According to Seneca Ray Stoddard's 1881 guidebook, "The Adirondacks," a wearied traveler described the forest-clad outlet of the Fulton Chain of Lakes as "The Gates of Paradise -- reached through Purgatory." During the 19th century, only a handful of rugged pioneer settlers and sportsmen endured the harrowing, inhospitable twenty-five mile trek through the foothills of the Adirondack wild forests to the Old Forge lake region.

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OLD FORGE -- GATEWAY TO THE ADIRONDACKS is a pictorial history of the transformation of an eighteenth century lakeside clearing in the wilderness into one of the premiere tourist recreational destinations in New York State's six million acre Adirondack Park. It is also a story of man's struggle with and passion for the natural world. Today, tens of thousands of seasonal camp owners and visitors come to share with local residents the magnificent landscapes of the Fulton Chain of Lakes and surrounding hamlets of McKeever, Okara, Thendara, Rondaxe, Big Moose, Eagle Bay, Inlet, and the Stillwater-Beaver River region.

Generations have called it paradise -- a land of pristine lakes, forested trails, abundant wildlife, and friendly people and from those generations come the authors, with backgrounds that include historic preservation and museum administration. The grandfather of Linda and Sarah Cohen arrived in Old Forge in the late 1890's with a peddler's pack on his back and, in 1900, opened the Old Forge Hardware, known today as the "Adirondacks’ Most General Store." Peg Masters, Town of Webb Historian, is a descendant of John Merritt of Brandon, who worked in the early logging industry of Big Moose and McKeever.

The authors would like to thank the Association for the use of its fabulous postcard collection in addition to the collections of Charlie Kiefer, Doc Jones and Ida Winter. Reserve your copy by contacting Director Gail Murray today. Estimated price: $19.99 + tax & shipping if required. EMAIL: Director Gail Murray to reserve a book today.