Steeped in History
"...the lifelong bachelor retired at age 48 to his country house, Glen Iris, to devote himself to philanthropy. In 1906, in a move that outflanked an electric power company wanting to build a dam on the property, he donated 1,000 acres for a preserve that would become Letchworth State Park." 
This month's edition of The Smithsonian magazine has a wonderful article about the Finger Lakes region and the lasting inspirational effect the beauty of the had on Mark Twain. Few people know that his wife, Olivia Langdon, was from Elmira and that he spent two decades of summers here writing some of his most famous work, including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Twain called the view from his Elmira study "a fore-taste of heaven."
Another part of the article describes how William Pryor Letchworth's commitment to the environment became a living legacy:
You can read the online article here. If you enjoy this one, you might also appreciate another Smithsonian article on the global effect of hybrid corn that we referenced in July.
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