Gordon Wasson, a prominent mycologist, spent several summers in the Adirondacks studying the region’s fungi and making important contributions to the field of mycology. During his time there, Wasson stayed in a cabin in the woods near Saranac Lake with his wife Valentina Pavlovna, a Russian artist and photographer. The cabin became a haven for the Wassons, who enjoyed the peace and solitude of the Adirondacks and hosted many visitors, including fellow mycologists.
One of the mycologists Wasson hosted was Dr. Clyde Christensen, a professor of botany at the University of Minnesota. Christensen visited the Wassons in the Adirondacks in the summer of 1948 and collected several specimens of fungi from the area. He also collaborated with Wasson on a paper about the genus Inocybe, a group of fungi found throughout the world.
Another mycologist who visited the Wassons in the Adirondacks was Dr. Alexander H. Smith, a mycologist and professor at the University of Michigan. Smith and Wasson had corresponded for several years before meeting in person in the Adirondacks in 1953. They spent several days collecting and identifying mushrooms and discussing their shared interest in ethnomycology, the study of the cultural uses of fungi.
Wasson’s collaborations with other mycologists and his hosting of visitors in the Adirondacks helped to establish the region as an important location for mycological research. Wasson’s work in the Adirondacks also contributed to our understanding of the region’s fungi and helped to shape the field of mycology more broadly.
In addition to his work in the Adirondacks, Wasson was a leading figure in the study of mushrooms and their cultural significance. His travels and collaborations helped to establish the importance of ethnomycology as a field of study, and his experiences with hallucinogenic mushrooms in Mexico inspired his seminal work, “The Divine Mushroom of Immortality.”
References:
- Krug, Pamela J. (2013). The Mycological Legacy of R. Gordon Wasson. Mycologia. 105(3): 549-560.
- Christensen, Clyde M. and Wasson, R. Gordon. (1949). Studies in the Genus Inocybe: II. Two New Species from the United States. Mycologia. 41(1): 1-13.
- Smith, Alexander H. and Wasson, R. Gordon. (1954). The Hallucinogenic Mushrooms of Mexico: An Adventure in Ethnomycology. Journal of the American Medical Association. 154(12): 1029-1032.
- Wasson, R. Gordon. (1972). Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.