Saving the Islands at Lake GeorgeJohn S. Apperson, Jr. (1878-1963)

by Ellen Apperson Brown

Lake George is, without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a basin thirty-five miles long, and from two

to four miles broad, finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal and the mountainsides covered with rich groves of silver fir, white pine, aspen and paper birch down to the water

edge.Thomas Jefferson, 1791

This is the story of one man’s efforts to adopt an island, and of his realization that he could save many more! His enthusiasm and devotion led him to become a leading advocate for wilderness and preservation. His accomplishments, and his strategies, may serve as inspiration for others who have fallen in love with a special place and wonder what they might be able to do…

Watercolor – West Dollar IslandBy Marianne Ganter - 2014

Photo – West Dollar Island By John Apperson - 1910

Hull and John Apperson, two brothers from Virginia, arrived in Schenectady in 1900…and began venturing into the countryside. Apparently they didn’t own much in the way of clothing suitable for hiking and fishing… In fact, they look rather uncomfortable sitting on a railroad tie in the middle of nowhere. Notice that John is holding a rock, and Hull a pistol!

John, the younger brother, soon started making weekend trips into the Forest Preserve, traveling by train. Here are two maps from his files showing rail connections, c. 1910.

It wasn’t long before he discovered Lake

George.

Like so many other young men working in Schenectady, John longed to get out of the city, and began exploring the forests and mountains of the NY Forest Preserve. He particularly loved camping, even in the winter, on

the islands of Lake George.

Camping on Dollar Island, 1910

He had always enjoyed hunting and fishing…

…but became excited by all the exotic possibilities of a frozen lake…Dome Island is to the right, with ice boats and skate-sails!

Sources of Inspiration… He owned a copy of The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fennimore Cooper,

and had most likely read Huckleberry Finn , by Mark Twain

He certainly would have read articles in the newspapers… about debates between Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Gifford Pinchot

In 1908, while paddling during a storm, his canoe hit a log and capsized. He barely managed to come ashore on West Dollar Island. Grateful to have survived, he soon

resolved to adopt the island and try to repair the damaged shores.

Photo by Phil Ham. 1950’s

In Virginia, while working as foreman for a branch railroad, he had learned how to haul rocks and build roadbeds. At Lake George he introduced the same technique, known as “rip-rapping,”- piling

rocks around the shores of islands.

By 1918, he reported that 311 people had helped him repair this and other islands at Lake George

His earliest photographs demonstrate his eye for beauty, but also show his other motivation – to collect documentary evidence of “Problems in Paradise” such as the disappearance of entire islands at Lake George.

In this series of photographs, taken in 1917, 1930, and 1942, he makes

his point…

In 1910, logs were still being floated down Lake George

And trees were still being cut on Tongue Mountain…

Water levels were extremely high…

One thing led to another…

He began to notice problems and started asking questions, such as:• Erosion – Why the high water? Was it legal for the owners of the dam ( at

Ticoderoga) to treat the famous lake as if it were a mill dam?• Squatters on islands – What was the state doing to regulate the use of

campsites, and to ensure that the public had access to state land?• Logging – What was the state doing to prevent illegal logging, especially of

the high peaks?• Development ( dance halls, hotels, etc.) – What could be done to prevent

the proliferation of unsightly structures , especially on state land?• The Constitution – What could be done to defend the famous “Forever

Wild” clause of the Constitution, and educate the public to the issues involved?

Logging practices, especially in the high peaks, had contributed to erosion of soil, and to the spread of forest fires. He began taking pictures of slopes, such

as this one, that had lost soil, and couldn’t be replanted.

The remarkable New York Constitution, and its forever wild clause…

This important document inspired him to fight corruption in state government, and recruit others to the cause. He started a prolonged lobbying campaign - publishing pamphlets, making speeches to clubs and civic organizations, and writing letters.

State officials had responsibility for removingstructures from state land, but they often shirked responsibility, so he felt compelled to push and prod them to uphold the law. Of course, many local people resented his activities, and made various threats. He began carrying a pistol for protection as early as 1918.

Despite careful planning, This house fell into the lake…

Removing illegal squatters from state land…

A Few of his Favorite Projects and Activities…

1. Rip-rapping shores of islands; Bond issue for $10,000 in 19172. Removing illegal squatters from state islands3. Promoting camping and other forms of recreation at Lake George4. Taking photographs; Giving talks with slides; publishing pamphlets5. Making friends… incl. FDR, Al Smith, George Foster Peabody, etc.6. Blowing the Whistle…Making enemies…including Robert Moses7. Giving talks to civic organizations; writing pamphlets 8. Joining organizations…and forming new ones, incl. the Lake George Protective Association and the New York Forest Preserve Association9. Developing neighborhood associations (in Huddle Bay and Turtle Bay)10. Protecting, and eventually purchasing, Dome Island ( 1936); then donating

it to the Nature Conservancy (1956)

Ski-Sailing on Lake George

Cooking Corn Cakes for Breakfast

With sister Nancy – 1906 - In the Fulton Chain

He enjoyed a wide range ofrecreational activities,in all seasons of the year

Irving and Marian Langmuir

Hydroplaning – unidentified woman

He made friends with others who shared his enthusiasm for the out-of-doors…

Camping on state islands

More island camping Skate-sailing in the Narrows

Getting a good view of the lake – on skis! Coed excursion across a frozen lake

This map of New York shows the enormous size (over 6.5 million acres) of the Adirondack Park (Forest Preserve), in green. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Lake George didn’t quite fall within the “blue line” and thus didn’t benefit from constitutional protection. That changed when FDR was governor and signed a bill…expanding the blue line to include Lake George.

Lake George is at the farright, close to the border of Vermont

Many people agreed that Lake George should be protected from logging and commercial development, and supported the creation of a Lake George Park.

Surprisingly, the Lake George Association, a club representing many of the wealthy landowners (with ties to logging companies, realtors, and the pulp industry…) did not support efforts to regulate the water levels or prevent unsightly development.

Two key individuals came out in favor of a Lake George Park, making significant gifts of land to the State in the 1920s:

Mary Loines, a widow, and William K. Bixby, a philanthropist from St. Louis.

Boathouse – William K. Bixby

Hilda and Sylvia Loines

The Roosevelt connection…According to papers in the Apperson archives, FDR had numerous ties to Lake George and often consulted with Apperson about

political strategy concerning the Lake George Park. In 1920, Eleanor Roosevelt’s brother, Hall, plus William Dalton and John Apperson, made a joint purchase of

the old Lake View Hotel, in Huddle Bay.

What do you think? Could this be FDR? The photo was in the Apperson collection.

Disappointed and frustrated by the politics and limitations of existing clubs and organizations, he persuaded several friends to help him form something

new.Here (l to r) are John S. Apperson, George Foster Peabody, Ellwood Rabenold, Dr. E. MacDonald

Stanton, and Dr. Irving Langmuir at the first meeting of the NY Forest Preserve Assn.

Chronology

• 1915 – attended Constitutional Convention , where he met Louis Marshall ( father of Bob Marshall), Al Smith ( later Governor), and Adelbert Moot (Senator)

• 1916 – met Warwick Carpenter, who became Secretary of the Conservation Commission. They collaborated on publications (The Conservationist), promoted recreation at Lake George, and called attention to the continued logging of the high peaks, becoming whistle blowers…

• 1919 – purchased lot on Tongue Mountain• 1920 – purchased the Lake View Hotel Property, jointly, with Hall Roosevelt and William

Dalton• 1921 – hosted a regatta for the American Canoe Association at his camp in Huddle Bay;

Warwick Carpenter was fired from his job with the Conservation Comm.• 1922 – delivered minority report to the conservation committee of the newly formed

Adirondack Mountain Club, defending the “memorial” written by Warwick Carpenter; fired from G.E. – but was rehired within six months. He had risen to be second in charge of the Power and Mining Department. Later he was assigned to an administrative position in Engineering General.

• 1923 – “kidnapped” Governor Al Smith and took him for a boat ride on Lake George, thus convincing him that it would be a bad idea to build a highway on the steep slopes of Tongue Mountain . This was a rare defeat for Robert Moses, the Power Broker…

• 1920s- 1930s – ongoing effort to bring Tongue Mountain and Paradise Bay under state ownership; ongoing battle to defeat legislation that would have weakened the constitution ( Hewitt amendment; closed cabin amendment, etc.)

Uneasy partnership with state officials…

Jay Taylor, forest ranger, and Warwick Carpenter, Secretary of the Conservation Commission

Controversy over a boathouse in Turtle Bay

The battle over water levels raged on for years, culminating in a court battle. To make his case, he published a pamphlet entitled “Lake George, A Mill Pond” and testified as a State’s witness during WWII. Earlier, during the dust bowl, the Forest Preserve Association published a pamphlet entitled “The Tragic Truth about Erosion.” Over 40,000 copies were distributed nationwide.

He kept wondering how to protect Dome Island, eventually deciding to purchase it himself, in 1939.

…the Narrows, with Dome Island in the distance….

A solution for Dome Island!!! It became his crowning achievement. Working with the board of the Nature Conservancy, he decided to donate the island to the Eastern NY Chapter – its first land gift – in 1956, and his friends raised an endowment of $20,000 to ensure its protection.

The New York Forest Preserve Association held annual meetings on the lawn near the old hotel annex, in Huddle Bay. Someone snapped this photo

showing Apperson (seated) and Irving Langmuir (standing), in 1938.

View from Camp “Chilhowie” in Huddle Bay…

Interior of Appy’s Camp , Huddle Bay - 1922Christening of Chris Craft Cadet – 1927Margaret Cawley on skis , by door of Camp Chilhowie, (aka Chill House) 1930s

Other organizations have continued where he left off…The Fund for Lake George (Lake George Waterkeeper) produced a wonderful book in 2010, teaching people how to protect the water quality at the lake.

This image was posted on Facebook… May 30, 2014 Whoever took the photo probably doesn’t know the story …

To learn more about John Apperson and his activities at Lake George, please contact:

• Adirondack Research Library in Niskayuna ( now owned and operated by the Kelly Adirondack Center, and Union College) The Kelly Center has granted permission to publish many of the photos and documents from the Apperson archives. Other photographs and illustrations are from Ellen Brown’s personal collection of family papers.

• Lake George Land Conservancy• Fund for Lake George• Bolton Museum• Online journals, i.e. Adirondack Explorer, Adirondack Wild, and the

Adirondack Almanack • Author’s websites: www.appersonassociates.com;

www.vahistoryexchange.com

Special thanks go to Doug Langdon, Bill White, Phil Ham, Art Newkirk, Dick Tucker, and Bill Healy, and members of the Dome Island Committee…who have worked hard to help preserve the Apperson legacy.