Making Historic Connections via Friends of Taconic State Park

This report on the local history of a Canadian artist is provided by History Advisory Board member Milbrey (Mibs) Zelley. Mibs is also the president of Friends of Taconic State Park.


We sometimes forget how much the internet has changed our lives. Occasionally, we are reminded how powerful this magic tool of technology can be.

Recently, board member Deb Cohen received an email message sent via our website from a professor at Ithaca College. His message said:

Hello, I am a filmmaker and professor based in Ithaca, New York. I am working on a project about Canadian painter David Milne. In the winter of 1920-21 he built a cabin on Alander Mountain and I am trying to find the former location. I’m wondering if there is any historical record of this or if you might put me in contact with someone who may have more information.

Deb Cohen forwarded the e-mail message to me, hoping that I might be able to fill in some gaps. I asked myself, “now, who might possibly know anything about this?” and decided that Bill Miles, owner of Copake Lumber, long-time Mount Washington, MA resident and very loyal supporter of FTSP, would be my most likely candidate. I was not disappointed!

In a long conversation with Bill I quickly realized I’d chosen the right candidate. “I’m probably one of the few people around who knows where that cabin was” Bill told me. He was very excited to learn of the professor’s interest in David Milne and gave me a very small photo copy of the cabin made from an original photo that Bill has in his possession. He told me that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City had a brochure and CD with information about the artist having included him in a retrospective at the museum in 2004.

Then he shared the local connection: David Milne first rented a cabin on the west side of Alander in the early part of the 20^th century, but found that it was not remote enough for him. Sometime in the autumn of 1920 he had the Alander cabin constructed. It was built of birch saplings, bent into arcs. It was not very large (maybe eight feet in diameter) with an outhouse. It was located in what used to be called “Longmeadows” about 80 feet on the west side of Ashley Brook “at a point where the brook bends” deep in the Mount Washington State Forest lands. The cabin burned in the May 1930 forest fire but the first cabin used by Milne still stands. Bill said that when he first saw it, he knew that it was an artist’s studio because of the large windows on its north side.

Of course I immediately shared this report on my research with the professor in Ithaca who replied with:

Dear Milbrey:

Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!! This is incredible!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!

I cannot tell you how exciting this is for me as a Canadian artist living in America to be able to track this down. He was such an influential artist in helping define Canadian landscape painting and landscape painting in general and I am planning a small film for a gallery installation on Milne’s cabin. Thank you so much for putting me in contact with [Bill Miles]. I cannot express enough my gratitude in receiving this email. I am truly touched that you have taken the time and interest to look into this for me.

I look forward to speaking with you more and thanks for taking the time to look into this for me

All the best,

Josh