OSI bought about 10,000 acres of land in 2003 in the Tahawus area, which was once a bustling mining and smelting community. The smelting furnace, along with other buildings and remnants of the industrial age, is still present at the site. OSI then transferred the bulk of the land to New York State to be added to the forest preserve, but kept 258 acres for educational purposes.

In 1901, President William McKinley was shot by an anarchist while in Buffalo. A few days later, after doctors had given McKinley a positive prognosis, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt was vacationing in Tahawus. However, McKinley took a turn for the worse and Roosevelt set out during the night to go from Tahawus to North Creek, where the closest train was. During that trip, McKinley died and Roosevelt officially became President of the United States.

Both of the new trails are on the OSI land, and include interpretive panels along the way so that hikers and walkers can learn about the history, and natural history, of the area. The trails take hikers through the old town of Adirondac down to the blast furnace, which was built in 1856. The massive stone structure is still standing today.

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