Now Is The Time! Please Support the Almanack Today

October 1, 2026 by John Warren Leave a Comment

For nearly 20 years the Almanack has only been supported by readers like you. Now is the time when we raise our funds for the year.

Despite lacking institutional or public funding, we deliver news, notices, and knowledge in the tradition of an independent press.

But we need your help! Costs have risen dramatically, doubling in recent years.

Please support New York Almanack‘s annual fundraising drive.

Your help is critical and much appreciated. [Read more…] about Now Is The Time! Please Support the Almanack Today

Ambuscade Slaughter: The 1758 Half-Way Brook Massacre

October 4, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

In the aftermath of his stunning defeat of Maj. Gen. James Abercrombie‘s much larger army at the Battle of Carillon, French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm sent several scouting parties from Ticonderoga to attack and harass the soldiers and convoys along the road between the head of Lake George and Fort Edward.

On July 20th, 1758 one of these groups fell upon the Massachusetts provincial militia, led by Colonel Ebenezer Nichols (1703–1777) who were quartered at the Half-Way Brook block house, which had been constructed shortly after Sir William Johnson had the road built in 1755. [Read more…] about Ambuscade Slaughter: The 1758 Half-Way Brook Massacre

Cranberries: The Great American Native Fruit

October 3, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Cranberries are a common part of holiday celebrations, whether they’re used as garland decorating a Christmas tree or in the holiday meal. One of the few native North American fruits, New York State was once the third largest producer in the nation. [Read more…] about Cranberries: The Great American Native Fruit

Mabel Allen’s 1908 Diary: Busy With Friends

October 3, 2026 by Phil Brown Leave a Comment

Alice Mabel Allen (1886-1976) grew up in the village of Adams in Jefferson County. In 1908, while attending Syracuse University, Mabel, as she was known, kept a diary which New York Almanack is publishing each week. This week she records a busy schedule with her social connections. [Read more…] about Mabel Allen’s 1908 Diary: Busy With Friends

St. Francis’ Peace Prayer & Paul Schaefer’s Early Writing

October 2, 2026 by David Gibson 1 Comment

This October 4th, the Feast Day of St. Francis, the world commemorates 800 years since the Saint’s death in 1226. Every day I pass our living room where, prominently framed on our wall, is a copy of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis, a famous Christian prayer that seeks to make the speaker an instrument of peace, love, and understanding.

This version of Francis’ peace prayer was printed in calligraphy and gifted to many by Adirondack wilderness conservationist Paul Schaefer (1908-1996). [Read more…] about St. Francis’ Peace Prayer & Paul Schaefer’s Early Writing

Attracting Birds To Your Landscape This Winter

October 2, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Aside from the beautiful flowers, native plants, shrubs and trees are more than being visually attractive – they are also attracting birds. Now that the cold weather is setting in and winter is on the way, what can you do to entice these feathered friends to continue to visit? [Read more…] about Attracting Birds To Your Landscape This Winter

New York State 2035 Wildlife Action Plan Finalized

October 2, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Wildlife Action Plan for 2025–2035 is now finalized. An assessment conducted for the report found 570 species of special concern, including 269 native plants. Of these, 147 are designated as a high priority. [Read more…] about New York State 2035 Wildlife Action Plan Finalized

New Saratoga Mineral Springs Museum; Spa Park Lincoln Bath Upgrades

October 2, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has reopened the Lincoln Bathhouse at Saratoga Spa State Park after multimillion-dollar renovation projects inside and out. It now includes a new mineral springs museum focused on cultural history of Saratoga waters. [Read more…] about New Saratoga Mineral Springs Museum; Spa Park Lincoln Bath Upgrades

Rangers Recover Bodies at AuSable Chasm, Giant Mountain; Fight Fire & More

October 2, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

NYS Forest Rangers recovered the bodies of a 45-year-old hiker in the Giant Mountain Wilderness and a 60-year-old found in the water under the bridge at Ausable Chasm, in addition to responding to a wildfire in Long Lake and several other lost and injured Adirondack hikers. Three incidents occurred on a single day. [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Bodies at AuSable Chasm, Giant Mountain; Fight Fire & More

Two-Wheel Bureaucracy: How America Once Governed Bicycles

October 1, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

For those who choose two wheels, bicycles are celebrated as eco-friendly, low-barrier alternatives to the automobile. A bicycle license plate recently highlighted by the Vermont Historical Society however, reveals a time when they were subject to the same municipal oversight, state regulation, and licensing as motor vehicles.

In fact, municipal bicycle licensing and registration was widespread across Vermont, New York State, and indeed the United States, from the 1930s through the mid-1970s. [Read more…] about Two-Wheel Bureaucracy: How America Once Governed Bicycles

Exploring Rare New York Pine Barrens

October 1, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

New York pine barrens are unique woodland communities made up of pitch pine, scrub oak, and grassy areas. Blueberries and ferns blanket the ground. Dozens of threatened or endangered creatures prefer this vegetation, making this rare community their home. [Read more…] about Exploring Rare New York Pine Barrens

Lake Awosting Carriage Road Restoration Complete

October 1, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Restoration work on nearly three miles of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve’s Lake Awosting Carriage Road, a historic trail circling Lake Awosting, the largest “sky lake” on the northern Shawangunk Ridge is now complete. [Read more…] about Lake Awosting Carriage Road Restoration Complete

Oakley Corners State Forest: Southern Tier Single-Track

October 1, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Oakley Corners State Forest is 1,160 acres of woodlands in the Towns of Newark Valley and Owego, in eastern Tioga County, that features a 15.3-mile multi-use trail system. The trails are available for all skill levels and offer family-based recreation, including hiking, wildlife viewing, mountain biking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and cross-county skiing. [Read more…] about Oakley Corners State Forest: Southern Tier Single-Track

Niagara Falls New Cataract Stairs and Overlook Opens

October 1, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The new Cataract Stairs and Overlook is now open at Niagara Falls. The new stairs and viewing platform gets visitors up close and personal with the falls’ powerful cascade bring visitors as close as 35 feet from the American Falls. [Read more…] about Niagara Falls New Cataract Stairs and Overlook Opens

Half-Way Brook & The French & Indian War

September 30, 2026 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

In choosing as its first subject for a memorial marker “The Half-Way Brook,” the (now defunct) New York State Historical Association made a dignified and wise selection.

For it may be truly said that no stream in Northern New York is more noted in history and the annals of the border, than this, whose appellation “Half-Way” comes from the fact that it was nearly equidistant from Fort Edward on the south (on the Hudson River] and Fort William Henry on the north (on Lake George). [Read more…] about Half-Way Brook & The French & Indian War

Usage Highlights New Adirondack Rail Trail’s Popularity

September 30, 2026 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Counters along the Adirondack Rail Trail recorded 211,000 passes during its first year of full operation according to reports provided to New York Almanack by the Adirondack Rail Trail Association.

The 34-mile universally accessible multi-use trial connects Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake for non-motorized recreation and seasonal snowmobiling. [Read more…] about Usage Highlights New Adirondack Rail Trail’s Popularity

William Floyd’s Daring Demand For Independence

September 30, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

William Floyd (1734–1821), who lived on a large slave plantation on the south shore of eastern Long Island, was the first of four men who signed the Declaration of Independence from New York. [Read more…] about William Floyd’s Daring Demand For Independence

Peebles Island Historic Preservation Open House Returns

September 30, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

For the first time in 15 years, the New York State Division for Historic Preservation is opening the doors to the Peebles Island Resource Center and inviting the public to explore a behind-the-scenes look at the labs that support New York’s state historic sites. [Read more…] about Peebles Island Historic Preservation Open House Returns

State Parks, Historic Sites Friends Groups Make $31M Impact

September 30, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has released its Friends Group Impact Report, highlighting the significant contributions that Friends Groups made to New York’s state parks and historic sites in 2025.

A “Friends Group” is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting one or more park or historic sites under the jurisdiction of State Parks through volunteer activities, financial support, on-site programming, and other means. [Read more…] about State Parks, Historic Sites Friends Groups Make $31M Impact

A 1939 Lake George Scavenger Hunt

September 29, 2026 by Joseph W. Zarzynski Leave a Comment

During the 1930s, the party game known as the “scavenger hunt” took hold of American society. That entertaining competition was popularized by Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963), a famous gossip columnist.

Maxwell was known for organizing lavish parties for the elite that featured opulent scavenger hunts in which participants tried to acquire specific objects within an allotted time period to win the contest. [Read more…] about A 1939 Lake George Scavenger Hunt

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