Herkimer County Historical Soc

50th Anniversary of Conservation Old Forge July 20-21, 1935 By sue perkins

In our collection are a series of photographs taken of a flotilla of boats. One photograph had Hollywood Hills on the side of the boat. This led me to research about Hollywood Hills Hotel on www. fultonhistory.com. It was there I found out about Joseph W. Young (1882-1934) who was a land developer who developed Hollywood, Florida, and wanted to develop Hollywood Hills at First Lake in Old Forge. The Rome Sentinel July 28, 1928, reported that Young purchased a tract of land of 17,000 acres. A road was being built from Old Forge to First Lake. He planned to build a fine hotel on First Lake of the Fulton Chain. When that was completed, the buses would bring guests and prospective investors from a distance who stayed several days and looked over the whole development. There was a large ad in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sunday, July 20, 1930, that showed Young was conducting 3-day Friendship Tours to promote Hollywood Hills. There were 40 miles of lake frontage with about to forty to fifty camps already built and occupied.

On July 1, 1933, the Casino opened a quarter mile down the lake from the Hollywood Hills Motor Lodge. The Casino was built of logs, and measured eighty-five by ninety feet and boasted of one hundred and four French doors which opened on all sides. The roof was made of canvas and could be rolled back so the guests could see the evening stars. There was parking for 1,000 cars. There was a beach and a bathhouse.

January 24, 1933, it was reported that work started on the excavation of the new Hollywood Hills Hotel on First Lake. The structure was 320 feet long, two and three stories high. The hotel had an octagonal lobby, 100 feet across with an 11 feet square four-sided fireplace in the center, a

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Open Mon-Fri: 9:30-5, Most Sundays 10:30-3, closed Sat. www.jewettscheese.com The “Pageant of the Lakes” along the Fulton Chain, July 22, 1935

Lake flotilla, Hollywood Hills, Old Forge

Lake flotilla guides lead the way from Old Forge to Inlet

taproom, and steam heat and bath in every room. A sprinkler system was installed. On July 12, 1934, the Hollywood Hills Hotel officially opened with a formal dinner. Unfortunately, Joseph W. Young died a few months earlier on February 26, 1934, of a heart attack at his winter home in Hollywood, Florida. The Noonan family purchased the hotel and converted it into condominiums. A handful of the vintage 1930 cottages still exist today.

There was a two-day celebration held on July 20-21, 1935 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Forest Conservation in New York State at Old Forge, New York.

On Saturday, July 20th the ceremonies began with a parade: “The parade line had colors and color guard of Covey American Legion Post, Old Forge; Hillside Boys Band, Troy; 17 forest rangers, including Miss Harriet Rega, the state’s only female fire observer; Bugle and Drum Band of Troop 20, Rome Girl Scouts, with Miss Geraldine Tolnitch, troop lieutenant; Miss Anna Forester, troop captain, and Miss Elizabeth Higham, local director, in attendance; Old Forge Girl Scouts; Moose Ban, Utica; guides in buckboards, five in one owned by Ben Sperry, Old Forge, and three in one owned by the Adirondack League Club; make-believe Native Americans on horses, Native Americans in automobiles; Native American family walking; three Conservation Department forest fire trucks, and East Syracuse American Legion Boys Band. At the end of the parade, an address was given by the then Conservation Commissioner Lithgow Osborne (1892-1980) at the Old Forge ball diamond.” [Of course, I had to find out more on Miss Harriet Rega: According to Bill Starr, a fire tower historian and former observer on Pillsbury Mountain, “Harriet Rega was observer on Mount Electra (Rock Lk Mtn) from 4/28/1924 until 4/24/1930 before transferring to Rondaxe (Bald) Mtn where she served as the observer from 5/1/1930-10/31/1936. That made her the first woman observer in New York State.”-Notes from Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain Fire Tower Restoration Project, Old Forge, NY, 2019 by Peg Masters.]

On the Sunday evening of the celebration a “Pageant of the Lakes” was held. The flotilla left Old Forge and proceeded along the northern shore of the Fulton Chain to Eagle Bay and then to Inlet. The reviewing stand was at Inlet. The flotilla then went down the south shore of Fourth Lake.

“Boats and floats in order of procession, and their sponsors: Lady of the Lakes, Neodak and Arrowhead Hotels; the sale of the Central Adirondacks to John Francis and John Brown by Aaron Burr, which occurred in a New York City tavern in 1797, Mohawk Hotel; A Woodland Scene, Petrie’s Mountain View Inn; representing Robert Fulton’s Clermont, Fulton Navigation Co.; The Swan Song Long’s Le Bon Air; representing “The Fawn”. The first steamer to ply the Moose River as a connecting transportation link between old Forge and the westerly foothills of the Adirondacks built by Lyon de Camp at Old Forge in 1878, Brussel’s Thendara Garage & Old Forge Hardware Co., Conservation Boat, Water Pageant Committee, pioneer guides of the Adirondacks, Old Forge Electric Co.; Bald Mountain Observation Tower, Bald Mountain House; Inlet Bathing Beauties, E. J. Turner Rocky Point; Jungleland, Baker’s; The Gondoliers, Becker’s Hotel and Burnaps Camp; Winter Sports, Rocky Point Inn; Miss Ney-a-T Camp Ney-A-T; and Adirondack Showboat, Hollywood Hills Hotel.” Other decorated craft followed. It must have been a sight to see all the decorated watercraft!

In the afternoon, a program of water sports was held at Inlet. Scheduled events included log rolling, guide boat and war canoe races, canoe tilting, aquaplaning, swimming, boat races, stunt flying, and elevated parachute jump into Fourth Lake by Robert MacMillian.

They knew how to put on celebrations back in the day! If you would like to see the rest of the photographs of the flotilla in this collection, please call for an appointment at 315-866-6413. The Society is open Monday-Friday, 10-3. We ask that you sign in, wash your hands, wear a mask, and someone on staff will take your temperature. •

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