1955 Saranac Quadrant USGS map
Sumner Brook begins and ends between the two red arrows at lower right.
Four of its feeders are shown, underlined in red.
The fifth, Fay Brook, joins Twobridge Brook west of NY Route 86Sumner Brook in Bloomingdale is named for an early settler, Uriah Sumner, who built a forge, an English gate mill and one small house about 1820. The small community around it was known as Sumner Forge.
Sumner Brook, which powered the infant industries in Bloomingdale's history, flows through the heart of the community before entering the Saranac River one mile south of the village. Only two miles in length, the stream is joined by a total of five contributing brooks which drain an area of some 70 square miles. These feeder brooks are Fay, Twobridge, Rickerson, John Thomas, and Lyon. On April 15, 1916, a heavy rainfall over the drainage area caused swollen tributaries to carry a deluge to the point of entry into the Sumner. Sweeping across East Main Street, the rushing waters wiped out the bridge, cutting off west to east travel on what is today's route 3. Those fortunates living west of the bridge had access to all of the village stores while those on the east side had to travel 4 miles to Vermontville for supplies until a temporary footbridge could be installed. Another serious flood occurred on July 2, 1892, see photo on Bloomingdale page.
Sources:
Northern New Yorker, October 28, 1905, reprinted in Adirondack Daily Enterprise, March 9, 1964, "Bloomingdale's Mayor 1905."
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, May 27, 1989, "Bloomingdale's founders predicted prosperity for the budding hamlet," by John J. Duquette
