For decades, salad lovers around the world have
enjoyed the appealing flavor of Thousand Island Dressing. Although
national sales figures rank it as one of the most popular dressings
with consumers, many people do not associate it with the popular
upstate New York resort area, while many others don't even associate it
with any
actual geographic locale. In reality, it is the only salad dressing
named
for any region of the entire United States.
The history of the dressing dates back to the early
days of the century and centers in the small resort village of Clayton,
N.Y. In those days a popular fishing guide named George LaLonde, Jr.,
as his father before him, guided visiting fishermen for black bass and
northern pike through the scenic, fish-filled waters of the 1000
Islands.
Unlike his father, George Jr. would serve a different
and unusual salad dressing to his fishing parties as part of their
shore dinners. Prepared on the surrounding islands as part of a day of
guided fishing, these dinners have always been very popular with
visiting fishermen. Their popularity in fact, has withstood "the test
of time" more than enough to qualify them as one of the region's
premier and most unique attractions.
On one particular occasion George was guiding a very
prominent New York City stage actress of the period named May Irwin and
her husband. Miss Irwin, a renowned cook and
cookbook authoress in her own right, was particularly impressed with
the dressing and asked George for the recipe. The dressing was actually
created and made by George's wife Sophia, who was flattered by the
request and willingly gave the recipe to Miss Irwin. At
the same time Mrs. LaLonde gave the recipe to Mrs. Ella Bertrand,
who's family owned the Herald Hotel, one of the most popular hotels
in Clayton and where Miss Irwin and her husband stayed during their
early vacations in the islands. Mrs. Bertrand prepared the dressing
for Miss Irwin and her husband and also added it to the other choices
of salad dressing offered to her dining room customers.
It was Miss Irwin who gave it the name "Thousand
Island" and it was Mrs. Bertrand, at the Herald
Hotel, who first served it to the dining public. Upon her return
to New York City Miss Irwin gave the recipe to fellow 1000 Islands
summer visitor George C. Boldt, owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel
in New York, the Bellevue Stratford in Philadelphia and also the
builder of Boldt Castle on nearby Heart Island. Equally impressed with
its flavor, Mr. Boldt directed his world famous maitre d' Oscar
Tschirky, to put this dressing from the 1000 Islands on the hotel's
menu at once. In doing so Oscar earned credit for introducing the
dressing to the "world."
As time passed, Miss Irwin and her husband purchased a
summer home on nearby Grindstone Island which still stands in sight of
Clayton, where they spent many summer vacations. Later they purchased a
farm on the mainland east of Clayton, near Spicer Bay.
The Herald Hotel changed hands in 1947, on its 50th
anniversary and again on its 75th anniversary in
1972, when it was purchased by its present owners Allen and Susan
Benas, who renamed it the Thousand Islands Inn. During this entire period however, one of the
few things that stayed the same was the now international popularity
of Sophia LaLonde's Thousand Island Salad Dressing.
Today, two of Mrs. LaLonde's nine children, Margaret
and Mary and many grand, great and great-great grandchildren, along
with the rest of the people of the small river community of Clayton
proudly share in the recognition of her creation. The Thousand Islands
Inn and the many surrounding islands, where shore dinners have been
prepared over the decades, also remain as a
living reminder of where it all began.
Needless to say, Thousand Island Dressing is
the "official" house dressing at the Thousand Islands
Inn. Patrons continually comment about its remarkable flavor and
as May Irwin, request the recipe.
In 1990 the Inn was licensed by New York State to
package their 'Original' recipe for resale. Only 5,000 bottles (16 oz.)
are produced each season and are on sale at the Inn between May 20th
and September 20th, for $6.95. Each bottle also includes a history of
the dressing. Internet availability is offered all year.