Burnt Island Camp, 1930s. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Burnt Island Camp, 1930s. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Kids sleeping tent. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Dad's kitchen. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Martha, Alex and Evie Dreyfoos, doing dishes. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Dad's kitchen, with main tent in background. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Inside the main tent, with the sides rolled up. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
Evie, Martha and Alex Dreyfoos at the Kids' Sleeping Tent. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
The outhouse. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. 
All that remained of the kitchen in 2001. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Burnt Island is a six-acre island in central Lower Saranac Lake. Until the practice was ended in 1975, there was a Platform Tent site on the island.
Alex Dreyfoos, Sr. built a platform tent camp called, "Camp Marveley" on Burnt Island in 1931, and the family spent every August there from 1932 to 1950. The dock faced west- south west towards Cold Pit (Coal Pit?) Island, with Ampersand Mountain more or less to the south. Because of the high density of new tree growth following the fire from which the island got its name, there were no other camps on the island. The Dreyfoos main tent was of odd shape in order to squeeze it in between the trees. There was a kids' sleeping tent up the hill from the main tent, and a small guest tent also up the hill. Mr. Dreyfoos did the cooking on an outdoor fireplace-kitchen that he loved. Alex Jr. was close friends with Don Duso. The two boys were the same age and grew up together on the Lower Lake. Alex recalls that Don had just left from their Burnt Island dock before the well- known incident when Duso rescued Albert Einstein from the lake.
In 1955 or ’56, Mrs. Dreyfoos gave up the permit and sold the equipment to Saranac Lake Post Master Guy Little. There are now no campsites on the island under the Saranac Lake Islands Campground.
Shish kebab barbecue, c. 1940's. Courtesy of Alex W. Dreyfoos, Jr., Historic Saranac Lake Collection, TCR 619.
