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Winter in the Adirondacks is long, cold, and either incredibly dark or dazzlingly bright. The snow dances through the air and shimmers on the ground, and many of us cozy up at home with a hot drink. But for woodswoman Anne LaBastille, winter was a time for perilous journeys, neighborly actions, and as little time cozied up to the woodstove as she could manage. This episode of ADK-xtra Credit tells the story of just a few of Anne’s many winter time adventures. Listen in to learn even more about the Adirondack’s most famous woodswoman.

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Here in the Adirondacks, it can take a little extra time to send and receive mail. Many years ago that was even more true! Before the days of well paved state highways, mail carriers in the Adirondacks had to get creative when delivering the mail. Listen to this episode of ADK-Xtra credit to learn about some of the unique ways Adirondackers once got their mail.

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How many kids are in your school? Not your class, your WHOLE SCHOOL. In Indian Lake (that's the town our hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake is in) there are just over 100 Kindergarten-12th grade students. In an elementary school we visit in Utica, there are almost 500–and that doesn’t include middle or high school! But what if your school was so small that all the students could fit in one room? That was the reality for many kids in the early days of public school, especially in rural areas like here in the Adirondacks. For many years kids around New York state went to school in tiny One Room Schoolhouses. Listen to this episode of ADKXtra Credit to learn more about what it was like to attend a one room schoolhouse of the past.

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Have you heard of Anne LaBastille? She was an incredible Adirondack woman who was a certified Adirondack Guide, a scientist, the first woman commissioner of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), and lived off grid in a cabin. This episode of ADK-Xtra Credit introduces Anne, and tells the story of how she built her home with the help of her friends. Anne’s cabin is now in our Life in The Adirondacks exhibit.

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Why can’t we touch the things on exhibit in museums? What are some of the ways museums keep objects and artifacts safe? Why do we care so much about including interactive pieces in our exhibits here at the ADKX? Learn about all these things and more in this episode of ADKX-tra Credit, featuring interviews from Public Programs Manager Liz Belyea and Registrar Shelby Walton. Explore our digital collections database here while you listen!

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Beekeeping was a very important part of farming in the Adirondacks many years ago. At a time when farmers relied solely on subsistence farming to live, keeping bees gave farmers access to honey for something sweet to eat, beeswax for high quality candles and medicine, and pollination for their crops. Listen in to learn about traditional beekeeping, and to hear from a local Adirondack beekeeper about hobby beekeeping today!

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Do you like maple syrup? Here in the Adirondacks, maple syrup is more than just a sweet treat. It’s a major industry and a big piece of New York state history. Listen in to learn about the science behind maple sugaring, and about how Abbott Augustus Low pioneered new syrup making technologies around the turn of the 20th century. 

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The Miracle on Ice was a famous hockey game between the U.S. and the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid N.Y. The Soviet athletes were professional athletes, many of whom had already competed in and won medals in previous Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, the American team was made up of minor league and college players. With tensions high because of shaky international relations, this was a game of great significance to the two countries. 

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The Blizzard of 1888

The weather on March 11, 1888 was clear and sunny. The calendar said it was still winter but it felt as though spring was on its way. However, by the evening of March 12, 1888 the weather had turned and a major snow storm was pummeling the entire northeast of the United States. Listen in to learn more about the blizzard and its powerful and long term effects. 

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The Adirondacks survived two major forest fires in the early 1900s. The ’Big Burn’ of 1903 destroyed around 464,000 acres of forest and homes. Then in 1908 another fire burned approximately 600,000 acres. As devastating as these events were they helped lead to the creation of the NYS Forest Service.