ABOUT THE BROCHURE

The Four-Track Series was a collection of travel brochures published by New York Central and Hudson River Railroad starting in 1893. These brochures showcased different regions along the company’s rail line, including the Thousand Islands, Niagara Falls, and in this case the Adirondack Mountains. Brochures like this were designed to encourage people to take the train and visit advertised destinations. Publications such as In the Adirondack Mountains appealed to wealthy tourists looking for an escape from the city.

Inside the brochure are photographs and descriptions of destinations such as lakes, camps, and hotels that one could visit when vacationing in the region. Additionally, there is a large map inside the front cover that can be taken out and held in one’s hand. It shows rail lines that span New York State, with a particular focus on the Adirondack region.

For someone from the region, it may be intriguing to take a look at this map and notice how locations have changed or stayed the same since 1902 when this brochure was first published. On the back of this map is a very extensive “List of Principal Lakes, Ponds, Hotels, Boarding Houses and Camps in the Adirondack Mountains, their Location, Dates of Opening and Closing, and other Important Information for Tourists.” The brochure itself is a fascinating historical artifact, but it also represents a paradox of the industrial age as it promotes wilderness as an escape while using railway infrastructure to get there. It suggests perhaps that wealthy tourists of the Gilded Age were never really able to fully immerse themselves in the depths of the Adirondack Mountains. -Jonavin Ayen ’28

In the Adirondack Mountains, travel brochure published by New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, Four-Track Series no. 6, 1902
Mss. no. 32, box 3, folder 1
Special Collections
Owen D. Young Library
St. Lawrence University
Canton, NY