Apollos Smith
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Apollos Smith | |
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Born | August 20, 1825 Milton, Vermont, United States |
Died | December 15, 1912 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | (aged 87)
Occupation | Hotelier |
Apollos "Paul" Smith (1825–1912) was an American hunting and fishing guide from Vermont who founded the Saint Regis House in the Town of Brighton, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains. It was known universally as Paul Smith's Hotel, one of the first wilderness resorts in the Adirondacks. In its day, it was the most fashionable of the many great Adirondack hotels, patronized by American presidents, celebrities, and the power elite of the latter half of the 19th century. It was a large operation, with 255 rooms, stables, and many other amenities.
The hamlet of Paul Smiths, New York, was named after the hotel. Paul Smith's College was founded at this site in the 1930s by a bequest from Smith's youngest son Phelps.
History
19th century
Smith was born August 20, 1825, in Milton, Vermont. When he was 16, he left home and found work as a boatman on a canal boat on Lake Champlain; in his spare time, he went hunting and fishing in the Adirondacks, which at that time was largely wilderness with some Native American settlements. In time, Smith became known as a prominent hunting and fishing guide in the Loon Lake region.
In 1848, he rented a house on Loon Lake which he ran as a small hotel for loggers and hunters, aided by his mother and father. In 1852, Smith bought 200 acres (0.81 km2) near Loon Lake on the North Branch of the Saranac River for $300. Here he built "Hunter's Home", a primitive hotel with one large living room and kitchen, and ten small sleeping quarters; the bar was self-service—a barrel of whiskey with a dipper in a corner of the living room. It was popular from the start with the doctors, lawyers and other professional men from eastern cities with whom Smith had developed a relationship as their hunting guide.
In 1858, some of Smith's guests suggested him to build a more comfortable hotel, one to which they could bring their wives; one offered to loan Smith the money to build it. Smith bought 50 acres (200,000 m2) on
Smith's real estate transactions were legendary as the northern Adirondacks became increasingly desirable as a resort destination. In one transaction, he bought 13,000 acres (53 km2) for twenty thousand dollars, and sold 5 acres (20,000 m2) for the same price. At one point he owned 30,000 acres (120 km2). When he sold land, it was generally to his wealthy clientele, many of whom built Great Camps on the nearby lakes, using lumber from Smith's mill.
The hotel expanded steadily to 255 guest rooms, and featured a bowling alley, a large casino, several dormitories for guides and other help, and a stable for 60 horses. At the same time, Smith was involved in lumbering operations, developing a sawmill, and retail stores and shops.
He established the area's first electric company, with hydroelectric plants on the
20th century
In 1906, Smith built an electric railroad line seven miles (11 km) south to Lake Clear, to connect with the Mohawk and Malone Railway. Together Smith and Louis Marshall were prominent supporters in gaining the "Forever Wild" Amendment to the New York State Constitution, to preserve Adirondack Park. It went into effect on January 1, 1895.[1][2]
The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.
Guests of the hotel included US Presidents Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, as well as P. T. Barnum, E. H. Harriman, Whitelaw Reid, J. P. Morgan and Anson Phelps Stokes.
Smith died on December 15, 1912, at the
Gallery
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Paul and Lydia Smith's gravestone at nearby St. John's in the Wilderness Episcopal Church. He donated the land on which the church stands.
See also
- Paul Smith's College
- Paul Smith's Electric Light and Power and Railroad Company Complex
- Paul Smiths, New York
References
Notes
- ISBN 0-8156-0741-5
- ^ New York State Conservationist "Golden Anniversary" issue, August 1995, pages 22-25; Reprinted from the New York State Conservationist, December 1965.
Sources
- Collins, Geradine. The Biography and Funny Sayings of Paul Smith, Paul Smiths College, Paul Smiths, NY. 1965.
- Donaldson, Alfred L. A History of the Adirondacks, The Century Co., New York. 1921.
External links
- "Apollos' Fortune". Time. 1937-04-05. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- New York Times, December 16, 1912, "Paul Smith Dead: Famous Guide and Hotel Proprietor Succumbs to Operation".
- Paul Smith's College - History of the College[permanent dead link]
- History of the Town of Brighton