a section of the 1920 census showing the families of brothers Xavier and David King; also Uncle Dave's son Alfie lived nearby

The 1920 census shows that even then the King brothers (at least some of them) were living close together.  It might be “Uncle Dave and Aunt Adeline” on the porch above Xavier’s family in the picture that follows.

This picture came to me from several people and a webpage. 

Xav Emma and children c 1918

This image shows the farm and land that belonged to Xavier King, his property ran from the lakeshore to the base of Bear Mountain and in what can best be discribed as a wedge shape.  The land to the West (left of the big field belonged to the mining company and the land East of the houses belonged to a neighbor, Mr. Barber.  Almost everything visible along the lake and back to the road was his.

Oddly this image from 2008 may look more like the land to which Xavier came than the landscapes of our youth did because the forest has returned.  Xavier cleared the land for timber and fields, in 1908 a huge forest fire stripped most of the wooded areas leaving the beautiful Adirondack rocks exposed, and our lovely big rock visible for what it was, a monolith of stone.

This Google Earth view should be familiar to anyone who spent time at the Homestead.  This is Googles interpretation of the view from the top of the big rock.  I have watched some incredible storms here, including once seeing one of Chazy Lake’s notable and deadly wave action from this view.  I recall seeing a wind coming down the side of Lyon Mountain pushing the trees so that they leaned toward the lake and funneling the air much as a child blows onto water through a straw.  The wind hit the lake just off the point making a visible indentation in the lake surface then hooked into the two large bays so that the wind was etching a grappling hook onto the surface of the lake.  The lake churned with waves rushing outward to the shores in every direction and then sloshing back on themselves and all I could do was hope that no one was out there in a boat.

It turned out that some people were, Uncle Fil made it saftely to shore.

The image above is the aerial view of this sectionof the valley with the homestead and big rock marked on the picture.