History, Natural History & the Arts
A log camp opposite Three Brothers Island at Lake George, whose original core was built in 1928 for a niece of George Foster Peabody, will be disassembled, removed and replaced by a contemporary mansion.
The Town of Bolton’s Planning Board approved the new owner’s request to replace the camp in a March meeting. [Read more…] about Historic Lake George Camp Being Replaced with Mansion
For decades, the unofficial slogan of the United States Postal Service was: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That phrase was chiseled over the entrance of the James A. Farley Building, a post office facility in New York City.
The spirit of that tagline was demonstrated one day when a pilot of the Lake George mailboat briefly interrupted his postal duties to rescue a boater in distress. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster
Glen Underwood, the author of the recently published Discovering George Foster Peabody (Abenia Cottage Press, 2025) was at the Lake George Historical Association recently to discuss the life and legacy of the banker and philanthropist. The program included the unveiling of a portrait of Peabody that will hang in the museum.
Appropriately enough, the museum overlooks Shepard Park, named in honor of Peabody’s close friend, Brooklyn politician Edward Morse Shepard (1850-1911). Shepard is remembered at Lake George today largely because the Village park bears his name. Peabody, who actually paid for the park and gave it to the Village, has fared less well. [Read more…] about George Foster Peabody and Lake George
The late Judge John Austin’s unrivalled collection of books and documents related to the history of Warren County, its towns and families has been reassembled as a reference library in the Warren County Clerk’s Office. There, hundreds of books, folders and much more, including documents that are particularly useful for those who research genealogy, are accessible to researchers by appointment. [Read more…] about Featured Collections: Warren County’s Austin Historical Collection
The 1906-built Forward launch was one of the first gasoline-powered vessels on Lake George. The 45-foot-long watercraft was initially a recreational boat for the Bixby family of Bolton Landing.
It later served as an excursion watercraft under different ownership. According to local lore, in the 1930s, the wooden runabout sank. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Forward Shipwreck
Simply mentioning “The Adirondacks” can be a great conversation starter, but there are so many Adirondack peaks, lakes, nooks, and crannies that you’ll be asked exactly where in “The Adirondacks” you’re referring to. And, in return, folks will likely have an Adirondack spot of their own to share — fishing the Independence for example, Canada Lake at dawn, a winter view of Moxham Mountain – the possibilities seem infinite. [Read more…] about Searching for Ligar’s Lake & Other Adirondack Postcard Mysteries
There is no such thing as dead wood. Any wood boat, even one as modest as my sixteen-foot rowboat, will teach you that. Wood is moody; it swells and contracts; it looks and feels different on different days.
But wood also gives you the impression that it is collaborating with you; you have an undeniable sensation that your boat is actively supporting you as you row, keeping you afloat (aloft, even), pulling you onward. [Read more…] about The Smith Rowboat: A Unique Contribution to Watercraft History
WINTER CONDITIONS: Plan ahead, check the weather to know what winter conditions to expect. Snowshoes, crampons, or microspikes may be needed in addition to insulated boots. DEC’s website has tips for safe winter hiking.
The following reports of recent searches and rescues carried out by Forest Rangers and other first responders around New York State were prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Recover Hunter’s Body, Make Hiker Rescues
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State locating and extracting lost, injured or distressed people and policing state lands.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Medical Emergencies Dominate Recent Hiker Rescues
A large 30-lot subdivision conservationists are calling “environmentally threatening” in the Town of Bolton above Lake George called Indian Brook Preserve is now before the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) for approval under their Large-Scale Subdivision application. [Read more…] about Large Subdivision Proposed Above Lake George in the Adirondack Park
The Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) made Lake George more accessible than any other resort area in the Northeast. So, it’s appropriate that the birth of the modern interstate highway system can be traced to Lake George; specifically, to the 46th Annual National Governor’s Conference, held July 11 to 13, 1954, at the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing.
To be precise, the Conference was the site not so much of the birth of the interstate highway system, but of the announcement of its birth. [Read more…] about The Adirondack Northway’s Ambiguous Legacy
Lake George‘s island campsites are spread across much of the lake and are accessible only by boat. They’re divided into three groups — Glen Island, in The Narrows east of Bolton Landing; Long Island, on the south end of the lake; and Narrow Island — part of the Mother Bunch Islands located in the northern part of the lake.
There are 387 shoreline campsites located on 44 State-owned lands. There are 85 sites located in the Narrow Island Group (Mother Bunch Group), 170 standard sites and 42 cruiser sites (sites for large boats with sleeping quarters) in the Glen Island Group (The Narrows), and 90 sites are on Long Island. [Read more…] about Boat-Access Camping on Lake George Islands
The northeastern Indigenous bark canoe, generally built of birch or elm, but sometimes fashioned of spruce, chestnut, hickory, or basswood, was an efficient vessel. It was lightweight and could be easily portaged from one waterway to another.
A single-bladed paddle was employed to propel the craft. The canoe was a boat in which the paddler, unlike an oarsman, faced in the direction that the vessel traveled. However, the versatile-bark canoe was vulnerable to damage due to its fragility. [Read more…] about Rare Indigenous Bark Canoes in Lake George
It was Saturday night, August 12, 1911, and 300 people attending the weekly dance at the Sagamore Hotel in the Town of Bolton on Lake George were startled to see a huge fire to the west. The C. E. Ingraham building on Stewart Avenue was ablaze.
As the town’s volunteer fire department confronted the inferno, some hotel guests went by automobile and on foot to lend a hand. Leading them from the Sagamore was retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, a co-founder of the National Geographic Society. [Read more…] about The Night A Rear Admiral & Nat Geo Co-Founder Battled A Lake George Fire
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation is a $34 billion industry in New York State, responsible for more than 250,000 jobs.
In the Lake George region, outdoor recreation buttresses the tourism economy, which, according to the most recent data available, generates $850 to $887 million a year in sales. In 2023, tourism supported between 6,000 and 8,500 local jobs. [Read more…] about The Experience Economy: Monetizing Warren County’s Natural Assets
The frequently used expression, “light at the end of the tunnel,” means one has hope for the future after a difficult period. That could have been what area scuba diver Bob Kahn felt in 1957 during a lake dive.
According to a newspaper report, Kahn had already made several scuba forays into Lake George searching for a recently sunk vessel. Suddenly he spotted the missing boat’s navigation lights that were still lit in the depths of the waterway’s dark-blue waters. [Read more…] about A Sunken Boat’s Navigation Lights Burn for Two Days
It was July 20, 1945, twelve-years since moviegoers gazed in awe at the silver screen as the goliath gorilla known as King Kong battled biplanes flying near the pinnacle of the 1,454-foot-tall Empire State Building in New York City.
Lake Georgians must have felt a similar fright when they witnessed a giant waterspout, reportedly twice the height of the Empire State Building, passing over the 32-mile-long waterway. [Read more…] about 1945: A Giant Waterspout Over Lake George
It was nearly three months after the USA entered World War I (1917–1918) and understandably Americans were nervous about sending troops to fight in Europe. So, it probably sounded like the horrors of war had come home when in the early morning of June 29, 1917, Bolton Landing residents Charles Hier and William Tobin were suddenly awakened by two explosions from the post office.
What the startled Bolton Landing citizens heard was not an artillery barrage. Rather, they were witnesses to “Bolton Landing New York’s Great Post Office Robbery of 1917.” [Read more…] about Bolton Landing’s Great Post Office Robbery of 1917
With a length of 803.8 feet, it was a massive airship, only 80 feet shorter than the 1912-sunk, ocean-liner Titanic.
Along with its sister craft, the LZ-130, the LZ-129 Hindenburg was the largest-man-made object to ever fly. [Read more…] about 1936: The Airship Hindenburg Over Lake George
In 1868 a Lake George island reportedly sank following an earthquake and “tremendous upheaval of waters.” It was early January and newspapers around the state and elsewhere published a story similar to this quote from the Buffalo Daily Courier about “the sudden sinking of Recluse Island near Bolton, Lake George.” [Read more…] about 1868 Hoax: The Day a Lake George Island “Sank”
Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)
Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.
*Donations are not tax deductible.
(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).