Before there was Inlet II: James Galvin and the Fulton Chain Club
PART THREE
Theodore Basselin was an unusual choice for Forest Commissioner in 1885 as he was also a lumber baron.
Charles Goodwin Emery made his fortune from a cigarette rice paper patent (his company was among the first to advertise with baseball cards) and he held substantial Thousand Islands real estate, building Calumet Castle in 1893–1894.
Allen Kilby was a successful Carthage lawyer, served two years in the Assembly after which he continued practicing law.
Ephraim Myers learned banking at an early age, gained presidency of the First National Bank of Carthage, was connected with the new Carthage Savings Bank in the same building and served twice as Carthage’s village president.
From the outset, the association had a rocky start. Included in the tract was lot 55 (80 acres) in Herkimer County on which wealthy oil magnate Charles Pratt had a “private lodge.”
The lot was sold in 1856 for taxes but no deed had been issued.
On behalf of the association, Galvin sent Garmon to Albany to retrieve the deed.
But Basselin had instructed Garmon to return the 80 acre deed to him which Garmon (Basselin was his Forest Commission boss) did.
The members met with and tried to pay Garmon for his expenses but he refused payment and would not provide the deed.
The other members believed Basselin would procure the deed for himself and brought suit against Basselin.
The short story is that Basselin received the lot in February 1890.
In September, Basselin left the association and in return received 20 other acres in lot 55.
I could not determine if this was the same land that papers reported Pratt buying from the association in January 1890 that contained his camp.
In January 1890, James Galvin married Jennie Carroll whose name would join her husband’s on deeds for future tract sales.
Theodore Basselin of Croghan was their best man.
Association sales began with Galvin selling 30 acres to Fred and Ellen Hess on October 28, 1890 for $3100; Hess promptly sold 18 acres to Henry Bostwick of Connecticut the next day.
On January 29, 1891, agent Galvin sold additional lands to Hess for $3400.
The October 1890 newspapers reported that Hess would build a hotel at the Head of Fourth Lake and on a 10 acre lot at Fourth Lake inlet, he would build a sawmill that began operations in June 1891.
In August 1891, the association determined to establish a private preserve named “The Fulton Chain Club.”
Fred Hess would be its superintendent and build lodges for members on Fourth, Seventh and Limekiln Lakes.
