This collection consists of 28 diaries of William Rasbeck, one for each year from 1887 through 1916. The diary entries most concern the weather for each day and the routine happenings and chores of the day.
William Rasbeck diary from 1902.
Collection Overview
The Rasbeck family was among the first settlers of Hermon NY. From the time he was a child Bill Rasbeck loved the woods, and as adults he and his brother Harrison (Has) became guides at Cranberry Lake starting in the late 1880s. They guided many well-known people, including Frederic Remington.
The first few pages of the 1887 diary include several recipes, both hand written and clipped from newspapers. The collection also contains a register book for the New Columbian Park Hotel in Cranberry Lake for the summers of 1910-1917.
This collection came to St. Lawrence University on loan from Floyd Rasbeck in 1963. The collection was donated to the University’s permanent collection in 1997 by Katrina R. Howe, executrix of the Rasbeck estate.