The Saranac Lake esker is described as a "river of sand" by Edward Kanze in his article "Esker Explained" in the July/August 2006 issue of Adirondack Life. An esker is a geologic formation found nearly everywhere in lowland North America once covered by continental glaciers. The Saranac Lake esker was named in 1953 by a Princeton University geologist, Arthur F. Buddington. Kanze's article describes the extensive local uses of the sand mined from the esker, its route, and the flora and fauna it supports. The farm of Saranac Lake's first settler, Jacob Smith Moody, lies on the Saranac Lake esker, as does Trudeau Sand and Gravel, North Country Community College (on the site of Saranac Lake's first Hospital) and Will Rogers Memorial Hospital.
