Memorial Day Weekend is often described as the unofficial start of the summer season, and as such, it prompts many to think about great summer vacations of the past — and possibly of the future! For two of us at PMP, one of those beloved trips was to Lake George, so we read with delight PMP’s Lake George Reflections: Island History and Lore, written by Frank Leonbruno with Ginger Henry Kuenzel and drawn from Frank’s decades as a New York State ranger. (Frank passed away in 2003.) We asked Ginger to tell us more about this very special place.
PMP: How long have you been a Lake George local?
GHK: I was born in the hospital in Ticonderoga and have lived in Hague ever since – sometimes year-round, sometimes just in the summer. I did go to school in Hague for four years, but I also spent many of my adult years in Munich, Germany.
PMP: When did you meet co-author Frank Leonbruno, and how did you two come to write this book together?
GHK: I first met Frank Leonbruno in 1995. I had recently moved back to the area and was working as Lake George editor for The Chronicle in Glens Falls. I wanted to write about the Lake George islands, and someone said to call Frank. We agreed to meet at the library in Bolton. He appeared with a binder full of handwritten pages about the Lake George islands. We started to flip through the pages, and I quickly realized this was far too much to cover in a single meeting. When I asked if I could borrow the binder and bring it back the next week, he brought it up to his chest, and said calmly, “This does not leave my sight.” But he did agree to meet the next week, same time and place.
When I walked into the library for our next meeting, he stood up and handed me the binder. “I did a bit of research on you,” he said. “I know who you are, and you can borrow this for as long as you need it.” I was flabbergasted and thrilled. What he had discovered was that my family’s ties to Bolton and Lake George dated back several generations. Based on the info in his binder, I wrote many columns about different islands for The Chronicle. Some time later, Purple Mountain Press asked if we’d be interested in publishing the columns as a book. More recently, I have written two other books about Lake George — Downtown and The Buzz on Lake George. Additionally, I am the editor of the book Stewards of the Water, for which I also wrote a chapter about Frank.
PMP: How has Lake George changed over the years?
GHK: Both Hague and Bolton have changed dramatically as the tourism culture has changed over the past 100 years. In the book, Frank points out how island camping changed throughout the 20th century. Initially, campers often stayed for the entire summer – until the state began limiting the length of stays. The lakeside towns also changed, as grand hotels gave way to motels and housekeeping cottages to accommodate the more middle-class tourism that developed after World War II. During this same era, much of the land around the lake was divided into small lots, which were sold to people to build summer cottages. Today, many of those families remain, but many rent out their cottages short-term in order to be able to afford to keep them.
PMP: When is the best time to visit Lake George?
GHK: It depends on what you’re looking for. Most people prefer July and August. But I prefer the other seasons. In the fall, the colors on the surrounding mountains are reflected in the oft mirror-calm lake. Hiking is exceptional, and the lake is nearly devoid of boats. Come winter, skating, ice fishing, and x-country skiing provide a welcome cure for cabin fever. Days are short – and cold. But knowing that a crackling woodfire and a hot toddy await at the end of a bone-chilling winter adventure makes it so very worthwhile.
PMP: What’s your favorite thing — a place, an activity, etc. — in Lake George that you think might be ‘under the radar’?
GHK: If I told you that, it would no longer be under the radar, would it? But here’s something I can share. My motto for my hometown is: Hard to get there, harder to leave. That’s mainly because one has to drive a steep and winding mountain road to get here. But Hague is also a mindset. People who choose this town want to spend time in the slow lane, to tune out the world and tune in to the Lake George feeling. And what’s that, you might ask? I can’t explain it, but you’ll know it when you feel it.
Ginger will be presenting “Reflecting on Lake George Reflections” on July 17th at 6:30 at the Bolton Free Library in Bolton Landing, NY.
To learn more about Ginger’s work and read her history & travel blog, visit: https://utopianstate.com/
PMP: How long have you been a Lake George local?