The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-23
THE NEW YORK WILDERNESS.
-om oOrton's journal Of GeoOraphv.

4 leave a large territory in nearly the same CON
dition as when the aborig,nes held undisputed
4 sway.
The section of country more generally known
as the Wilderness, the Adrondac Region, or the
j New York Woods, may be defined generally as
. that commencing at point about ten miles
! southwesterly from Platlsburg, and running
thence south TO Luzerne; thence westerly
1 to the westernly line Of Herklmer county;
thence DorlheIly along said line and to the
! centre OF Lawrence county, aud thence to the
| place OF beginning, comprising an area OF more
4 than five thousand square miles, as large as the
| whole of Connecticut and more than Delaware
| and Rhode Island together.
Commencing at the Mohawk Valley, we 6nd
six mountain ranges running nearly parallel in
1 northeastern direction, and increasing in size
as they advance. These ranges are for the most
part from FIVE to eight miles apart, but are not
always continuous, and in some places their
spurs or onshoois interlock each other to
such an extent as to render 1t difficult to deter
i mine to which range particular peak may
belong. In other places they are broken
/ through by valleys, which In their turn are
interrupted by single mountains of sufficient
size TO ill the intermediate space between the
ranges, lifting their heads far into the azure
blue above. These isolated mountain masses
| seem to have direction nearer north and south,
| thus standing obliquey to the ranges to which
/ they may be supposed to belong and rising in
peaks far above the general altitude OF the
i ranges, give to the country that romantic and
| alpine character for which 1t has become 30
| widely known.
I This peculiar arrangement by interlocking of
! The mountain peaks and valleys, and the conse-
quent location of the multitude OF ponds and
lakes, forms one of the most curious features of
the country.
The most easterly of the six ranges is known
/ as the Palmerston or Luzerne Mountains. In
valley of this range lie the beautiful waters OF
! Lake George, $50 feet above Lake Champlain.
The northerly end of the range terminates at
4 Mount Defiance. near Ticonderoga, on Lake
Champlain. Next westerly OF this range are the
Kayaderosseras, which strike LaSe Cnsmplain
looks Bulwagger Bay from an altitude of ll50
4 feet. The highest peaks of this range are
cluster in Scbroon township, the most lofty of
which is Mount Pharaoh, whose summit is
nearly 1000 feet above tide water.
The third range is called the SchrooD Noun
1 tains, in which is the beautiful lake OF that
name.
The fourth range terminates in the high bluffs
at Willsborough, or Peru Bay. In this range
are Dix Peak, Raven Head, Mount Discovery,
and other well-known peaks.
The fifth range ends on Lake Cham plain at
Trembleau Point. This is the largest range
north of the Mohawk, and was early known as
the Clinton Range, while its remarkable group
of high peaks was called the AdirOndacs, which
name has finally become attached not only to
i the range, but to the whole country for miles
4 around. The highest peak of this range is
Mount Marcy, which Is the highest land in the
State. Also belonging to this range are Nc
Martin. sandanona, Mcintyre, each upward of
North west of the Adrondacs ltrending in the
| same general direction, and scattered over
large extent of country, are various gr cups of
called range, but which for convenience have
been designated as the Ausable Range. Among
these we lind Mount Seward, with an elevation
/ of 800 feet; Wallace Blue Mountain, with its
beautiful lake. and others.
Still further to the north and west of these,
gradually diminishing in size, lie other groups,
which extend to the Black and St. Lawrence
| rivers.
While Mount Washington exceeds in height by
some HUNDRED feet the most Lefty peak of t5e
1ontSo gToap re oer than the White Noun
/ tans, and excel them in the variety and lowell
ness of natural scenery. The lakes OF the
Il Adirondacs are surpassed in beauty by those of
/ no other region, while the peculiar formation
before referred 10 renders the whole section OF
easy access in consequence OF eliminating or
elevated point in the very heart OF the Wilder
ness forming a general watershed, from which
are streams draining the country in every
direction.
saranac Upper and Lower Tuppers and Lutte
Tuppers, Long Lake, Raquette Lake, Blue
Mountain Lake, the Fulton chain of Eight
Lakes, Joc's Lake, Lake Pheasant, Round Lake,
east are Schroon Lake, Lake Luzerne, and
Others of less note, but not less beautiful.
From point little above the northern ex-
iremity OF Lake Baranac, great valleys dNerge
to the northeast toward Plattsburg-northw west
toward Potsdam-and southwest, to the juno
tion of the Moose and Black rivers. In these
valleys lie most of the numerous lakes OF the
region, and which may properly be. e.descrlbed as
1--WE groups, viz, the Saranac Lakes, comprising
all that collection of lakes, ponds, and rivers Of
which Lake Saranac is the largest, and which
discharge their waters through the Saranac river
into Lake Champlain at Plattsburg; the Hudson
river group lying to the south and southeast Of
the Earanac, which, although widely separated,
all contribute to make up the Hudson river; the
Fulton group, including the Eight Lakes,
Moose Lake, ETC., which are the headwaters of
these rivers, which, uniting, form the MOOSE
river; the Raquette Lakes, including Long
Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, the Upper Lakes,
etc. whose waters flow north westerly through
Raauettc river into the ST. Lawrence; the st.
Regis Lake, and Follenby's, Osgood's, and many
other ponds that find an outlet in the st. Regis
river that empties INTO the 81. Lawrence a
little below the RaQuette; and a collection OF
smaller lakes, the principal OF which are
Smiths and Salmon lakes out of which flow
streams that form the Beaver river, thai flows
westerly through the John Brown tract, and
empties into the Black river
One noticeable popularity of this valley is
the short distance between the lakes forming
the head-Water of streams that rua ia opposite
directions; for instance, from the Eighth Lake
of the Fulton chain to Raquelte Lake is but a
mile and quarter, bat the waters from one
flow south westerly to the Black riVer-ot the
other northerly to the st. Lawrence. From the
southern end of the AdirOndac Pass issues the
most northern branch OF the Hudson river and
from the nortbery end the western branch OF
the AUsable, which empues Into Lake Cham
plain. These narrow watersheds are so
numerous that the communication by boat
between the principal lakes is obstIucted only
by few carries and falls which are easily
overcome, and only give greater pleasure to
tourists.
This region has for some years past been a
favorite resort for sportsmen. And as the stories
of its wonderful beauty were told, fair ladies as
we'll as brave men were induced to venture
until now the number of tourists who visit the
Wilderness in each counted nv thou-