The new book Seneca Ray Stoddard; and Intimate Portrait of an Adirondack Legend (Warren County Historical Society, 2023) by Daniel Way, MD is a complete biography of Seneca Ray Stoddard, including unique photographs and a virtual tour of Stoddard’s house, which no longer exists.
Each of the 22 chapters features a specific aspect of Stoddard’s talent and career, with over 250 illustrations to create as complete a picture of his life as possible.
The book tells the story of a remarkable man from Upstate New York who emerged from humble beginnings during the post-Civil War era to become a renowned artist, author, photographer, explorer, surveyor, cartographer, traveler, inventor, lecturer and Adirondack environmentalist over a six-decade career. In so doing, he had a profound impact on the New York landscape that endures to the present day.
Stoddard was born at Wilton, in Saratoga County, NY in 1844 and was largely self-taught. He left home at 16 and worked painting ornamental freight cars and decorative scenes in railroad passenger cars. He began his photography career at age 20 in Glens Falls, Warren County. He published a guide to Saratoga Springs followed by the first edition of his Lake George – Luzerne – Schroon Lake in 1873. In 1878 the guide was expanded to Lake George and Lake Champlain.
His bet known guidebook, The Adirondacks: Illustrated, published in 1873, was revised and reprinted through 1914, included the first tourist map of the Adirondacks in 1874. In 1878, Stoddard produced a topographical survey of the Adirondacks. In 1892, he gave an illustrated lecture to the New York State Legislature considered influential in the creation of the Adirondack Park. He died at his home in Glens Falls in 1917.
In exploring and photographing the Adirondack wilderness, Stoddard became an environmentalist before the word was even recognized. His efforts to preserve the Adirondacks in their relatively pristine condition continue to pay dividends in our modern world.
Book Purchases made through this Amazon link support the New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State. Books noticed on the New York Almanack have been provided by their publishers.
See more new books HERE.
Leave a Reply