Upper St. Regis Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Upper St. Regis Lake |
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A guideboat on Upper St. Regis Lake, Saint Regis Mountain behind.
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 Upper St. Regis Lake
Location in New York
Upper St. Regis Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Franklin County, New York |
| Coordinates | 44°24′18″N 74°16′34″W / 44.40500°N 74.27611°W |
| Type | lake |
| Surface area | 742-acre (3.00 km2) |
Upper St. Regis Lake is a beautiful lake in the Adirondacks of northern New York State. It is part of the St. Regis River system. This lake, covering about 742-acre (3.00 km2), became very popular in the late 1800s. Many important and wealthy families came here for their summer vacations. They were attracted by the stunning natural beauty and the rustic charm of Paul Smith's Hotel.
The lake is home to many grand old summer "cottages" and large estates known as Great Camps. One famous example is Marjorie Merriweather Post's Topridge. Other notable summer residents included Frederick W. Vanderbilt, Anson Phelps Stokes, and Whitelaw Reid. These families often started with simple tent camps. Over time, these camps grew into impressive, well-built homes that still looked natural in the wilderness.
Contents
History of Summer Camps
Paul Smith's Hotel
The story of Upper St. Regis Lake's popularity began with Apollos "Paul" Smith. He opened his hotel in 1859. At first, it was a simple place that mostly attracted hunters and fishermen. However, the hotel soon became very fashionable among New York's wealthy and powerful people.
As camping became a family activity, Paul Smith allowed families to set up day camps along the lake shores. They would then return to the hotel for the night. Eventually, families began to lease or buy land from Smith. They built platforms for their tents, and later, groups of cabins and cottages. This led to the creation of the famous "Great Camps."
Traveling to the Lake
Even in the early days, some of these camps were quite fancy. Imagine how much effort it took to get there! In 1883, one of the first families, the Stokes, traveled in a special train car. It went directly from New York City to Ausable, costing $100.
Their group was huge: ten family members and ten servants. They also brought three horses, two dogs, a carriage, and many boxes of tents. There were cases of wine, stoves, china, and even a boat! All these items were then moved to wagons for a 36-mile (58 km) ride to Paul Smith's. From there, they traveled by boat to their island campsite. This shows how dedicated people were to enjoying the Adirondacks.
Fun on the Water
Upper Saint Regis Lake is an important part of the original Seven Carries canoe route. This historic route connects Paul Smith's Hotel to Saranac Inn. It's a popular path for paddlers even today.
The lake is also the original home of the Idem-class racing sailboats. These boats were first built in 1900. They are one of the oldest classes of actively racing one-design boats in the world. This means that the original boats from over a century ago are still used in races!
Lake Location
The lake is located in two towns: Harrietstown and Brighton. Both of these towns are in Franklin County, New York.
Images for kids
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Camp Katia
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The boathouse at Camp Katia.
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Another boathouse at Topridge.
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An Adirondack guideboat.
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Billiard Room, Camp Wild Air
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Bishops Palace, Camp Wild Air
References
- Donaldson, Alfred L., A History of the Adirondacks. New York: Century, 1921. ISBN: 0-916346-26-9. (reprint)
- Jerome, Christine, Adirondack Passage: Cruise of Canoe Sairy Gamp, HarperCollins, 1994. ISBN: 0-935272-94-1.
- Hooker, Mildred Phelps Stokes, Camp Chronicles, Blue Mountain Lake, NY: Adirondack Museum, 1964. ISBN: 0-910020-16-7.
