Long Lake is a 14 miles lake in the town of Long Lake

Long Lake, New York

Long Lake is a town in Hamilton County, New York in the United States. The population was 852 at the 2000 census. The town is named for long Long Lake beside which it sits. The town is entirely within the Adirondack Park and is the most northerly town in the county. It is a summer tourism...

 in Hamilton County

Hamilton County, New York

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is named after Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York State delegation who signed the United States Constitution in 1787 and later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Its county seat is Lake Pleasant...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

; the average width is half a mile. It is part of the Raquette River

Raquette River

The Raquette River, sometimes spelled Racquette, originates at Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. long, it is the third longest river entirely in the state of New York....

, which flows in a straight, northeast-trending valley. NY 30 crosses at a narrows 4 miles (6.4 km) from the south end where the hamlet of Long Lake is located. There are two public beaches and a state boat launch. More than half of the shoreline is part of the New York State Forest preserve

Forest Preserve (New York)

New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...

. The northern end of the lake is undeveloped.

History

Settled by the 1830s, Long Lake was isolated, except by water, until the New York Central railroad extended a spur to Sabbatis at the north town line. The area was frequented by sportsmen and tourists, and the earliest settlers were hunting guides and boat builders. Long Lake was part of a water route that connected the Fulton Chain Lakes

Fulton Chain Lakes

The Fulton Chain Lakes are a string of eight lakes located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York in the United States of America. These lakes are located in Herkimer County and Hamilton County...

 with the Saint Lawrence

Saint Lawrence

Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...

 river drainage. This route was frequently traveled by guideboat or canoe

Canoe

A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

 in the mid-late 19th century. At that time, "a typical trip might start at the Saranacs

Saranac Lake

Saranac Lake may refer to:* Saranac Lake, New York, a village in the northern Adirondacks*One of the three nearby Saranac Lakes, part of the Saranac River:**Upper Saranac Lake**Middle Saranac Lake**Lower Saranac LakeSee also...

, from which a party could make its way to the Raquette River via Indian Carry and Stoney Creek." The trip continued "via the lakes accessible from it— Long, Raquette, Forked, Blue and Tupper."

U.S. Senator Orville H. Platt

Orville H. Platt

Orville Hitchcock Platt was a United States Senator from Connecticut. Born in Washington, Connecticut, he attended the common schools and graduated from The Gunnery in Washington. He studied law in Litchfield, and was admitted to the bar in 1850, commencing practice in Towanda, Pennsylvania...

 had a summer camp on Long Lake in the 19th century.

There was once a proposal to link Long Lake with the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

by way of a canal, which was started but abandoned.

Sources

• Jamieson, Paul and Morris, Donald, Adirondack Canoe Waters, North Flow, Lake George, NY: Adirondack Mountain Club, 1987. ISBN 0-935272-43-7.