Questions about old Catskill buildings

[MattC]

I hit some spots in the NW and W Catskills over the weekend-Huntersfield, Utsayantha, and some of the ridgelines near Alder Lake.

Anyone know what the old building atop Utsayantha was?
How about the large old building near the Alder Lake trailhead?
I thought the later (which the state has fenced in) quite impressive, even in it's current state of disrepair. Also during my travels this weekend, I visited Woodchuck Lodge, John Burroughs' childhood home.

Matt

 

[Jay H]

There was a plaque at the ex-mansion at Alder lake when I was there, had a whole history of who owned it and there was some kind of society formed to try to get money to restore the building. I agree though about the mansion, it would of been a very very nice little mansion that must of been impressive in it's day. I also remember finding something on the internet about the folks who used to live there...

here it is:

http://www.billcotter.com/onteora/alder.htm

Look at the Samuel D Coykendall link..

Jay

 

[Rivet]

Utsayantha

Anyone know what the old building atop Utsayantha was?

The wooden building was once an observatory and souvenier shop for tourists who visited the mountain - often taking a carriage ride to the top.

I hear there is a new trail to the top from the village down below.

 

[Rivet]

more info on Utsayantha

Here is some history...

http://www.utsayantha.com/html/history.html

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

Hey Matt, Hope You Got To Go Inside Woodchuck Lodge. It's Open On Most Saturdays In Summer. Pretty Cool.also Wondering If The Fire Tower On Utsayantha Is Finished And Reopened? I Believe It Was Scheduled To Be Finished Last Fall. Tony

 

[mudhook51]

Whats interesting at Alder Lake is the old trout hatchery on the back side of the lake, a system of stone ponds,suposedly one of the oldest around. The mansion is slated to be burnt by the state if they can't raise money to restore it. There used to be a ski hut of sorts on top of Bearpen until a few years ago. We used to go there camping and use it in bad weather.Burroughs home is a great place to go and watch thunderstorms from.

 

[Jay H]

Bearpen use to have ski runs... You can see the tops of them at the summit and a rusted truck there with the back of it converted to pull a towrope on it.

It's a shame if the Coykendall mansion gets burned down, it really is a regal looking place, although I can see why the state would raze it. Right now it's a real hazard for kids or tresspassers who actuall enter the building itself and I would think it would take a lot of money to restore the building. Money that would be hard for a public group to raise cause it's in a fairly obscure trailhead to Balsam lake. When some friends and I did Balsam lake from there, the only other people we saw were hunters. Most people who do Balsam Lake do it from the lake itself or from Mill Brook Road.

Jay

 

[MattC]

Thanks for the feedback and links guys.

Rivet and Tony, re: Utsayantha-the fire tower is indeed open, I climbed up and snapped a few shots. As for a trail from the village, I don't know. There is one of those metal historical signs at the intersection of RT 23 and Mountain Ave. in the village. I took a left on Mountain Ave. there and drove up past one private dirt road on the left. Just past this is the second, public dirt road which you can drive or walk to the summit. I parked here and walked up easily in about 20 minutes-just a few hundred feet. Definitely a very touristy mountain, but not w/o it's charm. It's like Overlook, except even more so-easy access from nearby village, short climb, lots o' stuff on top.
It is on a list though, which is of course the only thing that matters.

Jay, as for Alder Lake, that link is very informative, thanks. I figured that mansion must have belonged to one of those old Catskill tycoons. As a side note, the science building at SUNY New Paltz is named for Coykendall (or someone else in his family). Also, the fact that it was a scout camp explains all the state-designated campsites there now. There is a high fence erected around the mansion now, so as to prevent vandalism or injuries. I agree that it would be a shame if it is destroyed.

As to your comment about that trailhead being obscure, I don't know about that. Several people were camping, there was a kayak or two on the lake, and there were people having a picnic as well. Of course this was Memorial Day. It seems like the type of place where people go to use the lake and take short walks as far as the Beaver Meadow lean-to (I also met a small family there), rather than people going there to begin long hikes.

Lastly, Woodchuck Lodge was not open, so I looked around and snapped photos of the exterior. Definitely hallowed ground. I'd like to go back when it's open. I took a pamphlet from the register box-the info # is (315) 768-7224.

Matt

 

[Jay H]

It's a different clique than hikers, mostly because it was an old boy scout camp, it is close to alot of the towns a bit west than the high peaks and there are a bunch of different short trails done by the boy scouts before it was ceded to the state. I've seen it mentioned in short hikes guide books as well as X-C ski guides. But like you said, you saw families and a kayak or two in the lake. The lake is tiny!, it is man made and it is there because Coykendall liked to fish. When I was there, there wasn't a fence at all around the house, and the foundation was all rotted and open, you could crawl into the subspace if you were brave enough.

Jay

 

[moose_mckenzie]

Jay,

About twenty years ago, there was an old house that had been owned by the Colgate family on Colgate Lake. It was an nice rambling mansion. The DEC had it up for sale for anyone who would be willing to transport a bit of Catskill history to another site.

I believe there were no takers and, like all other DEC property acquisitions with dwellings, it was eventually torn down. If you wander around the area, the foundation and stone walkway can be located.

BTW, Lake Capra is a manmade lake. It wasn't there when I first started hiking in the early 70's.

Moose