1895 Map of Mt. Marcy

About this map

Mt. Marcy towers over the high peaks of Essex County in this late-nineteenth-century survey of the Adirondacks. The landscape is defined by the extensive Adirondack Mountain Reserve, a region already emerging as a destination for wilderness exploration. To the north, the small settlement of North Elba sits near the headwaters of the West Br. Ausable River, while the Adirondack Lodge serves as a remote outpost for early mountaineers. The map captures the complex hydrology of the high country, from the high-altitude Lake Tear to the waters of Lake Colden and Avalanche Lake. In the east, the village of Keene Valley and the locality of Beede provide access points to the interior, where peaks like Gothic Mt. and Mt. Haystack rise sharply from the river valleys. The survey records a period when these summits were being meticulously measured and the foundations of the state park system were being established.