No doubt, the popularity of “Welcome to Lake George: Vacation Paradise of the 50s and 60s,” which opened at the Bolton Museum in 2025, is due in part to the fact that so many residents and visitors see themselves – figuratively and literally – in the exhibition. Two examples: Gloria Gilman and Tom Roach.
Gloria Gilman was the Lake George Chamber of Commerce’s “Information Clerk” who posed for a Lake George Mirror promo for the chamber’s new “service:” the names of lodging facilities listed under a clever banner: “self-service housing bureau.”
Tom Roach, at the time a student at SUNY Oswego, was founder, owner and tenured faculty member of Tom’s Ski School, headquartered at Bayfront Motor Court (aka Bayfront Cottages), which Tom and his wife Bev still operate. Tom was also one of the stars of the Lake George water ski shows commemorated and celebrated by the exhibition.
The unexpected popularity of “Welcome to Lake George: Vacation Paradise of the 50s and 60s” led the board of directors of the Bolton Museum to vote to keep it on view for one more summer, with additions and enhancements.
Among the enhancements: the “patrio-tourism” of the Lake George region.
Interest in and knowledge of the region’s role in the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolution was deep and widespread – among residents and scholars (which sometimes were one in the same. Harrison Bird of Huletts Landing, author of four still highly regarded books about the colonial wars, comes to mind).
Tourists, however, required other inducements if they were to take an interest in the region’s 18th century forts and battlefields, and the exhibition now highlights some of those.
For instance, the exhibition’s organizers found a publicity still for the 1953 Hollywood movie, “Fort Ti.”
According to historian Joseph Zarzynski, “Fort Ti” is about Rogers’ Rangers and British General Jeffery Amherst’s 1759 campaign against the French at Fort Carillon, the early name for Fort Ticonderoga.
“Though a movie about an 18th century east coast military fortress, it is nonetheless classified by film historians as a ‘western.’ New York City native William Castle directed “Fort Ti.” Castle made many Westerns and horror films, too. He is best known as the producer for the Roman Polanski-directed “Rosemary’s Baby,” a 1968 chiller starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. Hollywood scriptwriter Robert E. Kent, whose credits included dozens of films and even several episodes of the late 1960s’ hit television series, “The Wild, Wild West,” wrote the screenplay for ‘Fort Ti,’” says Zarzynski.
According to Zarzynski, “Fort Ti” was shot not on location in the Champlain Valley but, rather, at the Corriganville movie ranch in southern California, an outdoor set where television series like “The Lone Ranger,” “Sky King,” “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” and even several episodes of “Star Trek” were shot.
Several paintings of 18th French, Indian, British and American warriors by local artist Chuck Hawley, executed for a local restaurant, have also been added to the exhibition.
The organizers of “Welcome to Lake George: Vacation Paradise of the 50s and 60s” hope the additions to the exhibition enrich its narrative: how Lake George was transformed from a summer-long resort for the wealthy to a place where middle class and working families could come by car for a two-week vacation.
Colorful displays highlight motels and cabin colonies, nightlife, waterfront recreation, tourist attractions and the coming of the Adirondack Northway.
The 1954 Governor’s Conference at the Sagamore, Diane Struble’s length-of-the-lake swim and the opening of now iconic attractions receive special attention, as do the popularity of western-themed dude ranches and the pervasive influence of the automobile on tourism and popular culture. Throughout the summer, guest speakers will present engaging programs that delve into several of the exhibition’s themes.
“Welcome to Lake George: Vacation Paradise of the ’50s and ’60s,” was organized by the museum’s vice-president, Lisa H. Hall, publisher of the Lake George Mirror.
According to Hall, she drew upon the resort newspaper’s archives to help inform and illustrate the exhibits.
“During the ‘50s and ‘60s, the Lake George Mirror chronicled the changes on Lake George – the decline of the great resort hotels, the destruction of the mansions along Lake Shore Drive, and the proliferation of motels and tourist cabins. It also promoted the attractions, the restaurants and resorts and championed projects such as the Million Dollar Beach, the Northway, the Prospect Mountain Highway and the expansion of Shepard Park. It was the lake’s newspaper of record,” said Hall.
Artifacts on display include loans from the museum’s president, Henry Caldwell, owner of Black Bass Antiques.
“The ‘50s and ‘60s were a great time on Lake George, and many people who come into my shop have wonderful memories of the theme parks and the mom-and-pop resorts. The artifacts from my shop embody that special time,” said Caldwell.
The exhibition is enhanced by objects from the Bolton Historical Museum’s own collections and by loans from local residents.
Located at 4924 Lakeshore Drive, with an entrance in Rogers Park, The Bolton Historical Museum will be open seven days a week, 10 am to 4 pm, from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
