Colvin Crew Recovery No. 2 October 4th, 1997 Gore Mountain Recovery of Colvin’s

Signal Station Bolt No. 71 (D.H.)

North Creek, N.Y.

a Retro – Recovery – Report by Jim Schaller

GORE MOUNTAIN “… a most remarkable mountain” Verplanck

Colvin 1877

Seventeen members of the Colvin Crew , and guests gathered at the Gore Mountain Ski Center’ s

Base Lodge on October 4th. 1997. We took the Chairlift up to it’s end, then hiked up

a haul road to the summit. From the Fire Tower, we measured 828 ’ S. W. to

the site of Colvin’s Signal Station. On the south summit, we recovered the drill hole

which was Colvin’s Bolt No. 71 – surrounded by rusty Ring-Bolts, wire , and staples. Also, the U. S. G. S. Plug (bolt) No. 468, of 1942 –

a short distance away.

Special thanks to the O.R.D.A. employees of the Gore Mountain Ski Center, for their assistance,

and Colvin Crew member John Deming - for the

compass bearing we used to locate the D.H. of Bolt No. 71.

Also, the N.Y.S.D.E.C. office in Albany N.Y. , for the

copies of Colvin’s notes on Gore Mountain.

( Today )

Adirondack Survey High Signal –

Gore Mountain 1884

( Photo from Report )

Colvin Crew Recovery No. 2 – Gore Mt. Attending were 13 Crew members , and

4 guests - as follows : Supt. Kerm Remele Bob Marvin Jim Schaller (guide) Barb Marvin Bernard Graham John Scanlon Shawn Graham Ellen Scanlon Bob Schurman Brian Magee Bill Barrett Chelsea Magee Bud Thompson George Butts Tom Martin Larry Rathman Dick Cambridge

Fire Tower on Gore Mtn. -

covered with commo equip’t and in the fog !

Gore Mountain’s Ski Center Chairlift took the Crew part way up the Mountain – and later back down to the Ski

Lodge. ( Kerm , and Shawn & Bernard Graham )

the massive bulk of Gore Mountain

- from the south. ( detail from a 1960’s Postcard )

Supt. Kerm Remele’s Report for the 2nd Recovery also appeared in the Jan. 1998 issue of the “ EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR ” :

In my own Journal entry - I noted - “ Seventeen Crew Members took the chairlift , and hiked up

the haul road to Gore ’s summit. I had been given a bearing, and distance to Colvin ’s Bolt

by John Deming. ( from the USC&GS disc under the Fire Tower) we slowly

measured out the 828 ft. - on a S-21 deg. W mag. bearing . That took us very close to the U.S.G.S. Bolt No. 468

on an elevated rock on the south summit. At first disappointed, we soon found three large eye-bolts –

some with thick wire, and staples attached . Then- at dead – center – a drill hole – the size of a Colvin Bolt.

This was it - but the bolt was long gone. After the descent, we had our meeting at the Gore Mountain

Ski Lodge. ” - J S

1 ½ in.

STAPLE found with heavy wire - used to attach Eye Bolts to wooden legs of the HIGH SIGNAL

TOWER on Gore Mountain.

1997

PLAN: Signal Tower on Gore Mountain

1882

Survey Signal Station Bolt No .71

“Gore Mountain from Minerva“ ( Adirondack Survey photo ) c. 1890 (Adirondack Museum collection)

Detail from 1898 “13th Lake” Topo Map - published prior to the building of the steel Fire Tower (1918) or the setting of the U.S.C.& G.S.

Survey Sta. disc “GORE” under the tower in 1942 . It shows only the “Moores Mine” (later –the

Barton – Moores Garnet Mine).The triangle on the south end of the summit is surely the

Adirondack Survey’s Signal Station No. 71 .

Triangulation Map from Colvin’s 1880 Report –

showing Mt. Gore’s Signal Station No.71 .

from Charles Harnett’s article in the July 1992 EMPIRE STATE

SURVEYOR – on Verplanck Colvin

from U.S.C.& G.S. “Gore”

showing our _ _ bushwhack _ _

S - 21 deg. –W 828’ - to the D.H. of Adirondack Survey

Bolt No. 71 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( recent Topo map

showing the Fire Tower,

U.S.C.&.G.S. Sta.“Gore”, a communications tower

on the property line , and ski trails.)

DH of Bolt 71

( Commo Tower )

Colvin’s “ High Signal ”

description - 1884 :

USC&GS Sta. ”GORE”

Kerm Remele, Shawn & Bernard Graham head for

the Chairlift .

Gore Mountain Ski Area Chairlift base

Barb & Bob Marvin on the haul road up Gore Mtn.,

as Dick Cambridge takes a break

High on the trail up Gore Mtn.

Crew approaches the Fire Tower

Gore Mtn. Ski Area

The Crew shares picnic tables with tourists on

Gore Mtn.

In the Ski Lodge , Kerm lays out plans

for the day.

The Adirondack Survey’s Signal Station Towers on Gore Mountain - 1880, 1884

From a Colvin SIGNAL BOOK

“First Signal (Station)

Gore Mountain” built by :

Mitchel Sebattis George Weldon &

Reynolds 1880

Signal Sta. 71 Height: 24.675’

Number of legs: 4

High Signal Gore Mountain

1884 (photo) from Report

From a Colvin Survey Field Book – showing

the Signal Tower's dimensions , materials, and observations - 1884.

OUTER TOWER: Height of signal to platform: 34’, Total to top center pole 51’. Four legs , Platform 10’ x 10’.

4 ring-bolts. HIGH TRIPOD:

Height – 33’ 8 ¼”, Three legs, 14’ on side, 3 ring-bolts.

Colvin’s Station

description notes that the High Signal

was destroyed

about 1888.

Colvin’s detail of the base of the first Signal on Gore Mtn.

(“Old Ladder Signal ”) The Surveyor directly occupied the

transit over the station bolt. The signal had a log “crib” around the four legs – 4 logs high (and 4’ high) . He noted that the legs, or

log crib blocked a couple of sights - including to “Kismet” (Little Moose Mtn.). With the clearing of timber

on the summit, these Mountain Signal Stations were sighted:

Black, Blue, Cathead, Prospect, Craine’s, Peaked, Snowy, Cloud Cap

(Blue Ridge) , and Dug.

Mitchel Sebattis Abenaki Guide

1884

1880

Verplanck Colvin’s map of “the Mountains of Saratoga County”

- showing GORE Mtn. ( N. Y. S. Archives )

Signal Stations sighted from Gore Mtn.: Green Hill, Pharaoh Mtn., Oak Hill,

Adams Hill, Black Mtn., Prospect Mtn., Crain’s Mtn., and Cathead Mtn.

Colvin Crew: Bob Schurman, Kerm Remele, Barb Marvin, Shawn & Bernard Graham,

Dick Cambridge, George Butts, Tom Martin, Bill Barrett, Ellen & John Scanlon,

Larry Rathman, Chelsea & Brian Magee, Jim Schaller, and Bud Thompson

Supt. Kerm Remele on track towards the Colvin Bolt

- along the 828 ft. bushwhack from the Fire Tower to the South summit of Gore Mt.

Kerm “boxes out” a blaze on a Spruce tree

near the south summit of Gore Mtn.

The U.S.G.S. bolt No. 468 is recovered

The U.S.G.S. Bolt No. 468

is 20 ” from the Colvin Drill - Hole

The crew then searched for Colvin’s Bolt No. 71 – but only found its drill hole. Then the Iron Ring Bolts were sought - finding three – with heavy

wire attached . Brian Magee - looking for the survey points.

Drill-Hole from Bolt No. 71 , and one of the iron ring-bolts with wire found

A Gore Mountain Trail Tale - and a “ Supposition ” It was in 1996, when I made an attempt to find Colvin’s bolt No. 71 on Gore Mtn. ( before we found it to be gone ) I happened to meet an employee of ORDA – which runs the Gore Mtn. Ski area, and property. I told him my story, and he offered to drive me to the summit in his 4x 4 Jeep. In our conversation, he told me he had found a second bolt set by Colvin – on the extreme western edge of the summit. But, in 1995, the infamous “Derecho” (or Microburst) wind storm – brushed the summit, and toppled, split off, or uprooted almost all the trees (mostly Spruce) on the western edge of the summit, and that bolt was now under the impenetrable windfall damage. He didn’t remember if the bolt had a number or not. I checked the area and he was correct - a devastated sight of forest destruction covered the west summit, yet the rest was undamaged !

1954 U.S.G.S. Topographic Map “13th Lake” showing a “ “ on the west edge of Gore Mountain's summit.

Colvin’s notes on the Gore Mountain Signal Tower made me think - that the only settlement, or commercial activity close to the base of Gore - were the Garnet Mines – located right up to the W. base of the mountain, as these photos from Colvin’s 1895 Report show. He needed to locate, and map those facilities - and – that Bolt on the west rim of Gore was Then, a new Survey point (or points)

what we know now as a “Wing Point”. could be set in the valley - to locate the mining buildings , and other topography. - JS

The 1954 U.S.G.S. Topo Map clearly shows the “Triangle”, or survey point

( Wing Point ) in the location I was told about by the ORDA employee in 1996 –

southwest of the Fire Tower. And - the bolt is surely still there -

under the slowly rotting away of the 1995 blowdown , and now –

enveloped by new tree growth. Colvin Crew Recovery No. 2 Oct. 4, 1997 Gore Mountain Retro – Report & Postscript Respectfully Submitted -

Jim Schaller - 2019

a Postscript