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Gore Mountain
Gore MountainNorth Creek, Warren County, New York, U.S.Show map of New YorkGore MountainGore Mountain (the United States)Show map of the United States
Highest point
Elevation	3563+ ft (1086+ m)
Prominence	1,850 ft (560 m)
Listing	New York County High Points 7th
Coordinates	43°40′35″N 74°02′06″W / 43.6764539°N 74.035134°W / 43.6764539; -74.035134
Geography
Location	North Creek, Warren County, New York, U.S.
Parent range	Adirondack Mountains
Topo map	USGS Thirteenth Lake

Gore Mountain is a mountain located near the village of North Creek in Warren County, New York, of which its peak is the highest point. Gore is flanked to the north by South Mountain, and to the southwest by Height of Land Mountain. The mountain is the site of the popular Gore Mountain ski resort. The mountain is the site of the Gore Mountain Fire Observation Station which was built in 1918.

History

Gore mountain gets its name from the word "gore", a tract of land, typically triangular, characteristically arising from survey lines that do not close. The mountain remained unsurveyed during early settlement of the Adirondack Mountain region because it was considered valueless to early farmers and loggers. It was considered too high and steep for farming and horse drawn logging. It remained a "gore" and the name stuck as Gore Mountain.

Fire tower

In August 1909, the first fire lookout tower was an 18-foot-tall (5.5 m) wooden tower constructed by the Forest, Fish and Game Commission. In 1918, the Civilian Conservation Corps replaced it with a 60-foot-tall (18 m) Aermotor LS40 tower. In October 1919, a hurricane caused the tower to fall down, as well as the tower on Hadley Mountain. The tower was rebuilt and was opened for the 1920 fire lookout season. The fire tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1988 season, and was officially closed in early 1989. The tower still remains but is closed to the public and is used as a communications relay tower.

Watershed

Gore Mountain stands within the watershed of the Hudson River which drains into New York Harbor. The south end of Gore Mtn. drains into Black Mountain Brook, thence into Chatiemac Brook, North Creek, and the Hudson River. The southeast slopes of Gore Mtn. drains into Straight Brook, thence into North Creek. The northeast slopes of Gore Mtn. drains into Roaring Brook, thence into North Creek. The north west and west slopes of Gore Mtn. drain into the headwaters of the East Branch of the Sacandaga River, thence into Hudson River.

Garnet mining

In 1878, Henry Hudson Barton began mining garnet at Gore Mountain for use as sandpaper abrasives, later purchasing the mountain and founding Barton Mines. The company relocated its mining operation to nearby Ruby Mountain in 1982. The mine operated until the early 1980s. The rock that contains these garnets, referred to as the Gore Mountain Garnet unit, is a garnet amphibolite. The largest garnet crystals in the world are found at Gore Mountain, ranging from 30 centimetres (12 in) to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter.

See also

• List of mountains in New York

References

1. ^ "Gore Mountain, New York". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
2. "Gore Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
3. "Searchable list of NY Fire Towers". nysffla.org. The New York State Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
4. Craig, Gwendolyn (July 4, 2023). "Garnet mine's expansion plan deemed incomplete, again". Adirondack Explorer. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
5. Williams-Bergen, Ana; Creek, in North. "North Country at Work: Mining garnet on Gore Mountain". NCPR. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
6. Shinevar, William J; Jagoutz, Oliver; VanTongeren, Jill A (January 28, 2021). "Gore Mountain Garnet Amphibolite records UHT Conditions: Implications for the Rheology of the Lower Continental Crust During Orogenesis". Journal of Petrology. 62 (egab007). doi:10.1093/petrology/egab007. ISSN 0022-3530.
7. Kelly, William (January 1, 2016). "Mining, Geology, and Geological History of Garnet at the Barton Garnet Mine, Gore Mountain, New York". Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies. 21 (1). ISSN 1075-0436.

• Mountains of Warren County, New York
• Mountains of New York (state)
• Mining communities in New York (state)
• Mines in New York (state)