New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Saranac Lake

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

Adk Regional Airport Site Added to State Superfund Registry

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Adirondack Regional Airport site provided by DECThe New York State Superfund Program, which identifies, investigates, and works to clean up sites where the disposal of hazardous waste may be a threat to public health, has added the Adirondack Regional Airport in the Adirondack Park at Saranac Lake to New York’s Registry of State Superfund Sites. [Read more…] about Adk Regional Airport Site Added to State Superfund Registry

New Novel: The Power Line by Christopher Shaw

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Power Line by Chris Shaw What really happened at Donnelly’s Corners in the spring of 1929?

The question haunts the exciting and thought-provoking novel, The Power Line (Outskirts Press, 2020) by Christopher Shaw.

According to Shaw, the project began in the seventies when the guide and regional historian Abel St. Martin began recording the memories of older people around Saranac Lake and Lake Aurora in the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about New Novel: The Power Line by Christopher Shaw