Herr-Story by Charles Herr, A look at local days gone by

Part One

In a prior article, I wrote about a little known Inlet navigation company that operated stage and steamboat transportation for passengers and freight from the head of Fourth Lake (today’s Inlet) to Raquette Lake.

I am revisiting this topic after learning more about this route and about more companies that emerged for traveling it to reach Raquette and Blue Mountain Lakes.

Today, this route is part of the Annual 90 Mile Adirondack Canoe Classic.

In 1871, Dr. Thomas Durant’s Adirondack Railroad from Saratoga Springs to North Creek followed by an 8 hour stage ride, provided access to a once remote Blue Mountain Lake that soon developed into a major resort area with major hotels. 

His son William would add steamer and stage lines to Raquette Lake and later build great camps.

But the southern entry from Boonville, Port Leyden or Utica to Raquette Lake was still a combination tramp and guide boat trail through the upper Fulton Chain lakes until the beginning of the 20th century.

Before George Washington Sears under his pen name Nessmuk wrote “WOODCRAFT” in 1884, he wrote letters to FOREST AND STREAM about routes experienced on his way to Paul Smiths.

After staying overnight at Hess Camp on Cedar Island in 1881, Sears toted his Sairy Gamp canoe and gear up the ? mile carry from Fifth Lake to the Sixth Lake dam, recently built to provide water “to the Black River, to turn mill-wheels and swell the profits of some manufacturer or corporation having influence at Albany.”

After paddling across the dying, smelly vegetation on Sixth and Seventh Lakes, he arrived at another carry for a mile long trek to Eighth Lake.

After crossing Eight Lake, he walked the third carry, a mile and a half long, to Brown’s Tract Inlet which he paddled to Ed Bennett’s steamboat landing at Long Point on Raquette Lake.

If traveling alone, you made several trips until both boat and baggage were transported to the next landing.

You might have rested a spell at Alvah Dunning’s Eighth Lake island camp.

Dr. Webb’s new railroad in 1892 immediately brought people of all classes to formerly remote Adirondack regions.

Its route became a magnet to existing resorts who now wanted to connect with this new rail highway.

Charles Bennett, Ed Bennett’s brother, had opened the Antlers in 1887. He recognized that more than the most hardy would now be traveling the above route.

To be continued…

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