All of the images on this page are from the collection of Ron Hoose and were donated by his wife Arlene to the Mountain Top Historical Society.   Left: Mr. Sanderson (Let us know if you know his first name and any other information) as Rip Van Winkle.  Sanderson was one of two men known to have played Rip at Rip's Retreat, the other was Hiram Hoyt. In the 1950s as now, North Lake was alive with the blossoms of Mountain Laurel - a perfect time for a publicity  photo shoot.
	Sanderson as Rip.  We're told that 's Mike Flahive seated at the right.
	Rip awakes to a view of the Hudson Valley.
	Local young women and some from nearby communities found interesting summer work in the beauty of the North Lake area. Some were able to escape the summer heat of the valley and the Albany area. The fence behind the building bordered the state campsite and North Lake parking area. The buildings housed a glass blower, a man and a woman named Grace, a candle maker, and a refreshment stand with a walk up window facing the North Lake Parking area. The floors of the Dutch style houses had slices hemlock trunks set in concrete Old Dutch Church
	Workers at Rip's held many jobs.  The young lady with the broom is apparently Bunny --- a girl from Albany who also appears as a puppeteer in the photo below.
	The puppet show told the story of Rip.  The loudspeakers announced the beginning of the show with a loud rumbling and the voice of Rip crying out “Do you think that’s Thunder?  Well any old-timer in the Catskill Mountains can tell you that’s the sound of Hendrick Hudson and his crew at a game of 9-pins!”