Polaris Bridge built to last

In your January-February issue, you had an extensive article titled “A Consensus Solution.” I would like to comment on the Polaris Bridge section. Dave Gibson from Adirondack Wild is reported as saying in regard to the bridge that it was meant to be temporary and should be removed. “Finch, Pruyn constructed this bridge to allow for easy de-construction. It should go, no question about it,” he is quoted as saying.

This is not accurate, as Finch never intended to remove the bridge. We purchased the bridge, which had been used in Baltimore, and installed it in the early 1990s to gain long-term access to Finch, Pruyn’s Polaris Mountain tract of land.

As a historical fact, the Drake Lumber Company of Schroon Lake built a log bridge at the site in 1953, also to access the timber in Finch’s Polaris tract and to truck the logs to their sawmill, which was located at the western end of the bridge. This bridge washed out soon after they completed their harvesting.

Richard Nason, Glens Falls
Nason is a retired forester who was woodlands manager for Finch, Pruyn & Company.