LOCALadk Magazine

24 Fall 2014 LOCALadk Histor y Inside the Blue Line Place Names of the Trans Adirondack Route Book by Erik Schlimmer (Beechwood Books, 2014) Review by Peter Evans Erik Schlimmer's wonderful guide, Blue Line to Blue Line: The Official Guide to the Trans Adirondack Route (Beechwood Books 2013), reveals him to be a person with an expanded vision of what the Adirondack Park had to offer. In his new work, History Inside the Blue Line: Place Names of the Trans Adirondack Route, Mr. Schlimmer reminds us that the most important parts of a long journey are the stops you make along the way. The book's foreword is written by my former professor at Paul Smith's College, Michael Kudish, now retired. Professor Kudish extols the comprehensive indexing of names, extensive bibliography, and detailed research that went into the writing of this book. If you have ever had Mr. Kudish as a teacher or read one of his books you will understand why this stands as the highest praise. The book is alphabetically arranged, so finding the place name you are looking for is very easy. Each entry is also coupled with a physical description of the town and county where it is located, and on what number Trans Adirondack Route map it can be found. Mr. Schlimmer examines 125 named features from Avalanche Lake and the Jessup River to the Rock River and Shattuck Clearing, ending with Whiteface Mountain. Even if you think of yourself as an accomplished student of Adirondack history, this book is a fascinating read. Mr. Schlimmer puts just the right amount of historical detail into his entries on each geographic feature. Once I started reading I could not put the book down. I have been living and hiking in the Adirondack Park for over 35 years. The new details I discovered by reading this book had me exclaiming to my wife "Hey, did you know…?" for days afterward. The hallmark of any good guidebook is that it inspires its readers to visit, or better yet revisit, the places it describes. History Inside The Blue Line not only has you racing to lace up your boots and lash the canoe on the car, it helps the reader make sense of the persons, politics, and pastimes that have created the park we love so dearly. Better make room on your bookshelf, this is a must have. ETS is one of the largest employers in the North Country. We've been matching people with jobs for over 30 years! If you're looking to take the next step in your career, ETS should be your first stop. Call or stop in today. 186 US Oval Plattsburgh, NY An old Adirondack hotel, featuring ten guest rooms, not accessible by road, with generated electricity. Pure Adirondack charm! A hard place to get to, a harder place to leave. BeaverRiverLodge.com (315) 376-3010 Now taking reservations for fall!

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