Paddling Lewey Lake to Miami River in the Adirondacks
On the trails of French Louie - the famous Adirondack hermit
Who was French Louie?
In the 1800’s, a Canadian-born woodsman traveled south to seek his fortune as a hunter, trapper and lumberjack. His adventures ultimately led him to take a stage coach from North Creek, New York to Indian Lake in the Adirondack mountains. French Louie, as he became known over the years, spent months in the woods only to come out to sell his bounty - furs, fish, leather and whatever he could trade for food supplies and liquor. Over the years, he became famous for being known as a rugged woodsman who loved to entertain the local townspeople with his charm and wit. Louie worked for many years at lumber camps near Lewey Lake, just southwest of Indian Lake.
Following the trails of French Louie
French Louie had several camps in the Adirondack backwoods over the years. Some of the camps were located in the West Canada Wilderness or further west near the Cedar Lakes. French Louie constructed a few cabins over the years including a shanty next to a huge cave. When he left the woods to bring his bounty to town, Louie usually headed to Newton’s Corner, known today as Speculator. The citizens of Speculator grew to love his witty and fun-loving personality. Although he lived in the woods for long periods of time, Louie endeared himself to the people in the towns he visited.
Lewey Lake: a recreational paradise today
Today, Lewey Lake is a New York State Campground offering swimming, fishing, camping and paddling on the lake’s northern eastern shore. The east shore of the lake is dotted with beautiful waterfront camping sites but the west shore of the lake is mostly undeveloped.
Note: as far as I know, Lewey Lake was not named after French Louie.
Searching for the Miami River: a water trail into the West Canada Wilderness
Today, we are exploring the south end of Lewey Lake to see if we can find the inlet of the Miami River. The Miami River flows into the wild and untamed West Canada Wilderness where French Louie had set up several camps for many years.
A beautiful morning greeted us - the clouds hung low over the mountains in the distance. Our goal is to get out early to beat the hot July heat. As we plunged our canoes into the water, I stepped into the cool water and felt a rush of natural air conditioning on my feet and lower legs. The beach here is nice enough for a post-paddle swim - I reminded myself. Or I could just sit down in the shallow-end and feel the cool water rush over my lower body. A possibility.
We paddle for about 30 to 45 minutes to reach the end of the lake. As we approach the end of the lake, I look for any kind of opening that could be the inlet of the Miami River. The marshy grasses make it harder but a little feathered friend shows up and leads the way.
Since many of these water trails are not well defined and not well-marked, I use the GAIA mapping app to help track our paddle trail. The purple line on the map below marks our paddle route today - in the clockwise direction. As you can see, we did find Miami River and paddled up the river until we reach a huge beaver dam.
A quiet paddle into a marshy river
Although the water has some ripples, the current is not strong. I can easily place my paddle blade in the water and push the canoe along quietly. The only sounds I hear are the rippling of the water and some water birds rustling in the weeds. Just my kind of noise.
From open water to quiet solitude: paddling from a larger lake into a quiet marshy river is truly an amazing experience.
A beaver dam decision
As we venture further into Miami River, the river starts to narrow and we can see a lot of beaver dam activity along the way. Just what I had feared, we paddle up to a huge beaver dam spanning the entire width of the river. We need to make a decision - either get out and try to climb over the dam and haul our canoes over the stick dam or turn-around and head back. We are not sure if we could find a good spot to get out of our canoes - the water is deep. Also, we want time to explore the western side of the lake on our paddle back. A decision was made to turn-around and head back.
Heading back
As we turned around and start back, we are treated to beautiful views of Snowy Mountain in the distance. When emerge from the river and enter the lake, the wind starts to pick up forcing us to paddle a little bit harder. We head to the western side of the lake to try to get out of the wind. A hard paddle back most of the way across the lake makes us appreciate the serene waters of the Miami River.
A parting shot of Lewey Lake
From an unmarked grave to a tombstone of endearment
The spirit of French Louie lives on in Speculator, New York. He died on February 28, 1915. The story is that he became ill and was able to trek to Speculator on February 27. He got a room at Brook’s Hotel by paying for it with a trout he had caught. He died the next day. Because he was penniless, local townspeople chipped in to help pay for his burial in an unmarked grave in the town cemetery.
In 1945, a group of people who were fascinated with his life history raised enough money to erect a tombstone. The tombstone was not placed until 1954. Over the years, visitors have left coins and memorabilia.
On the 100th anniversary of French Louie’s death in 2015, the following words were proclaimed by the Herkimer County Legislature:
In memory of French Louie this day I will:
Get up early,
Refuse to bathe,
Cook my breakfast in bear or bacon grease,
Put homemade maple syrup on it, whatever it is,
Let my dog “clean” the dishes,
Go outside and enjoy the day,
Howl like a wolf, screech like a panther or warble like a loon at the top of my lungs,
Buy a drink for everyone in the house, (and soda is okay.)
Watch the sunset.
Additional resources
Adirondack French Louie by Harvey Dunham is on my curated list of recommended adventure books at Bookshop.org. Every purchase on this site financially supports independent bookstores.
Watch and listen to New York Licensed Guide David Alexander as he visits French Louie’s cave in the West Canada Wilderness.
Jenn, this is awesome! Love your writing. Keep it up :)
This is a great story with beautiful photo!