Wendy's trip log: Lake George 2023

Lake George, NY

June 6th 2023

Another trip with Tulip travel took us to Lake George NY. Our first stop was Prospect Mountain.

The views are spectacular overlooking Lake George.

Below us is the Lake George Village and Million Dollar Beach.

I zoomed in to see the Minnie Ha Ha. Perhaps the only thing I have not had the pleasure of doing while in this area. We are going on this trip however, so I will get my chance.

We took in the views at a few more pull offs as our van climbed the mountain.

Originally, Prospect mountain didn't have a road that took you to the top, but instead it had a railway car that brought people to the top for meals and dances. This was established in 1895 at a cost of $120,000. Unfortunately the company came under financial stress and was discontinued in 1903. There is a hiking trail where the railway once ran today. I believe Mark and I have been up to the very top as I recall this story and tsking pictures of the old railway machine.

For years the mountain stayed with the area unsure what to do with the property, it was eventually donated to the State, and the buildings that were once the operation of fine dining and dancing burned to the ground in 1932. In 1954, The then NY Governor signed into legislation that a roadway be built. It wasn't until 1966 the new Governor; Nelson Rockefeller that funds to complete a roadway was established. In 1969 it was completed and named as Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway.

At the top (at least as far as the cars could go) we stopped and walked around. There are a few more views to take in from here as well.

A view of the Northway as it rolls through the ADKS. The road runs all the way from Albany to Canada.

The mountain reaches a height of 2,018 feet at the summit, several thousand feet shy of the 5,344 feet of the tallest Mountain; Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks.

After taking in the mountain views we headed to the local shops for some shopping.

Day 2: Great Escape

The next day we headed off to the Great Escape theme park.

This theme park is one I know well from several years of visits. Mark has even more history of this place, but I cannot count how many times I have been over the years.

It was a good day, full of fun rides and laughs.

Day 3: On our third day we headed off for some fun on the lake. We were going to hit up the Minnie Ha Ha. But first a stop along the water where they had this beautiful wooden sculpture.

Lake George has a long history specifically regarding the British and the natives. Fort William Henry was established during the French and Indian war in 1755 as a defense to protect the waterways. In 1757, the French overtook the Fort. The Huron people killed many British during this period. Later The Book, The last of the Mohicans was written defining the siege. I haven't read the book, but I have been to the cave where parts of the story take place and it does not really look like a cave at all. But anyways.

I am not at all aware of what happened during the French and Indian War, but I do know that the war ended with the treaty of Versilles. The fort itself stood for many years abandoned and later became a tourist destination. I have been to the fort with my kids many years ago. I must not have been listening. I was to busy laughing when the guy spoke about the cannon's touch hole. Yes, I am that juvenile.

Regardless the big highlight of the day is the Minne Ha Ha.

The Minne Ha Ha has about as much history as the Fort, although it has not been around nearly as long, but close. The original Minne Ha Ha was built in 1857 by the Lake George Steamboat Company. She was 144 long and 22 feet wide. 400 passengers could ride from the Lake George Village to Fort Ticonderoga with many stops in between. She was the last ship built with a wood fire engine. During the Civil War, the town and the company suffered as there was not as many tourist to the area. After the war however the town became a place for business and wealthy people began to buy homes along the lake. The Minne Ha Ha continued and they soon found a need for more boats. Soon it became time to retire the original girl and she was stripped of her engine in 1878. The demand for the steamboat soared through out the 1870s and The Lake George Steamboat company was bought out by the Delaware and Hudson Railway Company. The new company built a massive steamer called the Horicon. There were several boats and several fires that proceeded after the new owners and even a new stronger, bigger and better Horicon II was born. The Lake George Steamboat company continue throughout this time period, despite wars, and even the Great Depression. Today there are three remaining steamboats. The Ticonderoga II, The Minne Ha Ha II and the Lac du Saint Sacrement.

So who was Minne Ha Ha anyways? She was the native American women named in Henry Wadsworth Longfellows 1855 poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Although it is a love story, and Minnehaha is promised to Hiawatha, she and her people are dying of famine and fever. She dies calling for her husband.

The character Minnehaha (meaning laughing waters) is fictional, but Hiawatha is a real man. He was the leader of the Onondaga people as he was born of the Onondaga people but adopted into the Mohawk. He was also the co founder of the Iroquois Confederacy.