What’s With Those Adirondack Mountain Names?

By Robert C. Lawrence

It was a beautiful June day on a peaceful, calm Lake Durant, located not far from the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake. Schools were not yet out for the summer, so the adjacent Lake Durant State Campground (William Durant, builder of Adirondack Great Camps) was empty. A pair of adult and young loons put a show on for my wife and me as we sat in our kayaks. While observing these majestic Adirondack icons, we noticed Blue Mountain looming above us. Knowing that I have both a degree and a self-taught background in history, my wife, Carol Ann, asked, “Where does Blue Mountain get its name?” I told her I did not know the answer and suggested we drive to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake (now the Adirondack Experience) the following day to buy a book on regional place names.

The next day we went to the museum and found nothing on this subject. Thus, I began my quest to research place names for Blue Mountain and other Adirondack Park peaks. There are hundreds of mountains, so I had to limit my study. I settled on the 100 highest, Saranac Lake 6er, Tupper Lake Triad, and some personal choice peaks.

As I continued, I learned that I was studying toponymy, a geographic term for studying human and natural place names such as cities, countries, rivers and mountains. The word comes from the Greek topos for “place” and onoma for a “name.” Those places are called toponyms, and a mountain place name is an oronym.

The book is arranged alphabetically, providing pertinent information such as elevation, location, and name origin for hikers, tourists, day-trippers, Adirondackers, and Adirondack wannabees.

The Troy Book Makers beautifully put it together. The stunning cover photograph of Lake Durant with Blue Mountain is where the story started and is by Adirondack photographer Mark Bowie. 

What’s With Those Adirondack Mountain Names? is available at the following retail locations: Market Block Books (Troy), The Book House (Albany), Open Door Bookstore (Schenectady), Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga Springs), and Mountainman Outdoors (Old Forge and Saratoga Springs), Old Mountain Coffee and The Mountaineer (Keene Valley),

The Bookstore Plus (Lake Placid), The Book Nook (Saranac Lake), The Wild Center and Raquette River Brewing (Tupper Lake), Hoss’s Country Corner (Long Lake), Keaton and Lloyd (Rome), on Amazon.com, and at other locations in and around the region.

Here are two entries from the book.

Blue Mountain – USGS elevation 3,750 ft., Central Region, Hamilton County, Town of Indian Lake.

Blue Mountain had several previous names. The native people called it To-war-loon-da (Hill of Storms). The mountain for a brief time was called Mount Emmons for Ebeneezer Emmons, who was the NYS Geologist at that time and headed the first geological survey group of the Adirondacks.

However, Adirondack guides felt that Blue Mountain almost always appeared in shades of blue and was appropriately named. For a brief time, the mountain was called Mount Clinch in honor of Charles Powell Clinch (1797-1880), a member of the NYS Assembly and one of the Adirondack Survey promoters. Author Russell Carson said William Redfield, while traveling on the Steamboat “Franklin” on Lake Champlain in 1836, gave Blue Mountain its name not wanting to be confused with the Green Mountains of Vermont.

In 1876, Blue Mountain played an essential role during Verplanck Colvin’s Survey. He needed to have the surveying party members synchronize their watches with the Dudley Observatory in Albany. So, at precisely 9pm each night, he set off a series of powder flashes. These glitters of light would create such an event for the locals that they called it “Mr. Colvin’s Fireworks.” 

The Blue Mountain House, a log hotel that stood on a mountain spur and built by an early resident, Miles Tyler Merlin, was named for the mountain. The hotel housed up to 100 guests. This hotel, later called the Merlin Hotel, was moved to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake (now the Adirondack Experience), where it sits on its grounds.

The National Register of Historic Places listed Blue Mountain’s fire tower as worthy of preservation. You can observe many mountains from Blue Mountain’s 360-degree view.

Ampersand Mountain – USGS elevation 3,352 ft., Northern Region, Franklin County, Town of Harrietstown.

Verplanck Colvin credited Dr. William Watson Ely (1812-1879) with the Ampersand place name. Dr. Ely was known for his “Map of the New York Wilderness,” which guided many people and put the Saranac Lakes (Lower, Middle and Upper) on the map.

However, historians disagreed with where this mountain derived its name. Two theories predominate. Alfred Donaldson discussed one of these theories in his book, A History of the Adirondacks. He stated that Verplanck Colvin prefers the explanation he said in one of his reports, “I attribute the name to the bright, yellow sandy shores and islands, which make it truly Amber-sand Lake.” 

Stuart Ludlum, in his book, Exploring the Adirondack Mountains 100 Years Ago, stated a more common theory. He said, “It is such a crooked stream so bent and curved and twisted upon itself, so fond of turning around corners and sweeping away in great circles from its direct course, that its first explorers christened it after the eccentric supernumerary of the alphabet which appears in old spelling books as &.” 

It is more likely that Verplanck Colvin was correct and that it came from amber sand because Ampersand Lake nearby had that color of sand. Undoubtedly, very few people in that era would have known about the symbol for the ampersand (&).

Ampersand was a vital mountain in Verplanck Colvin’s Adirondack Survey because of the accurate readings that could be taken from, causing him to clear the tree-covered summit to make way for a survey station. Verplanck Colvin created the barren rock landscape for Ampersand Mountain, which today forms an opportunity for hikers to have a superb view of three Saranac Lakes: Upper, Middle and Lower.

A fire tower on Ampersand Mountain was erected in 1911 and was disassembled by NYS in 1977. Although the fire tower had many fire observers during its history, probably the most famous observer was Walter Channing Rice (1852-1924). He was an observer from 1915 to 1923 and earned the nickname “The Hermit of Ampersand” as he stayed up on the mountain from April until late fall. Far from a hermit, he was very much aware of what was going on in the world. Due to health issues, he was forced to leave his post in 1923, and passed away the following year. A tablet on a rock on Ampersand Mountain erected by his sons in 1930 commemorates this man’s memory.

Ampersand, St. Regis, Baker, McKenzie, Scarface, and Haystack make up the Saranac Six mountains. To become a Saranac Lake 6er, a hiker must climb the mountains as mentioned above. Upon completion, the hiker would go to Berkeley Green, located on Main and Broadway in downtown Saranac Lake, to ring “The 6er Bell.”

To acquire the Saranac Lake 6er patch and certificate with a number, the hiker would pay $10 to the Village of Saranac Lake and complete the necessary info. To become an “Ultra 6er,” a hiker must leave Berkeley Green, climb all six mountains in a continuous 24-hour period, and end at Berkeley Green.

Bob Lawrence (adkmountainnames@gmail.com) is a retired educator and has had a lifetime love for the Adirondacks. He resides in Saratoga County with his wife, Carol Ann, and their wire-haired dachshund, Adirondack, Adi for short. They spend time in the Adirondacks whenever they can, enjoying all it offers.