Reynoldston, New York facts for kids

Reynoldston was once a small town in Upstate New York, also known as Northern New York. It was located in the town of Brandon in Franklin County. Reynoldston sat by the Deer River, about 1,258 feet (383 meters) above sea level. This was about 1,000 feet (305 meters) higher than the St. Lawrence River Valley. The town was in the northern part of the Adirondacks. At its busiest time, around 1920, Reynoldston had fewer than 350 people living there.

Who Were the First Settlers?

After the American Civil War, many people moved to the area that would become Reynoldston. They were looking for new land. Families like the Allen Bordeaux, Joseph Campbell, and Nelson Trushaw settled here. They worked hard to clear their land. They also made money by selling "blacksalts" or potash. They made this by burning hardwood trees to create farms.

The first farms grew hops, which are used to make beer. They also raised sheep for wool and food. Some families had a few cows and oxen to help plow their fields. This was mostly "subsistence farming," meaning they grew just enough to feed themselves. The land was very rocky, and the summers were too short. The winters were too cold for big farms like those just a few miles away in the St. Lawrence Valley.

How the Reynolds Mill Started Logging

Reynoldston had lots of mixed forests with both hardwood and softwood trees. The Deer River also provided water power for a lumber mill. Winter was a great time for logging.

Orson and Phoebe Reynolds bought a lot of land and started the "Reynolds Mill" in the late 1870s. The mill was right by the Deer River. At first, they cut trees nearby and processed the wood at their mill. There were plenty of hardwood trees and cedar for making roof shingles.

When Orson Reynolds passed away in 1887, his four sons took over. They expanded the mill and renamed it Reynolds Brothers Mill and Logging.

Forests and Protecting Nature

Reynoldston is a good example of the history of forests in the Adirondack Mountains. In the late 1800s, people were cutting down a lot of trees in this area. At the same time, people in New York State started to care more about protecting forests.

Cornell University even tried to start a school for forestry. People also began to hand out flyers about planting new trees. In 1892, the New York State Legislature created the Adirondack State Park and Catskill State Park. This was the start of the "conservation movement." This movement eventually helped reforest and protect much of the Adirondacks and Catskill Mountains. You can learn more about the history of the Adirondacks at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.

Reynoldston's Telegraph and Telephone

Frank Reynolds, one of the Reynolds brothers, did something very interesting. In the early 1880s, he set up a telegraph line. This line soon reached towns like Owl's Head and St. Regis Falls.

Then, in 1887, he was one of the first to bring the telephone to Brandon and nearby towns. Soon, Reynoldston became the "central" hub for many communities. In 1918, the phone company was sold to the New York Telephone Co. The name Reynoldston came about in 1894 when Frank Reynolds was able to get a post office for the community.

When Reynoldston Had the Most People

Reynoldston had its biggest population between 1908 and 1918. During this time, the Brooklyn Cooperage Company hired the Reynolds Brothers. They needed hardwood logs to make barrel parts in St. Regis Falls.

A special logging railroad track was built just south of Reynoldston. This allowed the Reynolds Brothers to move logs by train to St. Regis Falls. At its peak, the Reynolds Brothers ran up to four logging camps. Each camp had between 30 and 40 men working there. The community grew quickly, offering jobs for more loggers. Many nearby farms in the St. Lawrence Valley also helped by providing teams of horses to haul logs. During this time, the Reynolds mill was used only a little.

By 1918, the Reynolds Brothers had cut almost all the hardwood trees on their more than 10,000 acres. After that, they were hired to cut softwood for the Malone Paper Company. They then cut the rest of the trees on their land.

Families in Reynoldston

The families in Reynoldston came from different backgrounds. Many were French–Canadian, Irish, or Scottish. Some also came from New England. Most residents were Roman Catholics, but some were Protestant.

Some of the family names included Allen Bordeaux, Joseph Bombard, Alfred French, Jondro, Duso, William LaHares, Nelson Duso, Joseph Meno', Philias and Henry Moquin, and Oliver Trushaw. Many of these families had very large families, with 10 or more children. They probably made up most of the community in the early 1900s. These families often married each other over the years. For example, Campbells married Bordeauxs, who married Frenches, Bombards, and LaHares.

There were also many English, Irish, or Scottish people living there at different times. These were often settlers from New England. Their names included William Collins, John Cox, Henry Clark, Danford Whitcomb, Arthur Berry, Joseph Campbells, James McGovern, Patterson, Samuel Trims, and Orson L. Reynolds. Many of these families also married into other families in the community, no matter their religion.

Why Logging Stopped and People Left

By 1925, the Reynolds Brothers had cut most of the trees on their land. They began to close the mill and stop their operations. Almost right away, families started to leave to find work in other parts of Northern New York.

Many of them, including the Reynolds family, kept some of the mill-owned homes. They used them as summer camps. A few members of the larger families, like the Bordeauxs and Campbells, stayed in Reynoldston. They continued to farm, make maple syrup, and work as guides for the State of New York. The one-room schoolhouse closed in 1940 or 1941.

The history of Reynoldston was short. But because many families had more than a dozen children, a lot of people today can trace their family history back to this small, short-lived community.

Learning About Reynoldston's Past

From 1969 to 1971, W. J. Langlois and Robert H. McGowan did an oral history project. They interviewed more than 20 people and recorded over sixty tapes about the community's history. They also collected more than 300 old photographs. Since then, Langlois and McGowan have continued their research. They have collected even more photos and historical documents about Reynoldston.

Images for kids

• Reynolds Bros Mill & Yard ca. 1900.jpg

  The Reynolds Mill and Yard around 1900.