The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and New York State Canal Corporation recently unveiled the latest installation of the State’s iconic lighting program, celebrating Erie Canal Lock E17 in Little Falls, in Herkimer County, NY. [Read more…] about Erie Canal Lighting Unveiled in Little Falls
Erie Canal
NYS Canal System Announces Fall Hours of Operation
Effective Thursday, September 15th, 2022, all locks and lift bridges on the NYS Canal System will operate daily between 7 am and 5 pm. The system is scheduled to close to navigation at 5 pm on Wednesday, October 12th, 2022. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Announces Fall Hours of Operation
Erie Canal Cultural Landscape Inventory Underway
Students from SUNY ESF Center for Cultural Landscape Preservation are working on a Cultural Landscape Inventory along the Erie Canal this summer. [Read more…] about Erie Canal Cultural Landscape Inventory Underway
Upstate Cities Turn To Canal Heritage For Economic Development
Upstate New York’s largest urban centers are pursuing economic development strategies that include a major focus on their canal heritage. [Read more…] about Upstate Cities Turn To Canal Heritage For Economic Development
Kayaker Alan Jay Paddles From Buffalo to Manhattan in 31 Days
In June, the Hudson River Valley Greenway fielded a call from Alan Jay, who just completed paddling the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Waterford with his brother-in-law Michael.
The next day Jay would start his solo adventure paddling the Hudson River toward New York City – he needed a Hudson River Water Trail Guide. [Read more…] about Kayaker Alan Jay Paddles From Buffalo to Manhattan in 31 Days
Vischer Ferry As A Summer Resort
At the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century, Vischer Ferry, a hamlet of Clifton Park in Saratoga County on the Mohawk River, was the destination of many picnickers and tourists.
People came from Schenectady, Albany, Troy, Cohoes and even New York City to spend a day, a week, a month or the complete summer in the healthful climate and beautiful surroundings of Vischer Ferry. As quiet 120 years ago as it is today, the village was an ideal spot to escape from the noise and turmoil of the city. [Read more…] about Vischer Ferry As A Summer Resort
Twelve Topics from Recent Historians Podcasts
This week on The Historians Podcast, the third Highlights Edition of 2022 has excerpts from 12 podcasts including stolen Little League Dreams, an Erie Canal balladeer, human organ transplants, translating Old Dutch and a boy’s life in Ilion, New York. [Read more…] about Twelve Topics from Recent Historians Podcasts
Historic Fort Hunter: From Queen Anne’s War to the Erie Canal
The hamlet of Fort Hunter in Montgomery County, NY, while small, has been historically significant even since before the American Revolution. It was home to people of the Mohawk Nation and was known as the Lower Castle being downstream or below Canajoharie on the Mohawk River. Being at the confluence of the Schoharie Creek and river it was always an important trade post for goods, food, and cultures. [Read more…] about Historic Fort Hunter: From Queen Anne’s War to the Erie Canal
A Brief History of the Mohawk River
Imagine the Mohawk River flowing with more force than Niagara Falls. Around 22,000 years ago, that’s exactly how it was. During the last ice age, the Laurentide Glacier began to melt, forming a large lake atop the glacier. As the glacier receded north, it opened access to the Mohawk River, which for thousands of years had been buried beneath the two-mile thick block of ice. Suddenly, all that lake water had somewhere to go.
The deluge of water that was released was so great that it carved an entirely new riverbed. It was so great in fact, that geologists gave the river a new name; the Iromohawk. Water rushed down the valley, carving away the cliffs of Clifton Park, the gorge at Cohoes, and the channel at Rexford. The river also curved back onto itself, creating the bend around Schenectady that the Mohawk follows today. [Read more…] about A Brief History of the Mohawk River
Canalway Water Trail Added to National Recreational Trails System
In celebration of Great Outdoors Month, The New York State Canal System, including the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals, is getting special recognition from the U.S. Department of the Interior as one of the nation’s newly designated National Water Trails. [Read more…] about Canalway Water Trail Added to National Recreational Trails System