The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-09
CASTLES LINE
ROAD TO LEhOX
William E. Curtis Writes of
Summer Homes of the Rich
in HooSatoniC Valley.
BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY DRIVE
NOTED LITERARY LIGHTS WHO
ONCE LIVED THERE.

Correspondence Chicago Times-Herald-)
Lenox. Mass, Sept. al do not be-
lieve there is a more beautiful country
drive in the world than the broad high
way which follows the Hoosatonic river
from Pittsfield to Great harrington
through Lenox and Stockbridge. The land
on both sides Of the road has been pur-
chased and improved by tasteful million
aires from New York, Boston, Philadel-
phia. P1ttsburg and other places and they
have built upon IL baronial castles chat
eaux, villas, cottages and other costly res
licences that are surpassed in this country
only at Newport. and equaled only by
some OF those at Tuxedo, BroOkline, Mass
and along the banks OF the Hudson. The
largest estate In the ne1ghborhood belongs
to the heirs OF the late William c. Whit
ney, who bought between 1000 and Il, 900
acres on the slopes OF October mountain
and built Swiss chalet which, however
he did not live long enough to enjoy. His
estate is inclosed and stocked with game
and trout. The surrounding estates are
also stocked in q similar manner and from
the middle OF September TO the middle of
November there is good shooting all
through this country partridge pleas
lawful to shoot a doe or a fawn and some
of the bold nimrOds from the clubs of
New York and other cities cannot distin-
guish them. The streams are full of
the benefit of the rich land owners and
for whOmever 1t may concern, for many
OF the streams are open and offer excel
lent sport at the beginning of the season
I'm the spring.
II you want to see the country at its
best and are not fortunate enough to have
an invitation from one Of the residents,
go to Pittsfield and hire an automobile
from r. ]. Parker. who has a garage ad-
joining the Hotel Wendell. He will send
with you a chauffeur who can tell you
all about the different places and the go
ings-On here during the season. The ma
jority of the milliOnaires arrive about the
1st of June and remain until the 1st of
November. September and October are the
most interesting and active months. be-
cause of various entertainments held to-
ward the close of the season, such as the
horse show, the golf tournaments the ten
mis- matches, the runs of the hunt club
There are usually a dozen or more grand
weddings before the curtain falls upon
the drama, but divorces are not so com
mon as at Newport, and scandals are
scarce. The summer months are given up
10 garden parties, musicales, balls, din
ners and rounds of other entertainments
at which the display and the formality
are quite as notable as during the winter
season in New York, and often more so.
The rivalry between LenOX and Newport
for grandeur and extravaganza is quite
active, and people of. small incomes have
no business here. Many of the cOttagers
spend from SlO0 900 to $500 900 a year main
tanning their reputation for extravaganza
1t costs a large fortune to keep up the
average LenOX cottage without includ-
ing the expenditures for social entertain
ments. a friend of mine who owns a beau
uful but, comparatively speaking, only
an ordinary place. tells me that between
$4,000 and $4,000 a year is required to
pay the bills for the permanent main
tenance Of his place. without including
those from the grocer. the butcher and ba-
1QL ra-
-
This grandeur has developed since 1850
although before that date and as far hack
as the revolution the beauties of the HoOs-
atomic valley were appreciated and en-
1oyed by many families of modest means
and by many famous men, who were con-
tent to live simple lives in humble cottages
and board ar the farmhOuses. The extrav-
agence and OstentatiOn are a modern inno-
walton and the architectural rivalry has
developed within twenty-five years The
variety of design is great and the visitor
can see examples of every existing school
or domestic architecture, from the Swiss
chalet to the Tudor castle, from the sim
pie, dignified colonial mansion to the
French chateau. There are limitations of
some OF the famous places of Europe, Ike
the Petit Trianon and Sans SNlcf and
each house is surrounded by large
grounds, upon which landscape gardeners
have endeavored TO display their taste and
skill and demonstrate the extravaganza of
elaborate patterns have been thrown
across innocent little streams; monoliths
or marble from Roman palaces and Greek
temples have been borrowed to crown the
beautiful hills; marble sarcophagf from
Egypt and Babylonia which some of the
mouXeauX richie are In danger of mistak-
ing for bath tubs, baptismal fonts from
the chapels OF Italy and all kinds of COL
unns, pillars and seats of chiseled mar
bic are scattered over the lawns
But people who do not have to paw the
bills should not complain. The display
contributes a great deal TO the public
pleasure and education Of the popular
taste; and the money could have been ex-
pended much more foolishly in a hundred
different ways. While we may not al
ways admire or respect the motive of this
ostentation, everybody ought to encourage
his millionaire friends TO spend their in
comes in this way and to condemn such
selfishness as Joseph II. Choate. the emil
nent lawyer and late ambassador to Eng
land. has shown by building a high wall
around his garden so that less fortunate
mortals may not share In the enjoyment