The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-08-11
BEAUTY OF THE CATsKILLs
AS Well Told by a New Haven Lady
Pretty Legends of the Mountains.

oliver Wendell Holmes has sung of
his love for the Hudson and it's sur
roundings, and all who journey much
either upon or beside it echo his words,
LET not the dear love of its children
grow cold,
Till the channel is dry where its waters
have rolled"
Certainly as one comes out of the
tunnel near Congers N. Y, and sees
the sudden view of the broad river with
it's beautiful mountain border, one feels
thrill of pleasure hardly equalled at
sight of any other stream, Then, too,
ones historic and poetic side is stirred
by the stories connected with this sec
ton of the country. We have already
noticed the Weehawken stone so close
ly connected with Alexander Hamil-
TONS sad fate, and have seen the house
where Arnold and Andre met for their
reasonable talk. Now 1t is summer
boarding place and we wonder II It's
guests are ever haunted by the spirits
of those two men.
Pleasanter memories cluster about
Stony Point and its brave captor,
Wayne Now the mountains begin to
rise on either side, speaking of natures
grandeur and of mans ingenuity in
tunneling them. The latest human ac-
complishment here is the Dunberburg
Spiral railway now being built, which
when finished will be the greatest grav-
Nv, 80 Ty.,it Ctat ND
whose summit will command a most
magnificent view
But on rushes our train, bearing us
rapidly past West Point and the "Cro'
Nest" of which Drake wrote in his po-
EN- "Culprit Fay" nearer and nearer
to storm King" named by N. P. Willis
and closer to the mountains SO well
named Endless Hills" by the Indians.
At Kingston we turn to the west and
later to the north, and now the full
beauty of the Catskill range comes out
before us, at first in dim blue outlines,
later with greater distinctness. Here
begin the Indian names, "Shokan," the
gateway of the Catskills, and "Shanda-
ken" being two prominent ones. Con-
nected with the latter is an interesting
legend which has given it's name to a
pretty little hotel, "the Lotowana,"
farther up among the mountains.
Shandaken was famous and wise
Indian chief whose tribe lived not far
from the site of the old Mountain
House" His only daughter, Lotowa-
ma, was a maiden of great beauty and
was pledged to famous Indian war
rior. But her fame had spread to some
of the neighboring settlements and at
! drinking bout wager of many gold
pieces was laid that this Indian maid
ems faith could not be won from her
lover, Norsereddin. a naughty young
man. who boosted descent from
Egyptian princes, but in whose nature
nothing princely seemed to linger. took
UP the bet He spent six months
among the Indians. winning the friend
ship of Shandaken by his skill as
hunter. but making no impression on
the girls heart. though his own passion
seems to have been fully wakened At
last he confessed his love to the Indian
chief, who babe him turn to his own
| race for bride and not think of urg-
ing breach of faith on the part either
of Lotowana or her father with long
| ings for revenge, Norsereddin left the
camp and prepared a snakes fang
| dipped in mineral poison so that 1t
| would spring from its wire, singing to
| death wheinever opened the box He
| returned to the camp on the day set
for the marriage Of Lotowana and with
smooth words OF friendship persuaded
the old chief to give the casket to the
4 ma &c r,;f
pale-face. Then mounting his swift
| horse, he rode away
Lotowana opened the box, received
the wound, and soon lay dead at her
lovers feet. Angry braves were soon
on the track of Norsereddin, who was
captured and burned to death near the
fiat rock not far from the present Hotel
Kaaterskfll though much nearer the
old Mountain House One cannot even
pity his fate
| But If we once begin to listen to these
legends there will be no end to them
for almost every valley and peak has
its own story
| AT Phoenicia we take the narrow
gauge road which leads US through the
famous STONY Glove Notch" Obser-
/ toSNiOih NfNi ebiLold 81 dllu VIEWS Oh the
mountains, rising peak upon peak of
! the little mountain brooks dashing
along so merrily, Of bits of cleared land
with here and there tiny villages and Of
the blue sky smiling down upon it all.
In distance of ten miles we have
climbed nearly thirteen hundred feet
and our wonder at the grand view
/ spread before us is only equaled by our
amazement at the enterprise which
carried this railroad through so many
miles Of almost unbroken forest.
So many delightful places are in this
region, so many large hotels and COM
Portable boarding houses, so many rest
full hooks among the numerous parks,
that one hesitates just where to locate
and longs for the wings of bird to
skim from point to point getting lit
tie of each ones beauty, all the time
drinking in long draughts of this pure
! air.
Perhaps ones best plan is to locate
at some central point and take many
trips to different points, as we shall
hope to do in the coming days