List of 1915 Forest Rangers and Fire Observers

From May 7, 1915 Chateaugay Record and Franklin County Democrat:

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Fun Facts

(Well, if you consider historical/demographic facts fun, that is.... and we do.) 

In any case:
o Chateaugay is the oldest town in Franklin County, NY (founded 1799)

o Tupper Lake is the youngest town in Franklin County (founded 1890 and renamed in 2004 – originally town of Altamont)

o Duane is the least populous town

o Malone is the most populous town

o The 2000 census recorded 51,134 people living within Franklin County.

o Harrietstown is the largest township (in square miles)

o Constable is the smallest township (in square miles)

Santa Clara Lumber Company lumber camp

From the January 30, 1974 Tupper Lake Free Press and Tupper Lake Herald :

Santa Clara Lumber Company camp near Tupper Lake, ca. 1914

The newspaper caption reads:

AWAY BACK WHEN - The late Frank McCormick, Tupper photographer, snapped this picture about 60 years ago at one of the logging camps operated by the Santa Clara Lumber Co.  In the remote Cold River country.  His camera caught a glimpse of what was "home" for the winter for a lot of early Tupper residents, in an era when lumberjacks stayed in camp all winter.  Horse-power was still of the four-footed variety, and more than 30 were led out by their teamsters for this photo.  The teamster seated on his horse at left center cradles a puppy in his arms.  Perhaps some of the old timers among our readers can identify some of the lumbermen in this photo.

Frank McCormick operated his photographic studio on Park Street in Tupper Lake from 1904, when he moved it from its location on Cliff Ave, until his death in 1942.  His son James ran the studio from 1945-1955.   

And from the March 17, 1964 Malone Evening Telegram:

Santa Clara Lumber Camp on Ampersand Pond, circa 1905

The newspaper caption reads:

TURN OF THE CENTURY -- The three men sitting in front were prominent Malone businessmen who were being entertained at the Santa Clara Lumber Co. Camp of Ferris J. Meigns on Ampersand Pond along about 1905.  N. Munroe Marshall, sitting against the left post, Fred Amsden, with the pointed hat and clasping his knees and Jack Flanagan, wearing the knee socks, were in the party which also included several well-known Tupper Lake residents. 

Other Resources and Images:

-  Photo of:  Horse-drawn load of lumber (1915) in the collection of the NYS Archives
-  Photo of:  Interior of log bunk house (1920s) of the Santa Clara Lumber Co. in collection of NYS Archives
-  Photo of:  Santa Clara Lumber Co yards and office (1920s) in collection of NYS Archives
-  Photo of:  Lumber Camp on Mt. Seward in Town of Harrietstown in collection of NYS Archives

-  History of Town of Santa Clara from Seaver's (1918) Historical Sketches of Franklin County, NY

1932 Winter Olympics

Much like its sister event in 1980, the 1932 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY involved the greater Adirondack North Country region.   Two Franklin County men were part of the organizing committee:

Member, New York State Olympic Winter Games Commission

Member of III Winter Olympic Games Committee

Saranac Lake voted to provide $10,000.00 in funding and housing for athletes and dignitaries, as well as lodging for spectators.  The housing issue was of particular concern, and help was enlisted from neighboring communities and local Housing Committees were formed.  In Tupper Lake, P.J. Hickey agreed to be the committee chairperson, in Malone it was Dr. John E. White, and in Saranac Lake, Francis Leggett.   A formal system of cottage rental in locations such as Paul Smiths, Vermontville and Rainbow Lake was also employed. 

During the Games, a detail of 53 New York State Police (including 23 from Troop B in Malone), led by Lieut. H.C. Herrick, were stationed at Lake Placid.  The detail also had at its disposal 3 automobiles and 4 horses. 


Resources:
- Official Report of III Winter Olympic Games, Lake Placid 1932
- Olympic.org's 1932 Winter Games website, including video of the winning U.S. 4-man bobsled team
- 1932 & 1980 Winter Olympic Museum

1934 Earthquake

The rumbling we felt Wednesday as a result of the 5.0 earthquake centered north of Ottawa made us take note of a line in this April 19, 1934 letter, written by Arthur Thayer to his mother from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Tupper Lake:

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He says, "I went to work Monday in the woods for the first time.  I did not here [sic] the earth quake [sic] Saturday perhaps because I was in the snow."

This earthquake was at Dannemora, NY on April 15, 1934 and was measured as 3.9 magnitude. NYS has prepared an interesting chart listing recorded earthquakes in the state available here.  It was reported in the April 19, 1934 Tupper Lake Free Press as a non-event.

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Thanks to Rosemary Corcoran, who brought the letter to the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society's  CCC Reunion on Wednesday.

North Country Digital History Project

The Northern New York Library Network's North Country Digital History Project has a great new look.
This collaborative effort to make historic images from different repositories throughout the North Country available online is a wonderful resource for students, teachers, North Country residents and history buffs. 
Check it out:  http://history.nnyln.net/

Hiawatha Lodge - Coreys N. Y.

Courtesy  Goff-Nelson Memorial Library, Tupper Lake, NY, obtained from history.nnyln.org

Columbian Fire Insurance Company

The Franklin County Historical and Museum Society has in its collection (1975.72.1) a ledger of the O'Neil and Hale Insurance Agents, Malone, NY who were local agents for the Louisville, KY Columbian Fire Insurance Company.  This ledger from 1893-4 includes the policies of individuals and businesses from every corner of Franklin County.  From the Town of Bombay's policy insuring their covered bridge at Hogansburg

To the Tupper Lake Village school district #1 (formerly the town of Altamont) two-story school building:

Both structures were insured for $1250.00 with a November 14, 1893-November 14, 1894 policy.  The premiums on these policies were $18.75

O'Neil and Hale did a good business with the hotels in the county, selling policies to Loon Lake House:

the Berkley Hotel in Saranac Lake:

and Paul Smith's Hotel in the town of Brighton:

...among others.

Click on images to enlarge

Franklin County men in Civil War prison

In the collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society (1970.46.2) is a medallion, once belonging to Franklin County resident Mose Burrell, declaring him a member of the National Society of Andersonville Survivors.  Camp Sumter in Andersonville, GA was a Confederate prison (Feb. 1864-April 1865) notorious for its overcrowding and inhumane conditions.  According to the National Park Service, which now maintains the site as a National Historic Site: "During the 15 months during which Andersonville was operated, almost 13,000 Union prisoners died there of malnutrition, exposure, and disease; Andersonville became synonymous with the attrocities which both North and South soldiers experienced as prisoners of war."  

Mose Burrell's obituary appeared in the Tupper Lake Herald on April 25, 1919:

This January 23, 1969 Tupper Lake Free Press and Tupper Lake Herald article announced the donation of the Mose Burrell's medallion to the Historical Society:

Many other Franklin County natives were imprisoned at Andersonville, and a quick search of the Northern NY Library Network's Historical Newspaper database (available for free at: http://news.nnyln.net/) revealed articles on at least six other Franklin County men, including this tribute in the Ft. Covington Sun of April 21, 1910: