Back to All Events

Tannery Talk | The First Adirondackers | North Creek, NY | November 8, 2026

  • Tannery Pond Center 228 Main Street North Creek, New York, 12853 United States (map)

The First Adirondackers: 12,000 Years of History Comes to North Creek

A loon swimming Indian Lake in the Adirondacks.

A loon swims across a pristine Adirondack Lake.

Adirondack history starts long before the great camps, logging drives, and guideboats.

On Sunday, November 8, 2026, Tannery Pond Center in North Creek hosts Tannery Talk: The First Adirondackers, an afternoon presentation exploring Indigenous presence in the Adirondack uplands from the end of the last ice age to the present.

Artist and storyteller David Kanietakeron Fadden and scientist Curt Stager bring together Indigenous oral traditions, art, and environmental research to challenge a persistent misconception: that nobody lived in these mountains before European colonization. Their collaboration gives residents and travelers a deeper understanding of the landscapes around them.

For more Adirondack stories and worthwhile outings, subscribe to In Good Taste, ADK Taste’s weekly guide to food, stories, places, and events.

A North Creek talk that looks beyond the wilderness myth.

The presentation draws on the authors’ book, The First Adirondackers: 12,000 Years of Indigenous Peoples in the Adirondack Uplands. Its subject reaches beyond establishing a timeline. Fadden and Stager examine how people have understood, inhabited, and maintained relationships with this region across thousands of years.

That distinction matters in a place so often described through its forests and mountains. A landscape can have a wilderness character and a long human history. This talk invites listeners to consider both together—and reconsider what they thought they knew about the Adirondacks.

1882 illustration of Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) longhouse in the Adirondacks.

Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) long house; Illustration published 1882.

Two perspectives on Indigenous Adirondack history.

Fadden grew up in Onchiota, surrounded by his family’s art, teachings, and stories. With strong ties to Onchiota and Akwesasne, he works across painting, illustration, sculpture, and storytelling, drawing on Haudenosaunee teachings and contemporary Indigenous life.

His family founded the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center in Onchiota in 1954. That connection gives his contribution particular depth: the history under discussion belongs to living communities and continuing cultural traditions.

Stager approaches the subject through environmental history and natural science. A professor at Paul Smith’s College, he studies climate, landscapes, and human relationships with the natural world.

Their partnership gives the afternoon its distinctive character. Art and oral history sit alongside scientific inquiry, offering several ways to understand the region’s past. History readers, museum enthusiasts, and anyone curious about Indigenous Adirondack life will find a clear reason to attend.

Books and signatures will be available at Tannery Pond Center.

The authors will sign books after the talk, with copies available for $20, payable by cash or check. Attendees can take the subject home for further reading after hearing directly from its co-authors.

The program takes place at Tannery Pond Center, 228 Main Street, North Creek, on Sunday, November 8, from 2 pm – 3:30 pm. Organizers suggest a $10 donation at the door.

Visitors should check the official Tannery Pond Center event page for updates before attending.

ADK Taste recommendation.

Bring cash or a check if a signed book is part of the plan, and allow time after the presentation for the signing. The book costs $20 separately from the suggested door donation.

Subscribe to In Good Taste for more hand-picked Adirondack food, stories, places, and events.

Snow covered high peaks in the Adirondack mountains.

Mt. Marcy and the High Peaks.

FAQ.

When is The First Adirondackers talk?

Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 2 pm – 3:30 pm.

Where does it take place?

Tannery Pond Center, 228 Main Street, North Creek, NY.

What does admission cost?

Organizers suggest a $10 donation at the door.

Who are the speakers?

Co-authors David Kanietakeron Fadden, an artist and storyteller, and Curt Stager, a scientist and Paul Smith’s College professor.

Can attendees purchase a signed book?

Yes. Books cost $20, payable by cash or check. The authors will sign copies after the talk.


Find the best places to eat, shop, stay and experience near North Creek.


America's Story Runs Through the Adirondacks

From Fort Ticonderoga and Teddy Roosevelt to the Miracle on Ice and the birth of the American vacation, the Adirondacks helped shape the nation.


Shop our store for unique Adirondack gifts, clothing, merchandise and cool stuff.


Ultimate Guide to the Adirondacks

Your insider’s guide to exploring the Adirondacks—where to go, what to eat, and the experiences that make this place unforgettable.


ADK Talks Podcast

Love the Adirondacks? You’ll love our podcast. We take listeners beyond the guidebooks and into the heart of the Adirondacks. We share stories from the people behind the best places to eat, shop, stay and explore in the ADK. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.



See the top upcoming events in the Adirondack Gore Mountain region.

Navigate to.

 
Previous
Previous
November 7

Pumpkin Chunkin’ | Lake George | November 7, 2026

Next
Next
November 13

William Shatner Weekend | Star Trek Set Tour | Ticonderoga | Nov. 13-15, 2026