Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-08-02
ADIRONDACK FEATURES.
I Land Little known, and Some Of
Its Peculiarities.


stretching well up toward Potsdam.
the Great Wilderness, and the Adiron-
Slacks proper, that almost everyone
sdesires to known more of it. Persons
who have visited some of its popular
resorts season after season, and others
who have lived lifetime within its
vide borders, have but a perfunctory
knowledge of its extent and varied at
Fractions. Its area is more than that
of our three smallest states, and larger
5han that of Massachusetts,. Persons
Coming to one of its many summer
resorts, have said they should drop in
and lunch with me some day, little
dreaming that they would have to
dine several times EN- route before
Fasting their lunch. There are no
roads by which wheeled vehicles pene-
trate the regions proper -Four high
ways pierces its margin from the four
Spoints of the compass, and generally
'Send at large hotel perhaps several.
beyond, the wonderful system of
~ lakes and rivers affords the traveller a
}pleesant way of locomotion in every
}direction. Childwold is not strictly
swithin the Adirondack region, but
located on the Bavuette river, some
8aifteen or twenty miles from the foot
@hills of It's nearest mountains. about
Twelve hundred feet above tide
water 1t has some object ofconsider-
able interests. The track of the great
windfall of Sept.20, 1915 passes
through its northern limits. This
great tornado began on the shore of
Lake Ontario, and, gathering strength
as it progressed, crashing through the
Forest in a straight line from west to
cast for more than one hundred miles,
Frustrating every tree within its
vortex of half mile in diameter,
leaving as sharply-defined bounds as
those of a mowers scythe. Where
repeated fires consumed the fallen
trees and their germs a wild grass
game in which affords extensive pas
turage. Where decomposition was
slower, a thrifty growth of young trees
cover the surface But in either case
~ is thickly studded with mounds up
sheaved by the roots of giant trees.
(which are similar in appearance to
some which have recently attracted
the attention of psychologists in
southwestern states, and apparently,
as enduring. Possibly both had the
same origin. On the southern border.
the wanderer through the virgin for
est comes upon the traces of Veiy old
.road, which from its unexpectedness,
Eawakens feelings akin in those of
Robinson Crusoe when he came upon
/ the footprint on the beach of his un-
sinhabited, island. Its rotting bridges,
crumbling abutments, and moss
covered corduroys attest that it was
8built by civilized men. This road,
10 aat never had a passenger, passes
Through the tenantleSs wilderness for
more than one hundred miles. To the
puery WHO built it; when and
syherefore3n the natives make no salts
Factory answer The oldest hunter
swill tell you that it was always there. y
aIt was constructed during the war of
lisp for the transportation Of an army
from Ticonderoga TO Sackett's Har-
Dor two hundred miles through an
lunbroken wilderness. 1t was immed
lately abandoned, and nature has
NEARLY obliterated the work
The Raquette river is one of the
main arteries by which the pine and
fir are floating from the beart of the
Adirondacks to the saw-mills ON its
lower reaches. Its valley is one of
the routs by which visitors enter the
great wilderness. Lake MaSSawippi
and a silvery chain of seven tributary
ponds, the fountain waters of Grass
So, -,
ChildwOld. From here one passes up
the Raqdette by Soils island, Pierce
field, aud several other pretty water
falls. into the bosom of the great
woods. In 1870 Nerplanck Colvin,
an enthusiastic lover of nature, began
typographical survey of the region
con amore. This led to his being APP
pointed superintendent of geologic
al survey inaugurated by the state in
1872. Just a century after the first sur
vev was ordered by the provincial
government In has first report he
enumerated twelve new mountains of
over four thousand feet, and two
hundred new lakes which had never
been placed upon any map, and many
never visited by civilized man. He
has discovered others since, whose
waters had not been disturbed since
the Indian padded his bark canoe
over their silent depths. The virgin
freshness of this region adds much to
its attractions The correlation of its
geological formation and lake systems
are interesting features, which |
shall notice in another letter Ia
hawus, Mount Marcy, with an alti-
tude Of ), $50 feet, is the highest noun
tain of the Adirondack range. being
exceeded only by Mount Washing
ton and Black Dome of the Black
mountains Of North Carolina, east of
the Rocky mountains. Mount Mack
entyre. ;, 100 feet, is the next highest,
with a dozen more of from one humid
red to two hundred feet less, while
those Of less altitude are innumerable.
The highest considerable body of
water is lake Takarous. Tear Of the
Clouds, tile source of the Hudson
river.
can not do better than to quote the
glowing words of Colvin i'm his last