This is the falls (these are the falls?) at AuSable Chasm. That's the power house--they used to generate power here. The falls are usually much more dramatic but the river is high. That's the AuSable River, which flows from beyond Lake Placid (one branch) and from the high peaks (another branch) and forks in AuSable Forks (hence the name).Anyway, I love this view. You have to walk to the middle of the bridge--it's a bridge for cars, and there's a walkway for pedestrians, with a post-type railing about armpit-high that you see right through. This time of year the sidewalk is packed snow/ice and you can only walk right next to the railing. I thought it would be hard for me to walk across the bridge because I have some fear of heights--like the fear that makes you have bad dreams about heights sometimes. Anyway, I really enjoyed the walk, and even looked straight down without getting the heebie-jeebies. With age comes what--stupidity? bravery? ignorance?The river divides the town of AuSable Forks , where my ancestors had first a paper mill, then a pulp mill as well. When I was young and we lived for a brief time in my grandfather's house in town I walked across the bridge every over the river every day. The paper mill dumped acid and chemicals into the river at least twice a day. I thought it was a magic river because it changed colors throughout the day--when I walked to school in the morning it was brown and when I walked home it was bright green.When the mills closed the town pretty much went bust. You still can find people who worked in the mill--I talked to someone just the other day who did, and you read their obituaries a lot. The mill closed in 1975. That was the end of prosperity for the Forks. There used to be 2 big grocery stores, 2 movie theaters, several bars, a pool hall (which we walked past all the time and were forbidden to enter), 2 clothing stores, a barber shop,a butcher, hardware store and more. Now there's a horrible grocery store, a hardware store, a drug store, a depressing used book store, a liquor store, a bank and a bar, 2 convience stores and a couple of other things. It's very depressing. I hardly ever go there--I do my shopping in the metropolis of Plattsburgh because I'm here every day at work. People like ken have to shop there because Platts. is just too far for them to drive.The remaining movie theatre is a beautiful building, art deco and in good condition. New people bought it and fixed it up last summer, a cause for great excitement. They show first-run films. Some of my summer friends go to the movies there and I feel as if I should but I never think of it. I'm all Netflixed out.
Interesting post. It's ironic that the mills are still considered so vital to the economy of the area, when really it was the river itself which provided the vitality. The mills were unsustainable, the river sustains itself.
ReplyDeleteI listed the Chasm as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the Adirondacks in a recent blog post at Adirondack Almanack.
I think if you no longer live in this town you ought to keep your insults to yourself.
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