Chapter 220

8/5/2009

Shelving Rock

giving back

Had to follow up with some background on this beautiful Lake George area tread upon in Ch 219. The 10 mile dirt access road thru the forest land is all sadly Posted- Private-No Trespassing all the way in. Yet upon arrival, the comforting DEC State Public Land signs welcome you for a few miles before you are halted at the cattle gate across the road. Perhaps descendants of the original owner still live beyond.

Further research revealed the original owner to be an RPI graduate, George Owen Knapp (class of 1876) who went on to become a founder of Union Carbide and President for 22 years. He made a fortune from their Eveready Batteries, chemicals, etc. After vacationing at the 100 Islands Hotel here on Pearl Point, he bought it, as well as the Pearl Point Hotel (interesting 1880 article) and a big chunk of the lake. He built many estates across the U.S. like the one pictured at the base of Shelving Rock (1902). Knapp's Castle in Santa Barbra, CA was also his, but he was a philanthropist as well; funding hospitals, etc. In 1941 he graciously sold 3200 acres of the Shelving Rock area including 10 miles of shoreline, bays and mountains to NYS.

This yacht, Sayonara was owned by George and loaned as a hospital ship when the world came to Lake George for the Swimming Marathon of 1927 (great story). Heavy Weight champion Jack Dempsey came to Hague to fire the starting pistol but it was female champion swimmer Lotte Schommel who showed up with no swim suit but only body grease that raised eyebrows and tested the sanitary codes.

The view above is  Carl Heilman's magnificent picture from First Peak in the Tongue Mt. Range looking straight into Shelving Rock Mt.  You can see why it gets it's name being notched out with rock face and shelf. Must revisit that hike.

A closer view is obtained from Panoramio. I've made another Trimbleoutdoors project to give the feel of the area (Log Bay Day: the Forever Wild and party boat topless bikini smackdown videos couple days ago are linked there). Log Island and Bay are just downstream from the waterfall.

Misha was real excited while visiting the beautiful Shelving Rock Falls this week. When I waded across the stream my camera was in my pocket and got soaked so I had to do a little editing here.

The original estate above burned down in 1917 but there are remaining dwellings and private acres on the point occupied by someone? Now, the area is open to multiple uses; you may sleep suspended by ropes on a winter climb of the rock face . There are 4 designated rock climbing routes , primitive camping is overseen by my DEC, as well as horse, snowmobile, and mountain biking trails. Without tree removal for the roadways and horse carriage roads there would be none of this. I'd like to see more trees removed from the mountain top for beautiful lake views, but that can't happen now that it's locked in as "forever wild" by the government. They know what's best for you.

I had clashes assigning toxic limits to Union Carbide and present owner DOW Chemical at facilities in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. I certainly felt some jealousy, resentment, if not anger in my dealings with these imperial powers. The classic haves verses the havenots. Yet the Adirondacks would not be what they are without some of these great achievers. They had been pretty decent stewards of the land in comparison with some of the raft-up party boat crowd and other over-indulgers that can love the lake to death.