North Country At Work

A man poses in front of an  Ossco Farm Dairy horse-drawn delivery wagon, which delivered milk and cream to homes and restaurants in the area. Circa 1900-1910. Tupper Lake, NY.

A high-end, horse-drawn private carriage with an unidentified driver at Murray’s Palace Livery. Circa 1890s. Watertown, NY. Courtesy of the Jefferson County Historical Society.

Horse-drawn wagon, possibly bearing caskets to be loaded into trains. Bodies were frequently shipped in pine boxes aboard trains, though they were usually loaded in the middle of the night so passengers would be unaware they were sharing train cars with the deceased. Date unknown. Saranac Lake, NY. Courtesy of the personal archives of Andrew […]

A young man with the Lake Flower Laundry wagon. The laundry was originally located at 21 River Street. Date unknown. Saranac Lake, NY. Courtesy of the Saranac Lake Free Library.

Deliverymen with an Adirondack Bottling Works truck. The bottling works, founded before 1895, claimed to be the largest bottling works in the North Country. Sold as sotrage in 1931, the buildings were destroyed by fire in 1958. Circa early 1900s. Saranac Lake, NY. Courtesy of the Saranac Lake Free Library.

A horse and buggy outside the Ampersand Hotel. After opening in 1888, the Ampersand was a mainstay in Saranac Lake. A review in the New York Times (June 11 1893) writes, “This beautiful spot, with its peaceful waters, gentle, undulating vales, emerald forests, and surrounding lofty, pine-clad mountains, was never lovelier than now.” Each season, […]

The Meadowbrook farm crew. Meadowbrook farm was founded as a model dairy, demonstrating the latest hygienic standards for milk production. Its barn is now the clubhouse of the Saranac Lake Golf Club in Ray Brook. Circa 1900-1910. Ray Brook, NY. Courtesy of Historic Saranac Lake.

A view of storefronts in Saranac Lake. The Sagendorf Restaurant sign can be seen just above the old iron “Broadway Bridge,” and the restaurant appears to have shared space with a taxidermist. The Saranac River runs between Flint’s Pharmacy and the Sagendorf, and Dorsey Street is on its other side before the three-story (Adirondack Pharmacy) and two-story […]

A bob sled piled high with logs being pulled by a team of horses. Circa 1900. Lake Placid, NY. Photo by H.L. Weaver. Courtesy of the Chapman Museum.

A view of the businesses on the side of Warren Street: Kee & Hill grocers, Reuben Peck Drug Store, Harness & Trunks, and Crockery. Circa 1900. Glens Falls, NY. Courtesy of the Chapman Museum.