Although Western blazes consuming the land area equivalent to small northeastern states come to mind when the topic of forest fires comes up, the Adirondacks has its own history of devastating forest fires. Adirondack fires were at their most destructive in the early-to-mid 20th century. Fires in the Adirondacks, caused by logging, poor forest management, and railroads, destroyed much of the Adirondacks in this time period. The destruction of the wildfires invigorated the conservation of the region, while the causes of the fires contributed to the anti-industry sentiment in the Park. Together, these factors created the new era of Adirondack conservation and land use that continues to the present day.

The fires of 1903, 1908, and 1934 burned hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property, proving how vulnerable the Adirondacks are to fires. The Great Fire of 1903 was the most destructive fire in the Adirondacks, burning more than 600,000 acres of land (Menice). Although there were no fatalities, the fire cost $3.5 million dollars and led to the unemployment of hundreds of people (Nelson, DuQuette, Suter). The Great Fire of 1903 first brought attention to the fires within the Adirondacks. Although no subsequent fires were able to match the size nor destruction of the Great Fire of 1903, fires in 1908 and 1934 continued to prove that wildfires were a threat to the Adirondacks. These fires further cemented the idea that humans can start and exacerbate forest fires, leading people within the Adirondacks to work to minimize the likelihood of future fires. 

The major fires of 1903, 1908, and 1934 coincided with the peak of logging and industry within the Adirondacks. Unregulated logging contributed significantly to the spread and size of these fires. At the time, enforcement of environmental protections was nonexistent and many industries abused the region (Nelson). Flammable debris left by clear-cutting made vast swaths of the region vulnerable to forest fires (Nelson). While logging provided the fuel for the fires, railroads provided the spark. Trains in the Adirondacks ran on coal or wood, which sent off sparks as they traveled (The Adirondack Experience). Train sparks started the main fire of 1908, and likely also started the Great Fire of 1903 (Halasz; The Adirondack Experience). It is clear that the forest fires were started by humans, and made worse by human activities in the Adirondack Park.

The legacy of the Adirondack fires is immense. Fire towers constructed in 1909 helped detect and put out fires before they could spread (The Adirondack Experience; Adirondack.net). Legal changes prevented future fires and preserved the forests of the Adirondacks. Stricter laws banned the use of coal and wood in trains for petroleum, which does not spark. The governor obtained the power to close parts of the Park to visitors when the risk of fires became too high (Halasz). The fires of the Adirondacks forced people to consider the effect of human activities on the land, and the destructive consequences of the previous century of exploitation of the Park’s natural resources.

Works Cited

DuQuette, Jon J. “Holocausts Razed Huge Areas of Adirondacks.” Adirondack Daily Enterprise, 30 Sept. 1989, localwiki.org/hsl/Forest_Fires. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Halasz, Sunita. “Historic Forest Fires of the Adirondacks and Saranac Lake.” Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Ogden Newspapers, 13 Nov. 2021, www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/opinion/columns/2020/11/historic-forest-fires-of-the-adirondacks-and-saranac-lake/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Menice, Alice. “A View of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower -.” The Adirondack Almanack, Adirondack Explorer, 30 Aug. 2021, www.adirondackalmanack.com/2021/08/a-view-of-st-regis-mountain-fire-tower.html#more-189043. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Nelson, Pete. “Lost Brook Dispatches: The Fires of 1903 -.” The Adirondack Almanack, Adirondack Experience, 14 Apr. 2012, www.adirondackalmanack.com/2012/04/lost-brook-dispatches-the-fires-of-1903.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Suter, Herman Milton, and United States Bureau of Forestry. Forest Fires in the Adirondacks in 1903. Internet Archive, vol. 26, Washington, D.C., Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1904, archive.org/details/forestfiresinadi26sute. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

The Adirondack Experience. “The Adirondacks Are Burning: A Brief History of Forest Fires.” Adirondack Experience, Mannix, 4 Apr. 2017, www.theadkx.org/the-adirondacks-are-burning-a-brief-history-of-forest-fires/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.“The History of Fire Towers: Protecting the Adirondacks in the 20th Century.” Adirondack.net, Adirondack.net, 19 Apr. 2018, www.adirondack.net/history/fire-towers/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Two-lane rural highways choked with cars. Traffic winding along remote country roads. Miles long backups fill the mountain air with acrid exhaust. For many, this is the reality of traveling to the Adirondacks in the summer months, especially during weekends and holidays. However, driving to the Adirondacks was an impossibility until the expansion of state and federal highway systems in the mid twentieth century. Before then, railroads were the main avenue of transportation for tourists. Comparing railroads and highways as forms of transportation in the Adirondacks, railroads first opened up the region to tourism but declined steeply in usage, while highways expanded rapidly in the 20th century and serve as the main means of accessing the region today.

The expansion of railroads in the 19th century first opened up the Adirondacks from relative isolation to tourism. Up to the mid-19th century, the Adirondacks were populated with mostly subsistence farmers and hunters. (Pulling, 2014). Railroads expanded into the Adirondacks in the 19th century, with the completion of the Adirondack Railway in 1871. The Adirondack Railway brought wealthy tourists up from New York City to summer homes and resort hotels, establishing the Adirondacks as a major vacation destination (All Aboard For A History Of Train Transportation In The Adirondacks, 2019). Empowered by the ease of rail travel, the number of tourists increased dramatically in the Adirondacks at the turn of the 20th century. However, railroad use as a whole reduced significantly in the latter half of the 20th century. The decline of industry in the Adirondacks, including logging, mining, and tanneries, led to the shuttering of many rail lines (Smith, 2013). Today, there is only Amtrak service through the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Train is an Amtrak route that runs from New York City, through Albany and the Adirondack Park, and up to Montreal (Adirondack Train, 2021). There are several stops on the route in the eastern portion of the Adirondack Park along Lake Champlain. The annual ridership for the Adirondack Train is 132,000 people (Anderson, 2012). Although its role in the Adirondacks has diminished, rail travel to the Adirondacks is still possible, albeit in a limited capacity.

Highways and other roads facilitate the vast majority of transportation in the Adirondack Park today. Private cars and buses use highways, especially the Adirondack Northway, for transportation in the Park. The Adirondack Northway is the stretch of Interstate 87 that runs through the Adirondack Park from Albany to the Canadian border. The construction of the Adirondack Northway began in 1957 with the creation of the federal highway system. Construction was completed in 1967 (About the Adirondack Park, 2021). The Adirondack Northway made the region accessible to modern American tourism. The Adirondack Northway serves an estimated 10 million people that visit the Adirondack Park annually, providing access to the Park from New England and downstate New York (Pulling, 2014). The Adirondack Northway’s usage dwarfs the Amtrak annual ridership. The New York State Highway system is another crucial road network for tourists in the Adirondacks. State Highways, like New York State Route 30, provide access to more remote tourist destinations that the Northway does not. Also, sections of New York State Highways in the Adirondacks are labeled as “scenic byways,” meaning the roads themselves are tourist destinations. Scenic byways often provide stunning mountain views or lead to other unique attractions (VisitAdirondacks.com). It is clear that roads, especially the Adirondack Northway, are crucial to the transportation of tourists to the Adirondack Park. 

Tourism has been an integral part of the Adirondack story. Both railroads and cars brought tourists to the Adirondacks, but the decline in railroads was mirrored by the creation of road networks that continue to bring tourists to the region today.

References

About the Adirondack Park | Adirondack Council. (2021). Www.adirondackcouncil.org; Adirondack Council. https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/the-adirondack-park-19.html

Adirondack Train | Amtrak. (2021). Www.amtrak.com. https://www.amtrak.com/adirondack-train

All Aboard For A History Of Train Transportation In The Adirondacks. (2019). Adirondack.net. https://www.adirondack.net/history/automobiles/

Anderson, E. (2012, October 12). Amtrak sets new ridership record at 31.2M. Times Union; Hearst. https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Amtrak-sets-new-ridership-record-at-31-2M-3941044.php

Pulling, J. (2014). Transportation and Tourism in the Adirondack Park: How the historical development of transportation and tourism shaped the culture of the Adirondacks Transportation and Tourism in the Adirondack Park How the historical development of transportation and tourism shaped the culture of the Adirondacks. INTRODUCTION. In Union Digital Works. Union College. https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=summerfellowships

Smith, P. (2013, September 7). Adirondack Wilderness. Wildadirondacks.org. https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wilderness.html

The Adirondack Northway – History Of Construction And Opposition. (2019). Www.adirondack.net. https://www.adirondack.net/history/adirondack-northway/VisitAdirondacks.com. (2021). Scenic Drives & Byways | Official Adirondack Region Website. Visitadirondacks.com; Adirondack Regional Tourism Council. https://visitadirondacks.com/what-to-do/scenic-drives-byways

Speculator, NY bills itself as an “All Season Vacationland.” This slogan appears on two identical signs on Route 30 and Route 8, welcoming motorists to the hamlet (see figure 1). Despite what these signs advertise, the majority of tourists and non-permanent residents only come in the summertime. Most are drawn to the summer pleasures of swimming, fishing, and watersports on Lake Pleasant. However, Speculator has a smaller but robust winter tourist season, centered mainly around alpine skiing. Speculator’s Oak Mountain Ski Center draws tourists between December and February. Oak Mountain has only 22 trails and 1 quad chairlift (Oak Mountain Ski Center). Despite being a modest ski hill, Oak Mountain keeps Speculator’s tourist economy humming through the winter months and proves that it truly is an “All Season Vacationland.” Oak Mountain is a microcosm of the larger Adirondack alpine ski industry. Going back to the Gilded Age Great Camps, the Adirondacks are mostly a summertime tourist destination. Alpine skiing, and the lodging, restaurants, and outfitting required to support skiers, maintains a vibrant winter tourist season. Although the Adirondacks draw most tourists to the region in the summertime, winter alpine skiing is another essential part of the region’s tourist economy, demonstrating the Adirondacks’ versatility. 

Although there are many smaller ski hills in the Adirondacks like Oak Mountain, larger ski mountains dominate the region and compete with the best ski resorts in the Northeast. Gore and Whiteface are the two largest ski resorts in the Adirondacks. Gore Mountain has 4 peaks and 121 trails. Since Gore covers a large geographical area, it has long ski trials. The longest is 4 miles long (VisitAdirondacks.com). Gore was a popular ski mountain when the “Snow Train” brought skiers up from New York City and Albany in the early 1900s (Kelly). Although Gore is a large and well-established mountain, Whiteface is the premier ski resort in the Adirondacks. Whiteface is dubbed “The Olympic Mountain” because of its height—at 3,430 feet, it has the highest drop of any ski mountain east of the Rockies (VisitAdirondacks.com). Whiteface is also an extensive ski resort: it has 12 lifts to service its 90 trails. Because of its proximity to Lake Placid, Whiteface hosted the alpine ski events of the 1980 Olympics (Kelly). Gore and Whiteface both have snow making infrastructure, ensuring the quality of the runs and extending the length of the season from late November to March (Kelly, VisitAdirondacks.com). Gore and Whiteface are also both state-run ski resorts. Oak Mountain is privately owned (Kelly).

It is clear that ski resorts in the Adirondacks are a significant draw for winter tourists. The wide variety of ski mountains and hills provide opportunities for winter recreation to skiers of all ages and abilities. The steep drops of Whiteface and the glade skiing of Gore challenge the summer visitor to the Adirondacks to consider what the region is like in the winter—it truly is an “All Season Vacationland.”

Works Cited

Kelly, Caitlin. “A Wild Experience: New York’s Adirondacks.” Men’s Journal, A360 Media LLC, 29 Nov. 2018, www.mensjournal.com/adventure/wild-experience-new-yorks-adirondacks/.

Oak Mountain Ski Hill. “Https://Www.oakmountainski.com/.” Oak Mountain, Oak Mountain Ski Hill, 2021, www.oakmountainski.com/.VisitAdirondacks.com. “Epic NY Skiing & Ski Resorts | Official Adirondack Region Website.” Visitadirondacks.com, Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, 2018, visitadirondacks.com/recreation/downhill-skiing-snowboarding.

As I stepped into Mr. McComb’s sugar shack, my eyes grew wide with amazement. An enormous metal drum, capable of holding several hundred gallons of maple sap, loomed over my little 9-year-old frame. Countless metal pipes snaked in and out of the drum to other, smaller tanks in the shack. Dozens of little plastic tubes found their way into the shack from the tapped trees uphill. After admiring the indecipherable system of tanks and pipes for what seemed like hours, my brothers and I stepped out of the shack and into the cool forest. We began walking up the hill with Mr. McComb, following the trail of plastic tubing that split off and connected to every maple tree in the vicinity. There were several main plastic tubes and dozens of auxiliary ones, each connecting to a tap installed at about waist height on the maple tree. Mr. McComb taps hundreds of maple trees, and his farm stretches for two miles into the thick Adirondack forest. 

Maple Syrup production in the Adirondacks is an important cultural and economic activity. There are dozens of maple producers in the Adirondacks and most are concentrated in the eastern Adirondacks along Lake Champlain (Adirondack Regional Tourism Council). This makes McComb’s Oak Hill Farm unique, as he is the only producer in the Speculator-Wells-Piseco area. 

Like many things in the Adirondack Park, maple sugaring was originally a Native American tradition, which the Europeans learned as they settled the east coast of the United States. Native Americans incorporated maple sugaring into their cultural mythology, attributing the origin of the practice to Iroquois Chief Woksis. The legend maintains that Chief Woksis once threw his tomahawk into a maple tree, and his wife found that the liquid dripping from the tree was sweet. She used the sap in her cooking, boiling it down to maple syrup (Adirondack Experience). Maple sugaring retains its significance in the Adirondacks to the present day. Maple sap can only be collected in a few weeks in the month of March (Adirondack.net). To celebrate the collection of maple sap, the “Liquid Gold” festival opens up maple syrup production across the entire Adirondack Park to the public for the last two weekends in March. The festival teaches the art of producing syrup and passes on the cultural knowledge of the practice (Adirondack Regional Tourism Council). Maple syrup production has a rich cultural legacy that continues to this day.

Mr. McComb is my grandparent’s next door neighbor in Speculator, NY. Speculator is located in the south-central region of the Adirondacks. Mr. McComb’s full time job is producing maple syrup. He lives year-round in Speculator and operates his farm, McComb’s Oak Hill Farm, with his wife and two daughters. Mr. McComb gave my family tours of his facilities, including the sugar shack, when my siblings and I were little. Mr McComb sells his maple syrup at several local venues in Speculator. McComb sells his syrup at the grocery/general store, the weekly farmer’s markets in the summer, and in the small store in his home where people can drop in. I may be biased, but I think it is the best maple syrup ever made, and I even brought a bottle with me to Middlebury!

Works Cited

Adirondack Experience. “Maple Syrup in the Adirondacks.” Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, 4 Apr. 2017, www.theadkx.org/maple-syrup-in-the-adirondacks/.

Adirondack Regional Tourism Council. “Maple Sugaring | Official Adirondack Region Website.” Visitadirondacks.com, Adirondack Regional Tourism Council, 2020, visitadirondacks.com/what-to-do/maple-sugaring.Adirondack.net. “Adirondack Maple Sugar Houses: Tours, History & Events.” Adirondack.net, Adirondack.net, 2021, www.adirondack.net/things-to-do/maple/.

I wake up, again, to the bump and rumble of logging trucks. It is just past 7 a.m., the sun barely high enough in the sky for its rays to filter through the trees and into my bedroom window. I roll over, frustrated with the reality that another logging truck started my day far earlier than I would have preferred. After negotiating with my alarm clock for approximately 27 minutes of extra half-sleep (hit the snooze button three whole times), I trudge towards the kitchen for some breakfast. I am greeted by my grandfather, whose chipper demeanor only serves to intensify my simmering rage at the logging trucks.

“Trucks woke me up again.” I muttered, reaching for the cheerios.

“I know. It’s amazing how busy they are this year!” My grandfather responded.

“Does the General Store sell ear plugs?” I ask sarcastically.

Logging is a reality of life in the Adirondacks. It is an industry with a paradoxical role in the Park: Logging actively destroys the forests that make the region what it is, but the effects of logging spurred the creation of the Park. After many accounts detailing massive clearcuts of forest and destroyed ecosystems, the State of New York began to establish the Adirondack Park to preserve land from exploitation (National Park Service).

It is midday now, the sun beating overhead, dappling the waves of Lake Pleasant with a shimmering light. I am lounging in a chair on the public beach. Just 15 yards behind me, up the grassy slope, is New York State Route 30. Despite my early start to the day, I cannot fathom taking a nap because every 20 minutes or so, a logging truck, filled with its payload, careens down the road, rousing me from whatever brief rest I might be able to get.

Logging in Speculator today looks a lot different from the clear-cuttings and huge slashes of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Logging as a whole has shrunk in the Park. International Paper, the company that owns a huge tree farm tract north of Speculator, sold off the majority of their land holdings in the Adirondacks in the early 2000s. In 2005, International Paper also gave an easement to the State of New York, establishing the Speculator Tree Farm Conservation Easement Area, which I hike and canoe in the summer (NYS Dept. of Conservation). They still clear trees from their land near Speculator, but I have noticed that the frequency in which logging trucks pass has decreased recently.

The sun is just descending below the mountains surrounding Speculator, signaling the arrival of perhaps the only nuisance in the Adirondacks worse than logging trucks: mosquitoes. Despite this, I am outside, toiling over the grill, flipping hamburgers and hotdogs. It’s getting cooler now, but the heat from the grill is keeping me warm. I step back and take a deep breath and savor the day. I am incredibly fortunate to spend time in such a beautiful place, and have family to enjoy it with. As I stack the burgers on a plate to bring inside, I hear the same bump and rumble of a logging truck that began my day. Right on schedule.

Works Cited

National Park Service. “Adirondacks: Lumber Industry and Forest Conservation (U.S. National Park Service).” Www.nps.gov, National Parks Service U.S. Department of the Interior, 21 Nov. 2018, www.nps.gov/articles/adirondacks-lumber-industry-forest-conservation.htm.

“Speculator Tree Farm and Perkins Clearing – IRMP – NYS Dept. Of Environmental Conservation.” Www.dec.ny.gov, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2006, www.dec.ny.gov/lands/113354.html.

The 46 mountains in the Adirondack Park above 4000 feet in elevation are known colloquially as the 46 High Peaks. The challenge of climbing all 46 peaks was first established in the beginning of the 20th century, and the tradition has expanded in popularity, continuing to the modern day. The 46 mountains are clustered in the north-central region of the Adirondack Park, known as the High Peaks Region. The High Peaks are one of the most popular recreational destinations in the Adirondack Park, making it a significant part of the Park’s history and future.

The Forty-Six High Peaks

The first people to climb the forty-six High Peaks were brothers George and Bob Marshall and their guide, Herb Clark. The men used topographical information, collected by Verplanck Colvin, to compile the list of the forty-six mountains above 4000 feet in elevation in the region. However, this list is inaccurate, as several of the peaks on the list are actually below 4000 feet (Johnson). One mountain, MacNaughton, is not included on the list of 46 peaks, although its elevation is 4000 feet. Nevertheless, the peaks below 4000 feet remain on the official list of the 46 peaks and MacNaughton remains off it (Biddle). Referring to Figure 1, the 46 mountains are clustered in what is known as the High Peaks region. This includes the MacIntyres (shown in red) and the Great Range (shown in royal blue). The Sewards (gray) is the westernmost range, and Whiteface and Esther are the northernmost peaks (teal). Chart 1 lists the 46 High Peaks and their elevations at the bottom of this blog post. 

Figure 1. The 46 High Peaks, Grouped into Ranges

The Original Forty-Sixers

George and Bob Marshall and Herb Clark summited their first peak, Whiteface Mountain, on August 1st, 1918. The group completed the 46 peaks on June 10, 1925 at the summit of Mount Emmons (Johnson). Members of Grace Methodist Church in Troy, New York were the next significant group to climb the 46 peaks. The first two members of the church, Edward Hudowalski and Ernest Ryder, completed the 46 peaks in 1936. Edward Hudowalski’s wife, Grace Hudowalski, led several groups of congregation members to various peaks. She was the ninth person and first woman to complete all 46 peaks in 1937. Grace Hudowalski also led the group The 46ers of Troy, which eventually expanded into the ADK 46er Club that is still active today (Adirondack.net). The legacy of these first 46ers continues to this day. Mount Marshall is named for George and Bob Marshall, and East Dix was renamed Grace Peak in 2014 to honor Grace Hudowalski (Brown; Biddle). The original 46ers created the challenge of climbing all 46 peaks and made it a popular recreational activity, setting the foundation for what it is today.

The ADK 46er Club

The ADK 46er Club is the organization that catalogs the 46ers and supports aspiring 46ers. The Club was founded in the 1920s, and grew as books recounting the story of the Marshall brothers and Herb Clark circulated. The ADK 46er Club transitioned from a social group to become more focused on preservation and conservation in the High Peaks region. The group asks its members to be “hiking partners, mountain stewards.” The club now supports preservation efforts, trail maintenance, and educational projects in the High Peaks (Adirondack Forty-Sixers). The 46er Club has exploded in membership since its inception almost a century ago. The 10,000th member of the 46er club joined in October of 2016 (Matson). The ADK 46er Club is the central organization supporting the 46 High Peaks.

The 46 Peaks Today

The 46 High Peaks today are vastly different from the peaks the Marshall brothers and Herb Clark climbed a century ago. The decline of logging and increase in protected lands in the Adirondack Park has changed the landscape of the mountains (Britell). However, the increased use of trails and other infrastructure has placed a new strain on the region. Overcrowding is a major concern in the summer months (Adirondack.net). The many summertime visitors to the High Peaks leave behind litter and other pollutants (Johnson). Some mountains, like Mount Marcy, have auto roads to the summit, allowing even more visitors at the peak. The ADK 46er Club does trail maintenance in the High Peaks, but only 26 of the 46 Peaks have officially designated and maintained trails. The other 20 are considered officially “trailless,” but primitive herd paths are present on most of them (Adirondack Forty-Sixers). Although the 46 high peaks are not immune to the broader issues the Adirondack Park faces today, they still keep the spirit of their historical roots alive.

Chart 1. The 46 Peaks, Listed

Works Cited

“Adirondack 46er Map.” Www.arcgis.com, Arcgis, 12 Mar. 2018, www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=2411a41acd9545eb8816c937b0830e10.

Adirondack Forty-Sixers. “ADk46ers | History.” Www.adk46er.org, Adirondack Forty-Sixers, 2011, www.adk46er.org/history.html.

Adirondack.net. “Hiking Challenges: The Adirondack 46ers.” Adirondack.net, Adirondack.net, 2019, www.adirondack.net/hiking/challenges/46er/.

Biddle, Pippa. “Reflections on Finishing the Adirondack 46ers.” Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Mountain Club, 29 May 2019, www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/features/finishing-the-adirondack-46ers-a-hiker-reflects-on-pausing-at-number-42/.

Britell, Jim. “Bob Marshall’s Long-Lost Arguments for Wilderness -.” Adirondack Almanack, The Adirondack Almanack, 4 Dec. 2020, www.adirondackalmanack.com/2020/12/bob-marshalls-long-lost-arguments-for-wilderness.html.

Brown, Phil. “The Life of Bob Marshall.” Adirondack Explorer, Adirondack Explorer, 21 July 2009, www.adirondackexplorer.org/outtakes/the-life-of-bob-marshall.

Johnson, Erik. “How to Become an Adirondack 46er.” Backpacker, Outside Interactive, Inc, 2 July 2015, www.backpacker.com/trips/how-to-become-an-adirondack-46er/.Matson, Zachary. “10,000th Person Climbs All 46 Adirondack Peaks | the Daily Gazette.” Dailygazette.com, The Daily Gazette, 21 Jan. 2017, dailygazette.com/2017/01/21/inspired-46-as-club-gets-10-000th-member-hikers-discover-more-than-a-patch/.

Although Western blazes consuming the land area equivalent to small northeastern states come to mind when the topic of forest fires comes up, the Adirondack Park has its own history of devastating forest fires. Forest fires in the Adirondacks were at their most destructive and widespread in the early-to-mid 20th century. Fires in the Adirondacks, caused in part by logging, poor forest management, and railroads, destroyed much of the Adirondack Park in the first half of the 20th century. These fires and the destruction they wrought on the Park ushered in a new era of Adirondack preservation and land use that continues to the present day.

The Great Fire of 1903

The Great Fire of 1903 is the most destructive fire in the Adirondacks in recent history. The wildfire consisted of more than 640 smaller fires and burned more than 600,000 acres of land, almost all of which was inside the boundaries of the Adirondack Park (Menice). Ash from the fires spread as far south as New York City (Nelson). The fires began after a drought of 72 days without rain, beginning in mid-April of that year (Menice, Nelson). Although springtime is generally muddy and wet in the Adirondacks, it is the season with the highest risk for wildfires. The decaying organic matter on the forest floor dries out and becomes flammable, increasing the ability of fires to spread. The fires that began during that drought period advanced unchecked until rains in the summer helped quench the fires (Nelson). Although the Great Fire of 1903 did not kill anybody, it cost $3.5 million dollars and led to the unemployment of hundreds of people (Nelson, DuQuette, Suter). The Great Fire of 1903 first brought real attention to the issue of fires within the Adirondack Park.

Subsequent Fires

No subsequent fires were able to match neither the size nor destruction of the Great Fire of 1903. However, fires in 1908 and 1934 continued to prove that wildfires were a threat to the Adirondack Park region. In the spring and summer of 1908, over 300,000 acres burned (Halasz). The wildfire of 1934 is known as the “Last Great Adirondack Fire.” Infrastructure to fight these fires was so poorly organized that “State and [Tupper Lake] Village Police searched the streets of Tupper Lake for any able bodied men they could recruit for emergency fire duty.” After obtaining said men, the fire was stopped after burning 8,000 acres in the Lake Tupper area (Menice). These fires further cemented the idea that humans can cause and exacerbate forest fires, leading people within the Adirondack Park to work to minimize the likelihood of future fires.

The Effect of Industry

It is no coincidence that the major fires of 1903, 1908, and 1934 coincided with the peak (and decline from the peak) of logging and industry within the Adirondack Park. Unregulated logging contributed significantly to the spread and size of each of these fires. Although the Adirondack Park had been legally established a little over a decade ago, enforcement of environmental protections was nonexistent and many industries abused the region (Nelson). Selective logging then gave way to clear-cutting, which left vast swaths of the region extremely vulnerable to forest fires (Nelson, Menice). The debris left by clear-cutting dried out and became extremely flammable (Nelson). Logging provided the fuel for the fires, and railroads provided the spark. Trains in the Adirondacks ran on coal or wood, which sent off sparks as the trains moved along the tracks (The Adirondack Experience). Laws required wire grates over the smokestacks of trains to prevent errant sparks from flying into the brush, but they were ineffective in practice and not commonly used. Sparks from a train going by Tupper Lake started the main fire of 1908 (Halasz). It is also thought that trains started the Great Fire of 1903 (The Adirondack Experience). It is clear that the forest fires were, in some instances, started by humans, and, in others, made worse by human activities in the Adirondack Park.

Legacy of Adirondack Fires

The legacy of these significant Adirondack fires is immense. Immediately after the fires of 1908, fire towers were constructed in 1909 (The Adirondack Experience). Fire towers and observation towers were constructed throughout the 1910s to help detect and put out fires before they could spread (Adirondack.net). Observers would use the fire towers for the duration of the fire season (spring through fall) and use alidade tables to pinpoint the locations of fires (Menice). 57 fire towers were constructed within the Adirondack Park by the 1970s. In the 1970s, aircraft became more efficient at spotting fires and active use fire towers were phased out by the 1990s (Adirondack.net). Many legal changes were made to further prevent future fires and preserve the forests of the Adirondacks. Stricter laws banned the use of coal and wood in trains in favor of petroleum, which does not create sparks. Patrols of railroad properties were established to further prevent locomotives from starting fires. The Governor of New York was also given the executive power to close parts of the Adirondack Park to visitors when the risk of fires became too high (Halasz). The fires of the Adirondacks forced people to consider the effect that human activities have on the land, and the destructive consequences of the previous century of exploitation of the Park’s natural resources.

Works Cited

DuQuette, Jon J. “Holocausts Razed Huge Areas of Adirondacks.” Adirondack Daily Enterprise, 30 Sept. 1989, localwiki.org/hsl/Forest_Fires. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Halasz, Sunita. “Historic Forest Fires of the Adirondacks and Saranac Lake.” Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Ogden Newspapers, 13 Nov. 2021, www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/opinion/columns/2020/11/historic-forest-fires-of-the-adirondacks-and-saranac-lake/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Menice, Alice. “A View of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower -.” The Adirondack Almanack, Adirondack Explorer, 30 Aug. 2021, www.adirondackalmanack.com/2021/08/a-view-of-st-regis-mountain-fire-tower.html#more-189043. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Nelson, Pete. “Lost Brook Dispatches: The Fires of 1903 -.” The Adirondack Almanack, Adirondack Experience, 14 Apr. 2012, www.adirondackalmanack.com/2012/04/lost-brook-dispatches-the-fires-of-1903.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Suter, Herman Milton, and United States Bureau of Forestry. Forest Fires in the Adirondacks in 1903. Internet Archive, vol. 26, Washington, D.C., Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1904, archive.org/details/forestfiresinadi26sute. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

The Adirondack Experience. “The Adirondacks Are Burning: A Brief History of Forest Fires.” Adirondack Experience, Mannix, 4 Apr. 2017, www.theadkx.org/the-adirondacks-are-burning-a-brief-history-of-forest-fires/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.“The History of Fire Towers: Protecting the Adirondacks in the 20th Century.” Adirondack.net, Adirondack.net, 19 Apr. 2018, www.adirondack.net/history/fire-towers/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Transportation is a crucial aspect of life in the Adirondack Park. Expansion of transportation in the 19th century first opened up the region from relative isolation to both tourism and industry. Up to the mid-19th century, the Adirondacks were populated with mostly subsistence farmers and hunters. Railroads were the first major avenue of transportation for both tourism and industrial purposes (Pulling, 2014). Railroads began their expansion into the Adirondacks in the mid-19th century, with the completion of the Adirondack Railway in 1871. The Adirondack Railway brought wealthy tourists up from New York City to summer homes and resort hotels, establishing the Adirondacks as a major vacation destination (All Aboard For A History Of Train Transportation In The Adirondacks, 2019). Although logging began in the Adirondacks in the 1830s, logging railroads built later in the century expanded the types of trees able to be transported to sawmills elsewhere in New York, establishing the area as a major logging power within the U.S. (Smith, 2013). Industrial railroads also fostered the expansion of iron and garnet mines further into the Adirondack Park (Pulling, 2014). Empowered by the ease of rail travel, the number of year-round residents, seasonal residents (usually loggers and miners), and tourists increased dramatically in the Adirondacks at the turn of the 20th century. 

As a rural area, transportation into and out of the Adirondack park is crucial for its economic and social health. Despite the ongoing significance of transportation into and out of the Adirondack Park, it is extremely different from how it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Railroads today are still used for both public transportation and industrial and freight transportation. Logging is an active industry within the park, although mining is almost nonexistent. There is also Amtrak service through the Adirondack Park. The Adirondack Train is an Amtrak route that runs from New York City, through Albany and the Adirondack Park, and up to Montreal (Adirondack Train, 2021). There are several stops on the route in the eastern portion of the Adirondack Park. The annual ridership for the Adirondack Train is over 132,000 people (Anderson, 2012). Although its role in the Adirondacks has diminished, it is clear that railroads are still a viable and significant mode of transportation. 

Highways and other roads facilitate the vast majority of transportation in the Adirondack Park. Private cars, logging trucks, freight trucks and buses all use highways, especially the Adirondack Northway, for transportation in the Park. The Adirondack Northway is the stretch of Interstate 87 that runs through the Adirondack Park from Albany to the Canadian border (About the Adirondack Park, 2021). When construction on the Adirondack Northway was proposed in 1959, it was met with severe opposition from stakeholders in the Adirondack Park, based mainly on the “forever wild” clause of the New York State Constitution. Thus, the Adirondack Northway required amendments to the New York State Constitution. The amendments passed and the Adirondack Northway was completed in 1967 (The Adirondack Northway, 2019). The Adirondack Northway serves the estimated 10 million people that visit the Adirondack Park annually, providing access to the Park from New England and downstate New York (Pulling, 2014). It is clear that roads, especially the Adirondack Northway, are crucial to the transportation of peoples within the Adirondack Park.

References

About the Adirondack Park | Adirondack Council. (2021). Www.adirondackcouncil.org; Adirondack Council. https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/the-adirondack-park-19.html

Adirondack Train | Amtrak. (2021). Www.amtrak.com. https://www.amtrak.com/adirondack-train

All Aboard For A History Of Train Transportation In The Adirondacks. (2019). Adirondack.net. https://www.adirondack.net/history/automobiles/

Anderson, E. (2012, October 12). Amtrak sets new ridership record at 31.2M. Times Union; Hearst. https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Amtrak-sets-new-ridership-record-at-31-2M-3941044.php

Pulling, J. (2014). Transportation and Tourism in the Adirondack Park: How the historical development of transportation and tourism shaped the culture of the Adirondacks. In Union Digital Works. Union College. https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=summerfellowships

Smith, P. (2013, September 7). Adirondack Wilderness. Wildadirondacks.org. https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wilderness.html

The Adirondack Northway – History Of Construction And Opposition. (2019). Www.adirondack.net. https://www.adirondack.net/history/adirondack-northway/