Oswald D. “Ozzie” Heck, who owned a camp on the east side of Lake George, was Speaker of the New York State Assembly for 22 years, longer than anyone else. For everyone but the very few who find the state legislature a topic of more than passing interest, though, he is best known as the eponym of the of the state-owned island day use area off Assembly Point, which for most of its history was known as South Island.
South Island was renamed Speaker Heck Island in 1968 at the request of the Lake George Association (LGA), whose leaders at that time were, for the most part, Republican businessmen who had wires to pull in Albany and some influence with the governor, Nelson Rockefeller. [Read more…] about How Lake George’s Speaker Heck Island Got Its Name
![Sketch by Joseph W. Zarzynski depicting the sinking of the steamboat Helen [II] on Lake George on July 21, 1897](https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Sketch-by-Joseph-W-Zarzynski-depicting-the-sinking-of-the-steamboat-Helen-II-on-Lake-George-on-July-21-1897-300x214.jpg)
It was a bit of an unlucky vessel. The 65-foot long, 75 horse-power Lake George steam yacht Helen [II] was constructed by shipbuilder Chris Bates. The watercraft was built in 1892 on land just north of today’s Old Warren County Courthouse in the 
While living with her 
For over a decade, scientists, environmentalists, and local and state government officials have been challenged by the invasion of 
In late October 
New York State has added 763 acres to 
