Silver Bay in 1902 — Three cheers for Silas Paine

It was a monumental task, not just because of the number of delegates but also because of the amount of luggage each delegate brought along.

“On Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week 600 college girl delegates to the annual summer conference of the Y.W.C.A. of the eastern states and Canada arrived by the D&H trains and kept the employees of the railroad and steamboat handling trunks,” The Lake George Mirror reported on July 4, 1902.

The conference was a stop en route home for the summer from the respective colleges, so the girls carried more luggage than typical tourists.

“The good steamboat Horicon never carried so much baggage on a single trip,” the Mirror reported. “The girls had a merry time waiting for the steamboat and gathered in groups on its wharf or wandered through the Fort William Henry Park.”

The conference opened the evening of June 27 and closed the evening of July 6.

On Monday afternoon delegates posed for a group photo.

“While the camera was being focused, the girls amused themselves by singing their college songs and cries, which were passed on from delegation to delegation to delegation. Mr. and Mrs. (Silas) Paine (owners of Silver Bay Hotel at the time) appeared on the lawn and three cheers were given for them with enthusiasm.”

Delegates had “a pleasant and beneficial week’s sojourn,” the Mirror reported on July 18, 1902.

“The Horicon made a special trip to Silver Bay early Tuesday morning so that delegates might leave for their homes on the early train from Caldwell.”

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