LOCALadk Magazine

9 Fall 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Recently-restored, the Stillwater Fire Tower has been open to the public since July 2016. It was erected in 1919 after being hauled by horses up Stillwater Mountain from the Woods Lake Railroad about 2 miles away, a spur of the New York Central. Stillwater Mountain Fire Tower, at an elevation of 2,264 feet, overlooks Stillwater Reservoir. It boasts unobstructed, 65 mile, panoramic views. On a clear day, Mount Marcy, Algon- quin, and Whiteface can be seen to the east in the High Peaks region; Santanoni and Blue Mountain in the southeast loom in the distance; and 195 wind generators perched on the lip of the Tug Hill Plateau to the west produce power from Lake Ontario's westerly gusts. In the Fire Tower cab, the restored map table with its hand drawn, 1920 panoramic map, is as authentic as it gets! The table was designed to be higher than the bottom of the win- dows so the observer could sight a forest fire's smoke using an alidade, a device that allows you to sight a distant object and straightedge with a telescopic sight. The tabletop slides so windows can be opened or closed. Stillwater Mountain does not have written or oral history of any importance ... that is until very recently. It not only has fabulous views but now is on the map as a historic site. Stillwater Mountain had at least three towers before the pres- ent steel one: a log fire tower from 1912, a signal tower with an observation platform rebuilt in 1908, and, in the 1880s, an unmanned tower with a revolving sunlight reflector atop. Research found that Stillwater Mountain was a "Primary Tri- angulation Station" in Verplank Colvin's Report on a Topo- graphical Survey of the Adirondack Wilderness of New York. A copper benchmark was embedded in the summit's bedrock in 1882. It was pried out and carried off as a souvenir long ago. Today, only the two-inch diameter borehole can be seen un- derneath the tower. Stolen history. In 2013, Army veteran Kyle Kristiansen, with his metal detector, unearthed that marker in a field ... in New Jersey! Its imprint: "N.Y.S. Adirondack Survey, Verplanck Colvin Supt. 1882. Sta. 77", with an arrow pointing north. Numerous searches in the state archives in Albany final- ly found that Station 77 was on Stillwater Mountain! On Sep- tember 12, 2016 drilling and resetting of a new marker took place thus re-establishing Stillwater Mountain as Verplanck Colvin's Station 77. This was made possible by the efforts of the Department of Conservation, Real Property Division sur- veyors from Region Six and Herkimer, the Colvin Crew head- quarters at the NYS Ranger School at Wanakena and Friends of Stillwater Fire Tower. Kristiansen gave the marker to the Colvin Crew, an avid group of surveyors who ensure its safekeeping at the SUNY - ESF Ranger School in Wanakena, New York. Stillwater's ignoble claim to fame had been the lowest record- ed temperature in New York State: -52 degrees - yes, minus 52 degrees fahrenheit - in 1934, (Old Forge disputably tied the record in 1979). Now Stillwater stands alongside Poke- O-Moonshine, Whiteface and Azure, to name a few, as a his- torical destination with views to match! And if you're into re- newable energy, Stillwater Reservoir beneath the tower feeds fifteen hydroelectric plants on the Beaver and Black Rivers go- ing west, and over your shoulder, the Maple Ridge Wind Farm catches Lake Ontario's breezes coming east. The tower is on private land owned by Lyme Timber, and is leased to a hunting club. The DEC has an easement allowing public access to the trail and tower. It is closed during big game season from the second Tuesday in October until De- cember 20. The tower can be reached via the Big Moose Road in the Town of Webb, or the Stillwater Road out of Lowville. There is a state boat launch 2.5 miles away that offers access to the Stillwater Reservoir with 46 first-come-first-served campsites. It is also the home of the Stillwater Hotel with restaurant and lodging, Stillwater Shop with store, gas, and boat rentals, and a riverboat and car ferry to Beaver River, all run by The Nor- ridgewock. Other towers that have recently undergone some restoration including St. Regis and Hurricane Mountains. St. Regis Moun- tain had a new roof installed in late July with the help of De- partment of Environmental Conservation and volunteers from the Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower. The trail to the summit of St. Regis is 3.3 miles and rewards you with a view of over 30 lakes as well as the High Peaks. Hurricane Mountain has recently had the wooden stairs and landings replaced along with protective fencing and added supports. We thank the public funding in DEC Region Six along with the Fire Tower Friends groups who have a passion for keeping the history of the towers alive and for helping to make them safe and accessible again. The countless volunteer hours are ap- preciated. Our Keep It LOCAL campaign supports fire tower restoration and will be making a donation to help with future support. Please consider a donation to one of the following: www.friendsofstillwaterfiretower.com www.friendsofstregis.org www.hurricanefiretower.org Establishing History: The Stillwater Firetower By Jim Fox

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