Mining for Souls
Page 65 = 95-96
Merrill page 2
The Chateaugay House overlooking Lake, built by Watson P.
Merrill
near site of Reg. Merrill's shop, This burned in 1908.
The Banner House is somewhat north of the northern
boundary of our parish. However, it has been a prominent stopping place for
somewhat over a century and still is. At about the time our parish was founded,
it was the end of the road. Tourism has always been a prominent source of
income for several people of the area. Many and varied personalities have
lived or vacationed here. Some of these people were famous, or nearly
so and some were only notorious.
One of the latter was Dutch Schultz. His
lawyer got a change of venue for some trial or other from New York City to
Malone. Mr. Schultz and his entourage spent a night or two at the Merrill
house. At that time the Merrill House was operated by Mrs. Margaret E. Reilly
(Margie), daughter of Oliver Young, who bought the hotel from my grandfather,
Watson P. Merrill and his brothers in about 1892, and operated it until his
death in 1933,
Among the famous personalities to have lived in
the area are the following: Seth Thomas, famous for his clocks, had a camp
on the east shore of upper Chateaugay Lake. His boathouse had a tower
on it in which was a clock. This place lasted long enough so that I saw it
with my own eyes. Geraldine Farrar, the opera star, summered here. Her father
had a camp on the narrows just north of the bridge. Florence Holtzman, who
was also an opera star, later became a voice teacher and coach to such people
as Alice Mock, Miss Farrar, and later to actor Hugh O'Brien. There are
other famous names connected with Mrs. Holtzman which refuse to come from
the depths of what passes for my memory.
Jack Clifford, a versatile fellow, was a fairly
prominent pugilist, as well as a professional dancer and some say gigolo;
at any rate, Jack had a beautiful camp built at the northwest corner of the
upper Lake.
The foreman on this job was Eugene Knight, my mother's
uncle. Several of the area men worked on it with him. One of these was one
of my father's (Clare Merrill) brothers, Wayne Merrill. Nelson Laythe was
another - Mr. Laythe of the famous quick temper.
Fay Welch, prominent in forestry and forestry recreation,
has been my employer, patron and friend for over thirty years. His camp for
younger children, Tanager Lodge, occupies the property where Richard Shutts,
distant relative of Mrs. Alfred Pashow, owned and operated a hostelry for
many years. This is known as Indian Point on the southwest quarter of the
upper
lake.
Mrs. Pashow's father, Alfred Shutts, was a prominent
farmer, sometimes builder and all-around citizen. His farm ~'up on the hill"
is now owned by the Pashows and, in part, by Marvin Saxe, summer resident
for many years.
Jerry Blanch came to Merrill from Sicily, by way
of New York and Lyon Mountain. He made his mark as grocery store operator,
farmer and liquor store operator. He was also a rent owner.
Coochieville, that section of Merrill which lies
southeast of the Owlyout brook, (lost this name before my time). Some
of its residents, one hopes all of them, were friends of my family. I have
heard them tell of Abram Alpert, father of Harry Alpert, who had a store in
the area now occupied by Alex Yanulavich's garage.
Harry Alpert, for whom many of us worked at building
houses in later years, was the only one of Abram's large family who always
loved Merrill and spent nearly every summer Sunday afternoon at the Merrill
House. He aso built a beautiful house at the west end of the Narrows Bridge.
Alex Feinberg owned a general store and saloon
across the road from Alpert's on the site later occupied by Charles Bozedlowski.
He is said to have had a fine home somewhere between the old Bozedlowslci
store and the road that goes to the Owlyout stillwater. If my information
is correct, Mr. Feinberg would be uncle to the Honorable Robert Feinberg
of Plattsburgh.
Frank Peets owned the building where Supleys have
their store and is said to have run a saloon there. There were several individuals
by the name of Frank Peets, so adjectives were used before their names to
differentiate between them, such as Fat Frank and Whiskey Frank. The one I
am writing about was called Crooked Frank.
At that time, about the turn of the century, there
was some doubt as to where the boundary between the townships of Dannemora
and Ellenburg was located. It was thought to be somewhere in the vicinity
of the little brook just toward Lyon Mountain from Alex Yanulavich's garage.
The town of Ellenburg was dry at the time and,
not wanting to take any chances, Crooked Frank built himself a place to sell
booze one hundred yards or so in back of his place across the East Inlet.
There the local gentry could go and buy their favorite red eye and all would
be legal.
Crooked Frank is the man who loaded the barges
with ore, poled them to the Forge and unloaded them. He was described by
Roy Cootey as a bear of a man who did this strenuous work for thirteen years.
Ruben Sklon from Russia owned the land and some
buildings where now stands the Olyout tavern, which is owned and operated
by Eleanor Gillett. He also operated a store and saloon there.
Louis Seymour, also known as Louis Coochie, had
a shingle mill across the road from the Owlyout. Charles Ducharme, grandfather
of the late Bernard P. ~~Buzz" Harrica, owned the land and house now owned
by George Revoir and Owlyout Point. ~'Buzz's" great grandfather, Will Smith,
owned a house and saloon which was later owned by Luke Jenkins, then Jerry
Blanch and now Georgiana ~Janie" Alphonso. The property was once known as
White Birch Inn.
The Hagez brothers, George and Joe, first came
into the area as pack' peddlers. Each of them had a store in the area
in later days. Joe once had a store in the house now owned by Francis
Noel. George wound up his stay in this country in a store he operated
in what is now the Owlyout Tavern.
I remember my uncle, Harry Merrill, building a
box on the bed of a truck for Joe Hagez. This van-type box had sliding
shelves in it and a box for the meat. There was also a place to hang the scales.
It was loaded full of canned goods, meat, etc., and used to peddle to Lyon
Mountain and surrounding area.
Much of what was called Coochieville seems to have
burned. There were likely many makeshift chimneys and carelessly contrived
flues which caused this. These things combined with indifference and loss
of business, made for very combustible circumstances.
Merrill has grown a little-just a little, thank
God- in the past one hundred years. The economics of the area have changed
a great deal, however. Land which didn't used to be worth much is now priced
so high that no one who lives here can afford any.
There is a story about how my grandfather, Wat
Merrill, offered the beautiful Buckhorn Point to John Peets in payment for
a $25.00 debt and Mr. Peets refused it. Now, if Mildred Marvin, the present
owner would sell it, it would be worth at least $25,000.
The mine at Lyon Mountain contributed much to the
income of the area. But like all bonanzas, it flourished and then died.
On the other side of the coin, it also contributed, among other things, an
ore and shoal to upper Chateaugay Lake.
The people in the area now make their living at
the Prison at Dannemora, Plattsburgh State University College, Plattsburgh
Air Force Base, the various central school districts, the highway department,
the slipper factory and dress shop in Malone.
Some have moved to greener pastures, to the factories
of Connecticut, Rochester, New York, Silver Bay, Minnesota, and many other
places and equally as many and varied jobs.
I sincerely hope that no more developing is done
in the area of Merrill, at least until the end of my sojourn here. For the
area around the lakes is a beautiful semi-wilderness area and a wonderful
peaceful (most of the time) place to spend a lifetime.
I thank each of my sources for his help.
Sources:
The Old Guide's' Story by Charles E. Merrill and edited by Fay Welch
The Franklin Historical Revue; Vol.10, 1973
Archie Gadway, Margie Reilly, Roy Cootey, Herbert McCoy.
The above article about Merrill was writen by Reginald F. Merrill; and the
rest of "Mining for Souls" was based on 1975 information.
Sources:
Adirondack Museum photos, Blue Mountain Lake, NY;
History of Clinton County, New York;
from History of Mining of Chateaugay
Ore and Iron Company.
Go to Page 1 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.
Go to Page 3 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.
Go to Mining History for The History
of Mining in the North Country.
Go to Page 5 of The History of Lyon
Mountain.(for article on Lyon Mt. and Mineville)
This ends Mining for Souls.
Back to Page 64 of Mining for
Souls.
Go to Page 1 of Mining for Souls.(cover
page)
Rod Bigelow
Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
rodbigelow@netzero.net 
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