Most residents of the United States — and even many residents of the Northeast — know very little about the history of the Adirondacks region. Specifically, the Native Americans that originally settled the Adirondacks have received minimal recognition for their long history prior to the creation of the United States. The Adirondack region represented a large portion of what was called the Six Iroquois Nations Confederacy. This confederacy allowed various groups of Native Americans to coexist effectively for over 800 years. Historians view some of the democratic political elements of the Six Iroquois Nations Confederacy as a significant influence on the framers of the United States Constitution.
Europeans “discovering” America had a significant and negative impact on both Native American culture and the natural resources critical to the Native American tribes’ way of life. A prime example of the destruction that Europeans wreaked in this region was the fur trade. During the colonial era, Europeans and Native Americans fought over beavers, which were very profitable due to the usage of their fur in various products. Eventually, this contributed to not only the destruction of the relationship between the Europeans and Native Americans, but it also forever changed the natural landscape of the Adirondacks. The conflict obliterated the beaver population and considerably altered key features of the region. The region underwent significant modifications — particularly to its waterways — because of the absence of beavers, which are second only to humans in their ability to modify their environment.
In addition, throughout the conflict, there were numerous instances of the Europeans building forts and then simply abandoning them to decay. After abandoning these forts, they would often construct new ones nearby, further altering the land. The image below depicts Fort Ticonderoga, the most famous of these forts.
Recently, there has been an increased effort to show respect and support for the Native American tribes that first settled this land. One example of this is an exhibit built at The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake that highlights the Native American tribes that settled in the Adirondacks. “‘We have not tackled the story of Native Americans in the Adirondacks in the past,’ said David Kahn, executive director of The Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.” The museum is hoping that this exhibit will set the record straight, and be a “wake-up moment” for people that have the misperception that the Adirondacks weren’t Mohawk and Abenaki territory. The image below is from the new exhibit at the museum. Natasha Smoke Santiago, a Mohawk who is an artist-in-residence at the museum, said that it made her happy “that they wanted to genuinely include us in the exhibit—and that they picked really beautiful work.”
Although examples such as the exhibit represent a step in the right direction, they are clearly not sufficient. The long history of Native Americans in the Adirondacks deserves more recognition, particularly given its enduring impact on our natural landscape and our political system. Perhaps additional educational efforts can be undertaken through American history courses in our schools.
“Adirondacks: Europeans and American Colonists (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/adirondacks-europeans-and-american-colonists.htm.
Braine, Theresa. “Adirondack Museum Dispels Myths with Native Exhibit.” Indian Country Today, Indian Country Today, 13 July 2017, indiancountrytoday.com/archive/adirondack-museum-native-history.
“Facts about Beavers in the Adirondacks.” Adirondack.net, www.adirondack.net/wildlife/beavers/.
“Fort Ticonderoga.” Fort Ticonderoga | Official Adirondack Region Website, visitadirondacks.com/attractions/fort-ticonderoga.
Schenawolf, Harry. “Field Fortifications & Forts in the American Revolution.” Revolutionary War Journal, 25 June 2019, www.revolutionarywarjournal.com/field-fortifications-forts-in-the-american-revolution/.“Six Nations, First People.” Saranac Lake, Adirondacks, New York, 24 Aug. 2021, www.saranaclake.com/story/2018/12/six-nations-first-people.
Hi Justin, I thought your post was super informative. I was actually looking to do a post this week on Native folks in the park but I simply could not find enough info!! No matter where I looked, it seemed as though whatever Native Americans still live in the park were not highly publicized. I was really curious as to whether there were any towns in the Adirondacks that had large Native populations but I couldn’t find enough solid evidence so I abandoned the topic entirely. I think that if the subject interests you, it would be an amazing project to speak to local Native folks about their ancestors and current situations.
I really enjoyed reading your post Justin. I found your conclusion to be very well thought out. I am wondering if you think that education about Native American History in the Park is sufficient to making amends to the Native Americans who were forced from the park? You make the great point that not many people know about the precolonial history of the Park, but I think that education is only the beginning. If one of the future goals of the Park is to make amends to the traditional caretakers of these lands (the Iroqouis and Algonquin), I think that more restorative and concrete actions should be taken. Henry’s post about the renaming of Park landmarks by Emmons and others leads to the conclusion that restoring the traditional names to places like Mount Marcy may be a good place to start, but I am not totally sure what else could be done.