High Upon Bartlett Point Once Sat Manatauk Hotel Overlooking Clayton and The St. Lawrence River

Completed around 1901, what was most commonly known as the Manatauk Hotel was briefly named both the St. Lawrence Club House and the Clayton Clubhouse.  Perched high atop what was then named Prospect Point, formerly (and currently once again) Bartlett Point, the club house overlooked the St. Lawrence River and Clayton from 85′ above the water.  With its broad verandas and unparalleled views, the hotel never reached its full potential and often sat vacant for stretches of time.

Upon becoming The Manatauck Hotel (as the spelling appeared originally, later to Manatauk Hotel, which one definition noted as being “place of observation”), the hotel had accommodations for 50 and would open for its first season in 1902.  That year, plans for a 60-room addition were completed and handed to the contractors, but work never began.  Reports of expansion occurred over its 30+ years of existence, they never came to fruition other than laying of foundation.

Initially, a boarding house was built along with the club house and those who built cottages at the point at the time would eat their meals there.  When it burned down in 1905, most the cottages from thereon would end up having kitchens installed as a result.

On December 30, 1910, the Watertown Daily Times reported on a significant development for the hotel–

There was filed today with County Clerk E. B. Johnson a certificate of the incorporation of the Monatauk Park Company of the Thousand Islands.  The purpose of the company is to deal in and manage real estate.  It has a capital stock of $400,000, in 8,000 shares and the directors are William S. Farmer and H. J. Young of Syracuse; Walter McMullin of Baldwinsville; J. E. La Rue of Philadelphia, and G. C. Morse of Clayton. 

This new company is a reorganization of the old Prospect Park Co. by the first mortgage bond holders.  In a recent action to establish the priority of some of the bonds County Judge Emerson held that Mrs. Gertrude Dygert, among others, held first mortgage bonds, and she, through her attorney, J. F. LaRue, assisted in the reorganization of the company for the purpose of realizing the value of their bonds. 

The property of the company, situated upon the St. Lawrence, a short distance above Clayton village, has been unoccupied for the past year or two, following the financial embarrassment of the organization.  It is situated upon a high hill overlooking a picturesque expanse of the river and islands.  A month or two ago the property of the company was sold at the office of Judge Emerson, being bid in by bond holders for some $600.  It is proposed to make numerous improvements and open the resort another season.  

In 1913, the Manatauk Hotel would implement a “no booze and no tips” slogan.  The temperance movement had been ongoing in the 19th and early 20th century before Prohibition and the hotel was looking to reach a wide audience, especially in the era of the automobile.  This effort, along with the no tipping policy, was done with the attempt of making the park “the biggest resort on the river and headquarters for automobile enthusiasts and tourists of all classes” with the only resort that was open all-year-round.

The big portion of the news from Treasurer A. M. Knickerbocker of the Manatauk Park Association was the desire to erect from 100 to 200 three to six room bungalow.  Mr. Knickerbocker, while at a stop in Watertown on his way to Clayton, discussed that the association was in negotiations with Sears-Roebuck Co. of Chicago to furnish the ready-made bungalows.

Manatauk Park itself contained 68 acres and, at the time, could boast as the only bathing beach on the river, “a sand, pebbly strand extending 3,000 feet along the river front.”  It was believed that the Manatauk Hotel and Park would have considerable advantages over its rival resorts because it was situated upon the  state highway from Syracuse to Clayton, making it an ideal destination for automobiles.

Clayton also had a depot for the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Rail Road as part of the New York Central Railroad.  Unlike other nearby resorts such as the Frontenac and Pullman House (at least until 1904) there was no need to catch a boat and tourists would be able to visit the neighboring village at their own will.

In 1915, Fred C. Wheeler would manage the Manatauk Hotel after having managed the City Hotel and Hotel LeRay in Watertown, and Hotel Carlton in Cape Vincent.  The hotel, at this point, would have a capacity of 125 rooms once the addition was completed, but the plan was to gradually construct new ones to reach a capacity of 600 rooms. 

The hotel would only manage to obtain a license April when the village overwhelmingly voted to place it outside the corporation limits, 196 to 14.  The article, dated April 12, 1915, gave the impression the Manatauk Hotel hadn’t reopened “dry” a couple of years earlier, stating it had been closed a number of years and that the license in question was to traffic in liquors.  

The additions never came to fruition and, by 1918, the Monatauk Hotel had not been in use for a couple of years and was being considered as a place for a convalescent hospital for wounded Canadian soldiers returning from WWI.  An article in the Daily Times noted the building had suffered some vandalism with broken windows, but otherwise would serve as a perfect location.  Ultimately, the Canadian Government was offered, and accepted, use of the Emma Flower Taylor mansion in Watertown for this purpose.  

In October of 1921, a number of lots of the Manatauk Park were sold to numerous individuals by the Fraternal Mystic Circle.  Their intent appeared to be for building a number of cottages and potentially using the Monatauk Hotel as a clubhouse once again.  

About 1927, W. Charles Lipe, Syracuse millionaire, offered to rebuild the hotel dock if he would be allowed to moor his boathouse there.  James Ratchford, and his partner, Mr. Fulmer, refused the offer.  Mr. Lipe would then go about building a dock about 100 feet from the hotel dock.

After sitting idle for several years, the news of May, 1928, stated Hotel Manatauk was to open once again the coming summer and that work had already begun by a local electrical contractor, Frank Couverette, to wire up the old hotel.  By July, however, word was “may” open it up and that extensive repairs were being made which may push its opening to the following summer… which itself brought no new news or information.  

End of the Manatauk Hotel 

On July 18, 1934, the Watertown Daily Times would print of the impending Manatauk Hotel razing—

Clayton, July 18—The famous old Manatauk Hotel is to be torn down.  It has just been sold by Ralph Graves, president of the First National Bank of Earlville, to a buyer to be razed.  In this transaction, however, Mr. Graves is to keep the land adjacent to the hotel.  Razing the hotel will commence in a short time, it was announced.  

The tearing down of the hotel brings to mind the glory that it once had.  It was built in 1900 and was opened to the public in the summer of 1901.  At that time, the principal owner was James Ratchford, later of Syracuse, who died about eight years ago.  Thirty-five years ago, the Ratchford group got hold of the land then known as Bartlett’s Point, and the land on the side of the hotel towards Cape Vincent. 

When the hotel is finally razed, one of the valuable and famous landmarks in Clayton territory will be gone  Not only have the transient guests, summer residences, and tourists viewed the hotel with interest, but those on the water have used it as a guide which could be seen at an extremely long distance.  

It’s hard to pinpoint why the Manatauk didn’t fulfill its potential, especially considering the people of Clayton appeared to want the business it could bring.  The location, while ideal for some aspects, may have potentially hindered it as well considering the trek up and down to the docks.  It also was away from the hub of Alexandria Bay which it no doubt competed with.

Nevertheless, by the time it was razed in 1934 the era of the big resorts had seemingly already come and gone with just a couple left in Alex Bay.