Sunday Rock, cont.

After a while, the rock came to stand for something else. When people from the valley passed it on their way to the mountains, they felt a sense of arrival, of having crossed a dividing line. On the other side of the rockk were the woods and mountains, life was freer and easier. Saluting the rock became a kind of joyful ritual to be observed. Elders might uncork a bottle at it, and children could cut up without fear of of a scolding. Huntiers and fishermen had the feeling of eager anticipation as the cares of everyday life were left behind.

In 1925, when the automobile became the popular way to travel and this Highway 56 was to be built, the rock lay directly in its path. Old friends, headed by Doctor C.H. Leete of Potsdam came to the rescue. The Sunday Rock Assocition was formed, with 210 members from seven states, the District of Columbia, the Canal Zone and Canada giving a total of $260. For this amount the rock was moved, and a booklet entitled "Sunday Rock, Its History and the Story of Its Preservation" was published.

Who could move the rock now was the big question, but there was an answer ready: Joe Grew. Joe and his crew could move anything, and they did. The rock was moved to its new location which was on the opposite side of the road from this present location. In 1965 when Highway 56 was again remade, Supervisor George Swift organized the project and the rock was moved to its present location. This land was given to the Town of Colton by Mrs. Hilda Swift, and through her generosity, the area was enlarged to the present day park. The 1976 Bi-centennial Time Capsule is buried beside the stone.

For the many who pass by here, the Adirondacks still exert their mystical appeal. Vacationists who return to these hills, year after year, probably have their own Sunday Rock: a river crossing, a turn in the road that reveals a first glimpse of the mountains, some sign that you have crossed into a place where the calendar can be forgotten, where there is a beauty to love and the everlasting hills to savor.

The meaning of the rock has not been forgotten. Through the years people have remembered the legend and all it represented. The invisibly inscribed names of Hollywood, the Jordan, Catamount, The Plains, Joe Indian, Sevey, Huggards, Stark, Jamestown Falls, Moody and Moosehead can still conjure up thought of the comfort of camp, venison, fried trout, pancakes, maple syrup and adventure in the big woods. It has been the continued affection of many generations which has preserved the old landmark and the legend surrounding it. Sunday Rock still separates the woods from the world, and the message from those who preserved it is still clear. "The woods are better" -- a sign right next to the rock. 

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