
VISUALIZING THE ADIRONDACKS AND ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY
Charles Ingham, Trap Dyke, at Avalanche Lake
Paul Champagne, Spring 2023
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
This image of the Trap Dyke on Avalanche Pass was one of fifteen sketches created by Charles C. Ingham in the mid-nineteenth century. J.H. Bufford, stamped in the bottom right, was the name of a prominent lithographic firm that purchased and printed Ingham’s art. These prints are significant to regional history because American geologist Ebenezer Emmons commissioned Bufford’s firm in the first survey of the Adirondacks, where these prints would be used to establish a name and face for the region. In the summer of 1838, Governor Marcy asked Emmons to survey the Northern Geological District, both within and surrounding what is now the Adirondack Park. The survey would be critical in portraying the region’s landmarks to those in southern New York.
This collection of sketches is entitled Views of the Adirondack Region. The word “Adirondack” was significant, given that Emmons was the first to use this term to refer to the region. This image may be familiar to many who have hiked the Adirondacks. The Trap Dyke is located roughly three miles from the Adirondack Loj, where fourteen of the forty-six High Peaks are trail-headed. Along the route, one can cross over the now destroyed Marcy Dam, before reaching the great expanse of Avalanche Pass. The image depicts a far more gradual incline than the climb is today. It is possible, given its popularity, that over time the path has become eroded by climbers, thus making it more difficult to summit. Serious mountaineers in the region are not deterred by this fact, and many wait for the winter months before assembling their ice picks and spikes to follow the route leading to the summit of Mt. Colden.
– Paul Champagne ’26
- Paul
Charles Ingham, Trap Dyke, At Avalanche Lake, from Views of the Adirondack Region
Lithography by J.H. Bufford
Special Collections
Owen D. Young Library
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