Prospect Mountain (Warren County, New York)

For other places with the same name, see Prospect Mountain.

Prospect Mountain is a mountain located in the town of Lake George in Warren County, New York. New York State Route 917A, an unsigned reference route also known as Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, is a toll road maintained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation^[2] and is the highway by which one reaches the summit at 5.88 miles (9.46 km), where a view for one hundred miles (160 km) can be seen.^[3]

Prospect Mountain
Prospect Mountain Location of Prospect Mountain within New York Show map of New York Adirondack Park Prospect Mountain Prospect Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Highest point
Elevation	2,018 feet (615 m)[1]
Coordinates	43°25′29″N 73°44′44″W[1]
Geography
Location	Warren County, New York, U.S.
Topo map	USGS Lake George

History

Cable gears for the old incline railway on Prospect Mountain

Prospect Mountain originally had to use an incline railway car to access the house at the top where people could dance and eat.^[4] Construction on the railway began in January 1895 and cost $120,000 total. Construction was finished six months later, with the railway opening on June 15, 1895.^[4] After failing financially, the railway system ceased operation in 1903.^[5] The area was bought and soon donated to the State of New York. The nearby hiking trail that heads up towards the mountaintop is part of the old railway.^[6]

In July 1910, the Forest, Fish and Game Commission built a 35-foot-tall (11 m) wooden fire lookout tower on the mountain. At this time repairs and a new roof were done to the hotel building which was the headquarters for the observer. In 1932, the building at the top of the mountain burned down. The same year a 47-foot-tall (14 m) Aermotor LS40 steel fire lookout tower and observer cabin was built on the mountain by the Conservation Department.^[7][8] For 30 years, people studied what to do with the land, which was owned by the state, and in 1954, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey signed legislation to build a highway up the mountain. Twelve years later, in 1966, then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller made funds available for the highway.^[7] The Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway was opened in 1969, dedicated to war veterans and providing access to the 2,018-foot (615 m) summit with a 100-mile (160 km) view at its peak.^[9] Due to increased use of aerial fire detection, the tower was closed at the end of the 1970 fire lookout season and later removed.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Prospect Mt. first overlook
• 
  Prospect Mt. second overlook
• 
  Prospect Mt. summit overlook
• 
  Prospect Mt. summit large overview
• 
  Prospect Mt. Lake George detail

References

1. "Prospect Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
2. New York State Department of Transportation (January 2012). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (PDF). Retrieved February 16, 2012.
3. "Overview map of NY 917A" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 25, 2007.
4. The Catskill Archive (2007). "The Prospect Mountain Cable Incline Railway". Retrieved December 28, 2007.
5. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney (2007). "A Brief History of Lake George". Retrieved December 28, 2007.
6. "Lake George Area Scenic Byway - New York Scenic Drives". GORP. 2007. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
7. "Prospect Mountain in History". Lake George Historical Association. 2002. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
8. "Searchable list of NY Fire Towers". nysffla.org. The New York State Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
9. "Missing veterans honored on mountaintop". The Post-Star. 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2007.^{[permanent dead link‍]}