Evening star., 1942-07-19
Sightseeing Boats
|nThousand Islands
Long a Tradition
Woter Livery Trade
To Isles Created to
Serve SuIesmen

ALEXANDRIA BAY. N. Y, July
l8-Seeing the Thousand Islands
has been popular pastime here for
more than half a century. In re-
cent years, thousands of vacation
lists have made the river cruise in
comfortable craft, powered with
modern high-speed motors. St. Law
renee rivermen have always been
good boat builders and their rubber
neck" cruisers maintain the tradi-
ton.
But long before automobiles were
dreamed of (and gas rationing was
price administrator wartime
nightmare) the hitching post in
front of the general store was the
news and nerve center of life along
the river. Travelling men" from
downstate left their horse-drawn
buggies to look for transportation
across the river. and farmers, al
ways ready to turn an honest penny.
launched lively boat livery busi-
ness.
The first craft were ordinary skiffs.
hand propelled, but one enterprising
boatman introduced small sailing
craft to speed statesmen on their way
10 new business as homesteads,
farms and general stores populated
- Islands.
Bonus Paid for Speed.
Competing whisky statesmen, eager
to load their products in the ex-
panding territory, paid extra fees
to git thar fustest," and the island
channels witnessed many an unre-
corded race by rivals.
It was only natural that boat
livery should become permanent
fixture of life around the Thousand
Islands.
Occasional groups Of sportsmen
chartered boats for days fishing in
the river. but the excellence of the
sport was known to only a few.
Gen. u. S. Grant had already COM
pleted his first term as President of
the United States, when, with Gen.
Philip Sheridan, he visited the
Thousand Islands as the guest of
George H. Pullman.
These grizzled veterans of the
Civil War forgot the heartaches and
eorrows of conflict in the serenity of
the islands which they enjoyed in
virtual seclusion. The Pullman
home was one of the very first to
be built here. The railroad pioneer
already had seen his palace" cars
rolling along Americas expanding
railroad empire. Huge fortunes
were in the making and the Thou
sand Islands soon became famous
as a colony of Millionaire homes"
Fame Of Islands Grew.
Whether Gen. Grants aptitude as
q story teller spread the word is not
known. But by the time his second
administration came to a close, the
fame of the islands was established.
Many of the islands were purchased
by families of wealth and elaborate
mansions came to life. On the
mainland, rambling summer hotels
were built and thousands of vaca-
tionists f1ocked to the new colony.
The boat liveries became "big
business when Capt. Elisha Visger
conducted the first sightseeing boat
tour of the islands. AS he adver-
tised it. his boat was built to fit'
the narrow passageways and chan
nels and at some places sight-seers
could actually reach from the deck
and touch the overhanging trees.
Capt. Visger's cruise was 40-mile
sail that traversed mitch of the same
route that Frontenac and De La
Sale sailed some 300 years earlier.
AS queer collection of names as
ever graced map conveys some of
the early history of the islands.
Lost Channel" for example, refers
not to passageway that disappears,
but to the battle in which British
regulars and Colonial troops from
Massachusetts, met defeat at the
hands of the French and Indian
forces which lay in wait for them
'Fiddlers Elbow Island" is said to
take its name from the fact that an
old blind fiddler lived on the point
and came out to play his tunes as
the boats stopped for wood-fuel
Capt. Visger himself added to the
legend and initiated some profitable
advertising He hired the blind
fiddler to sit on the rock at Fiddlers
Elbow to play music for his sight
seeing customers and the romance
of the incident grew with the years
Similar stories developed from
such Thousand Island landmarks as
Smugglers Cove, Needles Eye, Devils
Oven, and a score of others.