Camp-o'-the-Winds boathouse Address: Kimpton Road
Year built: c. 1900
Camp-o'-the-Winds was built by Thomas Blagden on 70 acres near Saranac Inn at the northern end of Upper Saranac Lake. In 1920, it was described as consisting "of many buildings including the main assembly, lodges, barns, garages, boathouses, etc. It is one of the handsomest properties in the Adirondacks." 1
There was a unique barn/stable between the Kimpton Road and the main house that burned in the early 1990s; in By Foot in the Adirondacks, Phil Gallos calls it a wooden castle. Two stories high, it had a three-story hexagonal tower that was used as housing for the stable boys. There was also a remarkable hand-powered elevator for carriages, iron parts of which are all that remains of the original structure, which caught fire when spilled fuel was ignited by a snowblower.
New York Times, June 25, 1911
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin M. Bulkley of Englewood, N. J., who were absent from the mountains last season, are coming back to Saranac Inn, where they have leased Camp-of-the-Winds, which adjoins the park of Thomas H. Blagdon of Washington.
New York Times, June 9, 1912
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin M. Bulkley of Englewood, N. J., are again joining the Summer colony at Saranac Inn. Mr. Bulkley has taken a long-term lease of Camp-of-the-Winds, one of the Adirondack camps of Thomas H. Blagdon of Washington. Mr. Bulkley was one of the enthusiasts who helped to revive golf at Saranac Inn a few years ago.
Malone Farmer, April 14, 1920
Thomas Blagden, one of the best known summer residents of Saranac Inn, who owned "Deer Wood Camp" and "Camp-o'-the-Winds" on the Upper Saranac, and two cottages at Saranac Inn, has sold "Deerwood" to John L. Severence, of Cleveland, Ohio, and "Camp-o'-the-Winds" to J. R. Harbeck, of New York. The former consists of 60 acres and has a famous deer park containing about a dozen deer. The camp is a large English country house of about 25 rooms and half a dozen baths. The springs and piping system supplying the camp are a notable feature of the property.
"Camp-o'-the-Winds" adjoins it and consists of 70 acres of land and many buildings. It is one of the handsomest properties in the Adirondacks. Both properties brought about $300,000. Mr. Blagden will retain his cottages at Saranac Inn which he will continue to occupy.
Comments
Footnotes
1. Essex County News, April 16, 1920
