The early beginnings of The Bark Eater property could date back as far as the 1770’s or 1780’s. In the 1940’s and 50’s, graves in a nearby cemetery, one of the first in the area, had stones dating back to 1793. These early stones, although beautiful, were of limestone and therefore did not last long in the elements. Obviously there were people in the area prior to this date, and there probably were stones with earlier dates that had already disappeared.

       The farm was originally a stagecoach stopover between the Lake Champlain Region to the east and the Lake Placid Region to the west. The stage left the Inn, heading west a distance of 14 miles to Lake Placid at 6:00AM and with a little luck, it arrived at 6:00PM-12 hours later. Much of the road was log, referred to as “courderoy road.” The stage was king of the road by 1893-the same year the first railroads opened in the fringes of the Adirondacks. The road was drivable by car until the late 1940’s. It was called “The Old Mountain Road” and is now known as The Jack Rabbit Trail, famous for cross-country skiing, hiking and mountain biking. An alternate route through the Cascade Lakes became the road of choice as time passed. 

Anna and her mother Carolyn on the near side. Circe 1932

Gordon and Anna, from Lake Placid, bought the farm in the 1930’s. Their friends thought they had gone mad buying a farm 14 miles from Lake Placid when there were several hundred farms in the immediate Lake Placid area.

Now that’s a tricycle! Note the old-fashioned hand gas-pump in the background.

Guests can be seen at the right rear of the photo. The Inn, Circa 1940

Operated as an Inn and Dairy Farm until 1950’s. The Inn, Circa 1940

    There was no electric power at this time, there were at least 19 people on the party line, and even if you were going to die you had to pick the right day because the car only went to Lake Placid, the major shopping area, once a week!

     Dad’s huge vegetable garden was behind the Inn. My mother’s flower garden is in the front-along with about 2 acres of lawn, which was mowed regularly with a 14” push mower. Guests were subtly encouraged to help.

     Note there is very little vegetation on the hillsides, due to the grazing by the farm animals.

Aunt Margaret and Sister Marge Circa 1940

On the easterly side of the Inn, shown above Aunt Margaret and Sister Marge, affectionately known as “Maggie” and our faithful farm dog “Chummer,” a beautiful collie. The Inn has been in continuous operation by the Wilson Family since this time.

Making Syrup 1940's

Making Syrup 1940's

Gordon H. Wilson, along with wife Anna, purchased the farm in the late 1930’s using the gold coin collection he had started collecting as a child.

Sam the Ram He was released from employment due to his dislike of some guests!

Skijoring A sport popular in the ‘20’s

Barn Cupola

Same old barn-different times! Part of the original dairy barn complex, this horse barn remains virtually unchanged. It was built on stones, as all old timers did in those days. Today, 100 years later, nearly 50 feet of length and built on a slight slope, the North end is only 2” lower than the South end.

Aerial View of The Bark Eater Property

The Town of Keene was founded in 1808. Nearby towns to the east were founded in the late 1700’s.

 All of the land in the picture, except a small portion in the upper left and upper right, are part of the property. The land also extends easterly (to the left) to the Ausable River. The meadows and ridges in this mountain valley offer spectacular views and exhilarating hiking, skiing, riding and mountain biking. 

“Bark Eater” is the English translation of the Indian word “Adirondack.” Many changes in spelling and meaning have occurred to the word Adirondack through the years.