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N. end with coaches for (7 M.) Richfield Springs (p. 188). The drive or walk round the lake (ca. 20 M.) is a pleasant excursion. Crossing the Susquehanna at the foot of Main St., we reach (5 min.) cross-roads, where walkers may ascend the steps to the right through wood. In 13 min. we cross a road and, keeping to the left, reach (3-4 min.) the summer-house on Prospect Rock (1440 ft.), commanding a splendid View of Cooperstown and the lake. Returning to (3-4 min.) the road we crossed, we descend it to (10 min.) the above-mentioned fork. We then continue our route along the lake, the pretty tree-shaded road recalling that along the W. bank of Windermere. 7 min. Cemetery, containing a monument to Fenimore Cooper. About 2-3 min. farther on a path descends to the left to the Fairy Spring. Point Judith, with Kingfisher's Tower, is 11/2 M. farther on.

In following the W. shore of the lake we pass many of the places mentioned in Cooper's 'Deerslayer'. 1/2 M. Hannah's Hill and Musk-rat Cove; 21/2 M. Leatherstocking Falls; 3 M. Three Mile or Wild Rose Point, where Hetty Hutter landed. Adjacent is Mohican Glen. From Five-Mile Point a road ascends to the top of Mt. Otsego (2800 ft.; Inn and view-tower), commanding an extensive *View. 6 M. Hutter's Point, near which take place the final scenes of the story. A white buoy in the lake marks the site of 'Hutter's Castle'. The Steamboat Landing is about 2 M. farther on. Numerous other walks and drives may be made from Cooperstown. It is 13 M. from Cherry Valley and 20 M. from Sharon Springs (p. 158).

82 M. Oneonta (1085 ft.), with railway-workshops and a trade in hops; 119 M. Nineveh, the junction of a branch to Wilkesbarré (p. 228); 127 M. Tunnel Station, where we thread a tunnel 1/2 M. long. 142 M. Binghamton (860 ft.), see p. 197.

24. The Catskill Mts.

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The chief gateways to the Catskill Mts. are Rondout (p. 149) and Catskill (p. 149), both situated on the W. bank of the Hudson and both reached from New York by Steamer (R. 21a; fares $1, $11/2), by West Shore Railroad (R. 21c; $2.18), or N. Y. C. & H. R. Railroad (R. 21b) and ferry ($2.18). Through-tickets are issued on these routes to the chief resorts in the mountains (e.g. to Catskill Mt. Ho., $2.75 to $3.93), and prompt connections are made. The Mts. may be approached from the N.W. via Stamford (p.165). The Catskills, the Indian Onti Ora or 'Mts. of the Sky', are an outlying group of the great Appalachian system, running parallel with the Hudson for about 12-15 M. at a distance of 8-9 M. from its W. bank. They lie mainly in Greene Co., New York, and cover an area of about 500 sq. M. Their name is derived through the Dutch name of Katzbergs, applied to them on account of the numerous wild-cats that infested them (killstream, gorge). Towards the E. their declivity is very abrupt, and as seen from the Hudson they appear like an almost vertical wall 2000-3000 ft. high. On the other sides the slopes are more gradual. Deep ravines, known as 'Cloves', are cut into many of the mountains by mountain-torrents. The highest summits are Slide Mt. (4205 ft.; p. 164) and Hunter Mt. (4050 ft.; p. 163). An additional attraction of the Catskills is the part they play in the scant legendary lore of America (comp. p. 160). Their picturesque scenery, cool and healthy atmosphere, and easy accessibility have made them a favourite summer-resort; and numerous good hotels and boardinghouses (mostly open June - Sept.) now sprinkle the entire district (see below). The most frequented of these are the Kaaterskill Hotel and the Catskill Mountain House (see pp. 161, 162). A glimpse at the chief points of interest may be obtained in a day by a round-trip from Catskill to either of the above hotels and thence viâ Stony Clove and the Kaaterskill Railroad to Tannersville, Phoenicia, and Kingston (or in the reverse direction); but a stay of 1-3 weeks is desirable for a closer acquaintance with the mountains. The Catskill railways generally cease running in winter. Fair trout-fishing is obtained in the mountain-streams. The red sandstone to

which the name Catskill has been attached belongs to the latest Devonian formations of America.

a. From Catskill to the Catskill Mountain House and the Hotel Kaaterskill.

Catskill (95 ft.; Prospect Park Hotel, with view of the Hudson, $3-4; Grant House, 1 M. to the W., with view, $3; Windsor, Irving Ho., $2-3), a village with 4920 inhab., is finely situated on the W. bank of the Hudson, at the mouth of the Catskill Creek. There are numerous pleasant walks and drives in the vicinity, and boating and fishing may be enjoyed on the two rivers.

Catskill is the starting-point of the narrow-gauge CATSKILL MOUNTAIN RAILROAD, which runs hence to (13 M.) Cairo (35-45 min.) and to (16 M.) Palenville (3/4-1 hr.). The railway ascends the Catskill Creek to (8 M.) South Cairo and (10 M.) Cairo Junction, where the Cairo branch (3 M.) diverges to the right.

Cairo (345 ft.; Columbian, $3; Winter Clove Ho., $2) is an unpretending little summer-resort, commanding a good view of the Catskills.

Beyond Cairo Junction the train skirts the base of Cairo Round Top Mt. 12 M. Lawrenceville. 14 M. Mountain House Station, where the road to the (4 M.) Catskill Mt. House (p. 161) begins.

The ROAD FROM THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE STATION TO THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE (414 M.) ascends very rapidly, and good walkers can accomplish the distance almost as fast as the carriages. After passing through (1/2 M.) the toll-gate at the foot of the mountain, we turn to the left and ascend to Sleepy Hollow, the scene of Rip van Winkle's famous adventure, and to (1 M.) the Rip van Winkle House (1275 ft.). A slab of rock is pointed out as the actual spot of his twenty years' slumber! Farther on the road toils up the 'Dead Ox Hill', rounds Cape Horn', passes the 'Short Level', again turns abruptly to the left, climbs 'Featherbed Hill', traverses the 'Long Level', and leads through a final brace of curves to the W. or rear entrance of the Catskill Mt. Ho. (see p. 161).

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1514 M. Otis Junction, the starting-point of the OTIS ELEVATING RAILWAY, which leads directly to the Catskill Mt. House in 10 min., ascending 1600 ft. in its length of 11/3 M. (fare 75 c.). This new route, opened in 1892, reduces the time between Catskill and the Mountain Ho. by more than 1 hr. The Hotel Kaaterskill (p. 162) is 1 M. from the top of the railway.

16 M. Palenville (Stony Brook Ho., $ 2-3; Maple Grove Ho., Pine Grove Ho., Winchelsea, $2; Palenville Ho., 1 M. from the station, $2),, finely situated at the entrance to the Kaaterskill Clove (see below), lies 3 M. from the Kaaterskill Hotel (omnibuses meet the train here; see below). Palenville is much frequented by artists, and many pleasant walks and drives may be made from it. Coaches run hence to Haines's Falls and Tannersville (p. 164; $1).

Some travellers prefer to drive all the way from Catskill to (12 M.) the Mountain House or the (14 M.) Kaaterskill Hotel.

The Kaaterskill Clove is a narrow wooded ravine, like the 'Notches' of the White Mts. (pp. 126, 129), enclosed by South Mountain (p. 161) on the right and High Peak (p. 163) and Round Top (p. 162) on the left. A rough road ascends through the Clove, crossing the creek near the Palenville Hotel, 1 M. from the station. 1/3 M. Artist's Grotto and La Belle Falls. A little farther on are two landslips. At (1 M.) Profile Rock we cross the

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