Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-20
SARATOGA.
The Primitive Condition of This
Ell Grand Resort.
Old Time YisitOrs-The First Discovery
Its OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of Wash
ington-"The Cong;ess"--Dis-
tinguished Guests.
THE LEGEND OF SARATOGA LAKE


reached that particular stage of life's jour
ney when the friyolities OF life and the gay
round of society pleasure cease to attract
has settled down to week or two of calm
enjoyment, intending to pass the major
portion of his time in observing what is go
ing on around him. To your request for
letter most willingly comply, but as the
average watering place correspondence Is
generally stereotyped collection OF para
graphs relating to turf bathing, dances We
randa chats, moonlight strolls, carriage
drives, etc, I determined to give you some
thing little out of the general run win
that end IN view tayted on a little remln-
cence hunt, but soon found l had under.
taken more than Ibargained for Inc oia
residents whom I called ON we're generally
too busy to give me any information, even
if they had anything of interest TO lmPart'
the guide books were found to be destitute
of anything beyond map OF the town
supplemented by few pages exto!ling the
merits of the several springs, and the ency-
clopedias were alike barren OF anything
save the common events of history such as
are presumably known to every schooi BOY
.The First White Man
who $50 far as Is knownl visited Saratoga
Springs was Sir william !onhs1i, -.
SIR William, under a commission Oh MAJOR
general from George H., defeated the
French army under Baron Dieskau, at the
hattie of Lake George, on the Sth OIL sep
tenber. 1855. In this action be received
shot from which he never recovered, ana was
frequently subject to serious illness: TWAS
during one of these attacks that the no
hawks revealed TO their beloved protner
War.ra.ehi-ya-ghy (Johnson) the medicai
properties of the High Rock spring. Nol,
prrbaps, could there have been stronger
nI,o,f of the affection in which he was held
nv the Indians than this act OF giving 10
him the benefits of that which they hau
always sacredly guarded as precious gitt
IN themselves from the Great spirit ac'
companied by his Indian guides, the par
onet, on the 22d of August, l76f, belnS TOO
feeble to walk, was placed on iltter anu
born on the shoulders OF his faithful MO-
hawks to the spring. Here he remained III
a rude bark lodge for four days, by Whicn
time he was so much benefited as to De
able TO return to Johnstown, part OF the way
on foot" :;
These rude facts we're encountered IN
co.,v of Harper's Magazine several wears
old and they were supplemented with
greater variety of Saratoga incidents IN
times gone by than could be found III au
the archives Of the town, II the huut hau
lasted the entire summer.
The Popularity of Saratoga Springs,
therefore, may be said to date from the
rvent which has been recorded by this
MAGAZINE writer. "My dear Schuyler
wr;tes the baronet to his intimate friend.
Gen. Philip Schuyler, Il have just returned
from n visit to q most amazing spring.
which almost effected nv cure, and nave
semi for DIR. Stringer OF New York to come
| mn and analyze it," Hence it was that the
| fact of so distinguished parsonage as SIR
| William having been partially restored py
| the wAter soon became noiscd through the
country, inducing others to make the trial.
| In I776 a DIR. Constable, who resided at
| Schenectady, examined the water. and
pronounced it highly medicinal. In
| October. III, Major. Gen. Moore, OF Platts-
! burg, who was stationed after Burgoyne
| surrender, in the vicinity, visited the
| Surfing. and in 1888 DR.. Samuel Tcnney, 6
| regimental surgeon i'll camp at FISH c-eeS,
| also paid visit 10 the spring, and made
| some iudiCious remarks on its uses as
| medicine. In the summer OF the same
| year Gen. SCHUYLER cut road through the
| forest from Schuylervile TO the High Rock
| and erected a tent, under which his family
| spent several weeks, using the water. For
Po 3,T ,Sfars after itSe dEG resort Of people
from all sections of the country. and, when
other springs were found in the neighbor.
ing village of Ballston in 100 the CHIEF
| drive of the visitors there was through the
woods to High Rock The accommoda'
| tons, however, for long time, were OF the
| most primitive character. These waters,
writes Elkanah Watson. in visiting the
| High Rock in 1890, ARE situated IN MARSH
| There is no convenience for bathing, ex'
cept in an open log hu:, with large
trough, similar to those in use for feeding
swine, which receives the water from the
spring. Into this you roll from OH
bench
n Gen. Washington at the Springs
| In l7S3 Gen. Washington, accompanied
by his aids, Alexander Hamilton, George
Clinton and Coils Humphreys and Fish,
visited the High Rock on their return from
all inspection of the northern foits, their
attention having been directed to toy Zen
SCHUYLER while guests at the latters house
in Schuylerville. On their return tn rough
the woods, when near the present village
Of Ballston, they lost their way. Near the
bride path lived one Tom Conner. who
| was chopping wood at his cabin door. hey
INQUIRED the way, and Tom gave the Hqui
site directions The party accordingly re-
| traced its stems short distance, but, becom
ing bewildered rode back for more explicii
directions. Tom had by this time lost hi:
temper, and peevishly cried out to the
spokesman OF the party, who happened u
be Washington, Il tell you, turn back and
take the first right hand path, and then
stick to it any darned fool would know the
way." When poor Tom learned whom he
had addressed he was greatly Chagrined
| His neighbors tormented him for Ions
time on his
reception of Gen. Washington.'
The next year. 1874, another distinguished
person visited the High Rock, brought
there by the advice of Washington, viz.
Col Ohio ii. Williams and, in 1890, the
mother of the late Hon. Theodore DSigh
visited the spring, coming from Hartford
on horseback On reaching the spring Mrs
Dwight found but three habitations anC
those but poor log houses on the high bank
Of meadow The log cabins we're full oi
visitors and she found it almost imposs
bic TO find accommodations, even for two
nights. Among the visitors to the High
Rock in the spring succeeding Mrs Dwight
visit were Congressman, John Taylor Gil
mon, and an aged gentleman, his frienC
and fellow traveller. One day the former
accompanied by young son Of tho woods
man with whom they were stopping, was re
| turning lIOlll INV Pahu iSab
to the cabin, the aged gentleman mean
while sitting on the doorstep awaiting thei
coming the boy, highly elated. ran forward
exclaiming, "Oh, mother, we've found
new spring" To the question, IVA,
found it," the son replied, The Congress.
The gentleman then said. laughingly. t,
Mr.. Gilman, who had come up,
The Spring Shall Always be Gale,
The Congress-"
Thereupon the entire household "turnet
out" and went down to see the wonderful
discovery. At This period II was necesssr!
to climb over logs waist high to gain acces
to the new spring. the water issuing from
assure in the rock, and being conducted +
the glass through q wooden spout fastene,
into the crevice The village now rapidl
increased; new springs were discovered;
large frame house was built in 1902 b.
Gideon Putnam on the site of the presen
Grand Union, having for its sign quain
representation OF the adventure OF Pullman
and the Wolf" and thenceforth tn
Springs" became the resort of those VIII
Il