The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-18
THE GENERALS SUMMER HOME.
Mount McGregOr and Its Surroundings--A
Beautiful and Charming Spot.

Mount McGregor and Its Surroundings--A
Beautiful and Charming Spot.
Mount McGregor Special to Chicago Times.
A dozen miles to the northward of Saratoga
lies one of the most southern spurs of the
Adirondacks, known as Mount McGregor. 1t is
about /, 100 feet above the sea, and full thou
sand feet above the sandy plain that surrounds
the village of Saratoga This elevated spot was
long favorite resort for tourists who took the
mountain road from Saratoga to Lake George.
1t was formerly an Indian trail. The bride
path followed, then the roadway. Now, we are
led to the summit by one of the most ingenious
and picturesque examples of mountain railroad
building for which American engineers have
become celebrated. The Saratoga, Mount Nc
Gregor e Lake George railroad is essentially a
pleasure road. for it does not carry freight. 1t
is ten and half miles in length. The ties are
three feet longer than on other narrow gauge
roads For further permanence of bed, they are
placed twenty inches apart, instead of three
feet, thus giving extraordinary stability to the
track The road will be ultimately extended to
Lake George Just as the railroads have followed
the Indian trails through the Mohawk valley to
the great West After leaving Saratoga this
mountain road winds along evenly for more than
half of the distance but at length it begins to
ascend, and soon the grade becomes steep
that it is only by tremendous putting and
scolding that the sturdy little engine is able to
pull the cars up the hill. We rapidly ascend.
Different vistas are opened before us, while now
and again the track swings around in such an
abrupt curve that the rear platform Of the rear
car and the pilot of the little engine form letter
S. We roll over the trestle-work that crosses
deep gorges, and wonder what would take place
if the timbers should happen to give way. Yet,
Notwithstanding the steepness of the grades and
the sharpness of some of the curves the road is
carefully managed that no accident has occurred.
The train climbs swiftly up it's iron ladder until
it has arrived within stones throw of the ho-
TEL which stands almost upon the summit of the
mountain 1t is claimed that these two square
miles of mountain resort with their drives.
walks trout streams. and gems of lakes, have an
air as invigoratlng as that of Colorado. 1t is
certain that the temperature on this height is
lower than it is on the sandy plain which con-
tains the great hotels and the gay eqpipages of
Saratoga itself.
From the pavilions that hang out like bird
cages and recall memories of the Catskills, views
extend in every direction as far as the eye can
reach, which. with their combination of lake
and river, mountain and valley, are seldom sur
passed in the whole Adirondack and Catskill
ranges. The trend of the range is nearly north
and south. spur of our range shuts off the
view of Lake George, with its memories of Am
herst, Dieskau, johnson, Williams and Rogers.
AlLuOugH we cdnuOL see LnlS DeauCiIu- SneeI. YET
we can discover the romantic village of Glens
Falls. We can almost imagine that we hear the
footballs of Uncas and his Mohicans. The Hud
son river threads its way to the southeast. COM
ing nowhere within less than three miles of our
standpoint. Still down the stream, and past
the Indian ''carrying-place" at Fort Howard
where the portage made to Lake Cham
plainl the eye follows rolling plain, not highly
cultivated, until it rests upon the historic re-
eion about Schuylerville and Bemis heights.
Here is the spot where one of the decisive bat
ties of the Western world was fought, the plain
on which Burgoyne surrendered to Gates-an
event not less important than that of Corn
wallis to Washington at Yorktown, for the fail
ure OF the British at Saratoga gave to America
the alliance of France during the remainder of
the Revolutionary war. With the field glass we
can readily discover the area of operations,
which included such well-known localities as
Frazer's camp, Braymans redoubt, where Ar
mold was wounded. Morgan's hill. and Fort Nell
son. Still further to the southwark the Hudson
loses itself around the ridge up which we have