The mountain had the Mohawk name Ou-kor-lah, translated into English as "Great Eye", for a white spot on its side when viewed from Long Lake. The name Mount Seward was first used in print in a 1841 report to the New York State Legislature prepared by state geologist Ebenezer Emmons. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was made by surveyor Verplanck Colvin and mountain guide Alvah Dunning on October 15, 1870.[5]
Ascent routes
The summit of Seward can be accessed on unmarked trails.The easiest access to the Seward Range is on the Ward Brook Truck Trail, which begins at a parking lot on Coreys Road south of the village of Saranac Lake. Between an intersection with a horse trail 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from the trailhead and the Ward Brook lean-to located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) from the trailhead, the trail crosses three brooks; the preferred route to Seward Mountain branches off from the trail at the first of these. An alternative route to the Seward Range follows the Calkins Brook Track Trail. This trail begins at the same parking lot and coincides with the Truck Trail for 1.2 miles (1.9 km) before diverging to the right. The unmarked trail to the Seward Range branches off of the Calkins Brook Trail at 3.3 miles (5.3 km). Another unmarked trail connects the summits of Seward Mountain, Donaldson Mountain, and Mount Emmons.[6]
Climate
Climate data for Seward Mountain 44.1603 N, 74.2017 W, Elevation: 4,029 ft (1,228 m) (1991–2020 normals)
^Russell M. L. Carson records that Professor A. Guyot and Ernest Sandoz ascended either Seward Mountain or Seymour Mountain earlier in 1870, but it is not clear which.[5]
^Terrie, Phillip G., Contested Terrain; A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks, Syracuse: Adirondack Museum/Syracuse University Press, 1997. ISBN978-0-8156-0904-9.
^"PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 26, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
