McLenathan Falls was the name of Franklin Falls before 1851. It was named for Isaac McLenathan, who built a saw mill and iron forge on the Saranac River in 1827. All 23 dwellings in the village and every other structure except a small shack was completely destroyed by a fire in 1852.
In Footprints on Adirondack Trails, Charles A. Wardner describes an 1846 visit his father, James M. Wardner, made to the place, describing it as a rough place dominated by a large log tavern and a single general store.
Malone Evening Telegram, September 25, 1936
EARLY HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY AS REVEALED IN THE FIRST DIRECTORY
Franklin was taken from Belmont, May 20, 1836, and made to embrace about half of township No. 9 and the whole of No. 10, of the Old Military Tract. It lies on the East border of the County, south of the center. Its surface is broken and mountainous, having an elevation of from 1,200 to 2,000 feet above tide. It is drained principally by the Saranac River with flows across the Southeast corner, and the headwaters of the Salmon river. Among the hills are several ponds and lakes. The soil is sandy and poorly adapted to agricultural purposes, except along the streams Iron ore abounds, and mines have been worked, but are now abandoned as unprofitable, though in future time they may be reopened, as they are said to be very rich.
The settlements are mostly in the South east corner, lumbering being the chief business. The Old Port Kent and Hopkinton road passes diagonally through the town, winding among the mountains in its course. A plank road extends from Franklin Falls to Keeseville.
Franklin Falls, formerly called McClenathan's Falls, on the Saranac, is a lumbering station of 12 or 15 houses. On the 29th of May, 1852, the entire village, consisting of 23 houses, store, tavern, extensive gang mills, and a large amount of lumber, was destroyed by a running fire, which swept from the woods, upon the little village in the ravine with such velocity that the inhabitants barely had time to es cape with their lives. Vermontville has about twenty houses. Alder Brook and Merrillsville are post offices. The first settlement was made at Franklin Falls by Wm McClenathan and others in 1827, at which time a forge and saw mill were erected. There are in town five large gang saw mills and several small manufactories of buckskin leather, mittens and gloves. The town has an area of 106,091 acres.
