Big Moose Lake, at the head of the Moose River, is a large lake about north of Fourth Lake in the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circula ...

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long ...

. The lake is within both Herkimer and Hamilton counties, and covers portions of the towns of Webb and Long Lake. Located southwest of the lake is the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

of Big Moose. The lake's popularity derives from its remoteness, climate and beauty. It was the scene of the murder of Grace Brown in 1906 by her boyfriend. Alleged spectral sightings and subsequent media attention are said to have added to the allure.

Geography and climate

Located in the central-western part of the Adirondack region, Big Moose Lake covers in surface area. It is approximately long and almost wide, running in an east–west direction along its major axis. The lake ranges in depth from in its deepest parts, with an average depth of . In the summer, temperatures average from nightly lows of to daytime highs of . In winter, the lake completely freezes over, and temperatures during the day reach an average high of and an average nightly low of .

Communities and recreation

Located southwest of the lake is the hamlet of Big Moose; other nearby communities include Eagle Bay,

Inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ma ...

, Old Forge, and Thendara. With minimal road access, the lake's shore had not been developed very much. The population reaches a peak during the summer months, when vacationers arrive to stay at summer homes or local resorts. The lake and its surrounding region are a popular spot for tourists year-round; boating, water-skiing, hiking and train rides from Thendara are available in the summer, and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

and snowmobiling take place in the winter. It is home to the Big Moose Water Ski Club, whose members are residents of the region. The

Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area The Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of the forest preserve, lies in the town of Webb, Herkimer County, and the towns of Long Lake and Inlet in Hamilton County. It is bounded on the north by Stillwater Reservoir and large b ...

lies just east of the lake.

Fishing

Big Moose lake also offers sport fishing opportunities for brook trout,

lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can als ...

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by S ...

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

, and

splake The splake or slake (''Salvelinus namaycush x Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a hybrid of two fish species resulting from the crossing of a male brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') and a female lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush''). The name it ...

. There is a no state-owned boat launch; however, a commercial marina with a ramp is located on the south shore of West Bay.

History

The lake's region was settled by European Americans primarily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as people gained access to the region by the first railroad constructed through the uninhabited Adirondack wilderness. Early trappers and hunters of the Adirondacks became guides there, eventually establishing permanent camps and hotels. Wealthy businessmen built large, private summer homes and their families lived here for the season, in the style of the

Great Camps __NOTOC__ The Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains refers to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The c ...

of the

Vanderbilts The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...

and Morgans. Some of these lodges still exist. The Big Moose Lake area is historically significant for its palisade architectural style, which used vertical half-log construction in lodges and cabins.

Representation in culture

Big Moose Lake was the setting of ''

An American Tragedy ''An American Tragedy'' is a 1925 novel by American writer Theodore Dreiser. He began the manuscript in the summer of 1920, but a year later abandoned most of that text. It was based on the notorious murder of Grace Brown in 1906 and the trial ...

'', a novel by

Theodore Dreiser Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (; August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm mora ...

. He based his book on the historic events of the drowning murder of Grace Brown in the South Bay of Big Moose Lake in the early part of the 20th century. Her boyfriend

Chester Gillette Chester Ellsworth Gillette (August 9, 1883 – March 30, 1908), an American convicted murderer, became the basis for the fictional character Clyde Griffiths in Theodore Dreiser's novel ''An American Tragedy'', which was the basis of the 1931 f ...

was convicted and executed for her murder. (Dreiser named the lake where the murder took place as Big Bittern Lake, after having visited Big Moose Lake, and used it as a model for his fictional version.) '' A Place in the Sun'', a film starring

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and '' A Patch ...

, and

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered ...

, was an adaptation of the novel and won six

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Claims of ghost sightings around the lake and associated with Grace Brown continue to be recorded. In 1996, the television series ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Ka ...

'' aired an episode that reenacted the events. It reported two such ghost sightings. On July 11, 2006 some residents organized a wreath-laying ceremony on South Bay to memorialize the centennial of Brown's murder. People participated from a small flotilla of watercraft.

Jennifer Donnelly Jennifer Donnelly (born August 16, 1963) is an American writer of young adult fiction best known for the historical novel '' A Northern Light''. ''A Northern Light'' was published as ''A Gathering Light'' in the U.K. There, it won the 2003 Car ...

based her historical novel, '' A Northern Light'' (2003), on this murder. She explores events from the perspective of a young girl working at the Glenmore (a lodge on the lake). Robert Tucker also set his novel, ''Sasquatch Camp'' (2013), in this community.

Historic places

The following places are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

: *

Covewood Lodge Covewood Lodge is a historic summer camp complex located at Big Moose Lake in Herkimer County, New York. It was built during the 1920s and consists of the main lodge surrounded by 18 historic cottages. The main lodge is a T-shaped rustic camp b ...

(listed in 2004) * Big Moose Community Chapel (listed in 2012)

Gallery

File:Big Moose Lake.jpg, Big Moose Lake viewed from Covewood Lodge File:Big Moose Lake Postcard.jpg, Postcard from 1930-1945 of Big Moose Lake File:Lake View Lodge, Big Moose, N.Y LCCN2007661121.tif, Lake View Lodge, the first luxury hotel, built 1898 (1911 photo) File:Big Moose Lake - Gazebo Dock.jpg

References

External links

*''People v. Gillette'
Court Transcript
{{Authority control Glacial lakes of the United States Lakes of Hamilton County, New York Lakes of Herkimer County, New York Tourist attractions in Hamilton County, New York Tourist attractions in Herkimer County, New York Reportedly haunted locations in New York (state)