Seneca Ray Stoddard had not only a great name but an enormous love for the Adirondacks. A self-trained artist and photographer Stoddard documented the people, the beauty and the every day life of the region producing 3000+ images over forty years. He passionately worked to keep the Adirondacks wild and his persistence paid off when Governor Hill signed a bill in 1892 establishing the Adirondack Park.
CLICK HERE FOR A BEAUTIFUL GLIMPSE INTO STODDARD’S WORLD
Photos courtesy Library of Congress
Author Adrienne Morris 
9 responses to “A Man Who Captured Beauty and Made a Difference”
Reminds me of the PBS series on Theodore Roosevelt. Different times back then.
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I need to see that. At the moment I’m watching Mr. Selfridge with tea each night. 🙂
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I love these old photos and what a great time period!
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The Adirondacks are still beautiful. Too bad Lake George got ruined with overdevelopment. Hopefully they will keep the rest of the Adirondacks wild no matter how much shale is under them.
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Lake George doesn’t thrill me the way Seaside Heights did when I was a kid. I LOVE living up here just a few miles from the Adirondacks. Upstate New York is a dream come true for me. The dogs love it too.
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I never liked Seaside Heights but I was never a kid. Yes Upstate New York is a dream. Unfortunately for young people it is apparently a nightmare as the majority of young adults move away.
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We stayed at Ocean beach most summers and went to Seaside only occasionally, but my father wouldn’t leave the boardwalk until he’d won each of his 4 kids a prize. We LOVED the Swiss Bob ride.
If young people didn’t get so in debt with student loans and useless college degrees maybe they could buy some land and farm or start a business they actually enjoyed–but high school guidance people and over zealous parents box kids in (I fell into this trap). It is true though that most jobs up here are government ones.
Big government and business are constantly assaulting family farms and sometimes farmers foolishly get in debt buying huge equipment etc. I could go on for hours.
Forecasters say farming will make a comeback. We’ll see. meanwhile we’re going to buy some sheep this year! I’m excited.
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We stayed in Stone Harbor. My mom would never have allowed money to be spent on boardwalk arcades. After I got sick on a ride at the old Palisade’s Amusement park, I stayed away from rides until I took my kids to Disney 3 or 4 years ago. Hope you enjoy your sheep but disagree somewhat on your view of Upstate NY economics. Family farming is not the answer to the brain drain of that area. Although college education is over priced and some schools/degrees are worthless, I am still pro education. Do you think you could be the writer you are without the education you received?
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I was being a bit too general about Upstate economics, but at one time my part of NY was dairy and wool country. Once BIG government got into it they messed with the smaller producers–they still do–convincing people to have huge indoor dairy farms. They end up with tons of debt and (to me) sad cows.
I learned more useful skills in 4 years of Catholic grammar school than I did the rest of my years of education. Every thing I learned that has mattered in my life I’ve learned on my own or while doing something I loved. So many kids party for 4 years, have massive debt and are stuck taking lousy office jobs. I see no point in that. I don’t think most of the kids I knew who went to college were in it because they loved knowledge. They went because everyone else did. I went because my parents said I should. It just wasn’t a groundbreaking experience for me.
I totally believe in education but not as it’s done now.
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