An Adirondack Chronology by The Adirondack Research Library of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks Chronology Management Team Gary Chilson Professor of Environmental Studies Editor, The Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies Paul Smith’s College of Arts and Sciences PO Box 265 Paul Smiths, NY 12970-0265 [email protected] Carl George Professor of Biology, Emeritus Department of Biology Union College Schenectady, NY 12308 [email protected] Richard Tucker Adirondack Research Library 897 St. David’s Lane Niskayuna, NY 12309 [email protected] Last revised and enlarged – 20 January (No. 43) www.protectadks.org Adirondack Research Library The Adirondack Chronology is a useful resource for researchers and all others interested in the Adirondacks. It is made available by the Adirondack Research Library (ARL) of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. It is hoped that it may serve as a 'starter set' of basic information leading to more in-depth research. Can the ARL further serve your research needs? To find out, visit our web page, or even better, visit the ARL at the Center for the Forest Preserve, 897 St. David's Lane, Niskayuna, N.Y., 12309. The ARL houses one of the finest collections available of books and periodicals, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and private papers dealing with the Adirondacks. Its volunteers will gladly assist you in finding answers to your questions and locating materials and contacts for your research projects. Introduction Is a chronology of the Adirondacks really possible? Is there any merit in attempting to record the beginning of every town; the opening date for every golf course, airport, factory, road and power line right-of way; the closing of every dam; the passing of every important meteorological event, earthquake, landslide, forest fire and flood; the appearance of every alien species or biological pathogen; the extinction or extirpation of every native species; the promulgation of every law; the making of every work of art, which has occurred in the two great parks of New York or has impact on these great resources? Of course we argue “yes” - because someone will want to know and because the resulting juxtaposition of events will inevitably lead to new ways of thinking about our regional history and the causality of its events. Besides, the era of the computer is upon us and the interested user can easily find a desired date or dates in seconds. And all are welcome to help us draft this nearly endless list; just contact one of the chronology managers with your suggestions. The task is not impossible. The Adirondack Chronology deals with all aspects of the Adirondack region to best suggest the various causal processes at work; several examples: forest exploitation leading to forest fire, in turn leading to protective legislation; trails of the Haudenosaunee leading to roads fostering development and then protective legislation, and so on. Crucial events also often occur well outside of the Adirondack region, e.g. invention of the snowmobile, the building of coal burning plants in the Mid-West, the growth of nickel-copper smelting in the Sudbury region of Ontario, the explosion of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, federal and state legislation, the introduction of the European Starling in New York City, the painting of a great picture or the writing of an inspirational poem. Further, one of our greatest challenges has been the point where we break the “causal chain”, but without doing so we are faced with recounting much of the history of civilization! We thus ask for the patience of the user on such decisions. The user may use the Find mode to extract any particular subject such as the natural history of the moose or American beaver, the history of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, the dates of establishment of the many Correctional Facilities in the region, or many other subjects. In respect to the Haudenosaunee, i. e. the People of the Longhouse, we usually use this name rather than the more pejorative term Iroquois. The works of Stephen T. Jackson (1988, 1990) and Donald Whitehead (1990) have been especially useful in estimating the advent of the sylva. We use their first approximations. The Environment DEC Newsletter with its Issues of Environment is another especially useful resource. Representative works, i.e. not all of the works, of a particular author, poet or artist, are often given to suggest the period of his or her activity. References for many topics are presented, especially those dealing with more esoteric topics. Well-known events are cited-documented in many available sources – including electronic “search engines” - and these are usually not listed. Acronyms are commonly used toward conciseness and a special section explaining each follows. Details on dam locations are limited in accord with security measures introduced following the events of September 11, 2001, however the serial number for each dam is listed to permit further research with the NYS DEC. A number of authorities have been especially helpful with their guidance and they are listed with our profound thanks. Finally, we offer the inevitable disclaimer: The dates provided are the best that we have discovered. Some may be wrong. Do not place total faith in our offerings. Further, we would appreciate receiving guidance on dates and events which should be included or those which you find to be in error. Key References Ackerman, David H. 1998. Lake Placid Club: An Illustrated History. Lake Placid Education Foundation. Adirondack Life, eminent journal featuring the Adirondacks with main offices in Jay, NY, 12941 (P.O. Box 410); first, as a bimonthly, issued in December of 1969 but now published eight times per year. Alvarez, L., W. Alvarez, F. Asaro, and H. V. Michel. 1980. Extraterrestrial cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction. Science. 208:1095-1108. Alvarez, Walter. 1997. T. rex and the Crater of Doom. Vintage Books, Division of Random House, NY. 185 pp. Andrle, Robert F., and Janet R. Carroll. 1988. The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London. 551 pp. Angelfire. Chronology of Iron and Steel: Northern New York State Area. Retrieved 13August, 2003. http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/hunsmire/ironsteelhistory.html (This is an especially detailed source.) Angus, Christopher. 2002. The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot, and Conservationist. Syracuse Univ. Books, Syracuse, NY. 265 pp. Anon. 2002. Documentary Chronology of Selected Events in the Development of the American Conservation Movement, 1847-1920. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/cnchronb.html (This is an especially useful source.) Anon. Undated. Historic USGS Maps of New England & New York. University of New Hampshire Documents Department & Data Center. To access on the web type USGA, comma and the name of quadrangle in question. Anon. Undated. Adirondack Medical Center. A one-page history of the General Hospital at Saranac Lake and the (Lake) Placid Memorial Hospital and their consolidation on 1 January, 1991. Anon. 2002. ARS Research Timeline . 138 Years of Ag Research History of research at the U. S. Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Service. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/timeline/comp.htm. 46 pages (An important agricultural chronology available on the internet) Bailey, Liberty Hyde. 1980 (reprint of 1915 edn.). The Holy Earth. New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ithaca, NY. 112 pp. Baker, J. P. et al. 1990. Adirondack Lakes Survey: An Interpretive Analysis of Fish Communities and Water Chemistry, 1984-1987. Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation, Ray Brook, New York Banks, Russell, et al. 1992. The Adirondacks, Special Issue on the East’s Vast, Unappreciated Park, in Natural History, May, pp. 24-61 Beehler, Bruce McP. 1978. Birdlife of the Adirondack Park. Adirondack Mountain Club, Glens Falls, NY. 210 pp. Bollback, Harry. 1998. The House that Jack (the word Jack crossed out and replaced with the word God): The History of Jack Wyrtzen. Word of Life Fellowship, Inc., Schroon Lake, NY. 165 pp. (See chapter 8 for details on the acquisitional history for the large holdings of the Word of Life Institute at Schroon Lake.) Bourcier, Paul G. 1986. History in the Mapping: Four Centuries of Adirondack Cartography; a Catalogue of the Exhibition, Jun 12, 1984-October 15, 1985. Adirondack Museum, Blue Mt. Lake, NY 69 pp. Boylen, Charles W. 1981. The Lake George Ecosystem: Proceedings of the Lake George Research Symposium and Contributed Papers. Lake George Association, Lake George, New York. 359 pp. Broughton, J.G., et al. 1962. The Geology of New York State. New York State Museum and Science Service. One sheet at 1:250,000 Brown, Eleanor. 1985. The Forest Preserve of New York State: A Handbook for Conservationists. The Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. 269 pp. Bruchac, Joseph, Craig Hancock, Alice Gilborn, and Jean Rikhoff (eds.). 1986. North Country: An Anthology of Contemporary Writing from the Adirondacks and the Upper Hudson Valley. The Greenfield Review Press, Greenfield Center, NY 458 pp. (This delightful compilation of the works of 52 authors is one of the better sources on the poetry and short stories of the Adirondack region.) Cadbury, Warder H. 1986. Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, Artist in the Adirondacks. Univ. Delaware Press, Cranbury. 323 pp. Carson, Russell M. L., 1927. Peaks and People of the Adirondacks. Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 269 p. Reprinted by the Adirondack Mountain Club in 1973 and 1986 with a new preface by George Marshall and introduction by Philip Terrie Jr.; one of the great works on the High Peaks region.) Chambers, Robert E., 2000. A howling success: the Eastern Coyote. New York State Conservationist. 55(1): 19-21. Champagne, Linda M. 1993. Wilderness and People: The Future of the Adirondack Park.