The Shawangunk Mountains (The Gunks) are renowned for stunning landscapes on and off the ridge in a region that has remained a favorite destination for visitors since the middle of the 19th century.
A highlight of the book are nearly a hundred pairs of photographs taken approximately a century apart. In addition to presenting information about the fabled Lake Mohonk and Lake Minnewaska hotels, the book puts a spotlight on the economic and social changes over the past century in the towns of New Paltz, Gardiner, and Rosendale in the Wallkill Valley and to a lesser extent locations in the Rondout Valley.
A book signing will follow the talk and all proceeds from the sale of the book on site will be split between the New Paltz Historical Society and the Mohonk Preserve.
A companion website can be visited at http://www.gunksthroughtime.com/
New Paltz Historical Society
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
7:00 pm
at the
New Paltz Community Center
3 Veterans Drive
New Paltz, NY
(Behind the old New Paltz Town Hall building.)
About the Author and Photographer:
Ronald G. Knapp is a historical-cultural geographer at State University of New York at New Paltz, where he taught from 1968 to 2001. For the past forty-five years his research has focused on China’s frontier history and Chinese vernacular architecture, with many books that celebrate these traditions.
Michael Neil O’Donnell, a landscape photographer, pairs a modern aesthetic with classic principles to create simple, bold, ethereal interpretations of the Hudson Valley’s natural beauty. His images have been seen at exhibitions throughout the Hudson Valley and he is a contributor to the publications of the Mohonk Preserve, Open Space Institute, and Riverkeeper.