MOHICAN POINT ON LAKE GEORGE ^„6ei^ { / (■ '^..^ ^ ;,/..XJ^ 7]:}i^-e'^^^^''*^' MOHICAN POINT ON LAKE GEORGE The Summer Home of Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Bixby of St. Louis, Mo. With a Brief Glance at the History of the Lake :/J . Y "^ W> Hr^ SAMSON New York PRIVATELY PRINTED 1913 G 3 S;5 ONE OF 200 COPIES PRINTED EXCLUSIVELY FOR PRIVA'ra DISTRIBUTION FOR PRIVATB ^ ^ Scenes must be beautiful, which, daily viewed. Please daily, and whose novelty survives Long knowledge and the scrutiny of years. — Cowper. CONTENTS Page In Explanation 9 Lake George . 11 Visit of Champlain 14 Discovery of Lake George 16 Name of the Lake . 19 Military Events 22 County of Warren . 26 Town of Bolton 28 Mohican House 36 Docks at Bolton 46 The Cottages , 48 The Grounds 49 Sports .... 53 In Other Days 58 IN EXPLANATION Mohican Point, at Bolton Landing on Lake George, is the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Bixby of St. Louis. This book is a modest attempt to describe it and its surroundings, and to gratify the natural curiosity of those who, having admired the most beautiful part of Lake George, have inquired into its history. The original intention was to limit the sketch to Mohican Point and the town of Bolton, but the writer has broken through these bounds and has outlined briefly the history of the lake itself. It was difficult to resist the temptation to do this, for no part of the United States is richer in historical events and associations. Most of the illustrations are from original photo- graphs. A section of a government map gives the contour levels and the place names in the vicinity of Bolton. LAKE GEORGE E.E GEORGE, far famed as the most beautiful of American lakes, has long been celebrated in song and story. For almost a century it has been the favorite resort of American artists, poets, and lovers of Nature, and it has been admired by tourists from all parts of the world, who have called it the "Como of America," or compared it favorably with the famous lakes of England and Scotland. Like Como and Windermere, it has the character of a noble river flanked by highlands, and it winds so gracefully by its many rocky islands that, at a single view, only a small portion of it can be seen, unless one climbs to the summit of a mountain, when, indeed, the whole lake lies in beauty below. Lake Champlain stretches away to the north, the Hudson glistens like a silver thread to the south, the Adiron- dacks loom up in the west and the White Mountains lie to the east, and all about the green hills roll like gigantic billows. As one sails over the lake, he is charmed by the scenes of exquisite beauty that unfold in rapid succession. The sparkling water, the brilliant sunshine, the rich verdure on the hills, and, at times, the dark, rolling clouds as a storm gathers on the mountains, all give beauty to a wonderful and ever-changing picture. The lake is a little more than thirty-two miles long and has a maximum width, measured due east and west across the tip of Tongue Mountain, of 3.3 miles. In general, it is very much narrower. The 11 greatest depth of water (a little less than 200 feet) is found east of Dome Island at Bolton. The lake is 322 feet above tidewater. It flows northeast and discharges into Lake Champlain at Ticonderoga, where the total descent in rapids and two picturesque falls is 221 feet. For half a century the statement was current that Lake George contained 365 islands, or one for each day of the year; the actual number, however, is not far from 225. Most of them are small. The largest is Long Island, which is often mistaken for the eastern shore; the highest is Dome Island; and perhaps the most famous is Diamond Island, not only because of the beautiful crystals of quartz, hardly surpassed by any in the world for trans- parency, which were formerly found in great abun- dance, but because of the military events which occurred there. Harbor Islands have the most tragic history. It was there that Parker's detach- ment was slaughtered by the French on the night of July 24, 1757; 131 were killed and more than 200 were captured, of whom a few were rescued by Montcalm, and the rest were tortured by his Indian allies. Since 1872 these islands have been owned by the Paulist Fathers, who have erected a chapel there, and occasionally occupy the islands as a camp. Many of the islands are owned by the State, and, by observing a few simple and reasonable regulations, may be occupied by citizens at will, though permanent structures may not be erected. 12 Within the past twenty years, many handsome summer residences, surrounded by beautiful gardens and velvety lawns, have been built on the western shore of the lake, and there has been an improve- ment in the hotels to accommodate the constantly mcreasing throng of summer visitors. Of these, the best known are Fort William Henry hotel at the head of the lake, the Sagamore, on Green Island at Bolton, and the Rogers Rock hotel, at the foot of the lake. The launches and steamboats owned by summer residents are numerous and hand- some; two large steamers make daily trips up and down the lake; a Country Club adds to the enjoy- ment of the visitors; the new State roads make motoring a pleasure; and Lake George grows steadily in popularity as a summer resort. No lake in America is so rich in historical associa- tions. The Indians fought on its waters and its / islands and pursued the deer on its mountains long / before the white man came. From the earliest days of its recorded history, it was part of the great water route between Canada and New York, the control of which, being of supreme importance, was des- perately fought for, first by the Indians of Canada and the Iroquois of New York, then by the French and EngHsh, and finally by the English and the Colonists. It was often the chosen battle-ground of the French and English; magnificent armies have floated on its bosom and their cannon have awak- ened the echoes of its mountains. At both ends of the lake, and on some of its islands, are remains 13 _: z •— ^1 w bears, and other sorts of animals that come from the mainland to the said islands. We caught a quantity of them. There is also quite a number of beavers as well in the river as in several streams which fall into it. . . . Next day we entered the lake, which is of considerable extent — some fifty or sixty leagues — where I saw four beautiful islands. . . , Continuing our route along the west side of the lake, contemplating the country, I saw on the east side very high mountains capped with snow. I asked the Indians if those parts were inhabited. They answered me 'y^s,' and that they were Iroquois, and that there were in those parts beautiful valleys, and fields fertile in corn as good as any I had ever eaten in the country, with an infinitude of fruits, and that the lake extended close to the mountains, which were, according to my judgment, fifteen leagues from us. I saw others to the south, not less high than the former, only that they were without snow. The Indians told me it was there we were to go to meet their enemies, and that they were thickly inhabited, and that we must pass by a waterfall, which I afterwards saw, and thence enter another lake three or four leagues long, and having arrived at its head, there were four leagues overland to be traveled to pass to a river which flows toward the coast." This is the first reference to Lake George. The waterfall (or rapids) is at the outlet of the lake at Ticonderoga; the river which flows toward the coast is the Hudson. Champlain saw the rapids, as he says, but he never saw the lake. 15 He was the first white man to behold any portion of the State of New York or to set foot thereon; and his visit in July, 1609, was the beginning of recorded history in this State, for it was not till the following September that Henry Hudson anchored the Half Moon within Sandy Hook, and began the exploration of the river which bears his name. While near Ticonderoga, Champlain had his famous battle with the Mohawks; he routed them, gave them their first experience with firearms, killed two of their chiefs with his own arquebus and began a war which continued, with occasional intermissions, until the French supremacy in Canada was ended. The French made friends easily with the Northern and Western Indians; but remembering always the firearms of Champlain, the Mohawks continued to be the implacable foes of the French, and in the main were the friends of the English. DISCOVERY OF LAKE GEORGE The first man to see Lake George and the first Roman Catholic clergyman to visit what is now the State of New York, was Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit missionary. He was born in Orleans, France, January 10, 1607, became a member of the Jesuit order in 1624, was ordained in 1636, and was sent to Canada as a missionary. He was a captive among the Mohawks in 1642-43 and was rescued by the Dutch. He reached France, but soon returned to Canada to continue his missionary labors among the 16 EAST END OK MOHICAN HOUSE. 1865 SOITH SH)E OK MOIHCAN HOI SE. l«f)5 Indians, notwithstanding the frightful cruelties to which he had been subjected. After laboring for a time at Montreal he went to Three Rivers to discuss peace between the French and the Mohawks. The terms were agreed upon; but when ratification was delayed, Father Jogues set out for the Mohawk country to adjust the remaining difficulties. It was on this journey that he discovered Lake George. The "Relation" of Father Lalemant, dated Quebec, October 28, 1646, says: "lis arriverent, la veille du S. Sacrement, au bout du lac qui est joint au grand lac de Champlain. Les Iroquois le nomment Andiatarocte, comme qui disoit la ou le lac se ferme. La P}re le nomma le lac du S. Sacrement." (They arrived on the eve of the Blessed Sacrament at the end of the lake which is joined to the great lake of Cham- plain. The Iroquois name it Andiatarocte, as one should say, "there where the lake is shut in." The Father [Jogues] named it the Lake of the Blessed Sacrament.) The last clause has been incorrectly translated by some writers as "the lake of the Holy Sacrament." There can be no doubt that Father Jogues discovered Lake George "on the eve of the Blessed Sacrament" — that is to say, in May, 1646, on the eve of the festival of Corpus Christi, which was kept on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday in commemoration of the supposed Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament. But on what day of the month ? Here the author- ities differ. The Rev. Benjamin F. De Costa, who wrote several excellent books on Lake George, says 17 May 29th. John D. G. Shea, the distinguished Catholic historian, agrees with him, but he accepted the date in Charlevoix whose "Nouvelle France" abounds in errors. In a note to his "Historical Discourse" on the battle of Lake George, the Rev, Cortlandt Van Rensselaer gives May 27th as the correct date. The New York State Historical Association has erected a marker on one of the islands in the Narrows, giving May 30th. The Rev. John W. Dolan, who prepared a paper on Father Jogues for this Association in 1904, says May 29th. In the hope of settling this question beyond all doubt or controversy, the writer brought it to the attention of the Rev. T. J. Campbell, the scholarly editor of "America," whose monograph on "Isaac Jogues," published in 1911, giving the date as May 30th, is a recognized authority. Father Campbell conferred with the learned chronologists on his staff, and writes that some of the discrepancies arise from the fact that there were two calendars in the seventeenth century, and some Protestant writers, endeavoring to ascertain the exact date of the discovery, have based their calculations upon the old Julian calendar, while the Catholic historians have used the Reformed Gregorian, which, of course, was the calendar of Father Jogues. "The difference between the two calendars was ten days. It is an error, therefore, to assume that in 1646 Easter fell on the same actual day in the Old Style as it did in the New Style calendar. In the former, 18 ^ T -J c = < ■= c ■? Easter Day was March 29th, and Trinity Sunday, May 24th, but it was incorrect to say that the CathoHc feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated on the following Thursday, May 28th. The fact was that Easter, N. S., April 1st, corresponded to March 22d, O. S. So the Catholics celebrated it in 1646 a week earlier than the Protestants. This would make all the other feasts a week earlier. Hence Corpus Christi fell on May 21st, O. S., and its eve was May 20th. Therefore, the correct statement is that Lake George was discovered by Father Jogues on the eve of Corpus Christi, 1646— or May 30th, N. S., or May 20th, O. S." At the request of the writer, the Hon. James A. Holden, State Historian, has reviewed this ques- tion and comes to Father Campbell's conclusion. This, then, is the first time that a correct state- ment of the exact date of the discovery has ever appeared in print. NAME OF THE LAKE The name which Father Jogues gave was used in the "Jesuit Relations" from 1646 to 1764 — more than a century — and was used by the English and the Colonials until the change made by General William Johnson, shortly before the battle of Lake George. Writing from the head of the lake to the Board of Trade in London, September 3, 1755, Johnson, then in command of the Colonial forces and their Indian allies, said: "I am building a fort at 19 this lake which the French call Lake St. Sacrament, but I have given it the name of Lake George, not only in honor of his Majesty [George II], but to ascertain his undoubted dominion here." The new name was used universally by the English and Americans until James Fenimore Cooper in his famous novel, "The Last of the Mohicans," called it Lake Horican. He said that near its southern termination Lake Champlain "received the contributions of another lake, whose waters were so limpid as to have been exclusively selected by the Jesuit missionaries to perform the typical purification of baptism and to obtain for it the appropriate title of 'Saint Sacrament.' The less zealous English thought they conferred a sufficient honor on its unsullied fountains when they bestowed the name of their reigning prince, the second of the House of Hanover. The two united to rob the untutored possessors of its wooded scenery of their native right to perpetuate its original appellation of 'Horican.'" Here were two misstatements. The name which Father Jogues gave had nothing whatever to do with the purity of the water. The other was admitted by Cooper himself. In the preface to the edition of 1851, he said: "While writing this book, fully a quarter of a century since, it occurred to us that the French name of this lake was too complicated, the American too commonplace, and the Indian too unpronounceable for either to be used familiarly in a work of fiction. Looking over an ancient map, it was ascertained that a tribe of Indians, called 20 M0H1<;Ai\ house, 1870 MOHICAN HOUSE, 1873 *Les Horicans' by the French, existed in the neigh- borhood of this beautiful sheet of water. As every word uttered by 'Natty Bumpo' was not to be received as rigid truth, we took the Hberty of putting the 'Horican' into his mouth as the substitute for 'Lake George.' The name has appeared to find favor, and, all things considered, it may possibly be quite as well to let it stand instead of going back to the 'House of Hanover' for the appellation of our finest sheet of water." And in the preface to the edition of 1872 he said: "There is one point on which we would wish to say a word before closing the preface. Hawk Eye calls the Lac du Saint Sacrement 'The Horican.' As we believe this to be an appropriation of a name that has its origin with ourselves, the time has arrived, perhaps, when the fact should be frankly admitted." The suggestion has often been made by thought- less writers that the name of Lake George should be changed to Lake Horican, but in view of Cooper's admission that the name he gave had no historical basis or significance, but was purely fanciful and his own invention, the suggestion should never be renewed. There is no more reason for changing the name of Lake George — though named for an English king — than for changing the names of Albany and New York — named for princes of the royal blood — but if a change be insisted upon, just for the sake of a change, the lake should bear the name of the Christian martyr who discovered it. 21 MILITARY EVENTS This is not a history of Lake George, but some of the more important mihtary events may be referred to briefly. The first war party of whites that went down the lake was that of Gerrard Luykasse and Herman Vedder, who were accompanied by eighty Mohawk warriors. At Fort Ann, on July 9, 1691, they met the party organized by Major Peter Schuyler, of Albany, and agreed to proceed by way of Lake St. Sacrament and join Schuyler's party at Chinandroga (Ticonderoga) in six days, Schuyler's party to go by way of Lake Champlain. The two parties joined as agreed, forming a force of more than 250 men, and went on to La Prairie, where they attacked the French and had some hard fighting, getting back to Albany after many adven- tures on August 9, 1691, with a loss of thirty-seven killed and twenty-five wounded. In 1731, Crown Point was fortified by the French, and four years later they constructed Fort St. Frederic there, which they destroyed in 1759 on the arrival of Amherst and his army. The year 1753 marked the beginning of the old French war; two years later the French, having pushed on toward the lake, erected a fort at Carillon, now Ticonderoga. On September 8, 1755, the battle of Lake George was fought at the head of the lake. General William Johnson defeating the French under Baron Dieskau. This was a lucky victory, won by a general who had taken no pre- cautions to protect his forces in case of defeat, who 22 lacked the ability to follow up his success, and who calmly appropriated the rewards that belonged to others. On September 24, 1755, Major Robert Rogers began his remarkable career as a ranger, and in the following October, Fort William Henry was constructed. On March 18, 1757, Rigaud made an unsuccessful attack on it, and four months later Montcalm, with a stronger force, was in motion against it. On July 24, 1757, Colonel John Parker, landing his men on Harbor Islands, suffered a fear- ful defeat at the hands of the oncoming French. On August 9, 1757, Fort William Henry was sur- rendered to Montcalm by Colonel George Monro, who had pleaded in vain for help from General Daniel Webb, who lay at Fort Edward with 4,000 armed men. The massacre of the garrison occurred the next morning, the tomahawks of Montcalm's Indians striking down the disarmed soldiers and the defenceless women and children. The French then burned the fort and retreated to Canada. On July 26, 1758, General James Abercromby arrived at the head of the lake and soon had under his command the largest army which, until the Civil War, ever assembled in the New World. It comprised 17,000 men, was well equipped, and covered the entire lake as it proceeded with martial music and flying banners on its way to Ticonderoga. A desperate assault was made on the fort, the blundering English general was badly defeated, and with 12,000 fighting men made a disgraceful retreat. On March 1, 1759, the seventh army for the conquest 23 of Canada began to assemble at Albany under a new general, JefFery Amherst, and on May 29th got under way. His force was much smaller than that under Abercromby, but it was handled better. The voyage down the lake was begun on July 21st, and again the waters were covered with the boats of an invading army. The French found that successful resistance was impossible; they blew up Fort Ticonderoga, and on July 27, 1759, the English flag flew over it for the first time. The victorious Amherst pushed on and took possession of Crown Point on August 4th. The next stirring event was the capture of Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, on May 10, 1775, and two days later Crown Point was captured by Warner. On July 18th Schuyler arrived at Ticonderoga and took command. In April of the following year — four months after the death of Montgomery before the walls of Quebec — Benjamin Franklin, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Samuel Chase went down Lake George to see if they could induce the Canadians to join the Americans in the revolt against Great Britain. On June 16, 1777, the British general, Burgoyne, with a formidable army set out for Crown Point. On the night of July 5, 1777, Fort Ticon- deroga was abandoned by the Americans under St. Clair. The British pursued them to the east- ward and then endeavored to reach the Hudson by way of Lake Champlain and Wood Creek. This was a fatal move; the Americans felled trees and ob- structed their advance so successfully that Schuyler 24 :\' '^ ^ < ' s o ■-, S ■:.~ ^ ■■ o < w H C^ O was able to raise an army to the south; and at length Burgoyne, defeated at Freeman's Farm on September 19th and at Bemis Heights on October 7th, was obliged to surrender ten days later to Gates at Saratoga. If the British general, after the capture of Ticonderoga, had gone up Lake George at once, it is not likely that his progress to the Hudson could have been prevented, in which case the British would have secured control of the entire water route from Canada to New York; New England would have been cut off from the Southern colonies, and the Confederacy might have been hopelessly divided. The battle of Saratoga was, indeed, one of the decisive battles of the world; it showed that the Colonial soldiers could stand against the regulars of England, and it led to the alliance with France, without which it is extremely doubtful if the Americans could have won their independence. While Burgoyne was struggling hopelessly against the Colonial army at Freeman's Farm, John Brown of Pittsfield — "the first man who had proposed an invasion of Canada" — was inflicting serious losses on the British lines of communication. He had been actively engaged during the summer on the shores of Lake George, and on September 18, 1777, he surprised the out- posts of Ticonderoga, liberating a hundred im- prisoned Americans and capturing nearly three hundred of the enemy; then he hurried up the lake, and late in September made his famous but un- successful attack on Diamond Island, which Bur- goyne was using as a base of supplies. Captain 25 Thomas Aubrey was in command and repelled Brown's assault. Following Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga, there were no important events until the capture of Fort George at the head of the lake by the British expedition under Major Carlton on October 11, 1780. This ended military events on Lake George. COUNTY OF WARREN For many years the county of Albany embraced all of Central, Western, and Northern New York. On March 12, 1772, however, the Colonial Assembly created the county of Charlotte — named for Queen Charlotte — and it included what is now Warren, Washington, Essex, and Clinton counties, and part of Vermont. On April 2, 1784, as soon as it could conveniently do so after the treaty of peace with Great Britain, the legislature of the new State of New York changed the name, for patriotic reasons, from Charlotte county to Washington county. As the population increased, a division of territory was demanded, and on March 12, 1813, the county of Warren was set off from Washington county, and named in honor of General Joseph Warren, who had lost his life at Bunker Hill. The centennial of the county was celebrated during the summer of 1913 with appropriate public exercises in the various towns. Lake George lies almost wholly within the limits of this county. The several towns in which the county is divided are Bolton, Caldwell, Chester, 26 •THE HUDDLi;. la !VU»HIi:AN point. 1879 Glens Falls, Hague, Horicon, Johnsburg, Luzerne, Queensbury, Stony Creek, Thurman, and Warrens- burg. The original white owner of the county was the Rev. Godfredius Dellius, pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, who, in 1696, obtained a patent from Governor Fletcher for nearly all of what is now Warren, Washington, and Essex coun- ties on condition that he pay the crown an annual quit rent of one hundred coon skins. He was deposed from his ministerial functions because of the result- ing scandal, and is supposed to have transferred his clouded title to a successor in the same pastorate, the Rev. John Lydius, whose son, Colonel John Henry Lydius, claimed the territory and exercised some of the powers of a governor at Fort Edward. Other very extensive patents were granted in this region in 1708, 1762, 1772, 1774, and 1794. The first officers of the county were William Robards, county judge; Robert Wilkinson, surrogate; Henry Spencer, sheriff; John Beebe, clerk; and Michael Harris, treasurer. It was not until 1822 that the county was sufficiently populous to have an assem- blyman of its own. The first newspaper, the "War- ren Republican," appeared in June, 1813. There was a great outpouring of men and boys during the second war with Great Britain; indeed, of the male citizens of Warren county but few were left behind. There was another great patriotic outburst at the beginning of the Civil War; the population was small and there was little wealth, but few counties in the State made greater sacrifices for the Union. 27 TOWN OF BOLTON The town of Bolton was formed on March 25, 1799, from the town of Thurman, and then com- prised, in addition to its present territory, all of Hague, which was set ofF in 1807, part of Caldwell, until 1810, and part of Horicon, until 1838. The town lies on the eastern boundary of the county between Hague on the north and Caldwell on the south. A part of Lake George forms its eastern boundary, and the Schroon River separates it from Warrensburg on the west. The soil is a light, sandy loam, not wholly unproductive, especially along the lake, where fruits are successfully cultivated. The general surface of the town, however, is so stony and broken that not more than one-half of it is susceptible to cultivation. The surface is occupied principally by the lofty mountain ridges — a part of the Kayaderosseras range — which rests between Lake George and the Schroon River. The three prominent peaks of this range are: Tongue Moun- tain, on the peninsula between the lake and North- west Bay, which rises 1,748 feet above tidewater and 1,426 feet above the lake; Pole Hill, in the northern part of the town, which is 1,584 feet above tide; and Cat Mountain to the south, which is 1,954 feet above. The mountains generally rise abruptly from the lake, but toward the west the surface assumes the character of a high, rolling upland. Among the mountains are several lovely lakes. Of these, the largest are Trout Lake (sometimes called Bolton 28 Pond) and Edgecomb Pond. The others are Wing Pond, Pole Hill Pond, and Indian Pond. The Bolton brooks running into the lake are Edmunds, Huddle, Finkle, Indian, and Northwest Bay Brook. Fly Brook, a pretty tributary of the last, runs wholly in the town of Hague. The settlement of the town of Bolton was com- menced in 1792, principally by New England people. Among the first settlers were Joseph Tuttle, James Ware, Rufus Randall, Benjamin Pierce, David and Reuben Smith, Ebenezer Goodman, Daniel Nims, Frederick Miller, and Thomas McKee. The first birth was that of Lydia Ware; the first death that of Mrs. John Pierce. The first school was taught by Sally Boyd. The first town meeting was appointed to be held on April 2, 1799, at the house of John Clawson, but "for want of accommodations was adjourned to Captain Stow's gristmill." The first church (Presbyterian) was formed in 1804; the Rev. Reuben Armstrong was the first settled minister. The first supervisor was Asa Brown, 1799-1800. In 1820, John J. Harris, of Queensbury, built three sawmills in Bolton, and for many years lumbering was the chief occupation of the people. When the timber disappeared the people turned their attention to agriculture. The population has always been small; in 1850, Bolton had only 1,147 inhabitants and thirty years later the population was even less — 1,132. There has been little change in recent years. Nevertheless, the little town has been well known to tourists for seventy years; it has been visited 29 by hundreds of famous men and women, and it will always be a favorite summer resort for those who seek relief from the heat and stress of city life. Within the limits of the town is the most beautiful scenery on the lake. Many islands dot the water, and in the foreground lie Black Mountain, Shelving Rock, Buck Mountain, Pilot Mountain, and Tongue Mountain, while on the western boundary are the picturesque Schroon River and Lake. The following charming description, written by T. Addison Richards, while a guest at the Mohican House, was published in "Harper's Magazine" more than sixty years ago (July, 1853), and applies perfectly to conditions as they exist today: "Of all the haunts on the lake, Bolton is pre- eminent in its array of natural beauty. In no other vicinage can you put out your hand or your foot, and in one leisurely pull on the water or in one quiet stroll on the shore possess yourself of so many and so richly contrasting pictures. The genuine lover of Nature may linger long at other spots, but here is his abiding place. Bolton is a township which, while having a name to live, is yet dead. It possesses a shadowy conglomeration of huts, which the mod- esty of the good Boltonians themselves dare not dignify with any prouder appellation than that of the 'Huddle.' The farmhouses round about are reasonably thick and well-to-do, certainly; but still Bolton, in the vocabulary of the stranger, is neither more nor less than the 'Mohican House,' whose esteemed commandant is Captain Gale, a name 30 next to that of 'Sherrill' most gratefully interwoven with the carnal history of Horicon. Yes! the Mohican House is Bolton and Bolton is the Mohican House; even as Bardolph was his nose and his nose was Bardolph. Great are both! "Among the genial spirits who were our few fellow-guests here during two happy moons some year or so ago was one of Italia's most gifted daughters, whose voice has rung in melody through all this wide land, yet never in such sweet and wmning harmony and with such worthy accessories as under the starry canopy and amidst the enrapt stillness of Horicon. 'Casta diva che in argenti,' floating spirit-like over the glad waters and gently echoed by listening hill and isle, is not quite the same thing as when sent back from the proscenium of 'Astor Place.' Our Signorita had 'the heavens and earth of every country seen,' had known and loved Katrine and Windermere, Constance, Lomond, Geneva, and Grassmere, had grown to womanhood on the sunny banks of immortal Como, yet found sweet Horicon more charming than them all.* What better evidence of the sweet poetry and power of the lovely theme of our present memories can we have than the earnest and enduring emotion and sympathy it wins from the most cultivated souls, no less than from the wonder-stricken novice amidst the chefs-d'ceuvres of Nature.? "It IS no slight task to determine in which direc- tion her e to seek the picturesque - whether in the *This reference is to Madame Parodi. 31 bosom of the lake, on the variedly indented shores, or on the overlooking mountain tops. Everywhere is abundant and perfect beauty. Among our poor trophies of the pencil we have preserved a little glimpse looking southward from the edge of the water at Bolton. [See the frontis- piece.] Our only regret is, as we offer it, that, with our best seekings, we may still appear to the reader too much like the pedant in Hierocles submitting a brick as a sample of the beauty of his house. "The average width of Lake George is between two and three miles. At the Mohican House this average is exceeded; indeed, at one other point only is it anywhere broader than here. All the leading features of the locality are commanded here. The islands within range of the eye are many and of surpassing beauty — and among them is that odd little nautical eccentricity called Ship Island, from the mimicry in its verdure of the proportions and lines of the ship. [The tree which formed the 'bow- sprit' of Ship Island, lying close to Recluse Island, has long since disappeared.] The landing is near the mouth of the Northwest Bay — a special expanse of five miles, stolen from the main waters by the grand mountain promontory aptly called the Tongue. It is the extension into the lake of this ridge of hills which forms the Narrows, entered immediately after passing Bolton. Contracted as the channel is at this point, it seems yet narrower from the greater eleva- tion of the mountains, among which are the most 32 w H en M O C z « O S o hJ ^ p c m (D K s H O V a! -< en S W O en c O ^4 K OJ Z _j- < .-^ O ^ S magnificent peaks of the neighborhood. Here is the home of Shelving Rock, with its hemisphere of pahsades and its famous dens of rattlesnakes; here too, monarch of hills, the Black Mountain, with its rugged crown of rock, holds his court. Tongue Mountam is the favorite haunt of the Nimrods in their search for the luscious venison. Speaking of the chase reminds us that we owe a line to the sister sport of the angle. It is in the vicinage of Bolton that both these delights may be best attained, and particularly is it the field par excellence for pisca- torial achievements. . "Charming as are the scenes from the surface of the lake, they are surpassed by the glimpses continually occurring in the passage of the road on the western shore (the precipitousness of the mountains on the other side admits of no land passage), and commanded by the summits of the hills Leaving Bolton, the road, which has thus tar followed the margin or the vicinage of the water, steals ofF and sullenly winds its rugged and laborious way across the mountains, offering nothing of interest until it again descends to the lake near Liarfield s~a tedious traverse of a score of miles or more. The interval is much more rapidly and pleasantly made on the steamer. From Sabbath Day Pomt and Garfield's the road again jogs on merrily in the neighborhood of the water. Descend- mg the mountains at the northern end of this central portion of the lake road you catch a noble and welcome panorama of the upper part of the Horicon. 33 But returning to Bolton — we were about speaking of the delightful scenes from the shores thereat. Within a short walk northward, an exceedingly characteristic view is found looking across the mouth of the Northwest Bay to the Narrows. From all the eminences or from the shore the landscape is here of admirable simplicity, breadth, and grandeur. It is seen most justly as the morning sun peeps over Black Mountain and its attendant peaks. Looking southward from various points yet further on, fine views of the head of the lake are obtained — among them the French Mountain — terminating a pleasant stretch of lawn, hill, and islanded water." Opposite Mohican Point, on which stands the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Bixby, and half-way across the lake, lies Dome Island, the highest and one of the most beautiful of all the Lake George islands. This was one of six islands purchased from the State in 1856 for less than MOO; it was then valued at 3100. The others were Clay, Flora, Crown, Turtle, and Fourteen Mile Island. No doubt, fre- quent landings were made upon Dome Island during the French and Indian war, and it was one of the outposts of the Colonials toward the end of that contest. Here it was that Putnam left his men while he informed General Webb of the presence of the Indians and French on the islands near the entrance of Northwest Bay. There are no indications that there were any fortifications on Dome Island, and it is one of the few large islands on which no 34 building has ever been erected. Indeed, the only evidence that any human being ever stepped upon this island is a weather-beaten flagstaff at the south end. West of Dome a white flag marks Gull Rock, a famous fishing place. Southwest of this lie Ship (or Sloop) and Recluse Islands. The latter was the subject of the earthquake hoax of 1868; the New York papers published a despatch from Glens Falls describing how this island disappeared under eighty feet of water through a great convulsion of nature. The house on Recluse Island is the first private residence erected on an island in Lake George. It was built by Rufus Wattles, of New York, soon after the close of the Civil War. From a point in the steamer's course, after rounding Recluse Island, is obtained the finest general view of Bolton and of the lake also. Clay Island lies close to Recluse and at its southwestern extremity is separated from Barker's Point by a narrow strip of shallow water. To the westward is Bolton Bay. The local appellation of the southern por- tion is Huddle Bay, and beyond the trees that line the shore is the "huddle" of houses from which it receives its name. Within this part of Bolton Bay are three beautiful little islands — Leontine, Hiawatha, and Sweet Briar. From the summer-house on Mohican Point a fine view of the northern part of Bolton Bay is also obtained, and northeast lies Green Island, upon which is the Sagamore hotel. Beyond that lie the many islands that form the Narrows. 35 MOHICAN HOUSE In 1802 there was no regular tavern in the town of Bolton and only four or five framed houses. On Mohican Point, where the residence of Mr. Bixby now stands, Roger Edgecomb had a framed house, probably erected in 1800 or a little earlier, which he soon enlarged and converted into a tavern, and with occasional additions and improvements it continued to be a tavern and then a regular hotel till the close of the year 1898. Myrtle Hitch- cock succeeded Edgecomb about 1807, and immedi- ately built the first store in the town — a little red building about thirty-five feet square — at the extreme end of the Point. It was kept by Samuel Brown. A small stone dock afforded a landing- place, and in the floor of the store is said to have been a mysterious trap-door opening into a cellar, wherein were concealed the goods which were smuggled from Canada. Samuel Brown succeeded Hitchcock as the landlord and afterward put up a building on the little bay north of the Point for the manufacture of potash. The ruins of this building could be seen in the water as late as 1880. On December 20, 1823, Thomas Archibald bought the tavern and considerable land with it for 3300 from Peter Dow Beekman and Peter Edmund Elmandorf, executors of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer. On July 6, 1824, he sold the property to his brother- in-law, Truman Lyman, and the place became known as Lyman's Tavern. On April 2, 1851, Lyman sold 36 D O K < o r^ this tract of thirty-seven acres and 125 acres at Green Point, on the west side of Tongue Mountain, to Daniel Gale, whose father, Gilbert B. Gale, suc- ceeded Lyman as the landlord, and remained there till 1856. Up to the time of this sale the tavern was of little importance. Gale, however, made extensive improvements and catered to the traveling public; summer guests began coming from New York and Philadelphia, and his game dinners soon made the tavern widely and favorably known. His sons Egbert and Gabriel named the hotel the Mohican House and erected the flagstaff surmounted by the wooden effigy of an Indian warrior, which remained the trade-mark of the hotel till it closed its doors in the autumn of 1898. This figure of the Indian is engraved on the Mohican Point stationery, and a facsimile will be found on the title page of this volume. The son Daniel (who, as the manager of a syndicate, built the first Fort William Henry hotel at the head of the lake) leased the Mohican House property in 1856 to Captain Hiram S. Wilson, who was the proprietor till the fall of 1861. On June 5, 1862, Gale deeded the Mohican and Green Point property to Myron O. Brown and Hiram H. Wilson (son of Captain Wilson). Mr. Brown, who has done more than any other man to popularize Bolton as a summer resort, was born in that town September 5, 1837. His father was sheriflT of Warren county at an early day and served in the Board of Super- visors from 1846 to 1849; his son was a member of the same board in later years. Myron O. Brown 37 had been employed at the Mohican House in 1858, 1859, and 1860, doing his first work as a waiter when dinners were served under the trees, and becoming noted as the master of a sailboat and a guide for visiting anglers. On February 9, 1863, he deeded his half interest to his partner, Hiram H. Wilson, who became the sole owner and manager, and Mr. Brown removed to the little settlement known as "The Huddle," a short distance south, where he was a merchant for eleven years. A picture of "The Huddle" as it was in 1879 appears on another page. The building at the extreme right (vacant in 1913) was the one in which Mr. Brown kept his store. The large building in the center was the tannery which was demolished many years ago. On May 6, 1864, William H. Barker, of Tivoli, Dutchess county, N. Y., bought the two tracts of land from Wilson for $3,600, and on August 18, 1864, bought from George B. Reynolds 100 acres on what has since been known as Barker's Point, a beautiful tract of wooded land, which was thenceforth used by the Mohican House as picnic grounds and which Mr. Bixby has recently improved with rustic bridges, footpaths, and motor roads. Mr. Barker leased the Mohican House to Abijah Davis, of Vermont, who was succeeded a year later as land- lord by Stephen L. Clements, a Methodist minister, who came from Crown Point. He was an eccentric and unpopular landlord, and in 1871 Mr. Barker leased the property to Hiram H. Wilson, who became the proprietor for the second time and 38 conducted the hotel for four years. His mind failed and he became a patient in one of the State asy- lums, where he died about 1907. In 1873, S. R. Stoddard, of Glens Falls, published the first of his long series of Guide Books to Lake George, and in that we find the first description of the Mohican House, as follows: "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. On the Point where the dock now stands was once a building which had been used by a band of smugglers as a point of distribution for contraband goods brought through from Canada. The lawn is shaded by maples and locusts and the long Point is protected by a new and expensive sea-wall, extending quite a distance into the lake, and terminating in a sub- stantial dock, where the guests repair at rosy morn and dewy eve to witness the arrival of the steamboat, which is considered the great event of the day." In 1875 Myron 0. Brown became the proprietor under a lease from Mr. Barker for five years (sub- sequently extended three years), and in 1879 the Guide Book tells us that "the house has been thoroughly renovated and refurnished; pure spring water has been brought through pipes from the mountains; and with boating, fishing, and livery facilities but little has been left undone that can 39 contribute to the comfort or pleasure of old admirers or newcomers. A pleasant cottage on the shore, just north of the house, with rooms en suite and tastefully furnished, is of recent build and adds considerably to the attractions of the place. The grounds receive constant attention; the guests are of the best; in short, there are few better or more deservedly popular places at the lake than the Mohican House." In 1876 Mr. Brown had made a decided improvement on the old house by con- structing the porch on the east side. On October 10, 1865, Mr. Barker deeded the Barker's Point tract to W. Rodman Winslow and on March 9, 1866, deeded to him the property at Mohican Point and Green Point. These deeds, however, were not acknowledged and recorded till September 13-18, 1879. Mr. Barker's death occurred at West Farms, N. Y., in March, 1881. He belonged to the distinguished Barker family of Philadelphia, and had no business or profession, but devoted himself to the management of his property which, till the last few years of his life, was of large value. When Mr. Brown applied to Mr. Winslow for a renewal of the lease he was unsuccessful, the latter desiring to take possession of the property himself. He suggested that Mr. Brown build a hotel of his own and named Green Island as a suitable site. Mr. Brown took the hint. Among the patrons of the Mohican House for several years under his management were E. Burgess Warren, William B. Bement, Robert 40 Glendenning, and George Burnham, all wealthy residents of Philadelphia. They formed the Green Island Improvement Company, bought Green Island for 330,000 (it had once been sold for 3600), and under the personal supervision of Mr. Brown the Sagamore hotel was built. It opened its doors to the public July 1, 1883, and was destroyed by fire on the morning of June 27, 1893. This fire was a very spectacular one. It broke out just before dawn in the laundry of the hotel. The air was absolutely motionless, so that the flames shot straight upward, and without wavering or changing much in volume moved slowly and majestically along to the east like an enormous pillar of fire. It was owing to this circumstance that a large amount of personal property in the hotel was saved, but the building itself was totally consumed. A new hotel was erected at once and Mr. Brown continued as manager till 1905. In 1882, while Mr. Brown was proprietor of the Mohican House, he induced the government to open a post-office near by; he named the place Bolton Landing, and at his suggestion Frederick W. Allen was appointed post- master. Mr. Allen's commission was dated Sep- tember 14, 1882. He served till 1894. When the Sagamore hotel was built in 1883 there were only four residences at Bolton Landing, one store, and the Baptist Church. In 1883 and 1884 the Mohican House was con- ducted under the general supervision of Mr. Wins- low's second wife, Mrs. Estelle B. Winslow; in 41 1885 and 1886 by his mother, Mrs. CaroHne Wins- low; and from 1887 to the autumn of 1893 by Mrs. Estelle B. Winslow again. Elsewhere will be found a view of the house and grounds in 1889, and Stoddard's Guide of that year describes the property as follows: "This is one of the desirable houses of Lake George, and has been noted for years as the resort of people of culture and refinement. There is no ostentatious display, but on the contrary it seems to withdraw from the public gaze and seclude itself among the trees and flowers that deck the lake front. This was once the main landing for Bolton, with the 'line boat' coming and going, but the runners and guests from other houses, and travelers passing over the grounds made it too public a thoroughfare for those who here sought quiet and rest, and a new dock was built in the bay at the north that would accommodate all the hotels of that section. The house is a long, low, rambling structure after the Southern style, with piazzas facing the lake and extending along its south side. The trees press their heavy tops against it, effectually shading it from the too ardent rays of the sun, but underneath the wind can pass freely and the views of the lake are interfered with scarcely at all. The parlor and dining-room afford space for general assembly, and there are neat, cozy sleeping-rooms, nicely furnished, with choice of ground or second floor. Such as may want greater seclusion than the main building affords 42 \ll,\\ ()| Mi;. i;i\BVS SIMMKH RKSIDEXCE, 1010 VIi:W OF MK. BIXBYS SUMMKK KKSIDKNCK. 1912 F,r.Mte(l 1901 -02 on the Sil.- ,)t" M..hi