Rap-shaw club

A Membership Club




Welcome to Rap-Shaw Club!
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The Rap-Shaw Club, Some History and Information

The club was started in the late 1800’s by a group of businessmen from across New York State. Their intentions were to have a sports club for hunting and fishing. A guide was hired and a club lodge built up past Burnt lake. It became a place for men to hunt, fish and retreat from the pace of business, city life and the maddening world of their time. In the early years, members arrived via the Adirondack Railroad and then by canoe and overland to the back country. In the 1940’s, after a fire at the old lodge, the club acquired its current location on Stillwater Reservoir.

Over time, spouses and children were included in the journeys to the club. It became a place for the whole family to be together and experience the great outdoors in the Adirondacks.

Now the Rap-Shaw Club is situated on private islands in Stillwater Reservoir, within the Adirondack Park, in the midst of large tracts of state lands including areas to be kept Forever Wild. The club facilities, mostly on the larger island, consist of five cabins, a dining hall, connecting trails, a waterfront with docks, beaches around the island, and a boathouse. A sixth cabin is perched on the peak of the smaller island.

Meals are served family style, three times a day, in the traditional style dining hall. The staff consists of a steward, cook and house staff.

The club also has an Adirondack Lean-to, hand built of native logs in the authentic design. With its stone fireplace and its open front facing sunrise, it stands ready to provide a camping adventure in the manner of the traditional shelters once found along the back-packing trails of the Adirondack Park.

Nowadays, members still come to Rap-Shaw to enjoy the Adirondacks, as families, couples and with friends. For most members, hunting has been superseded by boating, hiking, quiet enjoyment of the surroundings, and yes, plenty of fishing! Many members enjoy just staying at camp, playing horseshoes, shuffleboard or just reading a good book. A "Great Room" in the Main Camp is often the setting for afternoon gatherings. In the evenings, members often gather for a campfire on the beach or at the campfire circle.

Today, Rap-Shaw members and guests are establishing family traditions alongside members whose parents and grandparents enjoyed and sustained the club in decades past.