rather up, for the village is at about the same elevation — through a narrow defile, on the road from 158 Chestertown. Lake George, with a gradual ascent for some ways, that is very wild and broken in places ; once it was covered with a heavy growth of spruce, but in the summer of 1854, a fire swept through our northern forests ; for days the smoke hung thick and stifling over the entire land, and Spruce Mountain was stripped of its glory. In some places a thin growth of poplar, in conformity with a law of nature that decides when one class of timber is removed from any spot that another kind shall take its place, is growing ; in others the mountain is almost without life, the white bleached stones gleaming among the blackened trunks of trees still standing, or piled together in inextricable confusion, suggesting the ghastly ruins of a dead world. "I came through there in August of ’54,” said Mr. Downs, “ when, in places, the woods, and even the plank of the road, was on fire. I was on my way home from below, and when I reached Fort Edward I got a letter saying that there was a young lady — a very yonwg lady — at Schroon, who wanted to see her pa, very bad ; this was news, as I never’d been called ‘ pa ’ before. So I determined to gratify her. The stages had stopped running, couldn’t get through, they told me I’d regret it if I tried it, but the young lady wanted to see me and 1 started; all the woods were on fire. Coming up Spruce Mountain I had a pretty hard time of it, trees burning along side of the road, plank black and still smoking, sometimes it was so hot that I could hardly stand it — fairly singed the hair off my horse two or three times — but I got through at last and found the young lady, as nice a baby as you ever saw. But I tell you sir it was a terrible time, lots of people burned out of house and home all through here ; old Mr. Root, above here, at Schroon river, was out fighting fire, and didn’t have his clothes off for two weeks, and one family had to take to the ponds and keep ducking their heads under to save their lives. Every thing was so dry that a spark would start it all going ; fires would spring up all around without any apparent cause, and the fire seemed to be blown across the valleys, actually jumping from mountain to mountain, and the smoke was so thick for days that we couldn’t see the sun at all ; it was a terrible time, sir, a / AND CURIOSITIES GENERALLY, TOQBTHBR VVITH EVIT THING COmCTED WITH THE PEOTOGRMC ART. RIGH/\RD W/\LZL’S ^It 0 t 05 rapte palace, 46 NORTH CHARLES STREET, BALTIMORE, MD. FINE PHOTOfiSAPHT IN ALl, ITS BRANCHES, EXECUTED IN STTLE OF SUPERIOR EXCELLENCE. photogra^ltu latmals AND AT WHOLESALE. ♦ ♦ Three Medals have been awarded this Establishment for its Superior Productions. W. MOULD &/SON, Btt) I I p#> > ' { t BOOKSELLER^ AND STATIONERS, i M IW DBALEB3 lie TT* mi iiews, V CIGARS, COWFECTIOITERY, &c., &c., MOULD’S BLOCK, KEESEVILLE, N. Y. MODESTY Is becoming, and may be indulged in with impunity, so long as it does not interfere with business ; but fearing that longer silence may be construed into an acknowledgment of inferiority, and relying on the honesty of connoisseurs, as wM as my own judg- ment, I can and do say that I have the best photographic views of Lake George and Ausable Chasm ever published, consisting of 600 Stereographs, 100 8;rio Photographs, 100 \\x\\ Photographs, many of them designed especially as * Studies for Artists. Also views (all sizes) of Lake Cha^nplain, Glens Falls, Luzerne, etc. The stereoscopic views are known as the “ Crystal,” are of the large size, mounted on heavy cards, with titles on the front, and will be sold at $2.50 per doz. ; small size at $2.00 and $1.20 per doz. ; Zxio photographs $1.00 each ; 1 1x14 photographs $1.50 each. A map of Ausable Chasm accompanies each dozen views of that region. They are for sale on the Steamer Minne-ha-ha, Steamer Ganouskie, At the Fort William Henry Hotel, Lake House, Crosbyside, Mohican House, Fort Ticonderoga Hotel, Fouquet’s Hotel, Plattsburgh, By W. G. Baldwin, Keeseville, Crittenden & Cowles, Glens Falls, S. G. Boyd, Glens Falls, E. & H. T. Anthony & Co,, New York, and by dealirs generally. Catalogues sent free on application, with stamp inclosed. Speci- men leaves on page 177 and others. Address S. R. Stoddard, Glens Falls, N. Y. s. f Date Due NQV 24 989 Unu 1 ' ' - fttTT n ) - ' * ■V •<'■■ - 1 \ i.ti s jn /.f,< (*^ / V . ‘ / u\ K t < < ' " BOSTON COLLEGE 3 9031 57 56438 BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. Books may be kept for two weeks and may be renewed for the same period, unless re- served. Two cents a day is charged for each book kept overtime. If you cannot find what you want, ask the L/ibrarian who will be glad to help you. The borrower is responsible for books drawn on his card and for all fines accruing on the same.