Prior to 1760s
It is unknown when the first humans came and settled in what is now the Lake Pleasant/Speculator region, but there has been evidence of historical artifacts found that proves that humans have been here for quite some time. Whether they were year-round residents or migrated south for the winter months is unknown.
Sometime later the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) tribes of the Haudenosaunee Nation (Iroquois Confederacy) were believed to have used this region for their hunting grounds, but lived in the Mohawk valley.
1760+
Lewey Lake in Speculator was named after “Lige” Lewis Elijah, son of the Abenaki, Sabael Benedict of Indian Lake.
1765 – 1783 – The American Revolution broke out in the 13 English Colonies and separated themselves from the British Empire. The 13 colonies joined as one nation in 1776 and called themselves the United States of America. The Region of Lake Pleasant became part of the Town of Caughnawaga in Montgomery County
1767 – Brothers Edward and Ebenezer Jessup were granted land by the British Crown of 4100 acres, what is now part of Hamilton, Essex, and Warren County. This was called Jessup’s Patent. The Jessup River is named after these brothers.
1771 – Manhattan Shipwrights Joseph Totten and Stephen Crossfield petitioned for permission to buy 1,115,000 acres in the Adirondacks. This was called the Totten and Crossfield Purchase.
1776 – A Tory Loyalist named John Johnson, 170 of his tenants and allies among the Iroquois Confederacy fled through the Adirondack Mountains to Montreal Canada. Possibly following the Sacandaga Trail that went through this region.
1805+
1805 – The Town of Wells was established and owned the Lake Pleasant region.
1810 – Mapmaker, John Eddy, puts Long Lake, Lake Placid, and Lake Pleasant on his maps.
1811 – American Revolution Veteran, Col. Loring Peck and his son William Peck purchased land from the Greens in the Lake Pleasant region. Their family and a free African American boy settled with them.
1812 – The Town of Lake Pleasant was established.
1812 – 1815 – The War of 1812 broke out between the United States and the British Empire, including Canada. Native Americans allied with the British Empire frightened many of the first settlers out of the Town Lake Pleasant and Wells while seen hunting in the forest. Thus, creating the need of a Home Guard Militia to encourage settlers to stay.
Early settler Daniel Fish was killed during the War of 1812 at Fort Erie.
1815+
1815 – After the War of 1812 ended, the first two School Houses were built, making them out of logs.
Phillip and Mary Rhinelander moved to Lake Pleasant from New York City and built a mansion near Elm Lake. They owned a slave boy and had many other servants on the property. Rhinelander’s land was once most of what’s now Speculator’s eastern side.
1816 – Hamilton County became a Provisional County under Montgomery County.
First Religious Instruction was established in Lake Pleasant by the Montgomery County Bible Society.
1817 – William Peck opens first store in the region.
Philip and Mary Rhinelander deeded some of their land near the outlet of Lake Pleasant to Hamilton County for a Courthouse and a Jail. However, the buildings were never built in that location.
1818 – Mary Colden Rhinelander dies. Rumor of her ghost soon followed.
1823 – Philip Rhinelander leaves for New York City because of illness.
1828 – A Plague of Red Squirrels and Deer Mice afflicted crops and outhouses in the region.
1830 – Josiah Moffitt (Moffitt Beach Campground is Named After) came to Lake Pleasant and started a farm on the shore of Lake Sacandaga.
1837 – Lake Peasant’s first Post Office was built by Richard Peck.
Hamilton County became a non-provisional county.
1840+
1840 – Hezekiah Sage builds Lake Pleasant Inn.
1841 – Parts of Wells and Lake Pleasant were formed into the Town of Gilman.
1844 – The name Sageville was established on the Western side of Lake Pleasant. It was named after Hezekiah Sage because he owned most of the land. Sageville was granted a post office. What is now Speculator, was still named Lake Pleasant.
1845 – Cryus Thayer, from Troy New York, moved to Lake Pleasant and built the Red Store.
1848 – Hannah Pratt bought the Red Store
1849 – The Hamilton County Jail was finished, being built with limestone from the south side shore of Lake Pleasant. Josiah Moffitt was the mason and contractor.
1850+
Lumber Companies moved into the local regions.
1858 – Dave Sturges began building Sturges’ House.
1859 – James Aird, a Scotsman, moved to Lake Pleasant, purchased 1000 acres of land. The area was soon to be called Airdville.
1860 – Town of Gilman was dissolved and land returned to the Town of Wells and Lake Pleasant.
Samuel Call bought the Red Store and renamed it Call’s Store.
1864 – Newton’s Corners was named in what is now Speculator.
1865 – The Smallpox epidemic spread through the region. Selah Satterlie and two of his daughters died of the plague and they were buried at night in the Peck’s family gravesite. It is believed that he and his daughters are the only ones buried in Peck’s gravesite who were not family members.
1868 – Verplanck Colvin lectures at Lake Pleasant calling for Adirondack State Park and forest preserve.
1875 – Rhinelander Mansion was mysteriously burned to the ground.
1880+
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Around 1880 – Silas Call built Kun-Ja-Muck Inn. Later the Inn was called Call’s Hotel and later called Sacandaga Lake Hotel. It was located behind the Hamilton County buildings.
Early 1880’s – The large Split Rock along Gilmantown Road was named Bidwell’s Hotel, after Charles Bidwell.
Charles & Margaret Letson built Letson House.
Peter Weaver from Wells, settled in Lake Pleasant and eventually built Mountain View House.
George and Mary Perkins built a boarding house.
1888 – Edward Boehm came to Newton’s Corner to manage the New York State Fish Hatchery.
Edgar and Anna Dunning built the Lake Pleasant House.
1889 – Telegraph Line runs from Wells to Sageville.
Henry B. Slack built Slack’s Store, in what is now Speculator. This store eventually became the first of three Charlie John’s Stores.
Burton Whitney built the first summer residence in hat is now Speculator. Around 1910, Charles Nisbet bought the building and named it Nisbet.
1891+
Early 1890’s – Susan C. Morrill Dennie ran the Dunham Cottages.
1891 – The Methodist Church of Lake Pleasant was built
John Hill built the building Derloch on the western side of the lake, Lake Pleasant.
1894 – Lake Pleasant’s Town Hall Was built. (Now the Town’s Historical Museum)
John Storin purchases 2,000 acres of land at Hamilton Lake and builds Hamilton Lake Lodge.
1895+
1895 – William Osborne Sr. of Osborn Hotel and Inn, moved to Newtons Corner.
Meyrowitz erected the Bearhurst building.
1896 – The name Speculator replaced Newton Corners for the new post office address. Named after Speculator Mountain across the lake, Lake Pleasant.
The Speculator House was built.
1897 – Sageville had its name changed back to Lake Pleasant.
1898 – A telegraph line from the Town of Lake Pleasant to the Town of Wells was placed by George McCoy.
Also, a Telephone line runs from Speculator through Lake Pleasant to a tannery in Piseco.
1900+
The Tallyho Stagecoach took passengers from the Northville Train Station all the way to Lake Pleasant. Made a few stops along the way.
1900 – Dave Sturges builds an annex for his hotel
William and Nora Osborne rented Wilbur’s House which burnt to the ground that same year.
1901 – William and Nora Osborne built Osborne’s Inn
J.D. Morley’s Wells & Lake Pleasant Telephone Company place a phone in the Hamilton County clerk’s Office.
1901 – 1902 – Because of voting ballot confusion Frank Kathan and Jim Locke battled over the supremacy as Hamilton County’s Sheriff. Locke kept his prisoners locked up in Osborne Inn during the dispute.
1904+
1904 – USGS 15’ Lake Pleasant quadrangle is published.
1907 – Ground broken for Methodist Church in Speculator.
J.D.Morley built Morley’s Hotel/Sacandaga Lake Hotel behind the Courthouse where Call’s Hotel was, which later burnt in 1916.
1908 – John F. Buyce, famous for building guide boats, built a black smith shop.
1909 – NYS completes a 3.44-mile paved macadam road from Lake Pleasant to Speculator.
1912+
1912 – New York State Observation Towers began to be built around the Adirondack Park.
1913 – Snowy Mountain Lodge built at Lewey Lake by Halsey Galusha and John Burgess after the previous Lewey Lake House burnt down.
1914 – Madam Setag started Camp Setag for girls in Lake Pleasant.
Isaiah Perkins built the Adirondack Theatre.
1913 – 1918 – World War I broke out. Some veterans died and/or were wounded.
1915+
1915 – A famous Adirondak hermit, French Louie (Louis Seymour), died in Brooks Hotel and was buried at the Speculator Cemetery.
1917 – George F. Tibbitts buys 50 acres from Slack Family and establishes Camp-of-the-Woods.
Frank J. Bell bought Waighback Club for the International Paper Company. Hamilton Lake Lodge.
Hamilton Co Adirondack Club rebuilt Hamilton Inn behind the County Court House after it burnt down in 1949.
1918 – Peter Weaver built a sugar house for his sugarbush on Mount Francisco.
1920+
Winter Sports Club was organized and helped give birth to what is now called Oak Mountain. They also were involved in helping create other ski resorts and a Toboggan Run.
Ann Telfer owned Mammoth Garage. Eugene Greene eventually owned the business.
1920 – George Fuller opened a Meat Market at the four corners of Speculator.
1922 – Lake Pleasant Golf Course is established.
1923 – Gloversville’s Y.M.C.A. camp, Camp Agaming, (started in 1915) was relocated from Piseco Lake to Lake Pleasant along the northern shore of Lake Pleasant.
1925+
Dewitt Graham bought a building from Earnest Brooks, moved it to the present location and named it Graham’s hotel.
1925 – The Village of Speculator was incorporated.
1926-1928 – Gene Tunney, the Boxer, practiced at Osborne Inn.
1927 – Huge blocks of ice were used to create a Toboggan Slide.
1929 – Lake Pleasant Central School was built to replace all one room schoolhouses in the local regions.
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