Our upcoming exhibit, Another Frontier: Frederic Remington’s East, explores a different side – an Eastern side – of this iconic Western artist. Although Remington traveled throughout the American West on assignment for many of the popular magazines for which he worked, most of his compositions were completed in his New York-based studio.

One of his favorite places to paint was in his beloved North Country in the northern-most tip of New York state, where Remington spent most of his summers. The North Country could be defined as the forested region stretching from the Adirondack Mountains across the St. Lawrence River into Canada.

The North Country region is the highlighted upper portion of New York state.

What else defines the North Country? Below is a list of the top ten facts about the North Country:

  • The North Country is geographically the largest region in New York State. Having said that, it is also the most sparsely populated, consisting mostly of rural areas of low population density.
  • The North Country is home to the Adirondack Mountains, which boasts forty-three mountain peaks over 4,000 feet high, more than 1,500 miles of rivers, more than 30,000 miles of streams and brooks, as well as 2,759 lakes and ponds.

    The Adirondack Mountains

  • The North Country is the birthplace of the American Vacation. In 1869, a Boston preacher published one of the first wilderness guidebooks. His descriptions of the Adirondacks resulted in crowds of people looking for the first time to “vacate” their homes of the newly industrialized cities.
  • In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States at North Creek Station, a historic railroad station located in the North Country.

    North Creek Railroad Station Complex

  • The North Country is historically home to the Iroquois (or Haudenosaunee) American Indian confederacy, which today is referred to simply as the Six Nations. The Iroquois historically followed a matriarchal system, with their leaders being chosen by the clan mothers of each tribe.
  • The North Country shares with Ontario the Thousand Islands, one of four archipelagoes in the St. Lawrence River. One notable island of this archipelago is Just Room Enough Island, the smallest inhabited island in the US. Purchased by the Sizeland family in the 1950s, the 3,300 square foot island has a house, a tree, shrubs, and a small beach.

    Just Room Enough Island

  • Speaking of Canada, being that it is literally across the St. Lawrence River, the North Country’s regional economy is heavily integrated with our neighbors to the north. Local residents often enjoy an easy drive across the border for a meal, and some even have a second home in Canada.
  • North Country is also known as Dairy Country. New York is the third-highest milk producing state in the country, and many of those dairy farms are located in the North Country.
  • And speaking of dairy, when traveling to the North Country, prepare your sweet tooth for some ice cream. The local news station recently mapped a few of the popular spots (over 80!), and that’s just the tip of the ice cream cone. 
  • And of course, the North Country includes the city of Ogdensburg, which is home to the art museum of the iconic American artist, Frederic Remington. The Frederic Remington Art Museum holds the largest collection of Remington items. And the Sid Richardson Museum is fortunate to partner with the FRAM in an unprecedented exchange of artworks to host some of their collection in Another Frontier: Frederic Remington’s East, which opens September 14, 2018.

    Frederic Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg, New York