New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Saranac Lake

A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

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early Adirondack snowmobile raceIn the motor toboggan era – the time before the advent of the modern snowmobiles we know today – motor sleds had been too slow for racing excitement. As a result they remained strictly utilitarian vehicles racing only occasionally for promotional purposes. Motor toboggan and later snowmobile maker Polaris traveled each year at the end of the 1950s to trapper festivals at The Pas, Manitoba where they helped organize ad hoc races.

“We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” David Johnson said, remembering one of the first informal races, “one guy ahead, and then the other, and so on, at a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour.” In February 1959, Johnson won the first organized men’s race on an oval at The Pas and in 1960, the first cross-country race was held there. [Read more…] about A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Set For February 4-13

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2022 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Poster“Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau has released his poster design for the 2022 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, which is slated to take place February 4–13, 2022.

Using the Winter Carnival’s designated theme “Totally 80’s,” Trudeau’s illustration shows the “Doonesbury” characters J.J. sitting in the iconic 1980s Delorean time machine from the film Back to the Future, with the date set to February 4th, 2022, while Mike stands outside overlooking the Adirondack mountains. [Read more…] about Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Set For February 4-13

Modernist Architecture, Literature, and the Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium

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First page of an 1887 BrochureEdward Livingston Trudeau was born in 1848 in New York City to a family of physicians. During his late teens, his elder brother James contracted tuberculosis (TB) and Edward nursed him until his death three months later. At twenty, he enrolled in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia College (now Columbia University), completing his medical training in 1871. Two years later, he was diagnosed with TB too.

Following current climate-therapeutic theories that promoted the relocation of patients to regions with atmospheric conditions favorable to recuperation, he moved to the Adirondack Mountains. Seeking as much open air as he possible could, almost continuously living outside, he subsequently regained his health. In 1876 he settled in Saranac Lake and established a small medical practice. It was the beginning of a remarkable career and a new chapter in American medical history. [Read more…] about Modernist Architecture, Literature, and the Adirondack Cottage Sanatorium

Play ADK Acquires Former Saranac Lake Warehouse

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play adk logoPlay ADK has finalized its purchase of the former Branch and Callanan warehouse on Depot Street in downtown Saranac Lake, clearing the way for a capital project that hopes to transform the space into a children’s museum and family resource center serving the greater Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondacks (Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake). [Read more…] about Play ADK Acquires Former Saranac Lake Warehouse

Plans Afoot For Adirondacks Children’s Museum

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Play ADK Childrens MuseumPlay ADK is a nonprofit organization working to create a state-of-the-art children’s museum in Saranac Lake, NY that hopes to offer exhibits and experiences to engage children in meaningful play and exploration, and provide valuable resources for families. [Read more…] about Plans Afoot For Adirondacks Children’s Museum

How Snowmobilers Won Their Special Privileges To Ride On Forever Wild Lands

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Snowmobilers clear a trail near Nicks Lake in the winter of 1966-67When snowmobiling arrived in the Adirondacks in the mid-1960s, the question of where to ride became the single most important issue faced by both new sled owners and advocates for the protection of the wild character of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

As a result of efforts by the state’s Conservation Department and lobbying by the snowmobile industry, snowmobilers are today wildly over-represented in terms of access to trails. Although they represent less than 1% of the 7-10 million people who visit the Adirondacks each year, there are currently at least 3 to 4 thousand miles of snowmobile trails in the Adirondack Park,* compared to about 5,000 miles of roads. How this happened is a story that began 50 years ago with what is known as the Wilm Directive. [Read more…] about How Snowmobilers Won Their Special Privileges To Ride On Forever Wild Lands

Humble Spirits of History Haunt Saranac Lake Laboratory

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Gloria Hazard exhibit panel at the Saranac Laboratory MuseumOctober is a good month for a ghost story. So here is the tale of a humble spirit who for years haunted a cure cottage up on Charles Street in Saranac Lake.

I heard this story from Eileen Black, who has lived in the house for many years and raised her family there. A ghost visited their home several times a year for decades. He would show up at the back walkway, walking towards the house, glancing in the windows. Well-dressed, in an elegant, old fashioned coat and fedora, he looked a bit like Fred Astaire, so the family named him, “Fred.” Eileen, her husband, and children all got used to Fred sightings. He would appear and then be gone, before they could get a good look at him. Guests at the house would see him too. They were never afraid of him; he felt like a friend. [Read more…] about Humble Spirits of History Haunt Saranac Lake Laboratory