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The
Rock - Its History and the Story of its Preservation
South
Colton. The hills begin here. So
do the woods, the great South Woods, the
Adirondacks.
Check out their web site www.sundayrock.com
On Sunday,
October 30, 2011 the Town of Colton unveiled a
new historic marker at Sunday Rock Park along
State Highway 56 in the hamlet of South
Colton. The marker lets travelers know
that Sunday Rock, a multi-ton glacial boulder,
is now on both the State and national
Registers of Historic Places. Over 60 people
attended the event led by Town Supervisor
Lawrence Patzwald. Sally Thomas has taken the
initiative over many years to preserve and
recognize Sunday Rock as an Adirondack
landmark and legend.
The Town of Colton straddles the northern
boundary of the Adirondack Forest
Preserve. One end of the town touches on
the neat homes of St. Lawrence County; the
other reaches into the woods. In the
middle is Sunday
Rock.
Previous to
settlement in this area, the Indian trail into
the mountains ran by here. In that long
ago time, this 64,000-pound glacial boulder
was used as a landmark by the Indians, and
when the white settlers came, they used it for
the same purpose. The rock was a natural
landmark, and travelers were guided by the big
rock in the middle of the road. The rock
separated the woods from the world.
There was no
law for deer nor trout, and all the woods was
one grand hunting ground. In those days,
it was said that beyond the rock there was no
Sunday. Camp life went on from day to
day with no change. It was all one
glorious holiday when Tuesday might just as
well have been Saturday, and Thursday and
Wednesday could change places. Friday
might have begun the week for all anyone knew
or cared. The rivers, the brooks, the
ponds, the mountains and the trees, the fleet
deer, the rushing trout, the wildcat and black
bear ruled supreme. It was their land
and there was no Sunday. The road past
the rock also served as the way in for scores
of loggers and for them, here the rough and
tumble fellowship of winter camp began.
Thus, the big rock began to be called Sunday Rock.
By whom, nobody knows, but the reason is
evident.
After a
while, the rock came to stand for something
else. When people from the valley passed it on
their way to the mountains, they felt a sense
of arrival, of having crossed a dividing
line. On the other side of the rock were
the woods and mountains, life was freer and
easier. Saluting the rock became a kind
of joyful ritual to be observed. Elders
might uncork a bottle and children could cut
up without fear of a scolding. Hunter
and fisherman had the feeling of eager
anticipation as the cares of everyday life
were left behind.
In 1925, when
the automobile became the popular way to
travel and this Highway 56 was to be built,
the rock lay directly in its path. Old
friends, headed by Doctor C.H. Leete of
Potsdam, came to the rescue. The Sunday
Rock Association was formed with 210 members
from seven states, the District of Columbia,
the Canal Zone and Canada, giving a total of
$260. For this amount, the rock was
moved, and a booklet entitled "Sunday Rock, Its
History And The Story Of Its Preservation"
was published.
'Who could
move the rock' was now the big question, but
there was a ready answer: Joe
Grew. Joe and his crew could move
anything, and they did. The rock was
moved to its new location, which was on the
opposite side of the road from this present
location. In 1965 when Highway 56 was
again remade, Supervisor George Swift
organized the project and the rock was moved
to its present location. The land was
given to the Town of Colton by Mrs. Hilda
Swift, and through her generosity, the area
was enlarged to the present day park with the
1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule buried beneath
the mammoth stone.
For many who
pass by here, the Adirondacks still exert
their mystical appeal. Vacationers who
return to these hills, year after year,
probably have their own "Sunday Rock"; a river
crossing, a turn in the road that reveals a
first glimpse of the mountains, some sign that
you have crossed into a place where the
calendar can be forgotten; where there is
beauty to love and the everlasting hills to
savor.
The meaning
of the rock has not been forgotten.
Through the years, people have remembered the
legend and all it represented. The
invisibly inscribed names of Hollywood, The
Jordan, Catamount, The Plains, Joe Indian,
Sevey, Huggards, Stark, Jamestown Falls, Moody
and Moosehead can still conjure up thoughts of
the comfort of camp, venison, fried trout,
pancakes, maple syrup and adventure in the big
woods. It has been the continued
affection of many generations, which has
preserved the old landmark and the legend
surrounding it. Sunday Rock
still separates the woods from the world, and
the message from those who preserved it is
still clear. The woods are better.
Sunday Rock
was placed on the NYS and National Register
sites of Historic Places in 2009 and in 2011
on the National Registry of Historic
Landmarks. It is the only rock in the
Registry.
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