Lake Placid News, April 29, 1938 Hunting and fishing brought some of the earliest outsiders into the Adirondacks, especially after the publication of W.H.H. Murray's 1869 Adventures in the Wilderness.
Plattsburgh Sentinel, May 25, 1888
—A party, consisting of F. C. Geiger, of East Orange, N. J., H. T. Hull and H. N. Smith, also of New Jersey, with Reuben Reynolds and Silas Flagg as guides, have returned in good spirits from a trip up the lakes. While all of the party caught fine large trout, Mr. Geiger caught the "banner" trout, which weighed nineteen pounds, seven hours after being taken from the water. Mr. G. has the trout ready for transportation, and this forenoon is fishing at D. Cameron's fish preserve to get a string of speckled trout, to carry home with him to day.
Malone Palladium, July 30, 1903
At Saranac Lake on Monday, in an action against SOLOMON BARCOMBE, of Brandon, before Justice R. H. MCINTYRE, WILLIAM ROCKEFELLER obtained a judgment against BARCOMBE of $205, for fishing on his private park without permission. As a body execution can be issued on this judgment, it maybe that this man will find fishing on private property, without consent, quite annoying.
New York Times, August 16, 1908
[…]
The fish are not biting as well as usual this Summer [in the St. Regis Lakes], although the experienced anglers are bringing in their usual good catches. This is attributed to the maintenance of the water levels, which affords plenty of feed for the trout. Anglers with rod and reel are amazed at the experience of James Slavin, who killed a large rainbow trout with the butt of his gun. The incredulous who thought that trout fishing might not be as good as veteran anglers claim had their doubts dispelled when Mr. Slavin related his adventure. He had gone out for a stroll and took his gun along. In crossing Wellar Brook only a few rods from Paul Smith's hotel, Mr. Slavin saw a good-sized wave wash a large rainbow trout upon a sand bar just inside the mouth of the brook where it flows into Lower St. Regis Lake. He quicklv dropped from the road to the sand bar and killed the trout, which tipped the scales at 6 1/4 pounds. It is the largest rainbow trout ever taken in these waters.
[…]
George Doty. Plattsburgh Daily Press, August 24, 1937 
Skater and bobsledder Ed Horton
Plattsburgh Daily Press, August 3, 1937
31-POUND LAKE TROUT IS CAUGHT
SARANAC LAKE, Aug. 2 (AP) — A lake trout weighing 31 pounds and measuring 39 inches was caught in upper Saranac Lake by George Doty, one-legged World War veteran.
Doty said it took him 45 minutes to land the monster fish, believed by conservation officials here to be the largest on record to be caught in the lake.
Dr. J.R. Romeyn, at Bartletts, about 1888, by George W. Baldwin (Adirondack Museum) Adirondack Daily Enterprise, December 2, 1986
Bartlett built hotel at traveller's crossroad
[...]
The famous fisherman was Dr. J. R. Romeyn of Keeseville, who first came to Bartlett's in 1855. He returned each spring for 45 years to enjoy the trout fishing at the rapids. He was an ardent fly fisherman, as was his friend Van Dyke, and together they claimed that the best fly fishing in all of the Adirondacks existed right there in Bartlett's front yard. This was probably true during Romeyn's early visits but by 1900, the year of his last trip, trout fishing was on the wane. A quote from Donaldson's history records the passing of both the trout and the faithful Dr. Romeyn in his inimitable style.
"At last, in the spring of 1901, he came no more, and early in the following year he died. Men said he did not come because he died; but we who knew the lonely fisherman will always think he died because he could not come."
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, August 1, 1987
When Paul Smith's served as Coolidge's summer White House
Coolidge at Paul Smiths
[...]
Calvin Coolidge was an avid fisherman and he planned to take full advantage of the opportunities at his doorstep. Both bass and pike were available in Osgood Pond, and he enjoyed a standing invitation from William Rockefeller to fish the trout streams coursing his private park at nearby Bay Pond. Wading was the President's favorite way to pursue the speckled trout and the brooks of Bay Pond Park were noted for these beauties. Orman Doty of Rainbow Lake and Oscar Otis, who was Kirkwood's caretaker, served as guides on the fishing expeditions. The two local men agreed that Coolidge was not only a good fisherman but a kind and considerate companion as well.
See also
