Qass. Book. COPYRIGHT DbPOSiT Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/glimpsesofstlawrOOtayl (i UMPSES DOWN THE yp— Mr m i mft immi rr w r- wmm'wyt i i iniwiwii r ini GLEN MOUNTAIN HOUSE, WATKINS CLEN, N. Y. W o Da IT H C L z z o u Q U o < z < 2 Watkins Glen is rcichcd from llu- Thousaiui Im.hmis \ i.i im; Ulica & Hl:u k River R. R. to Ulica and ihcncc to Geneva ii|)on the N. Y. Cenlral R. R., or from Capo \'iii' tiii via the Rome, VValeriown iV OKdcnsburK R. R. to Syracuse and thence to (iencva, where steamer upon Seneca Lake meets trains, and affords a |)icturesque voyage of forty miles to Watkins upon this lovely inland siicct of water. P.iriirs lirsiring to cngat^e nidins please adilress A. .J. MICHENER, Phoprtetor. .xj ■i/'ijDcfC.M./:. " Nature never did betray The heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege, Through all the years of this our life, to lead From joy to joy; for she can so inform The mind that is within us, so impress With quietness and beauty, and so feed With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues. Rash judgments, nor sneers of selfish men. Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all The dreary intercourse of daily life. Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb Our cheerful faith that all which we behold Is full of blessing." ,<>• .V" ^ 0-- y ./I \>^ GLIMPSES '1^ -^e> AMONG THE ISLANDS. THE RAPIDS, IN CANr.^..'.-. CI 1S&4, N I'reaking literary ground for rearing the strKcture of a book descriptive of the nature of siimnier-life upon the St. Lawrence River, the writer admits a sense of keen satisfaction in the 7<.'ork at hand. Jf'riting with a pen somewhat given to random disser- tations upon things and places, both North and South, 7chere the path'waxs of pleasure-travel are trod the hardest, one might easily drop into the sin of hackneyed phrases. There is no inspiration in the sky of the gray December day upon which this is icritten, and memory, which ever responds in pleasurable sympathy to thoughts of dog- day experiences atnong the Thousand fslands, can scarce be trusted to presently set forth in proper relief the many individually unimportant but collectively vital minor inci- dents -which go to make up the grand total of our theme. ft is fortunate, therefore, that the present icork is but the compilation and harmonious dovetailing of many memo- randa pencilled under the fleeting inspiration of the hours of which they tell, while our pictures are the faithful refle.x of photographs and sketches then a nil there made. The pages to come may, therefore, be trusted to fairly tell their tale, and to give the stranger, loho floats for the first time iloii'n the broad and limpid outflow of the lakes, ti foretiiste of the glories tohich ai^'ait him. f'erhaps, too, there may be some things neio to the old lialtilur, and, doubtless, there iire many good things left untold, for loant of room, or by the oversight of one who wets, not long ago, himself a strange/- to this most 7('ond/r>us and varied of American summer resorts. I' III'. AI'IJJOK. Nkw Ymkk. D<( . isih, 1BS3. h AWRBNeE IV&R. " Dame Nature once, while coating well This fiery mass o'er which we dwell, Had surplus left of ends and outs. These masses vast in ruin thrown. By streamlet worn and moss o'ergrown, In winrowed heaps lie hereabouts." IMONG the j^ossibilities in which the "coming man" naay rejoice during his tender j^ears, there is room for a " geography of resorts." There is no other subject upon whicli the average American is so ill-informed as that of the general location of the pleasant and wonderful places of our land. Perhaps we should not expect too much of this present generation, for only just now are we beginning to ^^ api^reciate and make use of the mar- ^-. velous richness of scenery with which ^„ our country is crowded. There seems IJ little excuse, however, for the very = general haziness of knowledge which __ ^,„_^^^_, ^ _-rr" ^ have been ijained to discover as to J. ^IH^^E^^^^^ the quarter of the globe in which _,5r- ,^_^ __ "^^mK^T^^-'S^ : the Thousand Islands are located, or ^^^,=m= =^ jg^*f^^^^gL. even where the peerless St. Lawrence „ . .-^^j^ -.£^^B=;j^^^^^^ zS^ _ stretches its shining and jeweled - -"^ -""" -- -' '^^_^^~~ ..^. -.^ . ■ length, whence its source and where- — ~"~~ "~ ~ unto it flows. I have heard fellow-travelers plan to spend one and the same day at Niagara Falls and Alexandria Bay. I have been asked if the St. Lawrence was in Maine, and if Mt. Desert was not the largest of the Thousand Island group ; while a very large number of people are firmly of the behef that all of the islands are below Montreal. One— only one— very fresh traveler once inquired of me if foot-bridges connected all of the islands. From the foregoing it will be seen that the most important and foremost feature herein contained is the settlement of exact location. Know, then, that the St. Lawrence River is the volume of the overflow of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, together with that of all their bays and tributary rivers. Its course is in a general northeastern direction. From the point of its debouchere from Lake Ontario to the crossing of the 45th parallel at Cornwall, it forms the boundary line between New York State and the Province of Ontario, Canada, a distance of eighty-five miles. For a further distance of a trifle more than four hundred miles it leads through the Canadian provinces of Montreal, Three Rivers and Quebec. The final two hundred miles, or nearly all of that portion below the City of Quebec, is practically a vast sound, varyirg in width from six or eight to thirty miles. The reader is here referred to the table of distances to be found upon another page. Oui- present undertaking deals chiefly with that portion of the river of the greatest interest to the touiist, all of it above Montreal and embracing the Thousand Islands and the series of rapids. The St. Lawrence River presents some features which are unique. Being the outflow of the great inland seas, its water is always perfectly pure. It is never subject to floods. Its attractions as a resort for angling and fishing with the spoon are now efliciently protected by law, while the vast depths of Ontario and the efforts of the St. Lawrence Anglers' Association give assm-ance that the supply of game fish will not be appreciably diminished in coming years. The prevailing winds during the summer season sweep down upon the islands purified by their passage over the resinous Canadian forests and over the wide expanse of the lake, reaching the nostrils of the happy islanders dry and bracing and cool. It has been noted by observant visitors that among the islands in the mid-summer season there is no dew at night, although upon the mainland, a mile or so back from the river, it is at times quite heavy. This fact is explained in the same manner as the existence of the well-known thermal belt along Niagara Eiver, where, upon a naiTow ribbon of land along the stream, tlie frost never kills the peach germs, being disturbed and prevented from forming by the current of air, sometimes almost imperceptible, induced by the moving of the stream. Among the islands of the St. Lawrence, and esijecially the portion above Wellsley Island, the great width of the river, averaging some nine miles, reduces the current to a pace hardly noticeable. It is sufficient, however, to prevent the dew from forming ui'ion the contiguous land. This is a land of rocks and rills. There are no malarial wastes of standing water, and even the pestiferous mosquito, when he does appear, which is only after unusual periods of wet weather, loses the confidence and frisky assurance which lias made liim tlie terror of the Jersey coast. The Thousand Island region is practically an estuary of Lake Ontario, ]>rojected from its eastern extreme, and thickly strewn with rocky islets of all shapes and sizes covered (as a journalistic friend of mine recently put it in the Neir York Tinu'-s) with Cliristmas trees. The actual numlier of the islands, when considered as fragments of soil or rock projected above the surface of the water, is dependent largely upon the slight effect of a dry or a wet season, a fall of a foot in the depth of the river adding very materially' to the count. In the Treaty of Ghent the islands are oflScially stated as numbering 1692. Between and among these thri'.-id inniiiiMTnlilc clKiinicls. lin-c iniuriiig ;i swill aiMJ crystal tide through some jjent-uji chasm, and there forming in deep, ttilly pools imik h loved by the wary black bass, 'neath the shadow of some castellated crag. These every-varying features, and the constant change of vista alTorded the voyager, overflowing ;it every turn with une.\i)ected in.stances of those coiidiiiiatidns of wattT, laiiii .iikI s1<\ \\ hiili we recognize as bciiuliriil. Ilusc tii;ikc up llic cli.iriii and glory of tiic ujjpcr St. Lawrence River. Much has been said by a multitude of writers concerning the rapids of tlic St. Lawrence, down which the large and staimcli iiassenger steamers daily pcrfnun liirir exciting and appai'cntly ])erilous descent. These ra|)ids an^ seven in niinilnr. :iiiii are divided by intervals of smooth waters and broad lakes. Between (he passage ot (lie Ijong Sault and the Lachiue there is an interval in voyaging down stream of about five hours. The return is made by all c'raft a ion rid I lie lapids lliroii;;li a series of costly canals. Montreal is built at the iinniese iiii(hT tiie shadow of the fort. Its admirable site \\ ill thus Ic appn-ciated. It presj-nts to the visitor who cliiiibs (he s(cc|) a<(livity llic ;i|i|h .ir.iiKc dI a scientific work. Its trench is cut upon three siC a .stonning- party a h.ird one. Several huge Htone chiiniieys. the mdy features seen liDin I lie ii\c r. si ill iii.irk I he site of fonnr-r f>arraeks and cook-hou.ses. A single oak tiniher of the sallyp"it still bridges the treneli; h;inly Hhniblx'ry grows where (lie otlicers' (piarters stoo0> OVVltt Pr0M ^IAGARA pALLS T0 RlAYTGN. Beside Ontario's leaping tide, Past bay and creek and town, Through wood and field, we swiftly ride To the river flowing down. VIA THE STEAMBOAT EXPRESS. H E Steamboat Express, which is a part of tlie tlirouj^h route via the St. Lawrence River to Montreal, leaves Niagara Falls every evening except Saturday at 7.50, and brings travelers over the Lake Shore Division of the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad and a short section of the Utica and Black River Railroad from Philadelphia Junction, to the thriving town of Clayton, at 6 a.m., nraking close and certain connection with the steamer Rotliesay, of the "American Line." The sleeping cars used u^jon this line are exceptionally comfortable, having no upper berths. As many travelers prefer making their transits by daylight, a short description of this route is in order. VIA CAPE VINCENT. The morning express train eastward passes down along Niagara River, through the historic little town of Lewiston, and then keeps eastward, skirting the southern margin of Lake Ontario, affording many pleasant glimpses of the comfortable and prosperous home life of the farming population of Western New York. At Charlotte, the port of Rochester (which large and beautiful city is only seven miles inland), the mouth of the Genesee River is crossed upon a massive iron drawbridge. A short distance beyond the train crosses the sand bar which guards the entrance of Iron- dequoit Bay, a place of jiopular resort from Rochester, famous for its fishing. Parties desiring to stop over here will find good fare and boats with fishing tackle at the ''Sea Breeze" or "Newport." A stop of forty minutes is made at Oswego, where dinner may be had at either the excellent Lake Shore Hotel, at the depot, or at the Doolittle, up-town, famous for its "deep rock" water. Oswego has many attractions in reserve for the chance visitor. Continuing eastward a junction is made at Richland with the train upon the Syracuse Division. The next important place is Watertown, which deserves more than a passing notice. Watertown is one of the prettiest and most enterprising of the cities of northern New York. Its name is characteristic. A superb water-power is furnished by the impetuous and rock-bound Black River, which courses down from the hills, and in passing through the city develops one of the finest cascades in the State. Just below, a rather picturesque suspension bridge affords a near view ; but a more extended scene, with the fall and bridge for a central feature, may be enjoyed from the windows of the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad trains going northward, just as they approach the depot. The business portion of Watertown fronts on a large open space, wisely reserved by the founders of the town " for public uses forever." Watertown has an "arcade," once a popular feature in many towns of the State. i6 Broad and sli.-iily ini'iiucs lead away I'loiM llir <(|iiai('. ;ind man}' of Ihc lnm^cs nT the citiznl has its rcmi- l^i, i'''^^f~^'^-Ws:\^^^^^J^'i^'^^'^'"ti- i?|3 nisceiK-es: Was first settled *" —*"***■ -^^s^^^^^- - // .^^ jj point about two miles below tlie ])vesent railroad depot. Tile first liouse was built by Abijah Putnam in 18U1. Some traces of the old village site are yet to be found. In 1804 Mr. Putnam sold to John Ma- combs aud Peter Sternberg, who at once drew the plans for a town. The names of the streets running parallel with the river were Water Street, First. Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh streets. At right angles with these were Green, Montgomery. Herkimer, Washington, Jefferscm, Clinton and Hancock. The town was laid out in the form of a parallelogram, with a public square of live or six acres in the center, with jjublic l)uildings on the u]»pcr side lacing the river. It was a very pleasant lofality, Imt under (lie inlliiriic(- of LcKay the site was abandnncil jud tlie im.'sent village locnhd ni isij. J',,r many years a block-house stood on llu' abandonerl site. In 1H18. liowever, came an increase to the i)oi)nla1ion in ttic sha])c of 'several prominent French families, who became invohcd in l IhmIow iil.ill ol NmixiIcoh. .iinl ni.idc Capr- Vincent their i)laco of refuge. \Vc have no itrcsenl mcansof arriving al llic names of all till- French settlers of tliat period, but among them wereCJoimt h'eal and bis Hon-in-hiw General Rolland, Caniille Arnaud, Jermaux. Pigeon, and Louis I'engnet. They r/o say thai the project was mooted by these worliiv relainers of Ibe fallen (•((Hipieror tt) bring him hither, if possible, from St. Helena. I)nl t In v prolcihly coik hnlrd tliat it would have been too close to British territory. The new steamer .S7. Lairroicr makes two imiuhI irip Hay and ( 'ai)e Vincent, the former being tin? st.ulin- |jihiiI. The boat leaves the C'ape at once upon arrivjd ol Imil tniinH. Cro.ssing the l)road channel she passes clcsc nndi r iIm - Island, thu.s avoiding the dangerous Fcfather-lx-d Shoals, .ilioxc wlii roll angrily when the wind blows in freshlv from (lie i;ike. ij.i il \ bel ween A l('\;ilidria III I in;; .•nui ex ciiing iijiiw oil '.-ir-lrlon I I ill' w liile c.-ips 19 The sixteen miles voyage to Clayton gives the stranger but little evidence of the great summer population to be found below Clayton. There are but few cottages in view until the rounded promontory of Prospect Park is passed. The most notable exception is at '-Woodlands," where the large and costly villa owned by Mrs. T. N. Howard, of New York, stands upon the green hillside half smothered in its rich environment of verdure. Clayton is a compact and busy place. It presents its very worst front to the stranger coming from up the river, who will, if allowed to go away upon the hurryino- boat still influenced by his baleful first impressions, hardly commend Clayton as a summer resort. It would be money in Clayton's pocket if she would demolish a few of the rickety warehouses along her front and repair some of the ancient wharves, in short, if she would "dress up for company." If the stranger will only go ashore, however, and acquaint himself with the neat and shady streets, and try the fare at either of the excellent hotels — the Hubbard, Walton or West End — he will be led to think far better of the bright little town and its busy people. Clayton is the northern terminvis of the Utica & Black River Railroad, and through sleepers arrive here every morning from Niagara Falls — as already noted — and also later in the inorning from New York, which is only thirteen hours distant via Utica and Albany. S'l^ fel. * 6. R. Route The sky there blushes a rosy tint, AVhere rays of sunshine the morning glint: And the sheen of the moon, when evening bends. In brilliant lustre to earth descends. The stars then glitter with gayer beams When night lets her drapery fall in cb-earas, And the links that fetter our fancy break As we gaze on the wonders, but half awake. SLEEPING-CAR leaves New York from the Graud Central Depot ever}' evening except Saturday during the year, attached to the 9 p.m. express, and going- north and west via Albany, reaches Utica at 5 a.m., where it is attached to the 5.15 a.m. express tram upon the Utica and Black River Railroad. In the summer season it goes through to Clayton. The balance of the year it is taken to Lowville, the breakfast station. By taking this car, New Yorkers are brought through to the river in thirteen hours, or returned to New York in a little more than the same time. Passengers going north upon the '' West Shore " route are transferred across the city of Utica by coach in tune to connect with this early train. Tlie U. & B. R. route touches Trenton Falls which, by virtue of its great beauty, should be as well known as Watkins Glen or Ausable Chasm, but is but little visited, its present proprietor doing nothing to urge its claims upon the public, beyond the com- fortable entertainment of those who chance to stop, and for whose convenience a coach is usually on hand to meet trains, and a day devoted to the precipitous canon of Trenton creek will not be spent m vain. Alder Creek, Boonville and Port Leyden are points from which hunting and fronting parties usually enter the " big woods "' upon the western water-slied of the Adirondacks. At Lowville tlie passenger may safely count ii|i(im a niost cxcellfnl meal: the col- fee, that important factor of a breakfast, being miirminly noixi. Carthage, a large and active place, is tlie ]n>iiii di iuiulinn witli the Watcrtowii division of the road, wliich continues on to Sackdls I larlnii . w liidi is still a garrison town for United States troops. At Tlieresa Juiu-tion the (Jlayton liiaii
  • on arrival of the train at (Mayton j):iHscng('rs will iiml I lie carriaucs nl llie several lofal hotels in waiting, and those Ijound down the ri\rr Icavi' al oner upon the Hteainer Maf/iKiril. The ferry-l)oat Piirifioi also leaves lor ( iaiiaii(i(|iie. tuakiiig the (Jrand Trunk |{ailway connection. Many Western readers, coming Eastward, wish to visit Watkins (ilcn as well as the Thou.san«l Islands. It will save time and travel for sucli persons if they will go ea.stward to (Jeneva riipon tlie Anbnrn Division of tlw N. Y. ('. & II. R. R. R.), and tlience by Hte;ini> T ii)piiii Scuiia Lake In W'alkins. From Watkins to the 'i'lir)nsan(l Islands the most din. i mnlc is by steamer to (ieneva, and thence by N. Y. ('. & H R. R. It. to Syracuse, nnl iimiIIi Io (!;ipe Vinct^nt fiver the Home. Watertown & f)g I'liia ami ikmIIi ii|>iiii the Utica & Black Riv.r H. U. A pleasant round triji fi'im .New ^'oik reads \ i;i Watkins |o Niagara I'alls, and No. 1.— NEAR CAPE VINCENT AND KINGSTON. theuce eastward to Clayton uiion the R. W. & O. Steamboat Express, or via Toronto upon the Grand Trunk Railway, reaching the islands at Gananoque. Thousands to whom the beauties of Watkins Glen are familiar, are pleased to renew their experiences of past years, and the millions who are jot to see the mar- velous Glen are coming in increasing numbers each successive season. For the leisurely traveler from New York, one of the most charming of i^ossible trips northward is thr following: Via the West Shore to Kingston, upon the Hudson, thence westward over the Ulster & Delaware R. R., penetrating the southern and western Catskills to Stamford. The ride throughout is extremely picturesque. At Stamford excellent livery arrange- ments are made to take passengers to Cooperstown Junction, a pleasant ride, over good roads, of twenty -one miles. Teanas thus engaged connect with the train from Coop- erstown Junction to Otsego Lake, arriving at the Cooper House at 6.30 p. m. All who visit historic Cooperstown testify gladly to the beauty of its environment, charni of its traditions, so beautifully given the world by the gifted novelist, J. Feni- more Cooper, whose "Leather-Stocking" tales are largely located in the vicinity of this, his home. Pleasuring Americans, too, are not slow to appreciate the excellence of the famous Cooper House, now under the popular management of its owner, the veteran hotel man, Mr. S. E. Crittenden. Otsego Lake is the peer of any among the lake gems that are found in Central New York. Its waters are pui-e and deep, its tish gamey, and its glades cool and wild. Stop here a few days if you can, and then go up the lake upon one of the swift little steamers, taking a conveyance to Richfield Springs, another well-known lake-side resort of this region, which is connected with Utica by rail. Thence to the Islands is a direct run over the LT. & B. R. R. R., as herein set forth. xh 11 V/';;.:'r-^(-— TH^ WMUKRD. Pr0M LAYTON TO Grandly flowing: grandly flowing! To the sea. Is a river, noble river. Dear to me. Here the native once his quiver Formed ol bark, And the Mohican his war-cry Raised at dark. Here the wild deer swam the waters, Terrified: And the red man from his bark-boat Pierced its side. 6 AY. )) A W N ibshevs iu tlie beginning of the througli travelers triji tlown the river, fcir liiiig licf'orc six o'clock a. ni. the I'ar-away whistle of the steamboat- express whicli h'ft Niagara Falls the ovcnijig before, is heaid away off toward Lafarge- \ illc. upon the Utica & Black River Railroad, and soon the irain of ''slee])ers" are pnlled iu close alongsiilc 111 IIk' wailing A'o//ie.sa//, and shortly the siilnlucd niar of escaping steam ceases, a ^hoii M-rcniptory signal is given at tlie wliistlc, and the stately craft is oil', heading away dinclly lir h'ouiid Island, the first stoi)ping-i)oint. Tlie Main ail of ]»assengers takes full possessimi my cabin, stowing tlicir inii>ctanee until they up all to Die c^LVlv^L^ \sv\'sq — 3VJVi\vAt"R wowt ov ur. cvaks. g. twtw 24 give the impression of being continuous coast line. Not so : they are threaded by many devious and charming channels. The roimded promontory astern, just above Clayton, upon the mainland, is Prospect Park, u-hieh will no doubt, some day be well dotted with summer bouses. The cottage upon Calumet Island, immediately opposite Clayton, is that of Mr. Chas. G. Emery of New York City, and above it is ex-Lieut. -Governor Alvord's place. As Round Island is approached the graceful proportions of the large hotel in its centi-e is revealed through interstices in the dense foliage along its shores, and be- ginning with ■• Ethelridge." the cozy property of Dr. Geo. D. Whedon. of Syracuse, there is a charming succession of pretty, brightly-painted cottages all along the cliff- like frnntage of wha rf is niid- i.sland, protected sault.s of storms iKlaiid, whifli is in front. Rouik favorite pf>int wisely defer treal until they islan- h (• r f . t h e observant voyaged