Ti Town

Every time we discuss the readings in class, we get back to the tourism industry and how it both helps and harms the park. When we returned from our field trip, Gaby pointed out that tourists who visit The Wild Center most likely stay in hotels and eat in restaurants in Lake Placid instead of in Tupper Lake, which is a bit run down. In the 1950s, Adirondack businesses fought to have the Northway (Interstate 87) go through their towns when it was being planned because they knew it would increase commerce (Terrie). Accessibility for tourists makes or breaks a town’s economy, as we can see with Tupper Lake, which is far from the Northway, and Lake Placid, which is close to it. However, the Northway isn’t the only factor that affects a town’s tourism. Ticonderoga, New York is close to the Northway but doesn’t depend on tourism for its economy. The people of Ticonderoga depend on International Paper (IP), and when a town depends on one large employer, the company’s business decisions can curse the fate of the town.

IP is the primary employer of Ticonderoga and other surrounding Adirondack towns. IP used to have a mill on the La Chute River, which flows from Lake George into Lake Champlain, cutting through Ticonderoga on the way. The mill employed men from all over the park who would go to the bars in Ticonderoga after every shift, providing a steady flow of money into the town (Bramen). The mill emitted a disgusting stench in the center of town, due to the chemicals used in paper processing, so in 1969, the mill moved 7 miles north of Ticonderoga. On days when the wind blows towards the south you can still smell the horrible sulfur stench from 7 miles away. The original mill in the town of Ticonderoga was within walking distance of the bars; the new mill outside of town is too far from the bars so the employees head home after work to their own towns, like Schroon Lake and Crown Point, and don’t invest any money into Ticonderoga’s economy (Bramen).  Even though the mill is the primary employer of Ticonderoga, it made many Ticonderoga small business owners lose their income when it moved to its new location outside of town.
Bramen, Lisa. "The Last Mill Town." Adirondack Life May 2015: 48+. Print.

Terrie, Philip G. Contested Terrain: A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks. Blue Mountain Lake, NY: Adirondack Museum, 1997. Print.

Claire is going to peer edit this for me by Friday