Strange Company: French expats and John Brown in the 'dacks

      The Adirondacks attract a great variety of people, each with their own reason for venturing into its wilds. Poor settlers looking to make it big, rich city folk looking for a breath of fresh air, intrepid trappers intent upon cornering the market. And even, it seems, French expatriates fleeing the guillotine. The image of French noblemen building a refuge in the wilds of upstate New York seems incredibly incongruous. Like most settlers, the members of Castorland found their dreams of an agrarian lifestyle sorely tried by the Adirondack's thin soil and long winters. Whatever society they had dreamed of building was trampled by the harsh reality that so many others faced. This, more than anything, speaks to me of how persuasive the idea of the Adirondacks had become to people of the time. The Adirondacks were the unexplored frontier, rich in possibility. Even an ocean away, such potential was difficult to ignore, particularly with the threat of the guillotine hanging over one's head.
        Having not heard it before, I found the story of John Brown's relationship with the Adirondacks incredibly interesting. Even more so when I read that he is buried near Lake Placid, a place I've visited many of times. Prior to this, I had only heard of John Brown in reference to his involvement in Harper's Ferry, and so was blown away by what seemed an entirely different side to the militant abolitionist. According to Schneider, Brown loved the Adirondacks and was fully determined that he be buried there. He endeavored to help the newly freed slaves that had also settled in the area, succeeding only to a limited degree (another testament to the Adirondack's thin soil and short growing season). After doing further research on Brown, I find myself both drawn to and repulsed by his single-mindedness. While I respect his abolitionist ideal, the bloodiness of his involvement in Kansas and West Virginia are hard to stomach. Nonetheless, Brown's love for the Adirondacks is further proof of the area's ability to attract people from all walks of life. Add 'zealots' to the ever-growing list of people that have found a home there.