Armchair Lecture Series:
Who Was Paul Smith?
Thursday, 22 October 2015
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Paul Smith came to the Adirondacks from Vermont as a young man, built a rustic resort on the shores of Saint Regis Lake, established a reputation as a guide, hunter, storyteller, and hotel proprietor, and – after his death – gave his name (through a bequest by his son) to Paul Smith's College. Alfred Donaldson, author of the 1921 History of the Adirondacks, wrote of Smith:
He hewed his fortune and his fame out of the primeval wilderness, and he compassed the former without ever tarnishing the latter. He lived and died respected and loved by old and young, rich and poor alike. In the early days of his hotel, his name is said to have been more frequently printed and more often spoken than any other in the State. I have heard it fall from the lips of high and low for many years, but I have never heard it coupled with malice or reproach. (Donaldson, Volume 1, p. 328)
When Smith died of a kidney ailment in December 1912 at the age of 87, every newspaper in New York State (and many outside it) published lengthy obituaries praising the self-made man for his wit, honesty, and shrewdness.
- The New York Times referred to him as "the famous Adirondack guide and hunter, who is known to thousands as a sportsman and fisherman."
- The Elizabethtown Post lauded him as the "Grand Old Man of the Adirondacks."
- The Ogdensburg Journal noted: "..there is one section of the Adirondacks that will have as hard a time in shaking off Paul Smith's name as it would have in shaking off the woods and crags."
Find out more about this quintessential Adirondacker. Join Neil Surprenant at 7:00 PM on 22 October as he describes the life and times of this region's early pioneering entrepreneur.
Neil Surprenant retired from his post as director of Library Services at Paul Smith's College in August. He has lectured extensively on the history and development of the Adirondack Park and has published numerous articles. He is the author of several books, including Paul Smith's Adirondack Hotel and College: Images of America (Arcadia Publishing, 2009) and Saranac Lake: Images of America (Arcadia Publishing, 2014). Both books are available online at the Paul Smith's College bookstore and through Arcadia Publishing. They are also sold at the Saranac Lake Community Store, where Paul Smith's College students get a 10% discount.
Cost of the lecture: $5 per person. Free for Friends of the VIC. The Arm Chair Lecture series will continue every other Thursday through the winter. Supported by the Friends of the VIC.
References
Neil Surprenant. Paul Smith's Adirondack Hotel and College. Images of America (Arcadia Publishing, 2009).
Alfred L. Donaldson. A History of the Adirondacks (Harbor Hill Books, 1977).
Geraldine Collins. The Brighton Story. Being the History of Paul Smiths, Gabriels and Rainbow Lake (North County Books, 1977).
Apollos (Paul) Smith. Historic Saranac Lake. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
"Paul Smith Dead. Famous Guide and Hotel Proprietor Succumbs to Operation," New York Times, 16 December 1912. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
Paul Smith Obituary. The Ogdensburg Journal, 17 December 1912, p. 2. NYS Historic Newspapers. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
Paul Smith Obituary. Plattsburgh Republican, 28 December 1912, p. 3. NYS Historic Newspapers. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
"Paul Smith, Grand Old Man of the Adirondacks," The Elizabethtown Post, 19 December 1912, p. 3. NYS Historic Newspapers. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
"Paul Smith is Dead," Courier and Freeman, 18 December 1912, p. 1. NYS Historic Newspapers. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
"Paul Smith Dead, Aged 87," The Journal and Republican, 19 December 1912. NYS Historic Newspapers. Retrieved 30 September 2015.