Delaware and Hudson Railway
A pleasant tour awaits the
traveler who continues his journey north
from Albany, where the Delaware and Hudson
train for Saratoga is ready at the landing
on the arrival of the steamer. A half hour's
run along the west bank gives us a glimpse
of Troy across the river with the classical
named hills Mount Ida and Mount Olympus. Two
streams, the Poestenkill and the Wynant's
Kill, approach the river on the east bank
through narrow ravines, and furnish
excellent water power. In the year 1786 it
was called Ferryhook. In 1787,
Rensselaerwyck. In the fall of 1787 the
settlers began to use the name of
Vanderheyden, after the family who owned a
great part of the ground where the city now
stands. January 9, 1789 the freeholders of
the town met and gave it the name of Troy.
The "Hudson," the "Erie," and the
"Champlain" Canals have contributed to its
growth. The city, with many busy towns,
which have sprung up around it—Cohoes,
Lansingburg, Waterford, etc., is central to
a population of at least 100,000 people. The
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest
engineering school in America, has a
national reputation.
Cohoes, where the Mohawk joins
f Indian origin and signifies "the island at
the falls." This was the division line
between the Mahicans and the Mohawks, and
when the water is in full force it suggests
in graceful curve and sweep a miniature
Niagara. The view from the double-truss iron
bridge (960 feet in length), looking up or
down the Mohawk, is impressive.
Passing through Waterford, and Mechanicville
which lies partly in the township of
Stillwater, with its historic records of
Bemis Heights and burial place of Ellsworth,
the first martyr of the Civil war, we come
to—
Round Lake, nineteen miles north of Troy,
and thirteen south of Saratoga, near a
beautiful sheet of water, three miles in
circumference, called by the Indians Ta-nen-da-ho-wa,
which interpreted, signifies Round Lake. The
camp-meeting and assembly grounds consist of
200 acres. The air is pure and invigorating
and the grove and cottages inviting. The
drives in the vicinity are delightful to
Saratoga Lake, to the Hudson River, to the
historic battlefields of Bemis Heights and
Stillwater.
Ballston Spa, thirty-one miles from Albany,
is the county seat of Saratoga. Here are
several well-known mineral springs, with
chemical properties similar to the springs
of Saratoga. Over ninety years ago Benjamin
Douglas, father of Hon. Stephen A. Douglas,
built a log house, near the "Old Spring,"
for the accommodation of invalids and
travelers, and at one time it looked as if
Saratoga would have a vigorous rival at her
very doors; but its hotel glory has departed
and the old "Sans Souci" of the days of
Washington Irving is a thing of the past.
Saratoga, thirty-eight miles north of
Albany, one hundred and eighty-two miles
from New York, is the greatest watering
place of the continent. Its development has
been wonderful, and puts, as it were, in
large italics, the prosperity of our
country. The first white man to visit the
place was Sir William Johnson, who, in 1767,
was conveyed there by his Mohawk friends, in
the hope that the waters might afford relief
from the serious effects of a gunshot wound
in the thigh, received eight years before in
the battle of Lake George, at which time his
army defeated the French legions under Baron
Dieskau. It was not until the year 1773, six
years after Sir William Johnson's initial
visit, that the first clearing was made and
the first cabin erected by Derick Scowten.
Owing, however, to misunderstandings with
his red neighbors, he shortly afterwards
left. A year later, George Arnold, from
Rhode Island, took possession of the vacated
Scowten House, and conducted it with some
degree of success for about two years.
Arnold was in turn followed by Samuel
Norton, who failed to make the venture
successful, owing to the outbreak of the
Revolution. Norton was succeeded in 1783 by
his son, who sold out in 1787 to Gideon
Morgan, who, in the same year, made the
property over to Alexander Bryan. Bryan
became the first permanent settler after the
close of the war. The prosperity of the
village began in 1789, with the advent of
Gideon Putnam, but the wooden inns and
hotels of 1830, which seemed palatial in
those days, would get lost even in one of
the parlors of the mammoth hotels which now
line the main street of the village. Chief
among these hotels, we mention the—
"United States," a grand and princely
building of noble frontage with a bright and
spacious interior court, completed in June,
1874. It constitutes one continuous line of
buildings, six stories high, over fifteen
hundred feet in length, containing nine
hundred and seventeen rooms for guests, and
is the largest hotel in the world.
The American-Adelphi near at hand, also
fronting Broadway, always cheery and
delightful under the management of its
popular owner and proprietor, Mr. George A.
Farnham, has one of the finest locations in
Saratoga, combining comfort, good attention,
a fine table, and every convenience of a
first-class house. One thing is sure, those
who go to the "American" return again and
again.
The Speedway, the Race Track, and
Driveways.—Saratoga can justly feel proud of
her material growth and progress in many
directions during the last decade, and
prominent among her varied attractions are
the Speedway and Race Track. Mr. W. C.
Whitney and many other prominent men have
contributed liberally in this direction. The
Electric Line to Saratoga Lake is also one
of the features of the village, and
furnishes a delightful forenoon or
afternoon's outing.
The Springs.—The most prominent springs in
and about Saratoga are the Hathorn, the
Patterson and the Congress. The popularity
of the Hathorn is attested by the universal
sale of its bottled waters throughout the
United States. The Patterson has won a wide
reputation which its excellence deserves.
Historic Saratoga
Historic Saratoga.—But in the midst of this throbbing, gay and delightful Saratoga, we must not forget that it was here the fathers of the Republic achieved their most decisive victory. The battle was fought in the town of Stillwater, at Bemis Heights, two and a half miles from the Hudson. The defeat of St. Leger and the triumph of Stark at Bennington filled the American army with hope. Burgoyne's army advanced September 19, 1777. The battle was sharply contested. At night the Americans retired into their camp, and the British held the field. From September 20th to October 7th the armies looked each other in the face, each side satisfied from the first day's struggle that their opponents were worthy foemen. The Americans had retaken Ticonderoga and Lake George. Burgoyne had no place to retreat, and the lines were slowly but surely closing in around him. October 7th Burgoyne commenced the battle, but in half an hour his line was broken. He attempted to rally his troops in person, but they could not stand before the impetuous charge of the Americans. He was compelled to order a full retreat, and fell back on the heights above Schuylerville. The Americans surrounded him, and he surrendered. It was a decisive victory, and cheered the friends of freedom, not only in America, but in the English House of Commons.
Mount McGregor
Mount McGregor, where General Grant died, associates the Saratoga of the Revolution with the story of our Civil War. Near the monument to the old heroes at Schuylerville, where Burgoyne surrendered, a monument to the Boys in Blue was dedicated in 1904. It was the privilege of the writer to be the poet of the occasion, and in his lines "The Flag They Bore," to bind the noble memorials of those who made and those who saved the Republic.
Two monuments in
triumph stand
To catch with joy the morning sun,
One chorus joins them hand in hand—
Heroes of Grant and Washington.
And wider yet the chorus leaps!
Two famous hills the song unites,
As Mount MacGregor's anthem sweeps
Across the plains to Bemis Heights.
In Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester's book,
entitled "Historical Sketches of Northern
New York and the Adirondack Wilderness," we
learn that the earliest date in which the
word Saratoga appears in history is 1684,
and was then the name of an old hunting
ground on both sides of the Hudson. Its
interpretations have been various. Some say
"The Hillside Country of the Great River;"
others, the place of swift waters, while
Morgan, in his "League of the Iroquois,"
says the signification of Saratoga is lost.
Whatever the origin of the name whether from
the old High Rock spring or a "reach of the
river," one thing is sure: Saratoga is the
most attractive point in the country as a
gathering place for conventions and large
meetings, and, in response to the growing
demand for adequate facilities, a splendid
convention hall, with a seating capacity for
five thousand people, has been erected by
the town authorities. It is a striking
architectural addition to Saratoga's
attractions.
In 1907 over fifty thousand "Knights"
gathered here and were hospitably
entertained.
Saratoga to the Adirondacks
The
Adirondack Railway division of the Delaware
and Hudson furnishes one of the pleasantest
excursions to the north woods. The traveler
passes along the romantic and picturesque
valley of the upper Hudson—through King's,
South Corinth, Jessup's Landing to Hadley
(the railroad station for Luzerne, a
charming village at the junction of the
Hudson and the Sacandaga); then through
Stony Creek, Thurman, thirty-six miles from
Saratoga Springs, at the junction of the
Schroon and the Hudson; the Glen, forty-four
miles; Riverside, fifty miles (for Schroon
Lake), pleasurable throughout, to North
Creek, where "Concord coaches" and
patent-covered spring buck-boards are in
waiting for Blue Mountain Lake—distance
about thirty miles, through a beautiful
romantic country.
The water route from this point is as
follows: Through Blue Mountain Lake and
Utowana to the outlet, a distance of seven
miles, where a "Railway Carry," something
less than a mile, brings the traveler to a
fairy-like steamer on Marion River. The
river trip is twelve miles to Forked Lake.
Arriving at "Forked Lake Carry," one-half
mile brings us to Forked Lake, where the
traveler gets his first real mountain bill
of fare. From this point we took a guide to
Long Lake. There is a short cut from this
point over to the Tupper Lakes, which we can
commend in every particular, and the tourist
can either return to Long Lake and continue
his route to the Saranacs, or go to the
Saranacs direct from Lake Tupper.
From this point we visit Keene Flats, a
charming and healthful spot, only five miles
from the "Lower Ausable Pond." These ponds,
the "Lower" and "Upper," are unrivaled in
beauty and grandeur. They lie at the foot of
Mount Marcy, Haystack, the Gothics, and
Mount Bartlett.
Saratoga to Lake George
The traveler will find trains and excursions to suit his convenience from Saratoga to our fairest lake. His route takes him through Gansevoort and Fort Edward to Glens Falls with the narrowing and bright-flowing Hudson for a companion. About one mile beyond Fort Edward Station, near the railway on the right, stood, until recently, the tree where Jane McCrea was murdered by Indians during the Revolution. From Glens Falls the tourist proceeds over the well-conducted Lake George division of the Delaware and Hudson, and soon finds himself in the midst of a historic and romantic region. About half way to the lake stands a monument to Col. Ephraim Williams, killed at the battle of Lake George in 1755, erected by the graduates of Williams College, which he founded. Bloody Pond, a little farther on, sleeps calm and blue in the sunlight in spite of its tragic name and associations, and soon Lake George, girt-round by mountains, greets our vision, stretching away in beauty to the north.
Near the railway station on the ninth of
September, 1903, a monument was unveiled
commemorating the battle of Lake George one
hundred and forty-eight years before. The
monument embodies the heroic figures of Sir
William Johnson and King Hendrick the Indian
chief. It represents the Indian chief
demonstrating to General Johnson the
futility of dividing his forces. Governor
Odell of New York, Governor Guild of
Massachusetts, Governor Chamberlain of
Connecticut, and Governor McCulloch of
Vermont and others delivered appropriate
addresses.
The Trossachs of America.—Capt. Wm. R. Lord,
author of "Reminiscences of a Sailor," in a
recent article contributed to a Scottish
paper, has happily called Lake George and
its surroundings "The Trossachs of America."
In writing of the autumn season he says:
"Its similarity to the Trossachs of Scotland
impresses one most vividly as seen at this
season; the mountains are clothed in a garb,
the prevailing color of which is purple,
reminding me of a previous visit through the
Scottish Highlands when the heather was in
full bloom. I at that time felt it to be
impossible that any other place on the face
of the globe could equal the magnificently
imposing grandeur of the 'Trossachs.' I
must, however, freely admit that in its
power of changing beauty this region of
America fully equals, if it does not surpass
it. Deeds of 'derring-do,' enacted in these
mountain fastnesses in days gone by, still
add to make the comparison more close. Our
path at times seemed to be literally strewn
with roses, for the different colored leaves
that carpeted our way conveyed that thought.
The depth and variegated beauty of coloring
that marks this season of decaying foliage,
would enrapture the heart of an artist. In
my vocation I have had occasion to visit the
four quarters of the globe, but never have I
seen tints so strikingly beautiful."
Lake George, called by the French "Lac St.
Sacrament," was discovered by Father
Jacques, who passed through it in 1646, on
his way to the Iroquois, by whom he was
afterward tortured and burned. It is
thirty-six miles long by three miles broad.
Its elevation is two hundred and forty-three
feet above the sea. The waters are of
remarkable transparency; romantic islands
dot its surface, and elegant villas line its
shores. Fort William Henry and Ticonderoga,
situated at either end of the lake, were the
salients respectively of the two most
powerful nations upon the globe. France and
England sent great armies, which crossed
each other's track upon the ocean, the one
entering the St. Lawrence, the other the
harbor of New York. Their respective
colonies sent their thousands to swell the
number of trained troops, while tribes of
red men from the south and the north were
marshalled by civilized genius to meet in
hostile array upon these waters, around the
walls of the forts, and at the base of the
hills. In 1755, General Johnston reached
Lake St. Sacrament, to which he gave the
name of Lake George, "not only in honor of
his Majesty, but to assert his undoubted
dominion here."
The village of Lake George is situated at
the head of the lake. It contains two
churches, a court house, and a number of
pretty residences. Just behind the court
house is the bay where Montcalm landed his
cannon, and where his entrenchments began.
It ran across the street to the rising
ground beyond the Episcopal church.
Fort William Henry Hotel is the largest and
best appointed hotel on Lake George. It has
a most beautiful and commanding location,
and the view from its great piazza is one
long to be remembered. The piazza is
twenty-four feet in width and supported by a
row of Corinthian columns thirty feet high.
The outlook from it at all times is
enchanting, commanding as it does the level
reaches of the lake for miles, with
picturesque islands and promontories.
About twelve miles from the hotel is
Fourteen-mile Island which, with a number of
others, form "The Narrows." The lake here is
400 feet deep, much fishing is done, and in
the right season hunting parties start out.
Black Mountain, the monarch of the lake,
rises over two thousand feet above its
waters (being 2,661 feet above tide), and
from the summit a magnificent view is
obtained of Lake Champlain, the Green
Mountains, the Adirondacks, and the distant
course of the Hudson.
A carriage drive to Schroon Lake and
conveyance from Schroon Village to
Adirondack resorts can be made from Lake
George.
Those who have only a day can make a
delightful excursion from Saratoga to
Caldwell by rail, then through the lake to
Baldwin, and thence by rail to Saratoga, or
via Baldwin and up the lake to Caldwell, and
so to Saratoga. But, to get the full beauty
of this unrivaled lake, the trip should be
made with less haste, for there is no more
delightful place in the world to spend a
week, a month, or an entire summer. Its
immediate surroundings present much to
interest the student of history and legend;
and to lovers of the beautiful it
acknowledges no rivals. The elevation and
absolute purity of air make it a desirable
place for the tourist. It is 346 feet above
the level of the sea, 247 feet above Lake
Champlain, and is now brought within six
hours of New York City by the enterprise of
the Delaware &Hudson Co. It is a great
question, and we talk it over every time we
see the genial Passenger Traffic Manager of
this enterprising line, whether Lake George
or Lake Luzerne, in Switzerland, is the more
beautiful. We were just deciding last
summer, on the steamer "Horicon," that Lake
George was more beautiful, but not so wild,
when, as if the spirit of the lake were
roused, a great black squall suddenly came
over the mountains, and, the "crystal lake"
for a few minutes, was as wild as any one
might desire. We all were glad to see her
smile again as she did half an hour
afterward in the bright sunlight.
"At its widest point Lake George measures
about four miles, but at other places it is
less than one mile in width. It is dotted
with islands; how many we do not know
exactly—nobody does; but tradition, which
passes among the people of the district for
history and truth, says there is exactly one
island for every day in the year, or 365 in
all. Whatever their real number they all are
beautiful, although some of them are barely
large enough to support a flagstaff, and
they all seem to fit into the scene so
thoroughly that each one seems necessary to
complete the charm. On either side are high
hills, in some places rising gently from the
shores, and in others beetling up from the
surface of the water with a rugged cliff, or
time-worn mass of rocks, which reminds one
of the wild bits of rocky scenery that make
up the savage beauty of the Isle of Skye.
"Its clearness is something extraordinary.
From a small boat, in many places, the
bottom can be seen. Indeed, so mysteriously
beautiful is the water that many visitors
spend a day in a rowboat gazing into it at
different points."
Charles Dudley Warner says: "Bolton, among a
host of attractive spots on the lake, holds,
in my opinion, a rank among the two or three
most interesting points. There is no point
of Lake George where the views are so varied
or more satisfactory, excepting the one from
Sabbath-day Point. At Bolton the islets
which dot the surface of the lake whose
waters are blue as the sea in the tropics,
carry the eye to the rosy-tinted range which
includes Pilot, Buck and Erebus Mountains,
and culminates in the stateliness of Black
Mountain. Or, looking northwest, the superb
masses of verdure on Green Island are seen
mirrored on the burnished surface of the
lake. Behind rises the mighty dividing wall
called Tongue Mountain, which seems to
separate the lake in twain, for Ganouskie,
or Northwest Bay, five miles long, is in
effect a lake by itself, with its own
peculiar features." The Champlain
Transportation Company runs a regular line
of steamboats the entire length of the lake,
making three round trips daily, except
Sunday. The "Horicon" is a fine side-wheel
steamer, 203 feet long and 52 feet wide, and
will accommodate, comfortably, 1,000 people.
At Fort Ti the tourist can continue his
northern route via the Delaware &Hudson to
Hotel Champlain, Plattsburgh, Rouse's Point,
or Montreal, or through Lake Champlain by
steamer. The ruins of Fort Ti, like old Fort
Putnam at West Point, are picturesque, and
will well repay a visit.
Lake George to the Adirondacks
The reader who does not visit Lake George may feel that he is switched off on a side-track at Fort Edward; so, coming to his rescue, we return and resume our northern journey via the main line, through Dunham's Basin, Smith's Basin, Fort Ann, and Comstock's Landing, to—
Whitehall, at the head of Lake Champlain.
From this point north the Delaware &Hudson
crosses all thresholds for the Adirondacks,
and shortens the journey to the mountain
districts. It passes through five mountain
ranges, the most southerly, the Black
Mountain range, terminating in Mt. Defiance,
with scattering spurs coming down to the
very shore of the lake. The second range is
known as the Kayaderosseras, culminating in
Bulwagga Mountain. The third range passes
through the western part of Schroon, the
northern part of Moriah and centre of
Westport, ending in Split Rock Mountain. The
fourth range, the Bouquet range, ends in
high bluffs on Willsboro Bay. Here the
famous Red-Hook Cut is located, and the
longest tunnel on the line.
The fifth range, known as the Adirondack
Range, as it includes the most lofty of the
Adirondack Mountains, viz.: McIntyre, Colden
and Tahawas, ends in a rocky promontory
known as Tremblau Point, at Port Kent.
No wonder, with these mountain ranges to get
through, that the subject was agitated year
after year, and it was only when the
Delaware and Hudson Company placed their
powerful shoulder to the wheel, that the
work began to go forward. For these
mountains meant tunnels, and rock cuts, and
bridges, and cash. Leaving Whitehall, we
enter a tunnel near the old steamboat
landing, cross a marsh, which must have
suggested the beginning of the Pilgrim's
Progress, for it seemed almost bottomless,
and pass along the narrow end of the lake,
still marked by light-houses, where steamers
once struggled and panted "like fish out of
water," fulfilling the Yankee's ambition of
running a boat on a heavy dew. Then winding
in and out along the shore, we proceed to—
Ticonderoga, 23 miles from Whitehall. Here
terminates the first range of the
Adirondacks, to which we have already
referred, viz.: Mount Defiance. Steamers
connect with the train at this point on Lake
Champlain, also with a railroad for Lake
George. Near the station we get a view of
old Port Ticonderoga, where Ethan Allen
breakfasted early one morning, and said
grace in a brief and emphatic manner. The
lake now widens into a noble sheet of water;
we cross the Lake George outlet, enter a
deep rock-cut, which extends a distance of
about 500 feet, and reach Crown Point
thirty-four miles north of Whitehall.
Passing along the shore of Bulwagga Bay we
come to—
Port Henry, 40 miles from Whitehall. A few
miles further the railroad leaves the lake
at Mullen Brook, the first departure since
we left Whitehall, and we are greeted with
cultivated fields and a charming landscape.
Westport, 51 miles from Whitehall, is the
railroad station for—
Elizabethtown, the county seat of Essex. It
is about eight miles from the station,
nestled among the mountains. A county
consisting mostly of mountain scenery could
have no happier location for a head-centre.
Elizabethtown forms a most delightful
gateway to the Adirondacks either by stage
route or pedestrian tour.
A short distance north of Westport we enter
the well-cultivated Bouquet Valley, and
after a pleasant run come to Wellsboro
Falls, where we enter seven miles of rock
cutting. The road is about 90 feet above the
lake, and the cuts in many places from 90 to
100 feet high. After leaving Red-Rock cut,
we pass through a tunnel 600 feet long.
Crossing Higby's Gorge and rounding Tremblau
Mountain, we reach—
Port Kent, the connecting point for the
progressive village of Keeseville.
Ausable Chasm, is only three miles from the
station of Port Kent. It is many years since
we visited the Chasm, but its pictures are
still stamped upon our mind clearly and
definitely—the ledge at Birmingham Falls,
the Flume, the Devil's Pulpit, and the boat
ride on the swift current. Indeed, the
entire rock-rift, almost two miles in
length, left an impression never to be
effaced. The one thing especially peculiar,
on account of the trend of the rock-layers
was the illusion that we were floating up
stream, and that the river compressed in
these narrow limits, had "got tired" of
finding its way out, until it thought that
the easiest way was to run up hill and get
out at the top.
Bluff Point
Bluff Point.—On a commanding site 200 feet
above the lake some three miles south of
Plattsburgh, stands the superb "Hotel
Champlain" commanding a view far-reaching
and magnificent, from the Green Mountains on
the east to the Adirondacks on the west. The
hotel grounds comprise the same number of
acres as the islands of Lake George, 365.
The hotel is 400 feet long. We condense the
following description from the "Delaware and
Hudson Guide-book," which we can heartily
endorse from many personal visits:
"Resolute has been the struggle here with
nature, where rocks, tangled forest and
matted roots crowned the chosen spot; but
upon the broad, smooth plateau finally
created the Hotel Champlain has been placed,
and all the surrounding forest, its
solitudes still untamed, has been converted
into a superb park, threaded with drives and
bridle paths. At the foot of the gradual
western slope of the ridge the handsome
station of Bluff Point has been located
beside the main line of the Delaware &
Hudson Railroad, the chief highway of
pleasure and commercial travel between New
York, Saratoga, Lake George, the Adirondacks
and Canada.
"From the station where the coaches of the
hotel await expected guests, a winding pike,
the very perfection of a road, leads up the
hill. From the carriage, as it rises to the
crest, a wondrous outlook to the westward is
opened to view. Nearly a thousand square
miles of valley, lake and mountain are
within range of the eye or included in the
area encircled by visible peaks. As the
porch of the hotel is reached, the view,
enhanced by the fine foreground, is indeed
beautiful, but still finer is the grandeur
of the scene from the arches of the tall
central dome of the house.
"To the southward we see Whiteface, showing,
late in spring and early in autumn, its
coronet of almost perpetual snow; and in a
grand circle still more southward we see in
succession McIntyre, Marcy (both over 5,000
feet high), Haystack, Dix, the Gothic peaks,
Hurricane and the Giant. This noble
sisterhood of mountains rises from the very
heart of the wilderness, and yet the guests
at the Hotel Champlain may reach any portion
of their environment within a few hours."
The fine equipment and frequent train
service of the Delaware &Hudson between New
York and Bluff Point without change, by
daylight or at night, and the direct
connection of the same line with the Hudson
River steamboats, places this resort high
upon the list of available summering points
in the dry and healthful north for families
from the metropolis. Travel from the west,
coming down the St. Lawrence River, or
through Canada via Montreal, will find Bluff
Point easy to reach; while from the White
Mountains and New England seashore resorts
it is accessible by through trains via St.
Albans or Burlington.
The western shore of Lake Champlain forms
the margin of the most varied and altogether
delightful wilderness to be found anywhere
upon this continent east of the Rocky
Mountains. The serried peaks to the westward
are in plain view from its shores, their
foot-hills ending in lofty and often abrupt
ridges where they meet the lake. Three
impetuous rivers, the Saranac, the Salmon
and the Ausable, flow down from the cool,
clear lakes, hidden away in the wildwood,
and, breaking through this barrier at and in
the vicinity of Plattsburgh, contribute not
only to the lucid waters of Lake Champlain
but greatly to the picturesque variety of
the region.
Plattsburgh and the Saranacs
Plattsburgh, 168 miles from Albany, at the mouth of the Saranac, is a delightful threshold to the Adirondacks. The northern part of Lake Champlain offers special attractions to camping parties. The shores and islands abound in excellent sites. Lake Champlain is also replete with interest to the historian. The ruins of Fort St. Anne are still seen on the north end of the Isle La Mott, built by the French in 1660. Valcour Strait, where one of the battles of '76 was fought; Valcour's Island, where lovers came from far and near, built air castles, wandered through these shady groves for a season or two, and then vanished from sight, bankrupt in everything but mutual affection; Cumberland Bay, with its victory, September, 1814, when the British were driven back to Canada; and many other points which can be visited by steamer or yacht.
It is thirty years since I made my first trip to the Saranacs and I remember well the long journey of those early days, but now we can step aboard a well equipped train at Plattsburgh and in five or six hours stand by the bright waters of the Lower Saranac, which might to-day be called the centre and starting point for all resorts and camping grounds in the eastern lake district of the Adirondacks. Floating about the Saranac Islands of a summer evening, roaming among forest trees, strolling over to the little village one mile distant, and absorbing the rich exhilaration of a life of untrammeled freedom, with a perfect hotel, and blazing fire-places if the weather happens to be unpleasant, form a grand combination, alike for tourists or seekers after rest.