Lost Pond: A Small Town's Tapestry of Community, Belonging, and Loss in 1950s America

by Henry Abbott

'Lost Pond' was a tradition, a myth. It had never been seen by any living person. Two dead men, it was alleged, had visited it on several occasions while they were yet living. Wonderful tales were told about that pond for which many persons had hunted, but which no one of the present generation had ever been able to find. Every guide in Long Lake township talked about Lost Pond and repeated the legends, which through the passing years had probably lost none of their original enticements. Many of these guides had even got the stories at first hand from Captain Parker and Mitchel Sabattis. Captain Parker, a famous hunter and trapper, had died about ten years ago at the good old age of ninety-four years. Mitchel Sabattis, an Indian, who had married a white woman and had brought up a family of husky half-breeds, was the first settler in the Long Lake country. He was a highly respected citizen, and a mountain and a United States post office had been named after him. Sabattis lived to be a very old man. Many believed him to be past a hundred years when he died, but the family Bible was not available to prove the date of his birth.

27 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2011

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this, another of Henry Abbott's short books on adventuring in the Adirondacks in the early 1900's, the author and his friend Bige go in search of a legendary "lost" pond somewhere near Seward mountain where the trout fishing was supposed to be unbelievably good. After paddling their boat about 14 miles down Long Lake then leaving it in Calkin's Creek, they hiked for another 5 or 6 hours through the wilderness. Having had no luck in locating the pond they decided to circle around and head back to the boat. Encountering a stream that they dubbed Roaring Brook because it was so loud with rapids and small falls, they decided to follow it to its source. Suffice it to say they found the lost pond and the trout fishing was every bit as good as the legend said it would be. The spot was so beautiful they were prepared to stay for several days. Alas a pair of rascally porcupines destroyed their entire food supply so with some regrets they headed home. I've tried looking up some of the locations mentioned in these books but I don't know whether they all bear the same names as they did then. There is a Seward Mountain, a Long Lake, a Roaring Brook, and even a Roaring Brook trail.

[Michael Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always looking for new outdoor writers. Enjoyed this one.