Tracks Through Time
The men who built the railroad ; Their reward ; Pioneers of todays tourism industry
President McKinley has been shot ; The war effort ; The rebirth of the railroad
The Adirondack Railroad was an important part of the social and industrial history of the Adirondacks. The line was built from Saratoga Springs to North Creek just after the Civil War. They started building out of Saratoga in 1865 and reached North Creek in 1871. The tracks were built by Dr. Thomas Durant, who was the General Manager of the Union Pacific Railroad, the eastern branch of the Transcontinental Railroad. After this railroad was built, Dr. Durant made North Creek his home and he later died there. Dr. Durant and Leland Stanford, who later became Governor of California and for whom Stanford University is named, drove the golden spike at Promintory Point, Utah that linked the Nations railroads together.President McKinley has been shot ; The war effort ; The rebirth of the railroad
The men who built the railroad...
Their reward...
Pioneers of today’s Tourism Industry...
Dr. Durant and his son, William West Durant, were among the first people to successfully bring tourists and travelers into the Adirondacks. By building a reliable transportation system and building hotels and camps on the lakes, they were able to entice travelers into the mountains at a time when the cities were without air-conditioning, and there was still a lot of disease, smoke and filth in the cities during the summer.They owned the railroad that brought people to North Creek, they owned the stagecoach that took you to Blue Mt. Lake, they owned the boats on the lake and the hotels on the lake. In 1889, they built the Prospect Mountain House, which was the first hotel in the world with an electric light in every room.
President McKinley has been shot...
Teddy Roosevelt was in North Creek when he learned he was to become the President of the United States of America.In September of 1901, President McKinley was shot at the Pan America Exposition in Buffalo, which was a Worlds Fair. Vice-President Roosevelt was speaking on Isle Lamotte, on Lake Champlain, in northern Vermont. He rushed to Buffalo. In effort to assure the American public that the President was going to be ok, Teddy Roosevelt was told to finish his vacation. He spent the next two weeks in the Adirondacks.
President McKinley took a turn for the worse and Roosevelt was needed. They found him hiking on Mt. Marcy, the highest mountain in the state. Through a series of all night wagon relays, he arrived at the North Creek Depot at 5 AM.
The D & H had their fastest engine steamed up, turned around and ready to go. Roosevelt’s personal secretary was awaiting his arrival across the street at the American Hotel, where the Copperfield Inn now stands. Standing on the North Creek Depot platform, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt was handed the telegraph informing him that President McKinley had died at 2 am and that he had to go to Buffalo to take the Oath of Office. He took the oath in the Wilcox Mansion, which is a National Historic Site you can still visit today.
The War Effort...
In 1889, the railroad became the Adirondack Branch of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. The railroad terminus was at North Creek until the beginning of World War II, when it was extended 30 miles north to the open pit mine at Tahawus, to support the war effort. There were three things they needed there: magnetite, used in coal slurries; illemenite, used as a paint pigment; and titanium, a lightweight alloy used in aircraft superstructures and other uses. The D & H Railroad continued to operate trains over this branch until 1989, when the mine closed and all railroad operations ended.
The rebirth of the railroad...looking to the future
The railroad fell silent for ten years. In 1998 Warren County purchased the track, to run it in the interest of tourism and economic development. In 1999, the Upper Hudson River Railroad contracted to operate an excursion train on 8.5 miles from North Creek to Riverside Station in Riparius NY. This 2.5 hour round trip is still the backbone of the regular schedule at the Upper Hudson River Railroad.
Track reconstruction from Riverside Station to Hadley NY was completed by 2007. The Upper Hudson River Railroad celebrated its tenth fall as a scenic attraction with the “40 Miler,” starting at the 96’ high trestle in Hadley to the south, and ending at the working 90’ turntable in North Creek.
The men who built the railroad ; Their reward ; Pioneers of todays tourism industry
President McKinley has been shot ; The war effort ; The rebirth of the railroad
The North Creek Depot has been restored by a local preservation group and is open to the public.
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Upper Hudson River Railroad 3 Railroad Place, P.O. Box 424 North Creek, New York 12853 (518) 251-5334 (fax) 251-5332 E-Mail Us |