Lake Pleasant and Speculator in the Adirondacks

by Anne A. Weaver, Beverly Hoffman

Overview

The numerous lakes and the forests of the southern Adirondacks provided an abundance of game, fish, and lumber for early settlers in the 1800s. Sportsmen from the city first came to Lake Pleasant and Speculator for invigorating camping trips and eventually brought the whole family to enjoy the wilderness. Two- and three-story hotels were built to accommodate the vacationing families. Individual cottages and rustic camps were built around Lake Pleasant, Sacandaga Lake, and Echo Lake, followed by children's and church camps and state campgrounds, which swelled the seasonal population. Boxing and winter sports helped to make Speculator and Lake Pleasant a tourist haven.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738572512
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/31/2010
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Anne A. Weaver has been the Town of Lake Pleasant historian since 2005. She writes a weekly column, "Way Things Were," for the Hamilton County Express. Beverly Hoffman has been the Village of Speculator historian since 2002. She is a descendant of many early area settlers and has lived in Speculator all of her life. Both authors helped to found the Historical Society of Lake Pleasant and Speculator, which provides artifacts for the town hall's historical museum.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Early Years 9

2 Hotels and Boardinghouses 19

3 Schools and Churches 35

4 Businesses 49

5 Camps 59

6 Logging, Fire Towers, and Hermits 83

7 Recreation 91

8 Interesting Photographs and Facts 107