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| The Vagabonds camping along the Ausable River, September 1916. Photograph by Richard Walker, courtesy of Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake |
A few decades after Adirondack
Murray inspired Americans to holiday in the Adirondacks, a new group of
wilderness aficionados, self-dubbed “The Vagabonds,” redirected the public’s
interest in the wilderness. In 1916, the Adirondack “frontier aura” was fading
and elegant vacations, characterized by the Gilded Age, were losing popularity
(Folwell 2014). However, as the automobile industry flourished in early 20th
century America, a new style of camping emerged: car-camping. The Vagabonds
spearheaded the trend of road tripping through the Adirondacks, yet this collision
of modernity and wilderness had both positive and negative consequences.
Who were “The
Vagabonds”?
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| Firestone by his car, Photo in Adirondack Life August 2014. Print. |
Despite their name, The Vagabonds
was not a group of social rogues. Rather, each man was famous in 20th
century American society for one reason or another. Their actual names were
Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs. Ford and
Burroughs were iconic figures in the automobile industry. (Firestone was the
founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the largest rubber
businesses in the world (Wikipedia)). Additionally, renowned inventor Edison
and best-seller nature writer Burroughs completed the miscellaneous group.
What did they do?
From 1916
to 1924, the Vagabonds annually took a road trip throughout the Adirondacks. Appropriately,
Ford originally organized the car-camping trip (though he missed the first trip
due to publicity reasons) (Folwell 2014). In their inaugural road trip, The
Vagabonds covered about 50-100 miles a day from Lake George to Plattsburgh and
along the way they “sought flat clearings for camping, sparkling streams for
bathing and starry nights for discussing world affairs”(Ibid. 2014). Burroughs
enjoyed the trip so much that he recounts, “…I do not know which I owe the most
to – the campfires or the car. I am only sure I took a most delightful shaking
up such that I had no had for 40 years”(Ibid. 2014).
Implications?
Although their first road trip remained
fairly incognito, the Vagabond’s presence in the Adirondacks in 1919 received a
lot of publicity. Moreover, the way in which the group camped began to change. Instead
of a simplistic camping experience that required only necessities, their new
camping style included many accommodations such as a “20-by-20 foot [food]
shelter with a round table, complete with lazy Susan and lights” in their later
trips (Ibid. 2014). This change in camping style reflected a distinct shift in
the Vagabond’s attitude towards nature. In their trip in 1919, the Vagabonds
brought superfluous, modern comforts into the Adirondacks with them.
Although the Vagabonds disbanded in
1924, their car-camping legacy led to the establishment of many public
campsites in the Adirondack Park today. On the one hand, the car-camping
phenomenon increased the accessibility of the Adirondacks to the average
citizen, therefore the trend is commendable. However, because cars still allow individuals to transport a plethora
of personal belongings into the park, this style of camping nonetheless begs
the question: Are modern comforts necessary for humans to enjoy nature? Or,
rather, do they negate the character of wilderness itself?
Works Cited
Folwell, Elizabeth. “The Vagabonds: Ford, Firestone, Edison
and Burroughs and the birth of Adirondack car-camping.” Adirondack Life. 24 June 2014. Web. 2 April 2016.
TheHenryFord YouTube Channel: Benson Ford Research Center
Film Source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qXzrwNoTo
I found this really interesting, especially because we haven't touched on tourism during this time period much. I wonder if there are other famous groups, more recently, that have begun setting trends in a similar manner. The question of modern comforts in the park is controversial. We've had a similar debate in class, in regards to what defines a camp. I think some people define their ideal camping with just themselves, wilderness, and the necessities, whereas others feel like they can and should bring the modern comforts with them to enjoy nature.
ReplyDeleteI honestly love car camping. Combining the American love for the open road with a more accessible style of camping makes for a great experience. Most importantly, car camping is family camping. As spry, young, and independent college students we have the luxury of idealizing a more rustic, one-on-one wilderness experience, but that requires a certain level of athletic ability and maturity that families may not be able to manage. For children who love exploring the woods but can't sleep without their teddy and Mom close by, for grandparents who'd love to teach the kids to fish but can't portage the canoe miles through the forest, car camping is a blessing.
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