Author, Professor and Canoeist Paul Jamieson Dies at 103

CANTON – An Adirondack legend, Paul Jamieson, died November 4, 2006 in Canton. He was 103. Following his retirement from St. Lawrence University, Jamieson embarked on a second career which brought him fame as an Adirondack writer, explorer and advocate. He was one of the first “Forty-Sixers,” having climbed all of the Adirondack high peaks over 4,000 feet. He wrote several articles, essays, reviews and introductions in a variety of Adirondack books and journals. His book, Adirondack Canoe Waters: North Flow (1975) is regarded as the best guidebook of its kind. To gather material, Jamieson paddled all of the Adirondack north-flowing rivers, from the Oswegatchie on the west to the Bouquet on the east. Adirondack Pilgrimage (1986) is his summation of a half-century of Adirondack wilderness exploration. Jamieson assisted Atwood Manley in writing Rushton and His Times in American Canoeing (1968). When he was 89-years-old, his autobiography Uneven Ground (1992) was published.

Paul Jamieson initiated state purchases of two scenic stretches of Adirondack rivers: Lampson Falls on the Grasse and Everton Falls on the St. Regis. For 20 years he led the fight, eventually successful, to have state courts recognize that free-flowing rivers be open to paddlers as they were in 19th century when they served as public highways. Adirondack canoe builder Peter Hornbeck has named his latest model the “Jamieson.” Jamieson was honored in 2003 by the Adirondack Mountain Club with its “Trail Blazer” award. He was Honorary Life Member of the ADK and founding member of its Laurentian Chapter. He was given a Stewardship Award by the Nature Conservancy, the Navigable Rivers Award by the Sierra Club and a Founders Award by the Adirondack Museum. The Adirondack Council conferred on him its Distinguished Achievement Award. With Clarence Petty, formerly of Canton, Paul Jamieson was widely regarded as the preeminent authority on the Adirondacks. He acted as a consultant on Adirondack matters to various state and federal agencies. Born August 1, 1903 in Des Moines, Iowa, Jamieson taught English at SLU for 36 years and he served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945.