Rich Boy Lost - A Mystery

Camp Santanoni is one of the earliest examples of the “Great Camps of the Adirondacks”. For lovers of this architecture, photos and descriptions hardly do it justice. It was the brainchild of Robert C. Pruyn (1847–1934), a prominent Albany banker and businessman. Pruyn acquired 12,900 acres just south of the Adirondack High Peaks. He hired three architects to design an astounding summer residential complex.

It turned out to be a sprawling wilderness retreat of extravagant proportions. The complex numbered 45 buildings and was regarded as the grandest of all such Adirondack camps. It consisted of three main groupings of buildings: The Gate Lodge complex; the farm complex; and the Main Camp. These were built from 1892 to 1907.

The scale of such an endeavour in such a location is incredible. The Gate Lodge not only signified entry, it was a monumental, stone, arch structure holding six staff bedrooms, a caretaker’s home, and assorted barns, wagon sheds and other buildings.

The farm complex was a massive set of barns, three farmhouses and workers cottages, a stone creamery, workshop, chicken house, kennels, smoke house, root cellar and other service buildings. The family raised imported and domestic breeds of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. It supplied the camp with its meat and produce, while surplus dairy products were sold in Newcomb and sent to Albany for the Pruyns and their friends. Many Newcomb residents today still own milk bottles with “Santanoni” embossed in raised letters.

The Main Camp held an excellent view toward the Adirondack High Peaks. The central lodge was actually a grouping of six separate buildings. It held the main living and dining lodge with seven bedrooms, a kitchen and service building with seven staff bedrooms, all connected by a common roof and porch system. 1500 spruce trees were used in the log construction. The structural and decorative features defined rustic chic for its time, including a liberal use of birchbark wall coverings that exists today. A boathouse, artist’s studio, workshop, icehouse, and additional staff quarters made up the camp.

Pruyn’s heirs sold it to the Melvin family, leaders in the business and professional community of Syracuse, in 1953. And that is where this story begins.

Douglas Legg, also known as “Dougie,” disappeared when he was 8 years old from the camp. He was a grandson of the Melvin family. This took place on a July afternoon in 1971. The young boy and his uncle started out on hike on the familiar terrain. Due to the risk of poison ivy, the uncle sent him back to the camp to change from shorts into pants. They were about a half mile away from the camp at the time.

Dougie was last seen by his older brother and a cousin about 50-60 yards from the main lodge.  He never met back up with his uncle, and he was never seen from or heard from again. According to an article from the time, he was a “mini woodsman.”

The disappearance sparked a massive search, mostly funded by the very wealthy family. Almost 1,000 volunteers along with planes equipped with heat-detecting infrared FLIR tried their best. All efforts were unsuccessful over a 6-week period. It is still unknown if Dougie simply wandered off and was lost, succumbing to the elements, or if foul play was involved.

Given the mystery, several theories have sprung up. In 1993, 22 years after Dougie disappeared, a woman undergoing psychiatric treatment believed a boy fitting Dougie’s description was kidnapped and murdered by one of her relatives. It proved to be false. The subsequent news coverage generated what investigators believe is the most credible tip.

A man on leave from the Navy in 1973, two years after Douglas Legg disappeared, was hunting in the area when he separated from his friend to chase a deer. He crossed a peninsula leading to a 21-acre island in Newcomb Lake. This is a half mile from the main lodge. He stumbled upon a small skull and partial skeleton which he believed to be human. He told his friend of his find but was worried about

returning on time from Navy leave and he was on land he should not have been on, so never reported the find. Neither man was aware of the disappearance.

The man who had chased the deer heard from his friend in 1993 when the friend saw a news story on the renewed search. He immediately called the police to report his experience. The story fit with the last known sighting as the original hike was around Newcomb Lake.

Police theorize that Dougie, attempting to follow his uncle, stumbled across the peninsula and thinking he was still following the lake shoreline became disoriented in the thick, dense growth and perished on the island. The area was searched in 1971, yet, police are not sure how thoroughly due to the large number of volunteers and extremely dense vegetation.

The man, then living in Montana, was flown back to help. The remains could not be located. Authorities believe it was buried under inches of sediment and moss from the passing years. This new search covered a very small area.

In the early 1970’s the Melvin family, not caring to return to the scene of the tragedy, quickly contracted with the newly formed Adirondack Conservancy Committee to purchase the entire camp. The furnishings were removed, and the Conservancy then resold the property to the state of New York for incorporation into the State Forest Preserve.

Now called the Santanoni Preserve, it is open to visitors. Though not up to its former glory and grandeur, the scale and quality of build impresses. Preservation efforts are ongoing. The state encourages cross country skiing, wagon rides, and … hikes.