As our nation painfully waited with uncertainty to learn the fate of William McKinley following the shooting by an anarchist in Buffalo, the president’s successor was across the state in the shadow of the highest point in New York completely unaware that he was soon to be sworn in as our 26th president. Michael Cronin, the proprietor of a nearby hunting lodge, took the third and final leg of the treacherous carriage ride transporting the soon-to-be president to the North Creek train station. Jonathan Duda, the great-great grandson of this local Adirondack hero, tells the remarkable story while referencing the account of his great aunt, Eloise Cronin Murphy, from her book Theodore Roosevelt’s Night Ride to the Presidency.

The suggested donation for Grant Cottage Porch Programs is $5 per person. These programs are made possible thanks to a grant from the Adirondack Trust Community Fund. Our events are supported with funding from the New York State Park and Trail Partnership Program (NYSPTPP) and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSPTPP is administered by Parks & Trails New York, in partnership with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.