Jersey Field Lumber Company's railroad service

Here is a map I enhanced with numbers for people to describe locations on the Jerseyfield Lumber Company right-of-way. If anyone has questions on locations, or has some knowledge of locations, they can refer to the numbers on the map for explanation...

Gino

I was just researching other topics and stumbled onto this forum, great info. I've been hunting this area for over 30 years mainly the back side of the boyer lake area. I also have a hunting camp just south of Klondike. My father has been hunting this area for about 60 years and still lives in the area. I know my great grandfather owned a bunch of land in this area and worked for one of the lumber companies, he could even be the Johnson logging outfit someone mentioned.
Some information I didn't see mentioned, there is an old railroad bed and even some existing rails located along the section of black creek that runs northward just north of Jerseyfield Mountain. There are also a couple locations that have some "remnants" of the camps that were established - peavy that has grown into a tree, some old crosscut saws, old cookstove, etc... My dad tells the story of one location that we refer to as "Preachers Rock" as it was where everyone gathered on a Sunday morning, and the preacher would stand on the rock and address everyone.

-tj

I'm a late to the conversation, but I was researching other topics and stumbled onto this forum. I'm extremely familiar with this are, have been hunting this area for over 30 years, my dad for over 50. We have a hunting camp just below Klondike. I was surprised that there is no mention of a track that runs along the section of black creek that flows south out of black creek lake towards jerseyfield mountain. There are old railroad beds, rails, and even a couple of locations where the old camps were established with some remnants of an old bed frames, cookstoves, and some old loggers hardware such as peavys and crosscut saws. My dad has told me stories about my great grandfather working (logging) in the area and owning a large amount of the land at one time. He may even be the "johnson" someone mentioned in a previous post. We have a couple landmarks we refer to in the area relating to the lumber/loggers. The first is called peavy watch as it has a peavy and crosscut saw that has grown into a beech tree. The better one is referred to has Preachers Rock. The story my dad tells is that on sundays, everyone would gather around this rock, and the preacher would stand on top of it and address everyone. This fall if I get to the back side of boyer lake along black creek I will get the location and see if I can't find some markings on the rail to identify it.

thanks
Tim

Thanks for the history. I was just poring over a map of Jerseyfield Lake to see what sort of development there was on that big private inholding. Then I noticed the "abandoned railroad grade" and followed that back to Salisbury. Now I know that it was just another short-lived Adirondack logging railroad. I will note that, while most of the land owned by the lumber company went to the state, the lake remains in private hands.

Thanks for all this information here. I'm working with the Salisbury Historical Society on their 2022 display, with the theme of the Salisbury Railroad (including the Irondale and Jerseyfield branches). This discussion group has brought up many resources I've been using, and I've been in touch with Gino directly. Not being a railroad person, I've been taking the guidance of enthusiasts like you. I'm collecting resources now (photos, articles, and artifacts) and if any of your are interested in this (Jerseyfield, Irondale, or the Dolgeville/Salisbury line) please reach out to me at [email protected] . I'll keep you posted on my work if there's interest - the exhibit opens June 5th and is open Sundays 1-3 throughout the summer.

Kevin

My dad is originally from Little Falls and lived in Dolgeville for a few years in the early 60’s. He is interested in the Jerseyfield rail line around Salisbury and any remaining rail and equipment and artifacts connected to the logging camps and operation. Is there anyway he can take a look at the exhibit about the area?
He heard the area might be gated…is there access via Jerseyfield road up thru the area and near Jerseyfield Lake?

I found a few maps and am trying to match them up to the current google maps of the area, the there seems to be a few disconnects. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Best, Leslie

Our exhibit on the Salisbury Railroad (including Jerseyfield) closed just before Labor Day. Here's a link to a collection of the images and signage I build for the exhibit, including a section on Jerseyfield. https://www.kebya.com/gallery/Salisbury ... Fi1SrNuy7c My understanding is that you can park near the old train path and hike in, and there are some abandoned equipment still in the area. Good luck, Kevin