Ghost Town

     "...the little yellow house on the towpath..." was lurking in my thoughts. The haunted one where a pack peddler had been murdered and buried in the cellar. I didn't so much want to find it as to avoid it. But it soon became apparent that there was nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to come upon a yellow house or much else in what had once been the bustling canal settlement called Moses Kill.

The canal (red line) at Moses Kill

One of the buildings along it might be the haunted "little yellow house"

     I was using Captain Fred G. Godfrey's The Champlain Canal: Mules to Tugboats as my tour guide. It's a fun little book with lots of quirky details about the old canal. He tells about a Mrs. Sanders from Fort Miller who sold four-layer cakes for $.25 and delicious pies for $.20. The boatmen appreciated that bit of indulgence before the three mile pull to Moses Kill past the dreaded "little yellow house".

A surveyors view of Moses Kill

The Hudson River would be just off the top of the map 

    At Moses Kill they could stock up at Will Patterson's store before going thru Lock 14 and crossing the Moses Kill Creek on an aqueduct. Just beyond that was a dry dock operated by George "Boney" Sanders. A place where needed repairs could be made. Then came a long, five mile, hard towing level to Fort Edward. Fortunately Satterlee's grocery store was located along here providing canalers with fresh food.

Two views of the aqueduct  

Top is the abutments as they appear today

Bottom is an old photo showing the framed trough

that was filled with water for the boats to float over the creek

     You would think Moses Kill would be an interesting place to view some of this historical infrastructure but that's not necessarily the case. Some of the water filled depression that was the canal is still visible near Patterson Road, while back in Richardson Lane there is an older building presently used as a residence. This may be where Patterson's store was. That's about it if you drive there. Tax maps show a corridor of New York State owned land along the old canal route but it's a honeysuckle choked, tick infested jungle with no place to park and threatening POSTED signs put up by a private party. 

Tax map of area where the Moses Kill flows into the Hudson River

Town of Fort Edward, Washington County, New York

Narrow checkered corridor is route of old canal

Richardson Lane (old Rt. 4) and buildings that might have been part of Patterson's store

What remains of the canal ditch is in the trees at right edge of photo

     The best way to see what's left of the settlement is by paddling up the Creek. You can examine the aqueduct abutments and an arched trolley bridge from the water but getting out to look for the lock, the dry dock or anything else associated with the canal takes some determined effort and it's hard to tell what parts of the shore are public and what are private. The yellow house and its ghost may have once been here but if so they're like the rest of the Moses Kill ghost town. Gone and almost forgotten. 

 

The trolley bridge

    

'Ghost' structures from canal days are common along the Rt. 4 corridor

These moss covered limestone blocks form an abutment at the entrance to the 

Denton Preserve

Speaking of Ghost Towns...

     A few photos from Greenwich all decked out for Halloween:

 

Pilot Knob Preserved

 

Pilot Knob by Susan Beadle

From the Lake George Land Conservancy's Facebook page

The artist donated this painting to the LGLC's silent auction at their Gala

     Pilot Knob is one of my favorite places in Washington County. By default that makes it one of my favorite places in the world. It's not as high as Buck or Black and there really aren't any views from its wooded summit. But you have to have some bushwhacking skills and put some effort into getting to that summit. Arriving at the cairn always feels like a satisfying achievement. Besides, if you came up from the west side over the bare ridge (result of a 1973 fire) you've had a feast of Lake George views most of the way. Then there's the sprinkling of climbing ledges hidden in the woods. Fun to do a few routes if that's your thing. Finally, part of the mountains lure is the somber monument at the site of the 1969 plane crash that claimed 14 lives. Somewhat difficult to reach, it's a place to contemplate the tentativeness of life. 

Southern end of Lake George from Pilot Knob Ridge

(photo from LGLC's website)

     There are actually several ways to reach the top other than the popular ridge route. The Buck Mountain/Inman Pond trail has parking at both ends with the seldom used eastern approach offering less elevation gain, interesting streams and beaver ponds and more solitude but no views. There's also an unmarked pull off on Pilot Knob Road near Echo Bay that some use as a starting point. Note that the mountains that line Lake George's east side are tilted blocks of the Earth's crust with steeper, often cliffy sides upthrown at faults on the west and more gradual slopes dipping to the east. The result is great scenery from the lake but also more arduous climbing from that side. 

     Pilot Knob has been in the news lately with the recent announcement that the Lake George Land Conservancy has purchased 517 acres of the mountain's western slope from the Jeckel family. Ron and Janis have been great stewards and with this transfer they insure that the watershed and scenery will remain undeveloped into the future. Combined with large blocks of preexisting publicly owned Forest Preserve the entire mountain is now protected.

Mike Horn addressing members at the Gala

(from the LGLC website)

     I got to know Mike Horn when he had the difficult job of dealing with farmers who were considering protecting their land thru Saratoga PLAN. I've followed his successes when he stepped up to the Executive Director position at the Lake George Land Conservancy. He's a great guy leading a membership organization that knows just what a treasure Lake George is. Congratulations on the Pilot Knob project and best of luck in the future to Mike and the LGLC.

       

Other Lake news:

DEC photo

     Sad to hear that the northern lean-to on Fishbrook Pond has burnt. I (and many others) have happy memories from this spot. In the summer I relished sweaty trail runs up and over Sleeping Beauty, before heading on to the pond and a dip in its cool, clear waters. Come winter I liked the ski route from Pike Brook Road past Millman Pond to Fishbrook where we'd hunker down in the lean-to to eat our sandwiches and shiver before heading back. Hope it gets rebuilt for future generations to enjoy. 

Wiawaka Boat House and Dock

(web image)

     On a happier note Gwenne will be hosting a S.W.I.M. (Strong Women Inspire Me) event at Wiawaka to unveil a plaque honoring her mother's historic achievement. It was in August of 1958 when Diane Struble became the first person to swim the length of Lake George. The celebration in story, poetry and song occurs on Saturday, August 23 from 2 to 4 pm. Come and share your love for the lake and swimming on the beautiful grounds of Wiawaka.

    

Pilot Knob is the perfect backdrop for a day on Lake George

(photo from the LGLC's website)