Almanack Contributor John Warren

John Warren founded Adirondack Almanack in 2005 and oversees the day-to-day operations of the site in addition to editing New York History.

He has worked in media for 25 years as a print journalist, a documentary television producer, and now in new media. He's on the staff of the New York State Writers Institute and is the author of two books of regional history.

John also teaches media production, documentary studies, and new media at Burlington College. His weekly Adirondack Outdoors Conditions Report airs across the Adirondack North Country Region on WNBZ, WSLP, ROCK105, and the North Country Public Radio network.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Adirondack Blogosphere: Year Three

This month marks the third anniversary of the Adirondack Adirondack and that means a look at the local blogosphere.

New Local Blogs of Note

This past year, once again, has been a banner year for local blogs. A look at our blogroll (at right, below) shows that a number of new blogs have joined the ranks. Here are a few that I think are the best new local blogs:

Corktown Capers - written by the chaplain of the Corinth Fire Department. You’ll remember that Corinth recently had a devastatingly destructive fire. Here is another post – God in Three Inches – worth reading and thinking about.

City Mouse / Country House – the ramblings of a musician, » Continue Reading.


Tags: ,

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Adirondack Historic Newspaper Site Hosts Millionth Page

Quite a milestone over at the Northern New York Library Network’s historical newspaper site. According to Alex Jacobs at the Watertown Daily Times, they just added their millionth scanned page of local newspapers from the past. Just three years after its founding, the Northern New York Historical Newspapers Web site now has 1,004,000 pages available from 28 newspapers in seven counties.

The millionth page was among 84,000 pages added from the former Potsdam Courier-Freeman, published from 1861 to 1989. Its addition was supported by the Friends of the Potsdam Public Museum, which helped finance the microfilming of issues from 1946 to the mid-1980s.

This part should interest local media who still charge for access to their own digital archives (attn: Albany » Continue Reading.


Tags: , ,

Monday, March 10, 2008

Adirondack Hacks

Randomly organized links to ideas for making life in the Adirondacks just a little bit easier – technology tools and tips, do-it-yourself projects, and anything else that offers a more interesting, more convenient, or healthier way of life in our region.

Build A Homemade Maple Syrup Boiler

Find NCPR On The Dial and On The Map

Grow The Perfect Handlebar Mustache

Learn Easy Bar Tricks

Adirondack Hacks is an occasional feature of Adirondack Almanack. Take a look at our Adirondack Hacks archive here.


Tags:

Friday, February 29, 2008

Adirondack Snowmobiling: Resources, Conditions, and Controversy

This winter, after a number of years of lackluster snow conditions, Adirondack snowmobiling has once again made a resurgence. Here are a few things about Adirondack snowmobiling you should know:

Snowmobile TrailsThe Adirondacks are criss-crossed by hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails. A free Adirondack Snowmobile Trail Map is available here. Trailsource is also an excellent resource for New York State snowmobile trails.

Snowmobile ConditionsConditions throughout the region vary depending on elevation, nearness to large lakes, and latitude.

Current Northeast Snow Depths

Snowmobile Online ResourcesSnowmobile forums offer sled fanatics discussions of videos, people offering sleds or parts for sale and other classifieds, snow tech, snowmobile politics, vintage snowmobiles, and any number of topics related to sledding. » Continue Reading.


Tags: , , , , ,

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

African American History – Essex County Expulsions?

It’s February and that means a post on some aspect of African American history in the Adirondacks.Here is last year’s popular list of stories.

I recently discovered that one of the Almanack’s post, The Ku Klux Klan in the Adirondacks, had been used for the companion website of the new PBS documentary film Banished: American Ethnic Cleansings. As a result of the attention, I thought I’d dig a little deeper on the issue of racial cleansing and the Adirondacks.

Expulsions and Sundown TownsIn Banished, filmmaker Marco Williams covers the expulsions of African Americans from towns and counties across America in the period 1865-1930. The film is based on the original research of Elliot Jaspin, whose work I » Continue Reading.


Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Seven Human Made Wonders of the Adirondacks

In no particular order, Adirondack Almanack’s list of Seven Human Made Wonders of the Adirondacks. Our list of the Seven Natural Wonders can be found here. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions.

Whiteface Memorial HighwayAlthough Lake George’s Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway deserves honorable mention, the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway deserves a spot on our list of wonders. Considered a test case for both the New Deal Works Progress Administration and the constitutional protection of the Forest Preserve, construction began in 1929 (after passage of the necessary amendment) and eventually cost 1.2 million dollars. The completed road, an eight-mile climb (at 8 percent average grade) from the crossroads in Wilmington, comes within 400 feet of the summit of the fifth » Continue Reading.


Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, February 17, 2008

The Seven Natural Wonders of the Adirondacks

Here is (in no particular order) Adirondack Almanack’s List of the Seven Natural Wonders of the Adirondacks. The Seven Human-Made Wonders can be found here. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions.


Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Seven Wonders of the Adirondacks

I’ve posted the Adirondack Almanack’s lists of Seven Natural and Human Made Wonders of the Adirondacks here:

The Seven Natural Wonders of the AdirondacksThe Seven Human Made Wonders of the Adirondacks

The contest winner and a recap of readers’ suggestions can be found here.

I’ve closed the comments on this page, but you can still leave comments and suggestions on the two pages of lists above.


Tags: ,

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Seven Wonders of the Adirondacks Contest Winner

We had a lot of entries that offered some great suggestions for a final list of the Natural and Human Made Wonders of the Adirondack Region.

For natural wonders folks seem to have generally gone for parts of the Ausable, Hudson, Sacandaga, and Bog rivers. Although the views from various mountains (notably Blue Mountain, Pyramid, and Whiteface) and various waterfalls (Split Rock, Bog River, Buttermilk, and OK Slip falls) also figured prominently in submissions. The St. Regis Canoe Area was also a favorite.

As far as man-made wonders, the Lake Placid Olympic Complex was a obvious favorite. A number of bridges made the submission list, including those at Crown Point, at the head of Tupper, and the Jay Covered Bridge. Various trails made » Continue Reading.


Tags: , ,

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Last Chance: Seven Wonders of the Adirondacks Contest

A quick reminder that this Saturday is the last day to enter our Seven Wonders of the Adirondacks contest. Which human and natural constructed things/places inside the Adirondack Park’s Blue Line are the most significant, must-see attractions, marvels of engineering, historically important, or have other significance that makes them one of the top seven?

I’ll be offering an Adirondack related gift to one lucky person who puts their choice or choices into the comments. Chosen at random – one entry per person (anonymous comments won’t count for this one).

Remember – two lists – one for the human-made wonders, one for natural wonders.

Submit your entries over here.


Tags: ,

Page 20 of 45« First...10...1819202122...3040...Last »