While kayaking on beautiful Lake Durant near Blue Mountain Lake, NY, one June day, my wife Carol Ann asked, "Where does Blue Mountain get its name?" So we visited the nearby Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake to buy a place names book. But there was no such publication. So... I wrote What's With Those Adirondack Mountain Names?

Benjamin Franklin Hough (1822-1885), often called the "Father of American Forestry," was born in Martinsburg, New York, to Horatio Gates and Martha Pitcher Hough. His last name is pronounced "Huff." When his father died at age eight, he started using his middle name as his first and kept it for the rest of his life.

As a child, Franklin loved nature. He spent much of his time hiking, exploring the countryside, and collecting rocks and plants. In 1840, he started at Union College in Schenectady, New York, and arranged his classes so he could spend more time outdoors with his collections.

After finishing at Union College, Franklin worked as a teacher and principal at an academy in Ohio. He married Maria Eggleston from Champion, New York, and they had a daughter. He also published A Catalog of the Plants of Lewis County, New York. In 1848, he earned a medical degree from Western Reserve College in Cleveland, Ohio, but sadly, Maria died that same year.

After getting his medical degree, Franklin started a practice in Somerville, St. Lawrence County, New York. In his free time, he kept exploring nature and studying science. This led him to discover the mineral houghite, named after him.

In 1849, he married Mariah Kilham, and together they raised eight children. After practicing medicine for a few years, Hough turned to research and writing. He published several detailed histories of Northern New York counties. He said that he often worked on three or more manuscripts in different rooms at the same time. During his lifetime, he published nearly 80 articles, books, and major reports.

When Hough moved to Albany, he began working as a census enumerator for the state of New York. This job helped him improve his data collection and analysis skills.

During the Civil War, he worked as a surgeon in the 97th New York Volunteer Infantry. He also translated important military medical works to help the war effort.

When deforestation became a big problem, Hough wrote a paper calling for protection. Because of his efforts, Congress created the first federal forestry office and made him its leader. Later, as chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, he promoted sustainable management and published many works. He also founded the American Journal of Forestry to advance the field.

Hough’s last major achievement was for New York State. During the winter of 1884 to 1885, he returned from Washington to Albany to help draft laws to protect the Adirondacks. The Forest Commission Act, which established the Adirondack and Catskill preserves, became law on May 15, 1885. While working on this bill, Dr. Hough became seriously ill with pneumonia and died in Lowville, New York, less than a month after the law was passed.

In 1937, to honor Franklin, the New York State Conservation Department petitioned the New York State Committee on Geographic Names to rename Middle Dix. As a result, this 4,409-foot peak, one of New York’s highest 46 peaks in North Hudson, Essex County, became Hough Peak. This recognized Dr. Franklin B. Hough’s work as a physician, scientist, historian, statistician, army veteran, and forestry pioneer.

Author’s Note: Thank you to Margie Amodeo, Kelly Adirondack Center Coordinator, and Special Collections, Schaffer Library, Union College for their contributions to the article.