Trip up Jimmy's Peak has historic aspects

WARRENSBURG — Area residents are invited to take a climb up Jimmy's Peak, the mountain steeped in history that in recent years captured international attention over its official naming. Lillie Cameron of Thurman is inviting all to participate in the climb up Jimmy's Peak, which is named after James Cameron, a settler of the town of Thurman. James Cameron's historic homestead is located in Thurman, across the Hudson river from the mountain. People are gathering for this third annual trek at 9 a.m. Sunday Sept. 27 in the parking lot of Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg. Rex Reynolds is leading the hike, suitable for families, which takes about two hours round trip. Following the hike is a picnic at the home of Lillie Cameron — and all are invited, providing they call a week or more in advance of the trip. The reason for reservations is that Lillie Cameron, who will be 84 this month, will be preparing some fixings for the picnic. People are welcome to bring a dish to the gathering at 43 Cameron Road in Thurman. To RSVP, contact Rex Reynolds at 321-3500, or call Lillie Cameron at 623-2324 before Sept. 20. Lillie said this week that in the early 1900s, folks staying at the Cameron boarding house on Stony Creek Road started the tradition of hiking up Jimmy's Peak or another local hill. Jimmy's Peak received international attention in 2013 when Wall Street Journal reporter Barry Newman focused on the mountain as he examined the issue of the US. Board on Geographic Names following its long-standing policy of deleting apostrophes when officially naming mountains. A two-year campaign by Susan Jennings of Thurman to have one of the peaks of the Three Sisters Mountain range named after James Cameron culminated that year in the Board of Geographic Names officially designating Bald Mountain's highest summit as "Jimmys Peak" — a move that irked grammar aficionados. James Cameron was a pioneer, woodsman, farmer and justice of the peace who settled in the valley in 1773, and is one of the founders of Thurman. Rex Reynolds noted that during the Sept. 27 excursion up Jimmy's Peak, he will be showing hikers the eye bolts that once held down James Cameron's observation tower, used to observe the movements of American troops during the Revolutionary War. Known as "Tory Jim," Cameron was loyal to the British Monarchy, Reynolds said.

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Trip up Jimmy's Peak has historic aspects

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