score of buildings — the huge walk-in fireplace, the bowling alley, the bridge to the gazebo, etc. Pine Knot and William West Durant Pine Knot, Uncas and Sagamore were designed using natural materials native to the Adirondacks by William West Durant, the son of Thomas C. Durant. The senior Durant was most famous for the building the eastern half of the Transcontinental Railroad. The first of these "Great Camps" was Camp Pine Knot, started by Thomas and taken over by William in 1879. The construction continued through 1890. This artistic camp was used by W.W. Durant as a showcase, as he wined and dined railroad tycoons, selling them on the idea of his building a camp for each of them. In 1895 W.W. Durant sold the camp to Collis P. Huntington (builder of the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad) in partial repayment of a debt. In 1949 Archer Huntington gave the camp to SUNY Cortland, to be used for education and never to be turned over to the state. In 1938, the family provided the land for the Raquette Lake Chapel in the village for $1. William West Durant also provided the funding for two summer chapels on Raquette Lake, accessible only by water. The Church of the Good Shepherd (1880) and St. William's Catholic Church on Long Point (1890) were each designed by J. Cleaveland Cady of Cady, Berg & See, New York City. See also Joe Bryere Sources Donaldson, Alfred L., A History of the Adirondacks. New York: Century, 1921. . (reprint) External links St. Hubert's Isle - History of Raquette Lake Lakes of New York (state) Lakes of Hamilton County, New York Tourist attractions in Hamilton County, New York Adirondack Great Camps Northern Forest Canoe Trail