Saranac Lake, New York

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The village of Saranac Lake, bottom, with Lower Saranac Lake, above, from Baker Mountain, to the East. Lake Flower is at lower left.

Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 5,041. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby.

The Village of Saranac Lake is split between three towns (Harrietstown, St. Armand, and North Elba) and two counties, Franklin and Essex. The village boundaries do not touch the shores of any of the three Saranac Lakes; Lower Saranac Lake is a half mile west of the village. The northern reaches of Lake Flower, which is part of the Saranac River, lie within the village. The town of Saranac is an entirely separate entity, 33 miles to the northeast.

The village lies within the boundaries of the Adirondack State Park, about seven miles from Lake Placid. These two villages, along with nearby Tupper Lake, comprise what is known as the Tri-Lakes region.

1 History
2 Culture
- 2.1 Artists' residences
- 2.2 Transportation
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

1998

The area was first settled in 1819 by the Jacob Smith Moody family, from Keene, New York. Later settlers Pliny Miller and Alric Bushnell established a logging facility with a dam and sawmill in 1827, forming the basis for the village. The first school was built in 1838, and in 1849, William F. Martin built one of the first hotels in the Adirondacks— the "Saranac Lake House", known simply as "Martin's"— on the southeast shore of Lower Saranac Lake. Martin's would soon become a favorite place for hunters, woodsmen, and socialites to meet and interact.

In 1876 Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau arrived to treat his own tuberculosis; in 1884 he founded his first sanitarium, called "Little Red", for treatment of this disease, in which two patients were placed. Little Red was built on a small patch of land on the backside of Mount Pisgah which Trudeau had purchased. As more and more patients visited the region, including author Robert Louis Stevenson, Trudeau's fame grew. Soon, the sanitorium had grown such that it was entitled to its own post office, which would sort and deliver mail to its many patients.

Telephone service was introduced in 1884, and the Chateaugay Railroad reached Saranac Lake from Plattsburgh in 1887.

The village was incorporated on June 16, 1892, and Dr. Trudeau was elected the first village president soon thereafter. Electricity was introduced on September 20, 1894, by installing water wheels on the former site of Pliny Miller's mill. Paul Smith, an important figure in the history of the village, purchased the Saranac Lake Electricity Co. in 1907, forming the Paul Smith's Electric Light and Power and Railroad Company, which eventually became part of Niagara-Mohawk. At the same time, the village began to stabilize, with public schools, fire and police departments, and other municipal facilities forming.

One of the 3 Saranac Lakes that give the Village its name.

Although the cure cottages experienced a jump in activity at the turn of the century, with the development of antibiotics they slowly began to lose their importance, being phased out completely by 1954, when the sanitorium's last patient, Larry Doyle, left. Among the last of the prominent patients that sought treatment for Tuberculosis was Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon who died in Saranac Lake on August 1, 1944.

Saranac Lake became an especially busy town in the 1920's, with the construction of the Hotel Saranac and several new, permanent buildings after multiple fires destroyed a large part of downtown. During the 20's, entertainer Al Jolson and president Calvin Coolidge were semi-frequent visitors to the village— Jolson once performed a solo for three hours at the Pontiac Theater on Broadway Avenue. Bootlegging was common in the village.

In recent years, Saranac Lake has become a more conventional tourist destiniation. The Hotel Saranac, until 2007 operated as a laboratory for hotel and restaurant management students of Paul Smith's College (now privately held), is a memorable early 20th century Deco structure. The former sanitorium is now a conference center for the American Management Association.

[edit] Culture

Many tourists come to the village, which is unusually attractive owing to its setting and the preservation of unique older architecture. Much of the village fronts on Lake Flower, which was created by a dam in the Saranac River and named after Governor Roswell P. Flower.

Kayaking on Lake Saranac in July

Summer visitors enjoy canoeing and other forms of boating, hiking in the forest, climbing in the nearby mountains, and visiting the local shops and restaurants. Ice cream stands flourish, both in the village and nearby. During the long, cold, and snowy winters, visitors to Saranac Lake participate in cross-country skiing and in snowmobiling.

There is also an annual week-long winter carnival, an event that has brought people together in celebration of winter for over 100 years. Each year the carnival is given a theme — in 2006 the theme was "the Roaring 20's." The Winter Carnival parade reflects this theme, and Garry Trudeau creates artwork for a button that can be purchased each winter. The carnival's main attraction is the ice palace, along with various winter activities and competitions. These include a parade, which normally has several Bagpipe and drum marching bands and (always favorite) Lawn Chair Ladies, along with more usual floats and local School Bands. There is also a winter rugby game.

A non-profit Village Improvement Society, dating from 1910, currently owns and maintains eight parks. The extensive parkland along the lakefront, now owned by the village, is the result of the Society's earlier efforts.

[edit] Artists' residences

The composer Béla Bartók spent summers in Saranac Lake and wrote some of his best-known works there. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson had a cottage in Saranac Lake, which still stands along with a museum dedicated to him.

The cartoonist Garry Trudeau, who draws the Doonesbury comic strip, was raised in Saranac Lake. He is the great-grandson of Edward Trudeau, described above. Garry Trudeau has maintained his connections to Saranac Lake; see [1]; [2].

[edit] Transportation

The Adirondack Regional Airport (SLK) is 8 miles northwest of the village.

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad to Lake Placid originates from the village train depot.

Adirondack Trailways serves Saranac Lake, and is part of the Greyhound bus system.

There is also local bus service from Franklin County Public Transportation and local taxis service.

All three of the major highways that go through Saranac Lake are also bicycle routes.

[edit] Geography

The Saranac River as it runs though the village.

Saranac Lake is located at 44°19′34″N, 74°7′51″W (44.325988, -74.130944)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.8 km² (3.0 mi²). 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (7.33%) is water.

The village is located at the junction of the Towns of North Elba and St.Armand in Essex County, and Harrietstown in Franklin County.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,041 people, 2,369 households, and 1,182 families residing in the village. The population density was 700.1/km² (1,812.0/mi²). There were 2,854 housing units at an average density of 396.4/km² (1,025.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.87% White, 0.75% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 2,369 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $29,754, and the median income for a family was $42,153. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $24,759 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,590. About 8.5% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] References

John J. Duquette (March 1992). John M, Penney: Saranac Lake, A Centennial: 1892-1992, Make-up by Carol Baker Snyder, Saranac Lake, New York: Saranac Lake 1992 Cenntennial Committee.
Maid, Chery. "Building boom brought many local landmarks- How the 20's roared in Saranac Lake", Adirondack Enterprise, February 7, 2006, pp. 1, 9.
Gallos, Phil. "Famous people you might meet on the street- How the 20's roared in Saranac Lake", Adirondack Enterprise, February 8, 2006, pp. 1, 10.
Jackson, Linda. "Flaunting the booze ban- How the 20's roared in Saranac Lake", Adirondack Enterprise, pp. 1, 12.