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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Wilton in Saratoga County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic) |
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Grant’s Last Trip to the Eastern Outlook
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By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 1. Grant’s Last Trip to the Eastern Outlook Marker | | |
Inscription.
On July 20, 1885, three days before his death, General Grant, unable to speak, passed a note to his doctor requesting to be taken to the Eastern Outlook. Because of his weakened state, Grant was carried there in his bath chair by his son, Colonel Fred Grant; his valet, Harrison Tyrell; and Dr. John Douglas. Engraving from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, August 1, 1885.
“ . . . old photographs show the General seated in a small rustic building on the edge of the Mountain. This building has given place to the monument.”
Excerpt from “The Passing of the Pine,” by J.F. O’Neill in the Mount McGregor Optimist, January 1923. Photograph from 7 Mile Funeral Cortege, 1886.
“What do you think of my taking the bath wagon and going down to overlook the south rim?”
“After the last page of his book was finished, General Grant determined to make the most of his now rapidly failing strength, in visiting, before he should die, the Eastern Outlook of the mountain, that he might gaze upon the wondrous scene there spread before him . . . . ” Excerpt from The Historic Muse on Mount McGregor, One of the Adirondacks Near Saratoga, by Nathaniel B. Sylvester, 1886.
The Eastern Outlook and its Views
“There is a spot here known as the Eastern | | | | 
By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 2. Grant’s Last Trip to the Eastern Outlook Marker | | |
Lookout, which few visitors fail to see and which is a delight to all. It commands a broad sweep of the valley, with the green Mountains banking the eastern horizon, the Adirondacks looming up in the north, and the outlines of the Catskills traced against the southern sky. One may rest there in rustic chairs under a pavilion ingeniously built of tree limbs and branches yet in the bark, and look out upon a scene that has no equal for pastoral repose in this region.”New York Times, July 21, 1885.
Location. 43° 12.04′ N, 73° 44.59′ W. Marker is in Wilton, New York, in Saratoga County. Marker can be reached from Mt. McGregor Road, on the right when traveling north. Click for map. Marker is located at the overlook near the Visitor Center at Grant’s Cottage State Historic Site. The cottage is on the grounds of the Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility. Marker is in this post office area: Gansevoort NY 12831, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, as the crow flies. Grant’s Last View of the Valley (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hotel and Ulysses S. Grant at Mt. McGregor (within shouting distance of this marker); Ulysses S. Grant (about 600 feet away, in a direct line); Ulysses S. Grant Died (about 600 feet away); Grant Cottage (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Grant Cottage (approx. 1.4 miles away); a different marker also named Grant Cottage (approx. 1.5 miles away); a different marker also named Grant Cottage (approx. 1.5 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Wilton.| | | | 
By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 3. Marker at the Eastern Outlook | | |
More about this marker. A photo of the view appears along the top of the marker. Identified in the photo are the locations of the Saratoga Battle Monument which commemorates British General John Burgoyne’s surrender at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777; Target Northeast Distribution Center; Exit 16 of the Northway; Ballard School; Ace Hardware Retail Support Center; Saratoga Lake; City of Albany Empire State Plaza; and Catskill Mountains.
Several photographs appear on the marker showing Grant in a structure at the overlook, the view from the overlook, and the Eastern Overlook and Hotel Balmoral as seen from the valley.
Also on the marker is the engraving of Grant being transported in his bath wagon along with a reproduction of the note written by Grant.
Also see . . .
1. Biography of Ulysses Simpson Grant. (Submitted on June 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
2. Grant Cottage State Historic Site. (Submitted on June 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
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By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 4. Grant’s Last Trip to the Eastern Outlook Marker | | |
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By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 5. Marker at at Grant’s Cottage State Historic Site | | |
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By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 6. View from the Marker | | This is the view that Ulysses S. Grant enjoyed on his last visit to the outlook on July 20, 1885. | | |
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By Bill Coughlin, June 27, 2012 | |
| | | 7. A Bath wagon – or Bath chair | Grant was transported to the Eastern Outlook in a chair like this one on display in the Visitor Center.
It is a rolling chaise or light carriage with a folding hood which can be open or closed. James Heath (of Bath, England) invented the chair around 1750. It gained in popularity and by 1830 had become the conventional means of transporting the sick at popular spa resorts. The chairs could be mounted on three or four wheels and drawn or pushed by hand. If required, the Bath chair could be mounted on four wheels and drawn by a horse, donkey or small pony. Later versions were a type of wheelchair and pushed by an attendant rather than pulled by an animal. Some versions, such as this model, incorporated a steering mechanism for use by the invalid. This Bath wagon is a circa 1880 model manufactured by the W. Monk & Co. and on loan to the Friends by past Friends’ President, Lance Ingmire, of Saratoga Springs, NY. | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on June 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 93 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on June 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.
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