=Albany to Saratoga.=
_Delaware and Hudson Railway._
A pleasant tour awaits the traveler who continues his journey north
from Albany, where the _Delaware and Hudson_ train for Saratoga is
ready at the landing on the arrival of the steamer. A half hour's run
along the west bank gives us a glimpse of Troy across the river with
the classical named hills Mount Ida and Mount Olympus. Two streams,
the Poestenkill and the Wynant's Kill, approach the river on the east
bank through narrow ravines, and furnish excellent water power. In the
year 1786 it was called Ferryhook. In 1787, Rensselaerwyck. In the
fall of 1787 the settlers began to use the name of Vanderheyden, after
the family who owned a great part of the ground where the city now
stands. January 9, 1789 the freeholders of the town met and gave it
the name of Troy. The "Hudson," the "Erie," and the "Champlain" Canals
have contributed to its growth. The city, with many busy towns, which
have sprung up around it--Cohoes, Lansingburg, Waterford, etc., is
central to a population of at least 100,000 people. The Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, the oldest engineering school in America, has a
national reputation.
=Cohoes=, where the Mohawk joins the Hudson, has one of the finest
water powers in the country. Its name is of Indian origin and
signifies "the island at the falls." This was the division line
between the Mahicans and the Mohawks, and when the water is in full
force it suggests in graceful curve and sweep a miniature Niagara. The
view from the double-truss iron bridge (960 feet in length), looking
up or down the Mohawk, is impressive.
* * *
Oh, be my falls as bright as thine!
May heaven's relenting rainbow shine
Upon the mist that circles me,
As soft as now it hangs o'er thee!
_Thomas Moore._
* * *
Passing through Waterford, and Mechanicville which lies partly in the
township of Stillwater, with its historic records of Bemis Heights and
burial place of Ellsworth, the first martyr of the Civil war, we come
to--
=Round Lake=, nineteen miles north of Troy, and thirteen south
of Saratoga, near a beautiful sheet of water, three miles in
circumference, called by the Indians Ta-nen-da-ho-wa, which
interpreted, signifies Round Lake. The camp-meeting and assembly
grounds consist of 200 acres. The air is pure and invigorating and the
grove and cottages inviting. The drives in the vicinity are delightful
to Saratoga Lake, to the Hudson River, to the historic battlefields of
Bemis Heights and Stillwater.
=Ballston Spa=, thirty-one miles from Albany, is the county seat of
Saratoga. Here are several well-known mineral springs, with chemical
properties similar to the springs of Saratoga. Over ninety years ago
Benjamin Douglas, father of Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, built a log
house, near the "Old Spring," for the accommodation of invalids and
travelers, and at one time it looked as if Saratoga would have a
vigorous rival at her very doors; but its hotel glory has departed and
the old "Sans Souci" of the days of Washington Irving is a thing of
the past.
* * *
A gallant army formed their last array
Upon that field, in silence and deep gloom,
And at their conqueror's feet,
Laid their war-weapons down.
_Fitz-Greene Halleck._
* * *
=Saratoga=, thirty-eight miles north of Albany, one hundred and
eighty-two miles from New York, is the greatest watering place of the
continent. Its development has been wonderful, and puts, as it were,
in large italics, the prosperity of our country. The first white man
to visit the place was Sir William Johnson, who, in 1767, was conveyed
there by his Mohawk friends, in the hope that the waters might afford
relief from the serious effects of a gunshot wound in the thigh,
received eight years before in the battle of Lake George, at which
time his army defeated the French legions under Baron Dieskau. It was
not until the year 1773, six years after Sir William Johnson's initial
visit, that the first clearing was made and the first cabin erected
by Derick Scowten. Owing, however, to misunderstandings with his red
neighbors, he shortly afterwards left. A year later, George Arnold,
from Rhode Island, took possession of the vacated Scowten House, and
conducted it with some degree of success for about two years. Arnold
was in turn followed by Samuel Norton, who failed to make the venture
successful, owing to the outbreak of the Revolution. Norton was
succeeded in 1783 by his son, who sold out in 1787 to Gideon Morgan,
who, in the same year, made the property over to Alexander Bryan.
Bryan became the first permanent settler after the close of the war.
The prosperity of the village began in 1789, with the advent of Gideon
Putnam, but the wooden inns and hotels of 1830, which seemed palatial
in those days, would get lost even in one of the parlors of the
mammoth hotels which now line the main street of the village. Chief
among these hotels, we mention the--
="United States,"= a grand and princely building of noble frontage
with a bright and spacious interior court, completed in June, 1874. It
constitutes one continuous line of buildings, six stories high, over
fifteen hundred feet in length, containing nine hundred and seventeen
rooms for guests, and is the largest hotel in the world.
=The American-Adelphi= near at hand, also fronting Broadway, always
cheery and delightful under the management of its popular owner and
proprietor, Mr. George A. Farnham, has one of the finest locations in
Saratoga, combining comfort, good attention, a fine table, and every
convenience of a first-class house. One thing is sure, those who go to
the "American" return again and again.
=The Speedway, the Race Track, and Driveways.=--Saratoga can justly
feel proud of her material growth and progress in many directions
during the last decade, and prominent among her varied attractions are
the Speedway and Race Track. Mr. W. C. Whitney and many other prominent
men have contributed liberally in this direction. _The Electric Line_
to Saratoga Lake is also one of the features of the village, and
furnishes a delightful forenoon or afternoon's outing.
* * *
And boyhood's love and fireside-listened tales
Are rushing on your memories, as ye breathe
That valley's storied name,--
Field of the Grounded Arms.
_Fitz-Greene Halleck._
* * *
=The Springs.=--The most prominent springs in and about Saratoga are
the Hathorn, the Patterson and the Congress. The popularity of the
Hathorn is attested by the universal sale of its bottled waters
throughout the United States. The Patterson has won a wide reputation
which its excellence deserves.
=Historic Saratoga.=--But in the midst of this throbbing, gay and
delightful Saratoga, we must not forget that it was here the fathers
of the Republic achieved their most decisive victory. The battle was
fought in the town of Stillwater, at Bemis Heights, two and a half
miles from the Hudson. The defeat of St. Leger and the triumph of
Stark at Bennington filled the American army with hope. Burgoyne's
army advanced September 19, 1777. The battle was sharply contested. At
night the Americans retired into their camp, and the British held the
field. From September 20th to October 7th the armies looked each other
in the face, each side satisfied from the first day's struggle
that their opponents were worthy foemen. The Americans had retaken
Ticonderoga and Lake George. Burgoyne had no place to retreat, and
the lines were slowly but surely closing in around him. October 7th
Burgoyne commenced the battle, but in half an hour his line was
broken. He attempted to rally his troops in person, but they could not
stand before the impetuous charge of the Americans. He was compelled
to order a full retreat, and fell back on the heights above
Schuylerville. The Americans surrounded him, and he surrendered. It
was a decisive victory, and cheered the friends of freedom, not only
in America, but in the English House of Commons.
* * *
The leaves were red with crimson
And then brave Gates did cry,
'Tis diamond now cut diamond,
We'll beat them boys or die.
_Ballads of the Revolution._
* * *
=Mount McGregor=, where General Grant died, associates the Saratoga of
the Revolution with the story of our Civil War. Near the monument
to the old heroes at Schuylerville, where Burgoyne surrendered,
a monument to the Boys in Blue was dedicated in 1904. It was the
privilege of the writer to be the poet of the occasion, and in his
lines "The Flag They Bore," to bind the noble memorials of those who
made and those who saved the Republic.
Two monuments in triumph stand
To catch with joy the morning sun,
One chorus joins them hand in hand--
Heroes of Grant and Washington.
And wider yet the chorus leaps!
Two famous hills the song unites,
As Mount MacGregor's anthem sweeps
Across the plains to Bemis Heights.
In Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester's book, entitled "Historical Sketches
of Northern New York and the Adirondack Wilderness," we learn that the
earliest date in which the word Saratoga appears in history is 1684,
and was then the name of an old hunting ground on both sides of the
Hudson. Its interpretations have been various. Some say "The Hillside
Country of the Great River;" others, the place of swift waters, while
Morgan, in his "League of the Iroquois," says the signification of
Saratoga is lost.
Whatever the origin of the name whether from the old High Rock spring
or a "reach of the river," one thing is sure: Saratoga is the most
attractive point in the country as a gathering place for conventions
and large meetings, and, in response to the growing demand for
adequate facilities, a splendid convention hall, with a seating
capacity for five thousand people, has been erected by the town
authorities. It is a striking architectural addition to Saratoga's
attractions.
In 1907 over fifty thousand "Knights" gathered here and were
hospitably entertained.
* * *
And such were Saratoga's victors--such
The yeoman-brave, whose deeds and death have given
A glory to her skies,
A music to her name.
_Fitz-Greene Halleck._
* * *
=Saratoga to the Adirondacks.=
The _Adirondack Railway_ division of the _Delaware and Hudson_
furnishes one of the pleasantest excursions to the north woods. The
traveler passes along the romantic and picturesque valley of the upper
Hudson--through King's, South Corinth, Jessup's Landing to Hadley (the
railroad station for Luzerne, a charming village at the junction of
the Hudson and the Sacandaga); then through Stony Creek, Thurman,
thirty-six miles from Saratoga Springs, at the junction of the Schroon
and the Hudson; the Glen, forty-four miles; Riverside, fifty miles
(for Schroon Lake), pleasurable throughout, to North Creek, where
"Concord coaches" and patent-covered spring buck-boards are in waiting
for Blue Mountain Lake--distance about thirty miles, through a
beautiful romantic country.
The water route from this point is as follows: Through Blue Mountain
Lake and Utowana to the outlet, a distance of seven miles, where a
"Railway Carry," something less than a mile, brings the traveler to a
fairy-like steamer on Marion River. The river trip is twelve miles to
Forked Lake.
Arriving at "Forked Lake Carry," one-half mile brings us to Forked
Lake, where the traveler gets his first real mountain bill of fare.
From this point we took a guide to Long Lake. There is a short cut
from this point over to the Tupper Lakes, which we can commend in
every particular, and the tourist can either return to Long Lake and
continue his route to the Saranacs, or go to the Saranacs direct from
Lake Tupper.
From this point we visit Keene Flats, a charming and healthful spot,
only five miles from the "Lower Ausable Pond." These ponds, the
"Lower" and "Upper," are unrivaled in beauty and grandeur. They lie at
the foot of Mount Marcy, Haystack, the Gothics, and Mount Bartlett.
* * *
'Twas in the mellow autumn time
When I, an idler from the town,
With gun and rod was lured to climb
Those peaks where fresh the Hudson takes
His tribute from an hundred lakes.
_Charles Fenno Hoffman._
* * *
=Saratoga to Lake George.=
The traveler will find trains and excursions to suit his convenience
from Saratoga to our fairest lake. His route takes him through
Gansevoort and Fort Edward to Glens Falls with the narrowing and
bright-flowing Hudson for a companion. About one mile beyond Fort
Edward Station, near the railway on the right, stood, until recently,
the tree where Jane McCrea was murdered by Indians during the
Revolution. From Glens Falls the tourist proceeds over the
well-conducted Lake George division of the _Delaware and Hudson_, and
soon finds himself in the midst of a historic and romantic region.
About half way to the lake stands a monument to Col. Ephraim Williams,
killed at the battle of Lake George in 1755, erected by the graduates
of Williams College, which he founded. Bloody Pond, a little farther
on, sleeps calm and blue in the sunlight in spite of its tragic name
and associations, and soon Lake George, girt-round by mountains,
greets our vision, stretching away in beauty to the north.
Near the railway station on the ninth of September, 1903, a monument
was unveiled commemorating the battle of Lake George one hundred and
forty-eight years before. The monument embodies the heroic figures of
Sir William Johnson and King Hendrick the Indian chief. It represents
the Indian chief demonstrating to General Johnson the futility of
dividing his forces. Governor Odell of New York, Governor Guild of
Massachusetts, Governor Chamberlain of Connecticut, and Governor
McCulloch of Vermont and others delivered appropriate addresses.
=The Trossachs of America.=--Capt. Wm. R. Lord, author of
"Reminiscences of a Sailor," in a recent article contributed to a
Scottish paper, has happily called Lake George and its surroundings
"The Trossachs of America." In writing of the autumn season he says:
"Its similarity to the Trossachs of Scotland impresses one most
vividly as seen at this season; the mountains are clothed in a garb,
the prevailing color of which is purple, reminding me of a previous
visit through the Scottish Highlands when the heather was in full
bloom. I at that time felt it to be impossible that any other place on
the face of the globe could equal the magnificently imposing grandeur
of the 'Trossachs.' I must, however, freely admit that in its power of
changing beauty this region of America fully equals, if it does
not surpass it. Deeds of 'derring-do,' enacted in these mountain
fastnesses in days gone by, still add to make the comparison more
close. Our path at times seemed to be literally strewn with roses,
for the different colored leaves that carpeted our way conveyed that
thought. The depth and variegated beauty of coloring that marks this
season of decaying foliage, would enrapture the heart of an artist.
In my vocation I have had occasion to visit the four quarters of the
globe, but never have I seen tints so strikingly beautiful."
* * *
The early fragments of our Colonial poetry and Revolutionary
ballads are chanted in the midst of such profound
silence and loneliness that they sound spectrally
to our ears.
_Bayard Taylor._
* * *
=Lake George=, called by the French "Lac St. Sacrament," was
discovered by Father Jacques, who passed through it in 1646, on his
way to the Iroquois, by whom he was afterward tortured and burned. It
is thirty-six miles long by three miles broad. Its elevation is
two hundred and forty-three feet above the sea. The waters are of
remarkable transparency; romantic islands dot its surface, and elegant
villas line its shores. Fort William Henry and Ticonderoga, situated
at either end of the lake, were the salients respectively of the two
most powerful nations upon the globe. France and England sent great
armies, which crossed each other's track upon the ocean, the one
entering the St. Lawrence, the other the harbor of New York. Their
respective colonies sent their thousands to swell the number of
trained troops, while tribes of red men from the south and the north
were marshalled by civilized genius to meet in hostile array upon
these waters, around the walls of the forts, and at the base of the
hills. In 1755, General Johnston reached Lake St. Sacrament, to which
he gave the name of Lake George, "not only in honor of his Majesty,
but to assert his undoubted dominion here."
* * *
The progress of that October month had been like
the stately march of an Orient army, with all the
splendor of blazing banners. It looked as though the glories of the
sunset had been distilled into it decked
with the glowing hues of crimson, scarlet and gold.
_John Henry Brandow._
* * *
The village of Lake George is situated at the head of the lake.
It contains two churches, a court house, and a number of pretty
residences. Just behind the court house is the bay where Montcalm
landed his cannon, and where his entrenchments began. It ran across
the street to the rising ground beyond the Episcopal church.
=Fort William Henry Hotel= is the largest and best appointed hotel on
Lake George. It has a most beautiful and commanding location, and the
view from its great piazza is one long to be remembered. The piazza is
twenty-four feet in width and supported by a row of Corinthian columns
thirty feet high. The outlook from it at all times is enchanting,
commanding as it does the level reaches of the lake for miles, with
picturesque islands and promontories.
About twelve miles from the hotel is Fourteen-mile Island which, with
a number of others, form "The Narrows." The lake here is 400 feet
deep, much fishing is done, and in the right season hunting parties
start out. Black Mountain, the monarch of the lake, rises over two
thousand feet above its waters (being 2,661 feet above tide), and from
the summit a magnificent view is obtained of Lake Champlain, the Green
Mountains, the Adirondacks, and the distant course of the Hudson.
A carriage drive to Schroon Lake and conveyance from Schroon Village
to Adirondack resorts can be made from Lake George.
Those who have only a day can make a delightful excursion from
Saratoga to Caldwell by rail, then through the lake to Baldwin, and
thence by rail to Saratoga, or _via_ Baldwin and up the lake to
Caldwell, and so to Saratoga. But, to get the full beauty of this
unrivaled lake, the trip should be made with less haste, for there is
no more delightful place in the world to spend a week, a month, or an
entire summer. Its immediate surroundings present much to interest
the student of history and legend; and to lovers of the beautiful it
acknowledges no rivals. The elevation and absolute purity of air make
it a desirable place for the tourist. It is 346 feet above the level
of the sea, 247 feet above Lake Champlain, and is now brought within
six hours of New York City by the enterprise of the _Delaware & Hudson
Co_. It is a great question, and we talk it over every time we see the
genial Passenger Traffic Manager of this enterprising line, whether
Lake George or Lake Luzerne, in Switzerland, is the more beautiful. We
were just deciding last summer, on the steamer "Horicon," that Lake
George was more beautiful, but not so wild, when, as if the spirit
of the lake were roused, a great black squall suddenly came over the
mountains, and, the "crystal lake" for a few minutes, was as wild as
any one might desire. We all were glad to see her smile again as she
did half an hour afterward in the bright sunlight.
* * *
Oh the mystical glory that crowns them
Reflected in river and lake,
Like a fire that burns through the firs and ferns
By the paths that the wild deer take.
_Eben E. Rexford._
* * *
"At its widest point Lake George measures about four miles, but at
other places it is less than one mile in width. It is dotted with
islands; how many we do not know exactly--nobody does; but tradition,
which passes among the people of the district for history and truth,
says there is exactly one island for every day in the year, or 365 in
all. Whatever their real number they all are beautiful, although some
of them are barely large enough to support a flagstaff, and they all
seem to fit into the scene so thoroughly that each one seems necessary
to complete the charm. On either side are high hills, in some places
rising gently from the shores, and in others beetling up from the
surface of the water with a rugged cliff, or time-worn mass of rocks,
which reminds one of the wild bits of rocky scenery that make up the
savage beauty of the Isle of Skye.
"Its clearness is something extraordinary. From a small boat, in many
places, the bottom can be seen. Indeed, so mysteriously beautiful is
the water that many visitors spend a day in a rowboat gazing into it
at different points."
* * *
Each islet of green which the bright waters hold
Like emeralds fresh from their bosom rolled.
_Charles Fenno Hoffman._
* * *
Charles Dudley Warner says: "Bolton, among a host of attractive spots
on the lake, holds, in my opinion, a rank among the two or three most
interesting points. There is no point of Lake George where the views
are so varied or more satisfactory, excepting the one from Sabbath-day
Point. At Bolton the islets which dot the surface of the lake whose
waters are blue as the sea in the tropics, carry the eye to the
rosy-tinted range which includes Pilot, Buck and Erebus Mountains,
and culminates in the stateliness of Black Mountain. Or, looking
northwest, the superb masses of verdure on Green Island are seen
mirrored on the burnished surface of the lake. Behind rises the mighty
dividing wall called Tongue Mountain, which seems to separate the lake
in twain, for Ganouskie, or Northwest Bay, five miles long, is
in effect a lake by itself, with its own peculiar features." The
Champlain Transportation Company runs a regular line of steamboats
the entire length of the lake, making three round trips daily, except
Sunday. The "Horicon" is a fine side-wheel steamer, 203 feet long and
52 feet wide, and will accommodate, comfortably, 1,000 people.
At Fort Ti the tourist can continue his northern route _via_ the
_Delaware & Hudson_ to Hotel Champlain, Plattsburgh, Rouse's Point, or
Montreal, or through Lake Champlain by steamer. The ruins of Fort Ti,
like old Fort Putnam at West Point, are picturesque, and will well
repay a visit.
* * *
Far off the dreaming waters lie,
White cascades leap in snowy foam,
Lake Champlain mirrors cloud and sky,
The Hudson seeks his ocean home.
_Benjamin F. Leggett._
* * *
=Lake George to the Adirondacks.=
The reader who does not visit Lake George may feel that he is switched
off on a side-track at Fort Edward; so, coming to his rescue, we
return and resume our northern journey _via_ the main line, through
Dunham's Basin, Smith's Basin, Fort Ann, and Comstock's Landing, to--
=Whitehall=, at the head of Lake Champlain. From this point north the
_Delaware & Hudson_ crosses all thresholds for the Adirondacks, and
shortens the journey to the mountain districts. It passes through
five mountain ranges, the most southerly, the Black Mountain range,
terminating in Mt. Defiance, with scattering spurs coming down to
the very shore of the lake. The second range is known as the
Kayaderosseras, culminating in Bulwagga Mountain. The third range
passes through the western part of Schroon, the northern part of
Moriah and centre of Westport, ending in Split Rock Mountain. The
fourth range, the Bouquet range, ends in high bluffs on Willsboro Bay.
Here the famous Red-Hook Cut is located, and the longest tunnel on the
line.
The fifth range, known as the Adirondack Range, as it includes the
most lofty of the Adirondack Mountains, viz.: McIntyre, Colden and
Tahawas, ends in a rocky promontory known as Tremblau Point, at Port
Kent.
* * *
Afar the misty mountains piled,
The Adirondacks soaring free,
The dark green ranges lone and wild,
The Catskills looking toward the sea.
_Benjamin F. Leggett._
* * *
No wonder, with these mountain ranges to get through, that the subject
was agitated year after year, and it was only when the Delaware and
Hudson Company placed their powerful shoulder to the wheel, that the
work began to go forward. For these mountains meant tunnels, and rock
cuts, and bridges, and _cash_. Leaving Whitehall, we enter a tunnel
near the old steamboat landing, cross a marsh, which must have
suggested the beginning of the Pilgrim's Progress, for it seemed
almost bottomless, and pass along the narrow end of the lake, still
marked by light-houses, where steamers once struggled and panted "like
fish out of water," fulfilling the Yankee's ambition of running a boat
on a heavy dew. Then winding in and out along the shore, we proceed
to--
=Ticonderoga=, 23 miles from Whitehall. Here terminates the first
range of the Adirondacks, to which we have already referred, viz.:
Mount Defiance. Steamers connect with the train at this point on Lake
Champlain, also with a railroad for Lake George. Near the station we
get a view of old Port Ticonderoga, where Ethan Allen breakfasted
early one morning, and said grace in a brief and emphatic manner. The
lake now widens into a noble sheet of water; we cross the Lake George
outlet, enter a deep rock-cut, which extends a distance of about 500
feet, and reach Crown Point thirty-four miles north of Whitehall.
Passing along the shore of Bulwagga Bay we come to--
=Port Henry=, 40 miles from Whitehall. A few miles further the
railroad leaves the lake at Mullen Brook, the first departure since
we left Whitehall, and we are greeted with cultivated fields and a
charming landscape.
=Westport=, 51 miles from Whitehall, is the railroad station for--
=Elizabethtown=, the county seat of Essex. It is about eight miles
from the station, nestled among the mountains. A county consisting
mostly of mountain scenery could have no happier location for a
head-centre. Elizabethtown forms a most delightful gateway to the
Adirondacks either by stage route or pedestrian tour.
* * *
A health to Ethan Allen and our commander Gates;
To Lincoln and to Washington whom every Tory hates;
Likewise unto our Congress, God grant it long to reign,
Our country's right and justice forever to maintain.
_Saratoga Revolutionary Ballad._
* * *
A short distance north of Westport we enter the well-cultivated
Bouquet Valley, and after a pleasant run come to Wellsboro Falls,
where we enter seven miles of rock cutting. The road is about 90 feet
above the lake, and the cuts in many places from 90 to 100 feet high.
After leaving Red-Rock cut, we pass through a tunnel 600 feet long.
Crossing Higby's Gorge and rounding Tremblau Mountain, we reach--
=Port Kent=, the connecting point for the progressive village of
Keeseville.
=Ausable Chasm=, is only three miles from the station of Port Kent. It
is many years since we visited the Chasm, but its pictures are still
stamped upon our mind clearly and definitely--the ledge at Birmingham
Falls, the Flume, the Devil's Pulpit, and the boat ride on the swift
current. Indeed, the entire rock-rift, almost two miles in length,
left an impression never to be effaced. The one thing especially
peculiar, on account of the trend of the rock-layers was the illusion
that we were floating up stream, and that the river compressed in
these narrow limits, had "got tired" of finding its way out, until it
thought that the easiest way was to run up hill and get out at the
top.
* * *
Hear what the gray-haired woodmen tell
Of this wild stream and its rocky dell.
_William Cullen Bryant._
* * *
=Bluff Point.=--On a commanding site 200 feet above the lake some
three miles south of Plattsburgh, stands the superb "Hotel Champlain"
commanding a view far-reaching and magnificent, from the Green
Mountains on the east to the Adirondacks on the west. The hotel
grounds comprise the same number of acres as the islands of Lake
George, 365. The hotel is 400 feet long. We condense the following
description from the "Delaware and Hudson Guide-book," which we can
heartily endorse from many personal visits:
"Resolute has been the struggle here with nature, where rocks, tangled
forest and matted roots crowned the chosen spot; but upon the broad,
smooth plateau finally created the Hotel Champlain has been placed,
and all the surrounding forest, its solitudes still untamed, has been
converted into a superb park, threaded with drives and bridle paths.
At the foot of the gradual western slope of the ridge the handsome
station of Bluff Point has been located beside the main line of the
_Delaware & Hudson Railroad_, the chief highway of pleasure and
commercial travel between New York, Saratoga, Lake George, the
Adirondacks and Canada.
"From the station where the coaches of the hotel await expected
guests, a winding pike, the very perfection of a road, leads up the
hill. From the carriage, as it rises to the crest, a wondrous outlook
to the westward is opened to view. Nearly a thousand square miles of
valley, lake and mountain are within range of the eye or included in
the area encircled by visible peaks. As the porch of the hotel
is reached, the view, enhanced by the fine foreground, is indeed
beautiful, but still finer is the grandeur of the scene from the
arches of the tall central dome of the house.
"To the southward we see Whiteface, showing, late in spring and early
in autumn, its coronet of almost perpetual snow; and in a grand circle
still more southward we see in succession McIntyre, Marcy (both over
5,000 feet high), Haystack, Dix, the Gothic peaks, Hurricane and the
Giant. This noble sisterhood of mountains rises from the very heart of
the wilderness, and yet the guests at the Hotel Champlain may reach
any portion of their environment within a few hours."
The fine equipment and frequent train service of the _Delaware &
Hudson_ between New York and Bluff Point without change, by daylight
or at night, and the direct connection of the same line with the
Hudson River steamboats, places this resort high upon the list of
available summering points in the dry and healthful north for families
from the metropolis. Travel from the west, coming down the St.
Lawrence River, or through Canada _via_ Montreal, will find Bluff
Point easy to reach; while from the White Mountains and New England
seashore resorts it is accessible by through trains _via_ St. Albans
or Burlington.
The western shore of Lake Champlain forms the margin of the most
varied and altogether delightful wilderness to be found anywhere upon
this continent east of the Rocky Mountains. The serried peaks to the
westward are in plain view from its shores, their foot-hills ending
in lofty and often abrupt ridges where they meet the lake. Three
impetuous rivers, the Saranac, the Salmon and the Ausable, flow down
from the cool, clear lakes, hidden away in the wildwood, and, breaking
through this barrier at and in the vicinity of Plattsburgh, contribute
not only to the lucid waters of Lake Champlain but greatly to the
picturesque variety of the region.
* * *
There lie broad acres laced with rills
And gemmed with lake and pond
Behind a wave of wooded hills
And mountain peaks beyond.
_Benjamin F. Leggett._
* * *
=Plattsburgh=, 168 miles from Albany, at the mouth of the Saranac, is
a delightful threshold to the Adirondacks. The northern part of Lake
Champlain offers special attractions to camping parties. The shores
and islands abound in excellent sites. Lake Champlain is also replete
with interest to the historian. The ruins of Fort St. Anne are still
seen on the north end of the Isle La Mott, built by the French in
1660. Valcour Strait, where one of the battles of '76 was fought;
Valcour's Island, where lovers came from far and near, built air
castles, wandered through these shady groves for a season or two, and
then vanished from sight, bankrupt in everything but mutual affection;
Cumberland Bay, with its victory, September, 1814, when the British
were driven back to Canada; and many other points which can be visited
by steamer or yacht.
It is thirty years since I made my first trip to the Saranacs and I
remember well the long journey of those early days, but now we can
step aboard a well equipped train at Plattsburgh and in five or six
hours stand by the bright waters of the Lower Saranac, which might
to-day be called the centre and starting point for all resorts and
camping grounds in the eastern lake district of the Adirondacks.
Floating about the Saranac Islands of a summer evening, roaming among
forest trees, strolling over to the little village one mile distant,
and absorbing the rich exhilaration of a life of untrammeled freedom,
with a perfect hotel, and blazing fire-places if the weather happens
to be unpleasant, form a grand combination, alike for tourists or
seekers after rest.
* * *
Where rosy zephyr lingers
All the livelong day,
With health upon his pinions
And gladness on his way.
_George P. Morris._
* * *