3172 State Highway 812 , De Kalb, NY 13630(Saint Lawrence County)

Geographically, this property is located in the St. Lawrence River Valley, roughly 12 miles south of the River at the Port of Ogdensburg and 20 miles northwest of the Adirondack State Park, two of the most popular outdoor recreational attractions in New York State. This long-ago retired dairy farm was also home to 'Helen's Lunch', a popular roadside diner that served hungry travelers from the 1950's thru the 80's. The adjacent farmhouse has fallen into disrepair and the roadside diner was converted to a storage shed. A drilled well with submersible pump (with electric available on site) behind the diner/shed may provide the new owner with a reliable source of water. Just north of the shed is a second water source, a 'spring box' that was most likely used for watering livestock. The current owner built a small cabin near the beaver pond in the central portion of the property. Keeping it simple, they opted to not outfit the cabin with plumbing or electric. Electric and communication utilities are available roadside and a privy was built not far from the back door. The property is being sold 'As Is' with exception of the Jon boat & motor. For the right offer however, the seller will remove any or all unwanted items near the cabin site.

Walking about the property you will find the ruins of a maple syrup boiler pan at a site where a sugar shanty once stood possibly a century or more ago in the ~100-acre wooded portion of the property. About 17 acres of open fields were likely once planted with corn, wheat and oats. Three water features on the parcel, occupying about 31 acres, attract a variety of feathered and fur bearing inhabitants. The ~11 acres adjacent to Barter Creek in the southeast corner is a marsh-like meadow. The ~3-acre pond in the center of the lot was developed and is maintained by beaver. And the ~17-acre wetland that occupies the northern portion is within the floodplain of the adjacent Oswegatchie River. An unofficial rest stop adjacent to the river, near the intersection of Route 812 and McAdoo Road is used by fishing enthusiasts to catch the river's most popular game fish which include; bass, northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, perch and trout.

There is timber value and wildlife attraction potential in the young forest stands on the parcel. You are guaranteed to see signs of deer, turkey, grouse, woodcock and waterfowl as you traverse the parcel. Major tree species include; sugar & red maple, red & white oak, basswood, beech, butternut, ash, aspen, hickory, hophornbeam, birch, cherry, white pine and hemlock. Most of the timber is currently in the pole to small sawtimber size class, an opportune age for improvement harvesting to be done. The marking and cruise of timber by me in 2019 would have yielded approximately 30,000 board feet of sawtimber, worth close to $10,000 at today's prices if harvested. Market conditions at that time kept the owner from following through with the harvest.

As the local Amish families will attest to, St. Lawrence County is a great place to raise families and live off the land. (I would also include outdoor recreation.) So, if you are looking for a unique property to do all of the above, in the most sparsely populated county of NYS, you need to check out this beautiful setting above the friendly waters of the Oswegatchie River.