History, Natural History & the Arts
Lake George’s network of navigation buoys represents one of the lake’s most important safety systems, guiding thousands of boaters around hidden hazards every boating season.
From the main lake to the Narrows, buoys mark underwater rocks, shoals, channels and speed zones, helping boaters safely navigate one of New York’s most beautiful — and deceptively challenging — lakes. [Read more…] about Silent Sentinels: Lake George Navigation Buoys
The destruction of the Lake George Yacht Club’s building in Basin Bay in 1896 was as much a loss to Lake George’s architectural history as the demolition of the Gilded Age-
era mansions along Millionaire’s Row.
Today, only a few privately-owned properties on Lake George are protected through the State and National Registers of Historic Places. New York State’s Board for Historic Preservation is attempting to remedy that deficit. [Read more…] about 1909 Lake George Club Nominated to Historic Register
NYS Forest Rangers had a busy July 4th weekend in which they recovered the body of a paddler; rescued two people on an inflatable kayak from rapids they didn’t know existed on the Saranac River; assisted with an overturned sailboat on Lake Champlain; rescued someone from the rapids in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness; and two teens hiding from a black bear near Lake George. [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Paddler’s Body, Make Multiple Rescues July 4th Weekend
Two hundred years ago, canal boats laden with freight and passengers, pulled by a team of mules, began traversing the newly opened 363-mile Erie Canal.
While much has changed since then, including the transition of the historic commercial waterway into a premier recreational boating destination, the tradition of towing boats remains when a vessel breaks downs in New York’s canal system. [Read more…] about 200 Years Later, They’re Still Towing Boats on the Erie Canal
Some of the world’s greatest cities originated on river banks. In spite of individual histories, there is one common pattern. These were all “hydraulic” communities that developed creative skills to control the elements and open up the access to waterways.
Environmental intervention facilitated their adaptation to the habitat. They engineered techniques to dig canals, drain swamps, reclaim land and build on marshy ground by using mud banks to produce stylish brick. The transition of Venice, Antwerp or Amsterdam from soggy settlements to iconic port cities symbolized man’s ability to master his surroundings. New York City joined that list. [Read more…] about The Sloop: Queen of the Hudson River
Hosted by the Sailing School at Hudson River Maritime Museum and Kingston Sailing Club, the Riverport Women’s Sailing Conference will be held in-person, on land at the Maritime Museum in Kingston, NY on Sat., March 29, 2025.
Dawn Riley, the youngest and only woman named to the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the international America’s Cup Hall of Fame, will speak at a pre-conference event on Friday, March 28th, that is free and open to the public. [Read more…] about Sailing Pioneer Dawn Riley at Riverport Women’s Sailing Conference in Kingston
Chautauqua Lake, located in the towns of Chautauqua, Ellery, North Harmony, Ellicott and Busti in Chautauqua County, is the largest natural inland lake in Western New York. [Read more…] about Chautauqua Lake: Western New York’s Largest Natural Inland Lake
By the eighteenth century, the Atlantic Ocean had become a busy highway of ships crisscrossing its waters.
What do we know about the ships that made these transatlantic voyages and connected the eighteenth-century British Atlantic world through trade, people, and information? [Read more…] about 18th Century Merchant Shipping in the Atlantic
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).