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 ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York (state), New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the hi ...

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

. The lake is within both

Herkimer Herkimer may refer to: People: * Johan Jost Herkimer (1732–1795), United Empire Loyalist, brother of Nicholas Herkimer * John Herkimer (1773–1848), American lawyer and politician from New York * Lawrence Herkimer (1925–2015), American innov ...

and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

counties, and covers portions of the towns of

Webb Webb may refer to: Places Antarctica *Webb Glacier (South Georgia) *Webb Glacier (Victoria Land) * Webb Névé, Victoria Land, the névé at the head of Seafarer Glacier * Webb Nunataks, a group of nunataks in the Neptune Range * Webb Peak (disa ...

and Long Lake. Located southwest of the lake is the

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

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.

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 .

Climate

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 typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, 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 ...

, 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 whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

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 lies just east of the lake.

Fishing

Big Moose lake also offers sport fishing opportunities for

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

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

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

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

, and

splake The splake or slake (''Salvelinus namaycush × 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 its ...

. 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 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 are often grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks. The camps were summer homes for the wealthy, sites ...

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 A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

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 tria ...

'', a novel by

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

. 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) was an American convicted murderer who became the basis for the fictional character Clyde Griffiths in Theodore Dreiser's novel ''An American Tragedy''. The novel, and thus Gillett ...

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 an English and 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 19 ...

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

, 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 f ...

, was an adaptation of the novel and won six

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

and the first ever

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama is a Golden Globe Award that has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Since its institution in 1943, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association i ...

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

based her historical novel ''

A Northern Light ''A Northern Light'', or ''A Gathering Light'' in the U.K., is an American historical novel for young adults, written by Jennifer Donnelly and published by Harcourt in 2003. Set in northern Herkimer County, New York in 1906, it is based on ...

'' (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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: * Covewood Lodge (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