New Publications

Adirondack Ice: a Cultural and Natural History

by
Caperton Tissot

Ice has determined the course of Adirondack history in many surprising ways. This book traces the evolution of that influence, touching on everything from ice industries and transportation to recreation and accidents. In 360 pages of personal stories, observations and over 200 historic and contemporary photos, the author pays tribute to a fast disappearing era.

Reviews

"This book, providing a relatively unknown history of ice in the region, is very thought provoking. It describes the cultural relationships over the years and ends with a discussion of climate change and how this will reshape ice and associated activities in the future.”
Elizabeth M. Lowe,
Region 5 Director, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Founder of the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, "The Wild Center."

"My favorite moment each year is when winter takes control and friction loses its grip--when all of a sudden even the ungainly among us acquire a kind of grace as we skim across the world. This book captures every element of that moment, in the most beautiful place in the world. I hope only that those who read it will rise to the defense of winter, so that we can keep the great warming at bay and preserve these scenes for centuries to come.”
Bill McKibben,
Author, environmental activist and resident scholar at Middlebury College

"In Adirondack Ice, a Cultural and Natural History, author Caperton Tissot illuminates the history of our relationship with a defining element of winter. Valued and reviled, ice is an unavoidable fact of life in the Adirondack Mountains. As Tissot points out, it has ‘substantially determined the natural, economic, and cultural history of the North Country, yet it is an often overlooked and underappreciated influence’. Filled with surprises, Adirondack Ice is a fascinating look at the many ways ice touches our lives in the Adirondack Mountains.”
Laura Rice,
Chief Curator, The Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake

Reviews

"If you want to know how passion and perseverance keep a town not only afloat but sailing into the future with a strong sense of its past, you’ll find the answers on these pages. The remarkable lesson of the women Ms. Tissot portrays is that they did not come from great power and high privilege, but they turned the power of their character to the task of making our lives as a community more than a little richer. In reading these stories, our lives as individuals become richer, as well.”
Philip L. Gallos,
Author of Cure Cottages of Saranac Lake: Architecture and History of a Pioneer Health Resort.

"Saranac Lake is that rare place in modern America, a living breathing small town. Caperton Tissot’s oral history teases out the threads that make up that tapestry, weaving the personal stories of some very unique women with fascinating bits of historical context. This isn’t just the story of one small town, but the story of how small, quiet contributions make all communities richer. The book is also a great model for other local and oral history projects.”
Brian Mann,
Adirondack Bureau Chief, North Country Public Radio.

"Caperton Tissot has demonstrated the important role community scholars can play in documentation of local history. Her profile of one group of women provides a path to follow in trying to understand local culture. Her tips for would-be historians remind us that there are plenty of other stories to record for posterity.”
Jill Breit,
Program Director, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY).

"...a fascinating undertaking, one I think will generate considerable interest in and around Saranac Lake.”
Thomas Dublin,
Professor of History and Co-director for the Historical Study of Women & Gender, State University of New York at Binghamton.

"Oral histories are one way of capturing the essence and personality of an era... (Tissot) successfully captures the social history of a small Adirondack community in the mid-twentieth century. A rich history of the Adirondack region and park exists; however, it is filled with great men and landscape. Tissot provides the much-needed answer to the question “What about the women?”  Through oral interviews and other primary sources she recreates an era of Saranac Lake history that has not been well recorded.”
Carli Schiffner,
PhD, Professor of History, State University of New York, Canton