Noah John Rondeau: Adirondack Hermit

Although the Adirondacks have had their full share of hermits down through the years, nearly all of them have been the unfriendly type who, for various reasons, tried their utmost to avoid any contact with their fellow men. There were, however, two noteworthy exceptions-Adirondack French Louie (Sey-mour) (1833-1915), whose habitat was the Canada Lakes region, and NoahJohn Rondeau (1883-1967), the Hermit-Mavor of Cold River City (Population 1), whose bailiwick was in the heart of the incomparable High Peak section of Essex County.

The hard-drinking, far-ranging Louie was of course immortalized in 1952 in a remarkable volume by the late Harvey Dunham. Coming out in the Fall will be a book which will give Rondeau, the many-sided, self-educated star attraction of over 20 Sportsmen's shows, his deserved place in the literary sun.

Even though Noah John had been "discovered" by members of the Troy 46er organization in the mid-30's and by hunters and fishermen long before that time, it was not until about the start of World War II that he began to demonstrate his ability to entertain audiences.

Then, in late 1947, Clayt Seagears, of the New York State Conservationist magazine staff, wrote the classic article which resulted in Rondeau's air lift to fame and his subsequent appearance at the National Sportsmen's Show in New York City. Stardom there gave Noah about four years of national recognition and numerous other engagements in big cities and small.

During his days at his Cold River hermitage Rondeau kept a diary-much of it in code. He also wrote numerous lengthy letters and practiced his own matchless brand of poetry. Extensive excerpts from each of these phases of his considerable writing skill are included in the book.

Of special interest are his fiery feud with the Game Protection branch of the Conservation Department and the intriguing account of his two trials. Also fascinating are his extremely lively and characteristic journal entries about politics and politicians, Big Business and Big Shots and the frustrations and exasperations felt by all the less fortunate folks.

Noah John Rondeau, Adirondack Hermit, represents a team effort by many of his numerous friends. Included are Noah's own "Recollections of 60 years," journal entries, correspondence and representative poetry.

All in all Noah John Rondeau, Adirondack Hermit represents a solid addition to Adirondack lore.