The recent reading from Philip G. Terrie's "Contested
Terrain," describing the early days of European colonizers in the
Adirondacks, explores the idea of romanticism and the part this played in
Emmon's "promotion" of the area. This stuck out to me for several
reasons, namely because people hold a very similar attitude to the Adirondacks
and wilderness today. Terrie writes, “[people] came just to fish, hunt,
and restore body and soul amid the scenic and recreational glories of the
Adirondacks,” (12).
While Terrie initially describes the draw that the Adirondacks had, it became very clear to me that there was a distinct socio-economic class distinction as only the wealthy had the opportunity for retreat. I found this troubling for many reasons, namely because the wilderness is a place for everyone to enjoy and shouldn’t be restricted to just one class. Also, I was so surprised by this fact about the Adirondacks’ early history because it seems that this class divide has greatly dissolved over time to include a wide range of people and financial statuses today. While it is very common to see a huge lake house with speedboats and jet skis, it is just as easy to see small business owners running local shops, who surely face financial struggles from time to time in a country where Walmart is king.
So, while the romantic quality of the Adirondacks has persevered over time, I think that now, part of that charm is from the people who have built their lives in the Park and call it home, while respecting the land for what it has given them. I will be interested to see at what point in time in its history did the Adirondacks became a more inclusive place of retreat and at what time did more lower and middle class people began to settle there.
While Terrie initially describes the draw that the Adirondacks had, it became very clear to me that there was a distinct socio-economic class distinction as only the wealthy had the opportunity for retreat. I found this troubling for many reasons, namely because the wilderness is a place for everyone to enjoy and shouldn’t be restricted to just one class. Also, I was so surprised by this fact about the Adirondacks’ early history because it seems that this class divide has greatly dissolved over time to include a wide range of people and financial statuses today. While it is very common to see a huge lake house with speedboats and jet skis, it is just as easy to see small business owners running local shops, who surely face financial struggles from time to time in a country where Walmart is king.
So, while the romantic quality of the Adirondacks has persevered over time, I think that now, part of that charm is from the people who have built their lives in the Park and call it home, while respecting the land for what it has given them. I will be interested to see at what point in time in its history did the Adirondacks became a more inclusive place of retreat and at what time did more lower and middle class people began to settle there.
Although many classes do co-exist in the Adirondacks, the class divide is still very present. The wealthy second home owners have interests in buying out small farms and businesses to build large lake houses and create small summer subdivisions, where very little interaction between classes happens. A good example of the visible class divide is Old Forge. In the summer, Old Forge is filled with wealthy families eating in expensive restaurants and buying expensive home decor. In the winter, you'll find the local diner inundated with farmers and the hardware store buzzing, but hardly anyone can be seen in the home decor outlets or real estate offices. There is very little in the way of communication between classes, so the interests in the park remain vastly different.
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