Historical Sketches of Northern New York and the Adirondack Wilderness

that cascade in the deep, wild woods, wondering at the curious spectacle. You could almost count them all upon your fingers' ends. There were Risley and his family of the Schouten house. There was Alexander Bryant, the patriot scout of the Revolution, who kept the only rival tavern. There were Gen. Schuyler, and Dr. Blakesley, and Gideon Putnam, and Gilman's brother, and a few more guests who were at the little log tavern were all doubtless there. There too, were Indian Joe from his clearing on the hill, near where the Clarendon now is, and some of his swarthy brethren from their huts near the High Rock, wondering at the strange commotion among the pale faces at the little waterfall in the brook. All, gathering around it, each in turn tasted the water of the newly-found fountain, and pronouncing it of superior quality, they named it then and there the Congress Spring, out of compliment to its distinguished discoverer, and in honor of the old Continental Congress of which he had been a member.

For many years afterward the water was caught in glasses as it ran from the rock. In attempting to increase its capacity by removing a part of the rock the spring was lost. But bubbles of gas were noticed in the bed of the creek near by, and turning the creek one side, excavations were made in its bed. The spring was found and tubed, and has long since been world renowned.

In the year 1794 John and Ziba Taylor opened a small store in one of the rooms of the Schouten house, and became the pioneer merchants of the Springs.

In the year 1800 a new era dawned upon Saratoga Springs. In that year Gideon Putnam bought of Henry Walton an acre of land on what is now the site of the Grand Union,

then in the depths of the old forest, and clearing off the heavy growth of pines, built the first of the large, commodious and elegant hotels for which Saratoga has since become so famous. Of the large hotels the Congress Hall was first opened in 1815, and the United States in 1824. Such were the small beginnings of the first quarter of a century of this great watering place up to a period within the memory of living men.

During these, the centennial years of the first rude openings of the Springs in the northern wilds, this whole village is crowded with hotels, the largest, grandest, best appointed in the world, within a stone's throw of each other, and glittering with more than oriental splendor. When all lighted up of a summer evening, the streets filled with gay promenaders-the wit, the wealth, the fashion and the beauty of half the world all there, the scene presented is like that of some fairy land. Surely has some enchanter touched with magic wand those rude hotels of a century ago, and transformed them into palaces like those famous in eastern story.

In reviewing these historical memories we have seen how the old Indian trails that surrounded Northern New York ; how the valleys of the St. Lawrence, the Hudson, and the Mohawk, how the shores of Lake Ontario, Lakes George and Champlain, as well as the old hunting-grounds of Kayad-ros-se-ra and Sa-ragh-to-ga were for a hundred and seventy years the scenes of sanguinary warfare. To-day we look around us upon a brighter scene, and see how ninety years of smiling peace have made the fair borders of the grim old wilderness to "bud and blossom even as doth the

rose."

We have seen how a hundred years ago no one

came to these old springs of the forest Kay-ad-ros-se-ra, now modern Saratoga, but serpents and wild beasts, and still wilder men. To-day we see how many steps from all the nations of the earth, in the pomp of modern travel, still following the routes of the old war-paths,* are turned toward this great watering place-this Mecca of our country's highest civilization; we see how all eyes are gazing at its sparkling, bubbling fountains, and how all lips are tasting of their healing waters.t

* In the first chapter I give the names of ten populous cities that now lie along the great modern thoroughfares which have taken the places of the old Indian and colonial war-paths that surrounded Northern New York. Below I give their Indian names, with the signification of each: ALBANY,.. ..Ska-neh-ta-de-Beyond the open pines.

TROY,...

.....

Pa-an-pa-ak-The field of standing corn. ...Ga-ha-oose-The shipwrecked canoe.

SCHENECTADY,. . O-no-a-la-gone-na-Pained in the head.

COHOES,.