Recalling tragedy at Camp Santanoni

I enjoy my subscription and read with great interest all of the stories. Any article about the Newcomb area and Great Camp Santanoni are most interesting.

In 1971 I left my home in Liverpool, NY, to help search for Douglas Legg, a young boy who had gone missing on that private preserve. His grandmother worked with me at Niagara Mohawk in Syracuse. I worked with a large group of volunteers led by a state trooper out of Malone. Search groups went off in all directions, and planes flew overhead looking for “hot spots.” These turned out to be animals or metal items left in the woods.

There were many organizations taking part, especially search-and-rescue teams from other states. During the search we were driven out in large Army trucks, if I remember correctly. The Great Camp was our assembly point. We walked and bushwhacked for hours, and it reminded me of my days in the Marine Corps.

I have gone back three times to hike back to the camp. I have my own place on a lake in the Park and can’t help but think of Douglas as my grandchildren play at the edge of the woods.

Richard Hargraves, Liverpool