Verplanck Colvin’s Geodetic Field Book

Surveyor Verplanck Colvin (1847-1920) created more than 440 field books between 1872 and 1900 to complete a survey of the Adirondack wilderness of New York. This volume shows the area of Blue Mountain Lake in Hamilton County. Colvin began surveying the Adirondacks in 1865. In 1872, the Board of Regents appointed him supervisor of the State Survey and established a Commission of State Parks to study the idea of an Adirondack Park. By 1880, Colvin had completed the most thorough survey of the Adirondacks ever done. He continued work as state surveyor for the next twenty-eight years. While doing his surveys, he also gave speeches to promote the establishment of the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack wilderness area was designated part of a State Forest Preserve in 1885, and as the Adirondack Park in 1892. This book is on loan to the New York State Archives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Real Property Services.

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Old Postcard View of the Ausable Club

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Adirondack Mountain Reserve/Ausable Club Gate

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The Fulton Chain of Lakes Dam

This dam at the head of First Lake Pond is in Old Forge, New York. It feeds into the Moose River and eventually goes all the way to the Hudson River. Lake levels are monitored and changed by opening or closing the dam. In the fall, the lake level is lowered to protect docks and boat houses from the damage caused by the freeze/thaw cycle. A rebuilt covered bridge sits nearby, from which you can see this view. First Lake Pond connects through a channel to First Lake of the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

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Adirondack Shopping: The Birch Store

There are more and more unpleasant shops in the Adirondacks: you know the kind – full of twiggy boxes made in China (check the bottom!) and all that ye olde country cabin stuff. The farther you get from the city, the less appealing the shopping becomes. But there are some gems among many duds, and The Birch Store in Keene Valley is one of them. In a charming little house, the store sells cool, modern, fun, edgy accessories for the home. The Birch Store is worth a stop if you get to Keene Valley, and it also has a home on the web for those virtual Adirondack travelers among us. The store is located at 1778 Main Street in Keene Valley.

Photo Credit: The Birch Store

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