New Assemblyman Sworn In


New state Assemblyman Dan Stec (R) (right) is sworn in on January 1. Stec was recently elected to represent Assembly District 114 which includes Huletts Landing. Standing to the left of Stec is Stec’s wife, Hillary (holding the Bible) and Stec’s parents, Elise and George Stec. Stec’s son, Peter, is standing in front of him. Troy City Court Judge, Matthew J. Turner, conducted the swearing-in. Assembly Minority Leader, Brian Kolb, stands next to the Judge.

Stec’s biography can be seen here.

Click on image to see larger scale.

Capital District’s Economic Council Grants Awarded

This past week, the Governor’s economic development grants were announced for the different regions of the state.

Washington and Warren Counties were included with the Capital District’s economic council’s grant winners.

Some notable local recipients:

Village of Lake George (with project partners): $750,000 to construct elements of the Charles R. Wood Park including: a children’s adventure play area; skateboard park; interpretive elements; primary park entrance; signage; and sidewalks connecting to the Beach Road and the Warren County Bike Path.

Hacker Boat Company: $600,000 to expand its current facility to meet demand for manufacturing larger boats.

The Lake George Watershed Coalition: $390,000 to conduct Stream Corridor Water Quality Monitoring for water quality and morphology, incorporate improved knowledge of stream morphology, assess effectiveness of existing stormwater management and control including West Brook Stormwater Control project, restore stream corridors; and provide outreach and education to improve operation of on-site wastewater treatment systems.

The Hyde Collection: $137,201 to present and promote the exhibit “Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keefe and Lake George”; an associated catalog; and a regional program session.

Village of Lake George: $170,166 to reconstruct public docks along Beach Road destroyed by Hurricane Irene.

Village of Fort Edward: $243,493 to redevelop an historic Canal building for use as a permanent location of a required farmers’ market. The new Canal Street Farmers Marketplace, will include retail space for agricultural goods produced in Washington, Warren and Saratoga counties.

Here is the complete Capital District List. (Pages 7-9 show all local grant recipients.)

New Vermont Wild Book Released

Recently, I had the chance to interview Megan Price. Megan is the author of the Vermont Wild series and has just released a new book in the collection. Many of her stories focus on western Rutland County which is just over the New York border.

Below is my interview with her.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and the series?

I was a reporter for many years at the Rutland Herald, Times Argus, Vermont Press Bureau and managed some weekly newspapers. I’ve always written. I love outdoor adventure and wildlife and humor. And that’s the winning combination in these books.

VERMONT WILD is a collection of true, wacky adventures of retired fish and game wardens, all of whom worked in Vermont. Their encounters with lovesick moose, baby raccoons, wily poachers, hard-headed dogs and much more are in these stories. Anything that could go wrong, usually does. Readers laugh along with the men as they struggle to right a situation. The wardens are real as are their stories and the locations.

Each book has 12 to 15 stories, and each tale is told as if a warden is speaking to you around a campfire. Ages 9 to 99 read and love the stories, women as well as men. Pictures of the men are in the book and each is given credit for his story. They lived the stories. I write them.

The books are a huge hit here in Vermont and have been best sellers at many Vermont bookstores three years in a row. Guys take them to hunting camp, teachers use the books to get youngsters to read and older people read the stories and recall and share their own adventures with their families.

Do the books have to be read in order or are they “stand alone?”

Each story stands alone. You can pick up any one of the three books, launch into any story in any book and laugh. Each story is illustrated by a retired game warden, Bob Lutz, who also happens to be a talented caricaturist, and grew up in northern New York. Bob knows all these guys personally and professionally and is able to capture the moments brilliantly in his own quirky way.

Huletts Landing is very close to western Rutland county. You write about some interesting historical figures from Rutland county. Could you tell us about some of these people here?

Tom Stearns was a warden in western Rutland County for many years. He shares a funny snowmobiling story in Volume 3. Farther north, warden Richard Hislop worked Lake Champlain along with Howard Brown and both have great stories in Volume 2. Down in Bennington County, a story from Wayne Rowell about removing beavers from the last water-powered sawmill at the top of Route 9 in Woodford is a great historical piece, I believe. That’s another Volume 3 tale. Volume 1 has great stories from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom that have become instant classics here in Vermont.

Vermont Wild, Volume 1 contains only the stories of retired warden, Eric Nuse. Eric was the impetus for getting me to write these stories. I met Eric through a national program called, “Becoming an Outdoors Woman,” worth checking out for any woman wanting to gain outdoors skills. It is offered in many states, including New York and all women, all ages and abilities are welcomed! I urge readers to check New York’s BOW offerings out. (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/68.html) Eric has great stories. His story of a dead moose and dynamite – which I called “Moose Vesuvius” in the book – is outrageously funny. It will bring tears to your eyes!

The combination of outdoor adventure, danger, real people, real locations and wildlife combining stories from real people with events in our history and certainly, all these stories of hard-working men resonate with a lot of people.

Can the books be purchased online or locally?

Books can be purchased at the Slate Museum in Granville, NY – Call first for availability. Also, Hermit Hill Books on Main Street in Poultney, VT, or Northshire Books in Manchester, Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury or through any bookstore. Lastly, they can be ordered online at www.VermontWild.com and we can mail them directly to people.

Anything else I’m missing?

I’d love to do a collection of true funny retired warden from men and women who worked in the Adirondacks. They can email me.

Volunteers Provide Essential Help on LGLC Trails


Barry Kincaid, of KLC Property Enhancement, works to fill an eroded Lake George Land Conservancy trail.

Located in Bolton Landing, the Cat and Thomas Mountains Preserve, owned and managed by the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC), is a popular destination for those looking for clear views of Lake George for minimal effort. With over seven miles of varied trails it also demands year-round stewardship to keep the trails safe.

Most recently, storms have washed away small sediment, leaving rough, ankle-twisting footpaths that double as streams after a rain. Barry Kincaid, Bolton Landing resident and owner of KLC Property Enhancement, has come to the rescue, donating his services to improve trail drainage with swales, reset a culvert, and widen the trail where brush had become too overgrown.

Kincaid also donated his services to help clear trails and trim back growth at the Last Great Shoreline Preserve in Putnam, and to remove downed trees at Peggy’s Point in Hague.

“We’re happy to be able to offer access into some of Lake George’s most beautiful areas,” said LGLC Communications and Outreach Manager Sarah Hoffman. “But it’s also our responsibility to make sure these trails remain safe and provide an enjoyable experience for everyone who uses them. Barry Kincaid’s donation of time, equipment and expertise has been wonderful for these trails and a great help to us.”

Others have also stepped up to help LGLC’s preserves. A new door to the Thomas Mountain cabin has been built and installed by Bolton Landing resident David Cummings. Rich Larkin took down a dead tree that was dangerously hanging over a trail at Cat and Thomas. Another Bolton resident, Justin Warren, has volunteered to remove snow from the parking area of Amy’s Park and has removed two large tanks that were dumped over the bank on Trout Falls Road.

Numerous dedicated volunteers also take on the role of Volunteer Preserve Stewards, hiking the trails year-round, often performing needed maintenance themselves, and keeping the kiosks stocked with trail guides and log-in sheets. These dedicated volunteers include Nancy Hill, Bob Aspholm and Rosemary Pusateri at the Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob; Bob Whitaker and Dick Barney at Cook Mountain; the Chapman family at Gull Bay; Mary Lou Doulin at Peggy’s Point; Dresden resident, Richard Hayes Phillips at Cat and Thomas and the Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob.

Yet many others join group work days to conduct litter cleanups or other special stewardship tasks on an as-needed basis. In total over 350 volunteer hours have been directed towards stewardship at LGLC parks and preserves over the past year.

“I would like to thank all the volunteers,” said LGLC Land Protection and Stewardship Specialist Warren Rosenthal, “who have assisted us this year in maintaining our preserves. With their dedication and hard work, our parks are cleaner and safer for all to enjoy.”

This fall LGLC is also benefitting from the additional help of Laura Kinkead, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student who is participating in their fall Semester of Study at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI). The program requires that all students take an internship with one of more than a dozen local environmental organizations. Kinkead chose to work with LGLC and once a week spends a day assisting Rosenthal in the field.

“With our limited staff and resources, the amount of help we’ve received over the years from volunteers and partnering groups such as DFWI has been remarkable and vital to the health of these preserves,” said Hoffman.

If you would like to become a Volunteer Preserve Steward, contact Sarah Hoffman by email at: shoffman@lglc.org.

The Lake George Land Conservancy is a non-profit land trust dedicated to working with willing landowners to protect the world-renowned water quality of Lake George and to permanently preserve the natural, scenic, historic and recreational resources of the Lake George region. Since its inception in 1988, LGLC has helped to preserve more than 13,000 acres around the Lake George watershed and 9.2 miles of lake shoreline. www.lglc.org

Reader Question: Best Winter Skiing Nearby?

I received the following question by email this morning.

Nice post on Whiteface mountain opening. What do you consider to be the best ski areas near Huletts Landing?

Well, I guess that all depends on what you’re looking for but I’ll give you my two cents about the four areas I have skied at within driving distance from Huletts. (The bold titles link to the actual websites.)

Whiteface – the Olympic Venue

Whiteface mountain is located in Lake Placid and is the farthest of the four from Huletts. You can get directions here, but I would estimate it’s about two hours from Huletts if you go north through Ticonderoga. There’s really no place like Lake Placid in the winter and the Whiteface website says this about the mountain:

No ski mountain in the east reaches higher than ours. Around you, dozens of Adirondack peaks jut into the horizon. And below you lie trails that have led Olympic athletes to glory. American Phil Mahre won silver here in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Andrew Weibrecht, a Lake Placid local who grew up skiing at Whiteface, competed in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and brought home the bronze medal in the Super G.

When I’ve been at Whiteface in the winter, I’ve stayed in Lake Placid and taken in the whole town. I especially enjoy going to the ice rink in the evenings. Here is the page with Whiteface’s webcams.

Killington – the Beast

Do I need to say more? Killington is actually six mountains, 140 trails and over 70 miles of terrain. It’s probably the best known ski area in the east. Google calculates the trip from Huletts at about 1 hour and 20 minutes. While I’ve always liked Killington, the days that I’ve been there it’s always been crowded. It attracts people from all over the world and on big weekends, it shows.

The Killington website says this:

An extensive lift network featuring two high-speed gondolas that service everything from groomed cruisers to classic New England tree runs to parks, pipes, bumps and steeps.

Here is the page with Killington’s webcams. (See more on the left sidebar.)

Pico Peak

Pico Peak is my personal favorite of the nearby skiing areas. The driving directions are here, but Google says it’s about 1 hour and 6 minutes from Huletts. We would go here a lot as kids, because my parents liked it for a number of reasons. To begin, it’s close. Secondly, it doesn’t have the crowds that Killington sometimes gets. Thirdly, the trails are good. It doesn’t open as early as some of the other mountains but it has some nice trails.

Here is how Pico’s website tells it:

Pico is like no other mountain. Only here can you experience the thrill of a large mountain with the personal touch of a small ski area.

Here is Pico’s web cam.

West Mountain – Queensbury

The benefit of West Mountain is that it is within an hour of Huletts, making it the closest of the four. West Mountain is good skiing at a affordable price. Typically it opens the 2nd or 3rd week of December with the tubing park opening around Christmas week.

Here is West Mountain’s photo gallery.

Once again, these are the skiing areas that I have been to myself. They are by no means, the only mountains within driving distance of Huletts. If you have other personal favorites, I’d appreciate hearing from you. If you go to any of the four listed above this winter, send me a picture and let me know what you thought.

Whiteface Mountain Opens Early


Guns blow snow onto Whiteface Mountain’s Lower Valley Trail
Photo courtesy of Whiteface Mountain

A full six days ahead of schedule, Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, N.Y., opened for the 2012-’13 skiing and riding season, Saturday, Nov. 17. Bright sunshine, mild temperatures and variable conditions made for a great first day as hundreds of skiers and riders rode the Facelift quad chair to the Upper Valley, Lower Valley and Fox trails.

“There were a lot of smiling faces today, plenty of people excited to see the mountain open,” said New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) president/CEO Ted Blazer. “The crew and staff at the mountain did an outstanding job getting it ready for today. This is day number one for what should be an exciting season ahead.”

Blazer noted that the recent weather and temperatures have been ideal for making snow. He went on to say that this allowed the mountain to open earlier than anticipated. Saturday marked the earliest opening for Whiteface since 2003-’04 when the season began on Nov. 16.

“We read about the mountain opening in the paper today,” added Ryan Cross, of Essex, N.Y. “My wife and I thought that it would be fun to see what the skiing would be like. I’m glad that we did, the snow’s great and the temperatures are perfect.”

Lift tickets are $25 and that money can be used towards the purchase of your 2012-’13 season pass.

The season pass deadline has been extended through tomorrow, for both Whiteface and Gore. The adult non-holiday pass is available for just $699, while the adult full-season pass is just $869. The young adult and college season pass can be purchased for $385 and the junior pass is only $299.

After this weekend, Whiteface will close and re-open Friday, Nov. 23, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. ORDA’s two other ski resorts, Gore Mountain, in North Creek, N.Y., and Belleayre Ski Resort, in Highmount, N.Y., are also slated to open during the holiday period, conditions permitting. Gore’s opening day is Friday, while Belleayre is scheduled to open on Saturday.

For conditions report at Whiteface this weekend, log on to www.whiteface.com.

West Brook Project Receives $500,000 Gift

Construction work being performed in 2011 on the south parcel of the West Brook Conservation Initiative project in Lake George. The new stormwater treatment complex and environmental park will treat millions of gallons of stormwater and add a new outdoor venue at the southern end of the Lake.

The diverse public and private partners working to establish an environmental park in Lake George Village, known as the West Brook Conservation Initiative, announced last week a recently approved grant for $500,000 from The Wright Family Foundation. This leadership grant will support creation of the Children’s Adventure Play Area that promises to be an interactive centerpiece of the park once completed.

Currently under construction on the south parcel of the former Gaslight Village property, the West Brook Conservation Initiative is the largest environmental project in the Lake’s history. The stormwater treatment complex and environmental park will redirect stormwater from Route 9 into settling ponds, marshlands, and a gravel wetland. Interpretative education, outdoor play, and live entertainment are all central features of the park. Design of the environmental park has been done by Elan, PLLC of Saratoga Springs, NY.

Heather Ward, Executive Director of the Foundation said, “The Wright Family Foundation is pleased to support this extraordinary environmental conservation initiative that will help safeguard Lake George for our children and grandchildren. We are encouraged by the collaboration and partnership of The FUND for Lake George, the Lake George Association, the Lake George Land Conservancy, and local governments that have made this park possible. The grant furthers our mission of making this world a better place for children and the environment. We are delighted to contribute to this project as stewards of our precious lake for the future.”

These sentiments were echoed by numerous other individuals who have been central to development of the project, including Lake George Village Mayor Bob Blais who said, “The Wright Family Foundation’s extremely generous grant will allow us to complete the creative and unique Children’s Adventure Play Area and further our efforts towards protecting Lake George.”

Joining in the plaudits for the Foundation’s major contribution was Walt Lender, Executive Director of the Lake George Association, who said, “The Children’s Play Area promises to be a magnet for children of all ages and a defining feature of an extraordinary park designed to entertain even as it helps protect the environmental health of our beloved lake. Construction of the play area would not have been possible without the vital support of The Wright Family Foundation and numerous other contributors that have come together to embrace the vision and fulfill the promise of this very special place.”

“The Foundation’s visionary gift represents a legacy investment in the most ambitious environmental restoration project ever undertaken for Lake George. It is an investment that will deliver returns for many generations to come, to the delight of children and adults alike, as well as to the lake we all love,” said Eric Siy, Executive Director of The FUND for Lake George, one of the partnering groups behind the project.

Fundamental to the success of the project has been a $15 million capital campaign led by the public and private interests involved. These interests include two of the area’s local governments, the Village of Lake George and Warren County, and three environmental groups, The FUND for Lake George, the Lake George Association and the Lake George Land Conservancy. Completion of the park is expected in late 2014.

Sandy’s on the Way

While I’ve never intended the Huletts Current to be a “weather site,” it looks like Hurricane Sandy is going to be quite a storm. So I will do my best to bring you live updates and what is actually going on in Huletts as it happens. I will also post pictures when I can. The problem that I encountered during Hurricane Irene was that when the power went off, so did my connection into and out of the Landing.

This is what I can report so far:

New York

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo directed the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Sandy and prepare for potential storm impacts. Although the storm track is still uncertain, Hurricane Sandy has the potential to affect many parts of New York State with a variety of threats, including heavy rain, high winds, flooding, tornadoes, coastal surges, and widespread power outages.

The governor has cautioned New Yorkers to pay close attention to TV and radio for the latest information on the storm and especially for Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages that carry local emergency orders, such as evacuation or travel restrictions.

A storm emergency kit should include items such as non-perishable food, water, cash, filled prescriptions, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, first aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries.

Vermont

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture is advising farmers to harvest crops still in the fields. For those who need power for milking cows or cooling milk tanks, the agency warns to prepare for power outages by making sure generators are working. Farmers also are advised to purchase sufficient fuel to operate generators and equipment.

More as Sandy approaches.

Today: Saint Kateri


Kateri Tekakwitha was officially canonized a “Saint” today.

Today, Kateri Tekakwitha, known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” became the first native American to be named a saint of the Roman Catholic church. Pope Benedict XVI added Tekakwitha and six others onto the roster of Catholic role models today.

Although she is buried in Kahnawake near Montreal, she grew up in what is now New York state, close to what is now Saratoga Springs. She is considered to have lived in areas throughout the Adirondacks during her life.

Pope Benedict XVI, speaking in Latin at St. Peter’s Basilica, declared each of the seven new saints worthy of veneration by the entire church.

Numerous miracles attributed to Kateri’s intercession were part of the canonization process. A child saved from a fatal fresh eating disease, another child cured of a 65-percent hearing loss, and an ironworker who lost 16 vertebrae, fracturing his ribs and skull through a dangerous fall – and lived tell the tale; were considered miracles attributed to Saint Kateri’s intercession.

Raised by her uncle, near present day Fonda, N.Y., Kateri was inspired by Jesuit missionaries to study Catholicism. After her baptism, she became ostracized by her family and village and was threatened and ridiculed. In 1677 she fled to a Jesuit mission in Quebec where she taught prayers to children and worked with the sick and elderly.

The Mohawk settlement where Kateri was raised was abandoned in the late 1600s. However, the old wood post molds of the defense wall and longhouse buildings were discovered after WWII. Today a shrine is built there in her memory.

She died at the age of 24 from small pox uttering her last words; “Jesus, I love you.”

Kateri’s cause for canonization started in 1932 after more than a century of beseeching from Catholics devoted to her. Pope Pius XII declared her venerable in 1943, Pope John Paul II beautified her in 1980. Finally, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree for her canonization last December.

Today, Catholics call her Saint Kateri and view her as an example in living a good, holy life.

NY State Museum ~ Seneca Ray Stoddard Exhibition


Horicon Sketching Club, 1882 ~ Seneca Ray Stoddard: Capturing the Adirondacks: Photo courtesy of the New York State Museum

The New York State Museum will celebrate the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain on Saturday, November 3rd with “Adirondack Day,” an inaugural daylong event that will complement the Museum’s exhibition on iconic Adirondack photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard.

The FREE event, from 10am to 4pm, will include a concert, lectures, displays, tours and films presented by the New York State Museum and many of the North Country’s leading educational and cultural institutions. The Adirondack Council is a supporter of the event.

Guided tours will be offered of the Seneca Ray Stoddard: Capturing the Adirondacks exhibition. The exhibition includes over 100 of Stoddard’s photographs, an Adirondack guide boat, freight boat, camera, copies of Stoddard’s books and several of his paintings.

Further information about “Adirondack Day” can be obtained by calling 518.474.5877 or visiting the Museum website.

Note: There are three pictures of Huletts Landing. Go to: Explore Virtual Exhibit / Adapting the Land / Pictures 15, 16 & 17.

Explore Virtual Exhibit Here

Power Cable Proposed to Run Underground Through Dresden / Possibly Increase Tax Base


The portion of a new high voltage power cable (as seen in red) that is proposed from the U.S.-Canadian border to New York City is planned to run underground through the Town of Dresden. (Click image to see full scale.)

The Champlain Hudson Power Express is a proposed power transmission line that is anticipated to bring clean energy from the U.S.-Canadian border to New York City. The line will be a high voltage direct cable that will be placed in waterways or buried along railway routes to minimize impacts to local communities and the environment.

The proposed project extends 333 miles from the U.S. — Canadian border to New York City. Plans call for two, 5-inch diameter cables to be placed underwater or underground. The underwater portions of the preferred route include Lake Champlain and the Hudson River between Albany and Manhattan.

Presently, the proposed route for the transmission cable brings it out of Lake Champlain and through Dresden along Route 22. Basically, it would exit Lake Champlain north of Clemons and run alongside Route 22 all the way to the South Bay Bridge crossing Lake Champlain.

The entire route of the cable can be seen here, while the part that runs overland through Dresden can be seen on a Google Map download which can be found on this page. (See section numbers 101-110 on the Google Earth map.)

Sheets 1-24 of this 370 page .pdf map show the exact propsed route through Dresden.

The developers of the line are still in the process of obtaining approvals but hope to begin construction in 2014. Dresden could potentially receive additional tax revenue because the cable could be considered an “improvement,” increasing the assessed value of the land that the cable is placed upon.

The developers claim that the project will cost approximately $2 billion and the goal is for the cable to be in service by the fall of 2016. The $2 billion project represents one of the largest investments in New York State history and will create an average of more than 300 jobs during the 3 ½ year construction period.

To learn more visit: www.chpexpress.com/

Bits of Everything

The Whitehall Times Profiles the Washington County Sheriff

Learn more about Jeff Murphy, the Sheriff of Washington County.

The Free George Looks at Matthew Brady, the Father of Photojournalism

We’ve all seen his famous civil war photographs, but a recent discovery proves he was born nearby.

NY Times: Info-graphic on Every Olympic 100 Meter Medalist.

How would a 13 year old runner today stack up against an Olympic medalist from the 19th century? Find out here.

The Guardian: I Crash-Landed in the Hudson

An interview with a woman on the plane that crash landed in the Hudson River.

The Post Star: Washington County Again Considering Privatizing Transfer Stations

Will they or won’t they?

The Legend of Spruce Mountain Gold


Spruce mountain stands overlooking lake George.

I came across this story, which I had never heard before, in the history of the town of Dresden from: The History of Washington County New York, 1737-1878 published in 1878.

Here is exactly as it was recorded in 1878.

On the summit of the first ridge of Spruce mountain, and about one and a half miles from Mr. Knowlton’s, is a cave which, though as yet not fully explored, bids fair to prove an interesting and noted feature of the vicinity. It was discovered about a year ago (1876-77) by James Adams, of Dresden, who, while hunting, tracked an animal into the cave. It was soon after partially explored, and was found to extend into the mountain at least some fifty or sixty feet. The outer entrance faces the southwest, and at that time had to be entered in a creeping position. It has since been enlarged, and can be entered by stooping slightly. This entrance is five or six feet wide, and extends into the mountain some ten or twelve feet, opening into a circular chamber fifteen feet in diameter and about six feet high. At the rear of this similar opening passes through a wall of rock to a second chamber, with a higher ceiling. From this chamber, to the right, upon a shelf of rock some three feet above the floor, is the entrance to a third chamber. At the rear of the second chamber another opening, only eighteen or twenty inches in diameter and only two feet above the floor, opens into still another chamber, which has yet to be explored. The walls of it could not be reached with a pole twelve feet in length. The walls and roof of these chambers are a rough grayish rock. The floor is covered with a fine black soil. Tradition has always hinted at the existence of a cave on the mountain and a curious legend is told about it.

Many years ago it was the abode of a white man and an Indian. It was also the secret hiding-place for a large amount of gold and silver that in some manner they had secured. The white man was of French blood, and had a son who was then a small lad. One day he and the Indian got into a quarrel, and a desperate fight ensued, in which the Indian was slain and the white man mortally wounded.With wonderful vitality and persistence, he, however, managed to get away from the vicinity, and communicated to his son, either personally or by letter, the secret of the cave and directions for finding it. Many years elapsed, when one day an old man came to the residence of one of the settlers and wanted to secure board for the summer. His request was acceded to, and he established himself as an inmate of the house. With his staff in his hand and a haversack of provisions at his side, day after day, week after week, month after month, he wandered through the woods and over the mountains. He did not hunt, he did not collect geological or botanical specimens, but simply wandered around in a seemingly aimless search for something. When winter came he left the vicinity never to return, but told his host, before leaving, this story in explanation of his mysterious conduct.

So there it is, maybe there’s gold and silver hidden in a cave somewhere on Spruce mountain. Then again maybe it’s just a legend.