AZURE MOUNTAIN STORIES
 April 2, 2002My father was on the mountain from 1940-42. The pictures enclosed are copies of the few that I have found in my mothers album. I have written the information as I know it to be on the backs of the pictures. We used to go up the mountain when school was out every summer. At the time, we would get a few visitors every summer. We didn’t get a lot of people because it was at war time and gas was rationed. The Forbes owned a camp at the end of road as you turn into the mountain, before yu go to the LaMere’s camp, coming from the Falls. Every day I used to climb the mountain to bring my father his lunch. I used to stay and watch the eagles fly from Cat Mountain where they nested. The eagles were hunting for food. Once in a while they used to land on the telephone pole near the tower. We would see all kinds of deer in the morning and every evening. We would see partridge nests, hatching new eggs going up the mountain to the tower. In the evening we’d sit and listen to the killdeers (birds) and whipporwills. The days it was too foggy or raining and we couoldn’t see from the tower, we’d cut wood and trim bushes from the trails. On the telephone trail, I saw the biggest deer all in velvet that I’ve ever saw. It was a buck and we stood and looked at each other for a minute or so and then we both went in opposite ways. I was about 11 or 12 years old. My father spotted fires and would call Bill LaMere who was a fire agent and he would call the right people to go fight the fire. Mr. Camp was their boss at the time. He had a son Gene.  We use to fish in a couple of ponds behind Wheelers camp behind the salt licks. Behind Forbes camp we use to go pick leeks and crinkle root. We’d also fish in the St. Regis river behind Forbes camp. Also Twin Creeks. One time Stanley and Rubert Rockhill came up the mountain with their mothers and sisters. Edgar (my brother) and I and Stanley and Rubert climbed the back side of the mountain where the cliffs were. Rubert started to slide off and couldn’t stop and Edgar grabbed him and stopped his fall. On the top of the mountain, there use to be a big egg shaped stone and offers were made that who ever could push it over with their bare hands would get $100. It’s probably still there today. These are the things I remember off hand. Other things may come to me and I’ll write them down and send them to you. I took my wife up the mountain on our honeymoon in May 1955. Sincerely, Albert La Gray  |