The NYS Senate granted final legislative approval Thursday to a bi-partisan bill that is expected to help reduce road salt pollution and protect drinking water in the Adirondack Park. The Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act was passed in the NYS Assembly earlier this week and now heads to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Transportation
NYS Canal System Opening Update
The NYS Canal Corporation has announced that its maintenance and construction projects are set to resume on a regional basis under the “NY Forward Reopening” plan.
The tentative schedule calls for segments of the canal system to start opening beginning July 4th. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Opening Update
Monticello Steamship Company
Online auction sites regularly offer a number of collectibles — postcards, brochures, tickets, even china — bearing the name and logo of the Monticello Steamship Company of San Francisco.
Most of these items offer little information about the company, and the average collector would have little reason to believe that one of the most well-known enterprises on the West Coast around the turn of the 20th Century had any connection at all to Sullivan County, NY.
But it did. [Read more…] about Monticello Steamship Company
NYS Canal System Opening Being Delayed
Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Canal System will not open the locks to navigation on May 15th as previously announced. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Opening Being Delayed
Twitchell Lake and the Carthage to Crown Point Road
Ever wonder how one of the hundreds of lakes and ponds in the Adirondack Mountains got its name? Around Brown’s Tract, there are lakes named from nature such as Loon, Beaver, Trout, Gull, Bear, and Moose. There are also a dozen or more lakes named for noted guides or people who lived in or frequented the area during the Sporting Era (1860 to 1890), including Mosier, Francis, Hitchcock, Beach, Tuttle, Thayer, Smith, Salmon, and Wood. [Read more…] about Twitchell Lake and the Carthage to Crown Point Road
Riding The Rods And Railroad Reefer Cars
Here is a photo of an Armour & Company meat refrigeration car (a reefer) with a hobo “riding the rods.” The car lacks the grab irons on the right side, so we know it’s before the 1911 Amendment to the Railroad Safety Appliance Act. [Read more…] about Riding The Rods And Railroad Reefer Cars
When Trains Ran Through Saratoga’s Streets
The tracks seen in these photos were part of the original North Creek branch railroad that through the streets of Saratoga Springs. Originally, the line to North Creek (the Adirondack Branch) came off the Delaware & Hudson Railroad’s main line in the freight yard just south of the main Saratoga depot, and ran right down the middle of some streets. Started in 1864 and completed to North Creek in 1871, the street tracks were removed when the entire line was rerouted outside downtown Saratoga Springs. [Read more…] about When Trains Ran Through Saratoga’s Streets
Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit in East Hampton, LI
The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition, Water/Ways, which looks at how humanity has used water and how water has helped shaped civilization, is set to arrive at Clinton Academy Museum on February 29th for a six-week stay. [Read more…] about Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit in East Hampton, LI
State Issues New Plan For Historic Adirondack Rail Line
The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Transportation (DOT) have announced the release of a draft Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor Unit Management Plan (UMP) Amendment/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).
The amended proposal comes after the operators of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which ran on the line between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, successfully sued the state. They successfully argued that the State’s plan to turn the historic railroad line into a rail-trail did not comply with state historic preservation law or the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan.
The decision was handed down by State Supreme Court Judge Robert Main Jr. in 2017. In December, 2018 the state Adirondack Park Agency changed the “travel corridor” definition in the State Land Master Plan to allow for the removal of the rails. [Read more…] about State Issues New Plan For Historic Adirondack Rail Line
Once Common Horse Blocks Weren’t Just for Horses and Carriages
The most popular genre by far on nighttime television through the 1960s? Westerns. While children were allowed to watch some of them, several shows specifically geared towards the younger set were shown on Saturday morning. Watching heroes — Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger, and Zorro, three of the best — escape tense situations and catch bad guys was unforgettable.
Among the skills of any cowboy star (or stuntman stand-in) worth his salt were the hurried mounting and high-speed dismounting of horses (usually their own faithful steed, of course). It’s an impressive feat when you consider that horses are pretty high off the ground — which brings us to our main subject: how to get down off a horse. [Read more…] about Once Common Horse Blocks Weren’t Just for Horses and Carriages