by Charles Herr
PART ONE
In March, 1889, a group of Jefferson County business men and a Thousand Islands cigarette magnate (Charles G. Emery of Calumet Island Castle) purchased a block of overt 6000 acres extending from Fourth to Seventh Lakes over to Limekiln Lake.
They formed a club, the Fulton Chain Club, and advertised the region to attract wealthy investors, but failed at this venture and began selling lots to anyone.
Within the Prospectus for this club, a copy received from the Adirondack Museum, is a description of the Fulton Chain region containing a valuable snapshot of a point in time, 1892, of this area’s history.
Below are excerpts I’ve selected of an historical nature taken directly from the Prospectus. I have also provided comments in brackets []:
THE FULTON CHAIN CLUB. The lands held by the Fulton Chain Cub are located in Township Three [Moose River Tract], Hamilton County.
They comprise an area of about 6,000 acres, and embrace within the space which is nearly square, the whole, or a portion, of six of the most beautiful lakes of the wilderness, namely, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Limekiln and Fawn Lakes. In addition to these are a number of ponds and trout streams of great value to the property.
Four of the lakes, designated by numerals, are a part of the lovely Fulton Chain, which has for more than fifty years been a theme for poets, descriptive writers and artists.
TRAVEL IN FORMER DAYS. Thousands of those who had once felt the charm of life in this portion of the Adirondacks, commonly called the “John Brown Tract” were content in by-gone days to return hither by the most primitive and tedious of means, over roads rough beyond all belief [Brown’s Tract Road].
These obstacles now no longer exist. The present journey into the woods is just varied and quaint enough to afford amusement and rest to the stranger.
PRESENT MEANS OF ACCESS. Stages leave Boonville and Port Leyden each morning for Moose River [Moose River Settlement], distant respectively, eleven and thirteen miles.
At the latter point, where extensive tanneries were formerly located, a good dinner is served at the Barrett Hotel [owned by Charles Barrett, formerly called “Lawrence’s”].
From this point the journey is resumed upon the recently completed and already famous wooden railroad, which is equipped with a small, but ambitious [First Fulton Chain Railroad, “Peg Leg”] locomotive and comfortable passenger cars, and extends eight miles along the Moose River to Minnehaha Landing, where the steamer “Fawn,” Capt. Crabb, awaits the traveler. For nearly a dozen miles the “Fawn” breasts the winding current of the little forest-environed stream, every turn of its devious course opening a new vista to charm the beholder.
This brief voyage compares favorably with the celebrated Oklawahaha trip known to every visitor in Florida. It may be safely asserted that no such experience awaits the summer wanderer in any other part of the United States.
It should be mentioned at this point that Dr. Webb’s projected railroad, a considerable portion of which has been already completed, has been surveyed through the forest, past Old Forge.
When this great work is done, superb vestibuled sleeping cars will bring the traveler leaving New York in the evening to the Old Forge House for breakfast.
Continued next time…