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1897 Map of Schroon Lake

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Schroon Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1933
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1933

About this map

The high Adirondack wilderness of Essex County is defined here by the long, narrow reach of Schroon Lake and the steep ridges that hem in the Schroon River. While the eastern shore of the lake shows the early development of Taylors on Schroon and Adirondack, the western interior remains a landscape of logging and small mountain hamlets. Log driving infrastructure is evident in the northern reaches where Brace Dam and Lester Dam sit on the Boreas River, essential for managing the flow of timber through these narrow valleys.

Settlements like Olmstedville, Minerva, and Irishtown are concentrated in the southwestern corner, connected by primitive mountain roads that follow the contours of the Minerva Stream. Family names appear throughout the terrain, from Merrills Hill to Snyder Hill, marking the small-scale agricultural and timber holdings of the late 19th century. To the north, the massive profile of Hoffman Mt. and the Ragged Mts. dominate a skyline of countless peaks, including the prominent Nippletop Mt. at the northern boundary.