The question to ask is, “who would live in a houseboat”? The answer: Mrs. W.W. Durant, about one hundred years ago. W.W. Durant, whom one may probably know nothing about, was a rich, materialistic individual. He gained all of his riches from his father’s death. With all of his inheritance, Durant decided to spend it all “artistically”. Durant decided to build many camps to express his talent as well as “show off” his wealth. Raquette Lake surrounds one of his many recreation camps. On this camp, he built a houseboat for his loving wife. Why he did this is still somewhat unclear.While visiting Raquette Lake, many SUNY Cortland students had a chance to step into this once floating houseboat. By actually being in the houseboat, it is evident to many eyes how selective Durant could be. Any visitor could observe the fine wood, the exotic shapes to the bed frames, and even the unique legs on his coffee tables. In fact, one can see the vision that Durant saw and he himself wanted everyone else to see. Just standing in the houseboat and studying the surroundings could reveal a multitude of perspectives. Every piece of furniture was put into a kind of naturalistic appearance. All of his furniture had the appearance of things actually “growing” out of the ground. Durant's vision was based on a natural growth; this definitely explains the use of all the wood.Seeing the houseboat as one of his major growth projects was absolutely amazing. To be able to step into this space was like going back in time in order to witness history. The smell of the out door world, the dark wood, the mysterious air, and the burning sunlight; all played a part in creating the perfect atmosphere. Durant knew what he was doing. Maybe he did have some sort of artistic talent. His creation of the houseboat was a great reminder as well as resemblance to the outside naturalistic society, before it was bombarded by advanced technology as it is today.The houseboat not only embraces memories and evidence of Durant's artistic lifestyle, but it also holds on to secrets: personal secrets. It is a time like this we all wished walls could talk, however too bad they do not. It was believed that Mrs. Durant lived in the houseboat during the hot summers in order to escape the nasty black flies. It was also mentioned that, while Mrs. Durant was on the boat, W. W. enjoyed touring the other end of the point on his bicycle. But, for whatever reason or purpose the houseboat was originally built, it is no longer presently in use for that reason. It is currently under reconstruction for the eyes of many visitors to come. Though the houseboat is about to be re-modeled, the essence and the natural beauty of it will not be destroyed.