150 illustrated panels of famous Adirondack guides, hunters, hermits, hotels, writers, artists, and more.

Adirondack Stories: Historical Sketches

Martin Podskoch

North Country Books

Review Marty Podskoch records the accomplishments of the CCC camps throughout New York State, many in the Adirondacks. --Clarence Petty

Adirondack Civilian Conservation Corps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC

History

Americas

Podskoch Press

This fascinating chronicle of Catskill Mountain fire towers includes the history of the towers that once stood vigil over the heavily forested slopes on the lookout for any sign of smoke that could lead to devastating fires.

Fire Towers of the Catskills

The Adirondack Fire Towers: The Northern Districts contains information and pictures about the 26 fire towers in the northern part of the Adirondack Park that includes St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, and Essex Counties. 
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fires raged out of control in many of New York State’s vast wooded areas. The years 1903 and 1908 were particularly disastrous, and because of public outcry for protection from the devastation, the state began a rigorous fire prevention and control program, including the building of fire towers. 
The first fire tower in the Adirondacks were established in 1909 on Mount Morris in Franklin County, These wooden towers were replaced with steel towers & greatly reduced the number of acres destroyed by fires because they were extinguished at the early stages. 
This book contains hundreds of human-interest stories the author has gathered in personal interviews, and hundreds of photographs.

Adirondack Fire Towers Northern Division

With this book you can begin your quest as a member of the Adirondack 102 Club to visit all the Park's towns and villages and get to know the real Adirondacks.

Adirondack 102 Club: Your Passport to the North Country

Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC

The CCC was a public works program that operated from 1933 to 1942, as part of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. It targeted young men and veterans in relief families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression, providing unskilled manual labor related to environmental conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands. Volunteers planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide, updated forest fire fighting methods, and built a network of service buildings and public roadways. In nine years, 2.5 million young men participated in restoring morale and public appreciation of the outdoors. My book describes the history and projects of the 21 camps located throughout the state. Camps were located at Housatonic Meadow in Sharon; Stones Ranch in Niantic; Natchaug State Forest (SF) in Eastford; Nipmuck SF in Union; Squantz Pond in New Fairfield; Meshomasic SF in Cobalt and Portland; Pachaug SF in Voluntown; Black Rock SP in Thomaston; Tunxis SF in East Hartland; Mohawk SF in West Goshen; Burr Pond in Paugnut SF; American Legion SF in Barkhamsted; Salmon River SF in East Hampton; Wooster Mountain SF in Danbury; Shenipsit SF in Stafford Springs; Experiment Station Land in Poquonock; Macedonia Brook in Kent and three camps in Cockaponset SF in Killingworth, Haddam, and Madison. Enrollees signed up for six months and worked a 40-hour week for $30 a month The government sent $25 to the enrollee's family and the enrollee received $5. The young men received good food, uniforms, and medical care. At first they lived in tents; later they lived in wooden buildings. These young men and special camps for war veterans were able to help their families and gain a sense of worth. There are hundreds of pictures of the boys at work and at camp, sometimes laboring mightily, other times clowning around or playing on camp teams. There are excerpts from camp newspapers of cartoons, poems, doggerel, and songs that will delight the reader for this unique window into their lives.

The CCC was a public works program that operated from 1933 to 1942, as part of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. It targeted young men and veterans in relief families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression, providing unskilled manual labor related to environmental conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands. 
Volunteers planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide, updated forest fire fighting methods, and built a network of service buildings and public roadways. In nine years, 2.5 million young men participated in restoring morale and public appreciation of the outdoors.\nMy book describes the history and projects of the 21 camps located throughout the state. Camps were located at Housatonic Meadow in Sharon; Stones Ranch in Niantic; Natchaug State Forest (SF) in Eastford; Nipmuck SF in Union; Squantz Pond in New Fairfield; Meshomasic SF in Cobalt and Portland; Pachaug SF in Voluntown; Black Rock SP in Thomaston; Tunxis SF in East Hartland; Mohawk SF in West Goshen; Burr Pond in Paugnut SF; American Legion SF in Barkhamsted; Salmon River SF in East Hampton; Wooster Mountain SF in Danbury; Shenipsit SF in Stafford Springs; Experiment Station Land in Poquonock; Macedonia Brook in Kent and three camps in Cockaponset SF in Killingworth, Haddam, and Madison.\nEnrollees signed up for six months and worked a 40-hour week for $30 a month The government sent $25 to the enrollee's family and the enrollee received $5. The young men received good food, uniforms, and medical care. At first they lived in tents; later they lived in wooden buildings. These young men and special camps for war veterans were able to help their families and gain a sense of worth.\nThere are hundreds of pictures of the boys at work and at camp, sometimes laboring mightily, other times clowning around or playing on camp teams. There are excerpts from camp newspapers of cartoons, poems, doggerel, and songs that will delight the reader for this unique window into their lives.

New York State lost tens of thousands of acres of woodland to devastating forest fires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In response, the state placed fire observers on prominent peaks. The first stations were crudely-built log platforms, but these were eventually replaced by high steel towers, and they became destinations for generations of hikers who admired the views from on high and the stories told by the colorful observers. Aerial surveillance, improved communications, and public education in fire prevention eventually made the towers obsolete, and many were removed. Today, some of the remaining towers have been or are being restored for the benefit of hikers. Marty Podskoch brings the history and the stories of the towers in the words of the observers, the rangers who supervised them and the pilots who replaced them in the southern half of New York State's Adirondack Mountains. (This is the first of two volumes.)

Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore, The Southern Districts

Rhode Island Civilian Conservation Corps Camps

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Martin Podskoch. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Martin Podskoch

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Martin Podskoch. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Adirondack Stories: Historical Sketches

Adirondack Civilian Conservation Corps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC

Fire Towers of the Catskills

Adirondack Fire Towers Northern Division

Adirondack 102 Club: Your Passport to the North Country

Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC

Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC

Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore, The Southern Districts

Adirondack Stories: Historical Sketches

Rhode Island Civilian Conservation Corps Camps