“John Harding, whose body was laid at rest in the ground of St. John’s in the Wilderness, Paul Smiths yesterday, was one of those who helped to build the foundations of the present Saranac Lake in the fields of government, sports and hotel management. He was a former village president, former head of the sports association, and a former owner and manager of local resort hotels.”

I have a short piece of Mr. Harding’s obituary from The Enterprise purloined from the archives of the Saranac Lake Free Library but it tells what an active guy he was in the community.

“John Harding, widely-known hotel operator, former president [nee Mayor] of Saranac Lake and three times Supervisor of the Town of Harrietstown, died at his home at 491/2 Riverside Drive shortly before 10 o’clock this morning. He would have been 76 on the 19th of this month.

“Born in Devonshire, England on October 19th, 1862, the deceased came to this country at the age of six with his parents. In his early youth he was a clerk at Paul Smith’s Hotel.

“In 1888, he became the assistant manager of the old Ampersand Hotel on Lower Saranac Lake and in 1890 he purchased the Algonquin Hotel, at that time named the Alexander House, which he operated until 1920.

“In the same year he moved to Burlington, Vt., where he operated the Hotel Vermont until two years ago at which time he returned to Saranac Lake to take up residence here.

“Mr. Harding was elected Harrietstown Supervisor in 1891 and served three consecutive one-year terms. He was also President of this village more than two decades ago.

“He was highly active in political affairs here and played a leading role in Democratic activities in Franklin County. In 1898 he received the democratic nomination for the state assembly.” … and that is all she wrote!

–

Robert Newell obituary

–

The Newell family of Paul Smiths was well-known in the area. The 1956 telephone directory listed Clarence, Harold and Robert Newell. In this space last week were photos from the 1944 Saranac Lake High School yearbook showing Richard Newell with both the basketball and football teams.

“Funeral services will be held tomorrow for Robert Newell, 59, guide, caretaker and lifelong resident of Paul Smiths who died at his home here yesterday. Death was attributed to heart disease.

“The deceased was the son of Lovell and Eliza Redwood Newell of Paul Smiths. He received his education in schools here and spent the major part of his life as a guide and caretaker of camps in this section.

“At the time of his death he was employed at the Upper St. Regis camp of Mrs. Frederick Darte of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

“He is survived by his wife, the former Sally Martin of Gabriels, two brothers, John and Harold of Paul Smiths, a sister, Mrs. Garland of Gabriels, a son, Robert, Jr., of Bloomingdale and a daughter, Mrs. Harold Perry of Paul Smiths.”

–

Injured in car accident

–

“Mrs. S. F. Blanchet of Trudeau was reported ‘resting comfortably’ today in her residence at Trudeau recovering from slight injuries and bruises suffered in an automobile accident late yesterday afternoon.

“The accident occurred on Park Avenue when the car Mrs. Blanchet was driving struck a tree on the side of the road.”

[Maybe at that time the trees were planted too close to the road.]

–

More news from the Tri-Lakes

–

(The Post-Standard, October 11, 1938)

“SARANAC LAKE — Construction of the new recreation building at the Trudeau sanatorium is proceeding rapidly, J. J. O’Connell contractor of this village, said Monday. The cement walls of the foundation have been completed and carpentry work will soon get underway. The building is located on the site of the old recreation building on the main road diagonally across from the X-ray laboratory. [It is still there today, the last building on the right just before the intersection at the main building.]

“When completed the building will house an auditorium 65 feet long and 35 feet wide. It will have a seating capacity of more than 250, greater than the main building where gatherings were formerly held.”

–

Scout awards

–

“As the campaign headed by Dr. Homer L. Sampson to raise $1,500 for Boy Scout work in the Adirondack Council swung into action Monday. Officials of the council reminded the public of the work done by the boys during the last year.

“The work included 19 second class awards, six first class badges, four Star Scout awards, three Eagle Scout badges, two gold palm eagle badges, one silver eagle palm badge. Those were in addition to 146 merit badges for many subjects. The awards were made by 73 boys in four troops.”

–

Fobare birthday party

–

“Malcolm Fobare, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Fobare was given a party in honor of his fourth birthday at the Fobare home on McComb Street. The children played games and enjoyed refreshments. Prizes were awarded to winners in the games. Those present were Carol Miller, Jean White, Barbara Green, Russell Newell, James Lewis, Gene Walsh, James Quigley and Kenneth Kingsley. Also Mrs. Lawrence Quigley, Mrs. Orile Green, Mrs. David White, Mrs. Albert Kingsley and Mrs. J. Scott Lynch.”

–

Free lunch At St. Bernards School

–

“Court St, Bernard, CDA, will have a benefit food sale Saturday in the K. of C. home on Broadway. Money raised at the sale will be used in St. Bernard’s parochial school hot lunch fund sponsored by the Court. Children from needy families attending the school are given hot meals by the fund at no cost to them.

“Mrs. Mary Robinson, former grand regent of the court, is chairman of the committee on arrangements, assisted by Mrs. Edward J. McGrath, Mrs. Frank Miller, Mrs. Nellie Dolan, and Mrs. Joseph Foley.”

–

Lake Placid bobsled rule questioned

–

“Bobsled racers and fans are skeptical about the results of the winter’s racing on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg run due to the ordered change in the type of runner made by the International Bobsled Federation which has adopted a standard to be used wherever racing is in progress. [Remember, this is only six years after the 1932 Olympic Winter Games were held in Lake Placid.]

“The four-man sleds must carry a 10-millimeter runner with a 5-millimeter radius. The two-man sleds carry eight-millimeter runners and a four-millimeter radius. Local sliders claim that they are not adapted to use on ice runs (…) on Van Hoevenberg and they wonder what will happen.

“They will, of course, adhere to the rulings of the Federation and will start the season with the new runners. In this manner they should be accustomed to their use prior to the Olympic tryouts here in February.” [I don’t know what “Olympic” tryouts would be held in 1938. The 1936 Olympic Winter Games were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany. Perhaps it was too early to know that the 1940 and 1944 Games would be cancelled because of WWII.]

–

Class officers elected

–

“Classes at Lake Placid high school are now fully organized, each having held election of officers who will supervise the activities during the school year.

“Jack White was elected president of the senior class; William Hughes, vice-president; Anita Rand, secretary and James Melvin, treasurer. In the junior class, Joan Dixon is president; Truxton Smith, vice-president; Dorothy Benedict, secretary and Mary Rita Madden, treasurer. Martin Porter is president of the sophomore class; Elvira Schniebs, vice-president; Frances Maynard, secretary and Bart Patnode, treasurer. Peter Roland was named president of the freshman class; William Hurley, Jr., vice-president; Mary Owen, secretary and Alan Polsky, treasurer. David G. Allen, supervising principal then appointed class advisers.”

–

Tupper Lake

–

“Grove LaFountain, 24, of this village died in Mercy General Hospital about 6:50 p.m. Monday of a fractured skull suffered in an automobile accident about 2 p.m. on the TupperLake/Long Lake road near Moody.

“LaFountain, a former resident of Cranberry Lake was a passenger in a sedan driven by Philip Sharpe, 30, also of Tupper Lake. Sharpe was passing another car and crashed into the rear of a state truck parked at the side of the road, according to Patrolman Maurice Connor. Both men were employed by the Bloomfield Construction Company of Hartford, Conn., on the Tupper Lake/Long Lake road building project. Both were attended by Dr. Carter Morse. Sharpe’s injuries were reported as minor bruises.

“LaFountain is survived by his wife and a child; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mose LaFountain of Cranberry Lake; brothers Henry and Harry and a sister, Nina.”

****

[Lest this mystical phenomenon go unnoticed by my readers; although they are the sharpest in the Enterprise stratosphere — read this: Unable to find enough stories to fill another column from my copy of the October 1938 Enterprise I open a drawer full of “historical documents;” spot a stained and faded newspaper and it’s a copy of the Syracuse Post-Standard OF OCTOBER 1938 with a page full of Tri-Lakes stories. Luck is must be on my side so I am rounding up the boys and heading for Akwesasne this weekend.]