Episode Description- On July 10, 1971, eight year old Douglas Legg would go missing from his family's summer retreat in the Adirondack Mountain region of Newcomb, New York. His disappearance would lead to the largest search for a missing person in New York State. What happened to Douglas remains a mystery to this day, despite all the effort to search for him he's never been found and no leads were ever uncovered. In this episodes we'll discuss the history of Great Camp Santanoni and the disappearance of Douglas Legg. 

Episode Publication Date- July 28, 2024

Episode Page Last Updated- July 28, 2024

In the 1890’s a wealthy banker and businessman named Robert Pruyn and his wife Anna purchased nearly 13,000 acres in Newcomb, New York in the Adirondacks to build a “Great Camp”. This was a popular practice for the wealthy in New York to purchase summer properties to enjoy the beautiful landscapes, cooler temperatures, and fresh mountain air in style. The estate that the Pruyn’s bought was named Santanoni Estate, their Great Camp was different from many of the others because his wife Anna was an avid outdoor enthusiast and Robert had a great interest in modern architecture. So not only was their camp a family retreat, there was also a large working farm on the property. The main lodge on the estate has influences of Japanese architecture, which was rare for the area, because Robert had spent many of his younger years in Japan with his father, who was Abraham Lincoln’s minister to Japan. The family had a lot of connections to prominent figures and Robert himself had been involved in politics and was a close friend to Theodore Roosevelt who was a regular visitor to the estate and had even come for a hunting trip after President McKinley was shot in 1901 at the Pan-American Expo, though he had to cut his trip short and leave to take over the Presidency when McKinley’s condition worsened. 

 Douglas Legg, affectionately called Doug or Dougie, was the son of William Legg, a supervisor of science education in Liverpool’s school district, and May Melvin Legg who had studied education at State University of New York in Cortland, earning her master’s degree. They lived in Baldwinsville, NY. May was the daughter of Myron Melvin, who had purchased the Santanoni estate with his brother Crandall. Myron & Crandall had started the Melvin & Melvin Law Firm in Syracuse that still exists today. The Melvin family had earned a fortune in banking and real estate. 

July of 1971 the Melvin family gathered at Camp Santanoni for one last family vacation as they were preparing to sell the estate. Dougie was an avid outdoorsman and avid hiker, even at the young age of eight. He was a month away from his ninth birthday. Standing 4 foot 10 that summer, with blond hair and blue eyes, he was in his element at the Santanoni Camp with many adventures ahead of him. 

Saturday July 10th started out like another beautiful summer day. Dougie and his uncle Melvin had plans to go for a hike. They started out on their adventure, but Dougie’s uncle noted that there was a large amount of poison ivy that had grown onto the trails. They hadn’t made it too far from the main lodge, which was still visible about a half mile away, so Dougie’s uncle sent him back to the lodge to change from shorts into pants. Dougie had been to the estate many times before, having grown up spending his summers here, so he was well familiar with the area. Melvin Merle would later say that they did argue a bit about him needing to change and Dougie did appear to be upset about being sent back to the lodge but he did as he was told. On his way, he would pass his older brother and one of his cousin’s. This was about 50-60 yards from the main lodge at around 3:30 pm.

 Dougie unfortunately failed to return to his uncle Melvin. At first the family thought that he had just decided not to go on the hike after all and had become distracted with another activity. As it got later in the day and the temperatures started to drop, the family became worried as there was no sign of Dougie. The temperatures in the Adirondacks can drop low in the summer, dipping into the 30’s Fahrenheit. Dougie had been last seen in a white polo shirt with blue horizontal stripes, blue shorts, and black high-top sneakers. He was not dressed for a night out in the woods.  

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team:

From their website- "The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team is a non-profit, all volunteer organization founded in 1951 to save lives through mountain rescue and outdoor safety education. The team motto of “anywhere in the wilderness that someone needs help…” has guided us through over 5,000 requests for help since our founding.

Our primary area of operation is southern California, but the team has responded to calls for  help in areas extending from Baja, California, through the Sierra, and up to northern California, and as far east as Nevada and Utah."

For more, visit their website: https://smsr.org

Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue:

From their website- "The Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue Team, Inc. is a professional and well-trained team dedicated to serving our community. We have a strong commitment to assisting local law enforcement agencies, NYS DEC, Emergency Medical Agencies, Fire and Rescue Departments, Emergency Management Office, and NYS Federation of SAR Teams. We strive to provide the best service possible and have the experience and resources to effectively respond to search and rescue missions."

For more, visit their website: https://www.oswegocountysar.org

Project Lifesaver:

From their website- "Project Lifesaver is the premier search and rescue program operated internationally by public safety agencies, and is strategically designed for “at risk” individuals who are prone to the life threatening behavior of wandering. The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children with the propensity to wander due to a cognitive condition."

For more, visit their website: https://projectlifesaver.org

Associated Press. (1971, July 18). 29 From Coast Join Hunt for Boy. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/07/18/79676578.html?pageNumber=30

Associated Press. (1971, July 17). Mountain Rescue Team Called in By Family of Lost Child. Retrieved from Newspapers.com: https://www.newspapers.com/article/wellsville-daily-reporter-mt-rescue-team/130201584/

Associated Press. (August, 1 1971). Full Scale Search for Boy, 8, Is Ended. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/01/archives/fullscale-search-for-boy-8-is-ended.html

Associated Press. (July, 26 1971). 275 Continue Hunt for Boy Lost in Mountains 15 Days . Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/26/archives/275-continue-hunt-for-boy-lost-in-mountains-15-days.html

SANTANONI – A BRIEF HISTORY. (n.d.). Retrieved from Adirondack Architectural Hertiage: https://aarch.org/santanoni/history-architecture/

Strange Outdoors. (2024, July). The strange disappearance of Douglas Legg from the Adirondack Mountains. Retrieved from Strange Outdoors: https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/douglas-legg

William N. Legg. (2008, June 29). Retrieved from Mauer Funeral Home, Inc. : https://www.maurerfuneralhome.com/obituary/5251883

Yager, B. (2021, April). Gone but Not Forgotten. Retrieved from Adirondack Life: https://www.adirondacklife.com/2021/12/08/gone-but-not-forgotten/