New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Chautauqua

An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga

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Journal and portrait of Matthew Prendergast 1756-1838On Friday, August 30th in 1805, Matthew Prendergast set off on horseback from Sharon, Connecticut. Matthew was about 50 years old, a resident of Amenia in Dutchess County, NY, just across the state line from Sharon. He was comfortably well off, but definitely not super rich, and he suffered from rheumatism.

He had a few errands to do on the way, but he was planning on heading north and taking the waters at Ballston Springs, where he had visited in the past. He took his time, stopping several times, including at Kinderhook, Albany and Troy. [Read more…] about An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga

New Yorkers Exiled to Tasmania for the 1837-38 Canadian Patriot Rebellion

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HMS Buffalo at seaOn September 30, 1970, in a simple ceremony, a monument was unveiled at Sandy Bay Beach Reserve in Hobart, Tasmania, by the Honorable Douglas Harkness, the former Canadian defense minister. It was in honor to the ninety-two Patriot exiles, transported to what was then called Van Diemen’s Land who had been captured in the 1837-38 Patriot War insurrection in Upper Canada against British domination.

Listed as Canadian rebels, a majority were in fact from the state of New York. Although imprisoned US citizens captured in the various conflicts with England – from the American Revolution to the War of 1812– was not a novelty, it was to be the first time that American prisoners were shipped to a penal colony in Australia due to a confrontation with the Empire. [Read more…] about New Yorkers Exiled to Tasmania for the 1837-38 Canadian Patriot Rebellion

Chautauqua Lake: Western New York’s Largest Natural Inland Lake

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Chautauqua Lake, located in the towns of Chautauqua, Ellery, North Harmony, Ellicott and Busti in Chautauqua County, is the largest natural inland lake in Western New York. [Read more…] about Chautauqua Lake: Western New York’s Largest Natural Inland Lake

Chautauqua Fish Hatchery & NY’s Muskellunge Fishery

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Muskellunge courtesy DECChautauqua Fish Hatchery is located on Prendergast Point, midway on the west side of Chautauqua Lake, off State Route 394 near Mayville, in the town of Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, NY. It’s the only hatchery in the New York State that raises pure strain muskellunge – the largest freshwater sportfish in New York. Each spring, hatchery staff collect and fertilize about 1.5-2 million eggs from wild muskellunge, usually from Chautauqua Lake. Fertilized eggs are then hatched and reared at the hatchery. [Read more…] about Chautauqua Fish Hatchery & NY’s Muskellunge Fishery

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