The first prominent building one will first see as they get off the boat onto Camp Huntington will be this beautiful cabin, the Chalet.  The Chalet was the first cabin to be built on the camp during the early 1860ís and was designed by Thomas C. Durant, a wealthy railroad entrepreneur.  The purpose of this cabin was to house wealthy people for a temporary get-away into the wilderness and away from the cities, in which they usually lived.

    Durant wanted to create the ambiance that the Chalet grew up from the earth.  For example, every piece of furniture, like the bed, chairs and tables in the cabin are made from the natural resources around the Raquette Lake area.  The ceiling and door panelings are covered with the bark of birch trees, the insulation between the logs that make the cabin is actually moss, and the fireplace is made entirely of granite.  The bear skin covering the floor in front of the fireplace was hunted in the Raquette Lake area, along with the deer heads hanging on the walls.  The Chalet is indeed a rustic looking cabin for a wealthy city slicker, but have no fear, everything was at their fingertips.  Servants were on hand at all times tending to the needs of Durant’s guests.

     Originally, however, the Chalet was only a one-story structure.  When Thomas C. Durant passed away, his son, William West Durant, inherited all his father owned.  W.W. Durant is the one who actually put Camp Huntington, formally known as Pine Knot, on the map.  Durant built the second story and continued to build other cabins on this camp.  Every structure looks like it grew with the trees from the earth.

     Camp Pine Knot was meant to be the resort of the future.  What does this mean you ask?  Well, nobody is for sure, but it's something W.W. Durant had a passion for, which was making Great Camps in the Adirondacks.