North Country At Work

Gerald Heath with lawnmower at Singer Castle on Dark Island, where he was the caretaker. Circa 1950s or early 1960s. Chippewa Bay, NY. Photo courtesy of Doug Heath.

Gerald Heath, caretaker at Dark Island, sits on his iceboat. Heath built the iceboat out of plywood and attached a small airplane propeller to the back. He used the boat to get from the island to the mainland during the winter. Circa 1950s or early 1960s. Chippewa Bay, NY. Photo courtesy of Doug Heath.

Roy C. Johnson, who worked as both a preacher and a trapper, next to a wall of pelts, including muskrat, fox, mink, and raccoon. Circa 1978. Philadelphia, NY. Courtesy of Dave Johnson.

Ski instructor Natalie Leduc at Pisgah Mountain. Saranac Lake, NY. 1955. Photo courtesy of Natalie Leduc. During the five decades of her working life, Saranac Lake native Natalie Leduc wore a lot of hats: ski, instructor, substitute physical education teacher, rug salesman, lifeguard, swimming instructor, and finally real estate agent. Listen to the highs and […]

George Hare working on the construction of the Paul Smiths VIC’s Native Species Butterfly House. Circa early 2000s. Paul Smiths, NY. Photo courtesy of George Hare. You can read and listen to George’s full story here. 

Organizer Greg Borzilleri on the Mirror Lake Beach during the 2019 Ironman Lake Placid triathalon. Sunday, July 28. Lake Placid, NY. Photo: taken by Andy Flynn. Read and listen to the full story on how Greg organizes the triathalon each year here.

Using a horse to drag ice blocks up a chute into the ice house at the Buster Crab camp in Onchiota (previously the Adirondack Florida School). Onchiota, NY. Circa 1940 to 1950. Photo donated by Jill McKenty.

The tour boat “New Island Wanderer III.” It was one of the boats on Paul Boat Line. 1950s or ’60s. On the St. Lawrence River near the Thousand Islands, NY. Courtesy of the Alexandria Township Historical Society.

Sis III, the third boat from Sis Boat Lines. It was a tour boat that went down the St. Lawrence River. 1940s or ’50s. On the St. Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay, NY. Courtesy of the Alexandria Township Historical Society.

The tour boat “New Island Wanderer I.” It was one of the boats on Paul Boat Line. 1950s or ’60s. On the St. Lawrence River near the Thousand Islands, NY. Courtesy of the Alexandria Township Historical Society.