The Real Adirondacks

SJ's comment in another thread bashing Bakers Mills got me to thinking that day of what the Adirondacks meant to me. To me it's life and family. Much of my family are what I call Real Adirondackers, not people who visit to canoe, hike, fish, hunt, ski or even those who own winter/summer homes there. They are the people born in the mountains, the people who live there, support and raise their families there. To say they are hardy people would be a huge understatement. To say some are characters would be spot on. My Grandfather rode his horse to work at Barton Mines on Monday morning and he wouldn't return until after work Friday. He did that year round until he had money to buy a car. He was one of thirteen children born in a cabin near the top of Edwards Hill Rd in Bakers Mills NY. To my knowledge the man only went to the doctors office twice in his life until he contracted that god awful disease Alzheimer's.  My Mother, only in her 70's now, went to a one room school house until she was in 7th grade then went to high school in the metropolis of Johnsburg where she was one of a graduating class of 13. The still have class reunions and last I knew all 13 are still alive. She grew up with a well on the front porch, an outhouse, and a radio that they would sit around as a family and listen to. They did end up getting indoor plumbing and a party line phone (2 short and one long) at some point though and were the talk of the town. I still remember the party line myself. She went to college and graduated with BS in business. I give you that background for a couple reasons. First, the other day I asked my mother what the Adirondacks meant to her. After a very slight pause she said, "It's where everybody knows everyone and everyone wants to help each other". Seems to be a far cry from where we are as a society today. The second reason is because of a book my Mother gave me to read called All In a Day's Work, written by Dr. Daniel Way. Dr. Way is a traveling physician in the most rural parts of the Adirondacks. The book is about some of his patients, the relationships he had with them, as well as the travels he's had throughout the Adirondacks. If you are at all interested in The Real Adirondacks and it's Real People I encourage you to get his book and read it.

Here's a video I found online regarding his book. In the video, as well as his book are a few people I have had the pleasure of knowing in my lifetime. At 5:47 is my Grandfather's  cousin Earl Allen. Earl was a tool maker and his picture and story are in the Adirondack Museum. At 6:00 is my Uncle's Grandfather Benjamin Franklin Cleveland. He lived to be 104 years old, he split his own wood by hand until he was 98, he was also born before cars were even invented. In fact his first car was a Model T Ford that cost him 600 bucks. My Uncle and his brothers and sisters still own all of his property. At 6:47 is one helluva character named Boyd Smith. Boyd was an amazing hunter and woodsman. He was also very dirty. He and his wife had no electric, running water or plumbing in the shack they lived in just up the road from my Grandparents house. My Grandmother would offer them to bathe at her house but rarely would they take her up on that. Anyway, I knew Boyd and I always thought of him as one tough SOB. What I didn't know is just how tough he actually was until I read the book. Turns out he endured a ruptured appendix for a week before seeking medical attention. I can't even imagine.



http://www.danielway.com/about/

that's awesome.  I'm buying the books.  

And I wasn't bashing Baker Mills you drama queen.  Just hacking on ya!  

I know you weren't --- I was hoping to make you feel bad

You should get his book --- great pictures and stories --- i just ordered his second one

I sent the link to the mother in law.  she buys me books for Christmas.  I asked for all three.  The third We were there looks great too!

And yes, you made me feel bad about myself.  Good job you big bully jerk!

Bwhahahahahaha

Yea, I'll get the third one as well.

Wait until you read some of the shit this Doc has gone thru with his clients. It's truly amazing.

 Camp I will read your post.

Just here, now, to defend Bakers Mills.

I like your style, Harv

SJ -- you ever get them books???

Been slow at work so I've been googling: Archie "Bobcat" Ranney was the hermit of Bakers Mills. He helped teach my mom and other kids how to read. He would come down out off the mountain to get milk from the family farm. I never met him as he was way before my time.  His cabin can be seen in the Adirondack Museum.

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2016/02/59301.html

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2016/08/archie-bobcat-ranney-howard-zahniser-exchange-letters.html

Sounds like those books would be good for SJ, he likes picture books...

actually I did get them for Christmas.  I was gonna take pix and post when I started to read them.  I'm about to finish book on WW2 pacific theater.  brutal, just brutal.  god bless the marines!

I also got American Plants for American Gardens.  Excellent book first written in 1929 and recently republished.  It was written by a master gardener and a landscape design expert.  Its a great reference for using native plants to reestablish natural landscapes.   I'm been working on that everywhere I've lived and now that I set roots for good I'm going all out.  Since I live next to an open field I am working to reestablish a natural hedgerow.  gonna be sweet when done and be very inviting for birds, bees, butterflies and insects!

 

Nice!!
 What do you mean by a natural hedge row?  Any hedge row I've ever seen is simply over grown grass, weeds, prickers and sumac trees. Are you growing that?

OMG!

those are not weeds!! they are native plants.  

LMFAO --- how did I know you would say that

Growing weeds is cake bro

well that's kinda of the point.  grow what grows best in the region mixed together correctly and you end up with a low maintenance "garden" that provides food and habitat for native creatures and privacy for us.

not to mention I love stag bark sumac mixed with grey dogwood, bailey, crab apple, service berry, winterberry, brambles (picker bushes) fireweed, sunflowers, asters, joe pyeweed , ninebark, meadowsweet, yarrow!!!!!  

nothing beats the old abandon farmstead going back to nature look.  

Sounds like a cool book.  A really good, readable and fairly comprehensive general history of the park is by Paul Schneider- link below

http://www.biblio.com/book/adirondacks-history-americas-first-wilderness-schneider/d/922257456?aid=frg&utm_source=google&utm_medium=product&utm_campaign=feed-details&gclid=CKy0n8eHzdECFZOHaQodhhkGUw

Petronio