August 17, 2012

The Tamarack Lodge


The Tamarack Lodge, located in Greenfield Park, New York, was one of the many Catskill resorts in Ulster and Sullivan Counties popular for decades with tourists from New York City.  Sadly, the Tamarack, like so many of the other Catskill destinations, is an abandoned shell of what it once was.

 The Tamarack in Better Days

 The Tamarack was a boarding house from 1927 to 1947, after which it became the Tamarack Lodge. It was one of the many resorts considered part of the borscht belt and was a popular destination for Jewish vacationers. Pulitzer Prize winning author Herman Wouk waited tables in the children's dining room during the 1930s.

Many popular entertainers appeared at the Tamarack, including Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Cream, The Who, and Janis Joplin.  During Passover in 1994 a large fire wiped out part of the building and displaced guests.
dining room during the 1930s.

In  April 2012 
The smoke billowing high above Route 52 just outside the Village of Ellenville late Saturday afternoon can be seen for miles. According to Ulster County fire officials 30 buildings on the former Tamarack Lodge property catch fire. To make matters worse, two separate brush fires break out. It's a scene that draws hundreds of firefighters from neighboring counties of Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan Counties to try and keep this fire from getting out of control.
Dave Meade, a NYS Forest Ranger said, “All the shingles and stuff were carried by the high-winds and it dumped a whole bunch of spot fires here all the way across at several locations. We didn't even know this one until we flew over and spotted it. This one looks like maybe it's 10 acres." While state forest rangers work the woods… 
Park Ranger, Greg Tyrrell said, “Right now it's a good time to get a handle on this thing. You know we got a lot of personnel from all over, so we should get a handle on it pretty quickly."Back at the Ellenville Fire House firefighters continue to return from fighting the lodge fire. They get some much needed nourishment, and then they're out the door to get back to work.Charles Mutz, Ulster County Chief Fire Coordinator said, “The main part of the facility is on the ground. I've sent an excavator up to the sight to my deputy and the incident commander up there. We have two aerial operations going at this point just to cool it down."



IMG_4619

IMG_4565

IMG_4601

IMG_4574

IMG_4553

IMG_4547

No comments:

Post a Comment