On Placid: 100 years ago this summer

Wednesday April 11, 2012 was the 150th anniversary of the birth of Charles Evans Hughes, a too-often overlooked American statesman with deep ties to the north country. Hughes was born in what was then the village of Glens Falls (population under 4,000). As a progressive Republican, Hughes defeated William Randolph Hearst in the 1906 New York gubernatorial contest, serving two two-year terms in Albany. In 1910, President William Howard Taft appointed Hughes to his first stint on the US Supreme Court. In 1916 he lost a tight race in Woodrow Wilson’s presidential reelection. Hughes subsequently served as US Secretary of State under Harding, Judge on the Court of International Justice (1928-30), and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1930 through 1941.

On Lake Placid one hundred years ago this summer, Hughes was merely a vacationer. 

On June 23rd 1912 The New York Times ran the following item:

LAKE PLACID. Justice Hughes Enjoys the Fishing at Camp Abenaki.
LAKE PLACID, N. Y., June 22.— Associate Justice Charles Evans Hughes, who through the excitement of the past week over the convention at Chicago, has seemed to be the least concerned of any of the campers despite the connection of his name with the Republican nomination, is now comfortably settled with his family at Camp Abenaki on the west side of Lake Placid and is devoting his time to fishing, boating, and long walks.

Near the camp of Justice Hughes is that of the Rev. Dr. Stephen S. Wise of New York, who is here with his family for the remainder of the Summer.Victor Herbert, who is at his Camp Joyland, is busy at work on several new productions for the forthcoming season, upon which he will later have the collaboration of Mrs. Rida Johnson Young and others well known in the theatrical world. Miss Ella Herbert has as her guest, Miss Alice O’Gorman, daughter of United States Senator O’Gorman, and it is probable that later in the season the Senator and Mrs. O’Gorman will be the camp guests of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert. Mrs. Lina Abarbanell Goldbeck, the light opera singer, has arrived and leased for her use this Summer one of the Lake Placid camps of Mlle. M. de Bray Longchamps. Mr. and Mrs. David C. Waring are at the Flanders cottage, and Prof. G.B. Pegram of Columbia University has arrived at the Methodist parsonage, which he has leased for the Summer.

The distinguished Rabbi, Dr. Stephen S. Wise, mentioned in the Article is forbearer of the Wise/Tulin/Pollier family on Buck Island, and great grandfather of SOA trustee Andrea Houlihan.

Lake Placid flotsam

J.R. of East Lake writes in to suggest that SOA members post their pictures of interesting spring flood retrievals. He angled the dock shown here (since returned to owner) which breaks all known records for catch-and-release driftwood on Lake Placid.

On that topic, M.W. of the peninsula writes in to ask if anyone has seen his missing birling log (measures 15' by 18" diam.) adrift (possibly on East Lake) since the flood. Identifiable by bolts and/or chains attached to both ends. If seen, please leave comment below. If unseen, please approach at a slow rate of speed.

We welcome all your photos and tales related to the 2011 flood.

2011 floods: Lost and Found I

There's a new pair o' docks on Lake Placid. These two docks are hung up on rocks and/or tied off on the southern shore of Buck Island across Sunset Strait from Camp Abenaki (60) and Camp Karisma (61). One dock measures roughly 8' by 16' with some linking hardware on one end. The other is roughly a 10' to 12' square with deck boards laid out in a diamond pattern. If either belongs to you, please help yourself to it.

Another, smaller dock is tied up alongside Aller Camp (photo to come).

If you were on the receiving end of flotsam after May's record lake levels, please contact Nicole at LPSOA@northwoodschool.com and we will post pictures of the object(s) here.

SOA Summer 2011 Newsletter

Summer 2011


Highest lake level in memory/Legal dispute over unpermitted boathouse construction/Unifying the lake/Camp renumeration/Activity at the launches and much more. Catch up on news from Placid Lake.

Phase 1 of milfoil clean-up complete

The first phase of the removal of variable-leaf milfoil from Paradox Bay and Lake Placid wrapped up Friday afternoon, July 24. The crew isolated and removed the main colony of the aquatic plant from Paradox Bay; removed all satellite colonies from Paradox Bay; and Removed all visible plant fragments from from the shoreline waters of East Lake, all the way to the northern bays.

We extend our thanks to Andrew Lewis and Tom Thomson of Aquatic Invasive Management, LLC and the entire dive crew for their fast and efficient work over these past two weeks. The team will return to the lake after Labor Day to remove any milfoil plants that may have been overlooked during Phase 1. Smaller teams will return next year and for two years to follow to make sure that no latent growth emerges from this outbreak.


Dive team members—clockwise from lower left: Jay Dominie, Lee Jopling, Tim McDonough, Brad Young, Bill Richards, Kyle Jaquis and Walter Rooks have breakfast with former SOA President Sue Riggins, courtesy of the Butler Family and the staff at The Comfort Inn. (Not pictured, Kristie Wikane, Andrew Lewis and Tommy Thomson.)

Failure to launch

An illustration of why boater self-education alone is unlikely to slow the spread of invasive species.
(courtesy of Tom Varden)

A thought about those large spots on the bottom of Paradox Bay

If you are not satisfied with the standard scientific answer that these spots are established, stable colonies of native plants, you might be looking at the trademark footprints of the legendary Plassie (figure B).