History, Natural History & the Arts
Fred Currier of Waterford, NY was a man of many interests. His actual name was Alfred, but he was known as Fred. For 17 years, he was a Waterford Town Constable.
In 1921, Governor Nathan Miller appointed him Division Superintendent of Canals. When that commission was up, he returned to law enforcement as a Deputy Sheriff, later becoming a Day Jailer. [Read more…] about The Black Hand & Shootings of Constable Fred Currier
More hikers in the woods and nicer weather led to several NYS Forest Ranger missions to rescue injured, lost, or unprepared people in the backcountry of the Adirondacks, Catskills, and elsewhere around New York. They also recovered a man’s body in the Croghan Tract Conservation Easement in Lewis County. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Recover Body, Make Several Rescues of Lost, Injured, Unprepared
Ulysses S. Grant’s ancestors first came to America in 1630 when Englishman Mathew Grant landing in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Grant was always proud of his forebears, but the most important individuals in his life were his parents.
His father Jesse Root Grant (1794-1873) was an ardent abolitionist who spent part of his early years living in the home of the father of the John Brown. His mother Hannah Simpson Grant (1798-1883) came from Pennsylvania parents who were die-hard Jacksonian Democrats. [Read more…] about Ulysses S. Grant: From John Brown to Grant’s Cottage
The United States Patent Commission was created on April 10, 1790, to establish a formal method for submitting and indexing patents. Its first three members were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph.
As only three people made up the early patent office, the first applications were not closely examined. An inventor simply submitted a written description, a working model, and a $30 fee (equivalent to about $1,000 today). [Read more…] about Early Saratoga County Inventors & The Patent Office Fire
The new Big Bend Preserve in Saratoga County, NY is now open to the public. Roughly the size of Central Park in New York City, this 860-acre addition to Moreau Lake State Park makes the park one of the ten largest in the State Parks system. [Read more…] about Big Bend Preserve, An 860-Acre Addition to Moreau State Park
How does someone growing up in a family of school teachers along the Connecticut River in northeastern Vermont become a notorious criminal by the time he’s in his twenties?
“Dell” Fellows never revealed why, but his notorious reputation was more than justified. [Read more…] about School Teacher to Bandit: The Notorious Dell Fellows
I don’t feel old but when most of my youth’s teachers and mentors have passed on, I know I’ve arrived. When it comes to the Adirondacks and the “forever wild” provision of our state constitution, a number of us just lost a great, very determined, and very influential teacher in that field of green. [Read more…] about A Tribute to Conservationist Charlie Morrison, 1928-2024
As noted in the June 30, 1905 Minutes of the Trustees of Skidmore College at the Second Annual Meeting of the Young Women’s Industrial Club, “the first diploma ever given was awarded to Mrs. Mattie G. Lattimore for having completed the two year’s course in Domestic Science.” [Read more…] about Mattie Lattimore: Skidmore College’s First Graduate
During the Civil War, Colonel Simeon Sammons received authority to recruit a regiment in the counties of Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, and Saratoga, with headquarters at Fonda. On August 26, 1862, it mustered into the service of the United States for three years as the 115th New York Infantry Regiment, known as the “Iron-Hearted Regiment.” [Read more…] about The 115th New York: The Iron Hearted Regiment During The Civil War
Moreau Lake State Park has announced a new fully accessible trail system on is in the works.
The project will include a trailhead kiosk and interpretive signs geared towards neurodivergent visitors and those with disabilities. The trail will lead to an accessible platform and fishing pier that has been completed as an Eagle Scout project. [Read more…] about Moreau Lake State Park Getting Accessible Trail System
George Mercer, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, took a summer trip to Saratoga Springs with a buddy after sightseeing at West Point. He had a pretty good time, but not a great time.
He enjoyed the nightlife, but wasn’t impressed with the ladies; he went boating on Lake George, but complained of the heat. Sounds like today, right? Try 1860. [Read more…] about 1860: A Southern Tourist Gives Saratoga, Lake George Mixed Reviews
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