HISTORY ON DISPLAY
New wood sculpture recalls Rogers’ Rangers’ role in French and Indian War
LAKE GEORGE, N. Y. » The proverbial third time wasn’t a charm for Paul Stark. Neither was the fourth.
It took the Oregon wood carver five tries before he found the right tree for a 24- foot French and Indian War- era sculpture that was unveiled Thursday on Beach Road.
The lifesize piece depicts Major Robert Rogers in the bow of a canoe, along with five Mohican indians.
“Finding the right tree, that was the hard part, plus all the rain this summer,” Stark said.
About 60 people turned out for the dedication along the lake Walk way near Fort William Henry, the site of some of the French and Indian War’s most famous battles.
Rogers’ Rangers was a guerrillastyle outfit that struck deep into enemy territory during the war. Today’s modern- day special operations military tactics can be traced to the “Rules of Ranging” Rogers wrote while stationed in Fort Edward.
He spent considerable time in
Fort Edward and Lake George during thewar in the mid- to late- 1750s.
Stark worked on the $ 100,000 project frommid- May to early September when it was picked up, put on a trailer with a front- end loader and moved to the lake front. Throughout the summer, many people stopped in amazement to admire the sculpture as it took shape at Stark’s work site on Route 9, just north of the village.
Nearly a dozen local families and businesses contributed $ 5,000 each toward the effort, which was completed with many smaller donations, as well as $ 10,000 each fromthe town and village of Lake George. Fundraising was spearheaded by Lake George residents
Rod and Kim Cornelius, whose son, Tyler, helped Stark with some of the sculpture’s detailed work.
“With determination, perseverance and dedication, they were able to pull this off,” Mayor Robert Blais said.
Several other businesses have already approached the village, seeking permission for similar carvings near them,, he said. Thiswould add another dimension to Lake George’s already vibrant hospitality industry by promoting art and adding cultural heritage tourism to themix.
“This will be a draw for people who are really interested inhistory,” town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson said.
Plans call for building a 30- foot by 10- foot pavilion over the sculpture to protect it from the sun and elements. It will stay in place year round.
The tree used for the carving, a seven- ton white pine, came from Sullivan County in the southern Catskills.
“A friend and developer, Steve Dubvrosky, let me search his property for a couple of weeks until I found the tree we needed for this project,” Stark said.
The first four he considered had rotten spots inside, but the fifth, about 150 years old, was just right. The sculpture is made from one large piece of wood culled from that tree.
Stark doesn’t draw an outline, but does everything freestyle with a chainsaw after envisioning what he wants the finished product to look like.
“I start with a nose and use that as a measurement for preparation,” he said.
The only change from the original design in his mind was adding a bundle of furs in the middle of the canoe. He did this after encountering knots in the tree, which made it difficult to put a human figure there.
“I like doing bigger lifesize projects like this,” Stark said. “I try to put myself back in the day and try to imagine what it was like back then. I tried to put a lot of strength in the piece.”