On a warm, clear afternoon in June 1926, 600 Westchester County Republican delegates gathered in the art deco casino at Playland Amusement Park on Long Island Sound to endorse their neighbor, state Supreme Court Justice William F. Bleakley (1883–1969), for New York Governor. [Read more…] about Reluctant Warriors of 1936: William Bleakley & Herbert Lehman
Livingston County
Fake Turkey Shot From Road; Poaching Canada Geese; Illegal Fishing
An angler caught in the act filleting his illegal catch, and a large group ticketed for poaching more than a dozen striped bass are just some of the cases NYS Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) encountered in recent weeks.
The most surprising occurred on Sunday morning, May 10th, ECOs Brown, Dorrett, Heckler, and Hilton were using a robotic wild turkey decoy to catch people illegally road hunting in Williamstown, Oswego County, NY– it didn’t take long. [Read more…] about Fake Turkey Shot From Road; Poaching Canada Geese; Illegal Fishing
The Discovery of Rock Salt in New York: Some History
Before the creation of shaft salt mines, the production of salt in New York State required the evaporation of salt brine extracted from salt springs and wells – first by applying heat and later with large solar evaporators.
In the mid-19th century it had been thought by New York geologists that the Onondaga salt springs, known since the mid-1600s, must be supplied from the leaching of beds of rock-salt, and for a time efforts were made to find it in the immediate vicinity of Onondaga Lake. The various borings made on the State’s Onondaga Salt Springs Reservation [see map] in the 1820s and 1830s however showed conclusively that no rock salt was there. [Read more…] about The Discovery of Rock Salt in New York: Some History
Drilling For Salt: Salt Springs & New York’s Salt Industry Origins
As the presence of salt in New York was first made manifest through saline mineral springs it is proper to begin this discussion with the history of their discovery and utilization. The most important of these are in Onondaga County at Syracuse.
About the middle of the seventeenth century several of the Jesuit missionaries during their journeys among the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), in what is now the State of New York, heard local salt springs and related these experiences in the Relations of the Jesuit fathers. [Read more…] about Drilling For Salt: Salt Springs & New York’s Salt Industry Origins
The National League’s First Home Run, Hit By An Upstate New Yorker
On this day in 1876, a young man from Upstate New York hit the first home run in the history of the National League. Ross Barnes, the Chicago White Stockings’ second baseman, was not known as a home-run hitter, but in the infancy of professional baseball, no one was.
The parks were spacious, and the ball was dead. Nearly all homers were inside-the-park jobs, with the batter dashing around all the bases. Hence, the term home run. [Read more…] about The National League’s First Home Run, Hit By An Upstate New Yorker
Burned-Over District Documentary Being Produced
A new trailer for an in-production feature-length documentary film about the Burned-Over District of 19th-century New York State has just been released. Burned Over focuses on Spiritualism, the belief that the living can communicate with the dead, and the Oneida Community, a free love commune.
Both began in 1848 in the Burned-Over District, an area famous as an incubator of radical religious practice and progressive politics, inspired in part by the Second Great Awakening. [Read more…] about Burned-Over District Documentary Being Produced
Early Upstate New York Roads: Some History
What is now New York State saw multitudes of American settlers moving inland from the Atlantic seaboard, especially those “locusts of the east” from New England. Traveling long distances overland before the 20th century was however, difficult to say the least.
In the 1600s their movement was constrained by topography, and settlements were limited to areas in the Hudson and Mohawk valleys previously inhabited or improved by Indigenous People. Some Indigenous portage trails were described by the earliest settlers as wide paths that a capable ox team and wagon could manage. [Read more…] about Early Upstate New York Roads: Some History
Seth Green: A Father of American Fish Culture and a Pioneer in Conservation
Seth Green, born on March 19, 1817, to a poor farming family in what was then a remote area along Culver Road in Rochester, New York, is considered a father of American fish culture and aquaculture.
At the time of his birth, Rochester was not yet a city, and the surrounding Genesee Valley was by then sparsely populated, and inhabited by wildlife such as bears, wolves, and rattlesnakes. [Read more…] about Seth Green: A Father of American Fish Culture and a Pioneer in Conservation
New York’s Postwar State Park Architecture
After World War II, the taste for rustic architecture that defined the interwar period of New York’s state park design began to wane. This also happened across the National Park Service system, which fully embraced modern architecture in the mid-1950s. [Read more…] about New York’s Postwar State Park Architecture
14 Properties Nominated to State and National Registers
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 14 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places and expand one existing listing. The nominations include a new historic district in Wellsville, a synagogue on Staten Island, an enslaved people’s burial ground in the Bronx, and an LGBTQ Commune in Newfield. [Read more…] about 14 Properties Nominated to State and National Registers
Genesee Country, the Seneca & Letchworth State Park
The history of colonial settlement along the Genesee River in the western part of New York State begins with the Onöndowa’ga:’, the People of the Great Hill.
When Europeans arrived, the Dutch used a vague pronunciation of an Algonquian word sounding like “Seneca” to refer to the central and western three nations of the Haudenosaunee.
Usage eventually changed to refer specifically to the Onöndowa’ga:’. They are most widely known as the Seneca. [Read more…] about Genesee Country, the Seneca & Letchworth State Park
Bicycling Adventures in New York State Parks
Go for a spin this fall and discover the scenic biking trails at New York State Parks. Bicycling is a great, low-impact exercise to enjoy with family and friends and a picturesque way to experience fall foliage in New York State. With so many trails to choose from, here are a few destinations from around the state worth exploring. [Read more…] about Bicycling Adventures in New York State Parks
Great Leaf Peeping Opportunities at New York State Parks
Leaf peeping is right up there with pumpkin spice lattes and cozy wool sweaters as a quintessential fall activity. When the temperature starts dropping and autumn begins to show its true colors, many New Yorkers converge on their local state parks for the chance to see beautiful yellow, orange, and red vistas up close and personal. Whether you’re an avid hiker or a weekend trail walker, fall is the perfect season to get outside and enjoy the 2000+ miles of state park trails. [Read more…] about Great Leaf Peeping Opportunities at New York State Parks
The Great Genesee Road: A History Travel Guide
In 1794 the state legislature authorized the Great Genesee Road from Fort Schuyler (now Utica) to Canawaugus (once one of the most populous of the Seneca villages, now in Livingston County) to help settlers reach the New Military Tract in Central New York where nearly two million acres of land was set aside to compensate Revolutionary War veterans. Today we call most of it New York Route 5. [Read more…] about The Great Genesee Road: A History Travel Guide
2024 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award Winners
Now in its 40th year, the Preservation League of NYS‘s annual Excellence Awards program shines a light on the people who are using historic preservation to make all our lives better — through exemplary restoration projects, indispensable publications, individual action, and organizational distinction. [Read more…] about 2024 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award Winners
Stony Brook State Park Renovations Complete, More Announced
A new bathhouse, lifeguard station, and playground were recently unveiled at Stony Brook State Park near Dansville, Steuben County, NY.
During the announcement of the completion of these upgrades, new investments were announced to improve parking lots, update tennis courts, and build a new park office. The upcoming renovations are expected to be complete in 2025. [Read more…] about Stony Brook State Park Renovations Complete, More Announced
Bald Eagles Rescued in Washington, Livingston Counties
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) recently rescued to bald eagles in Washington and Livingston Counties, NY. [Read more…] about Bald Eagles Rescued in Washington, Livingston Counties
$1.8M For Sate Parks, Trails, Historic Sites and Other Public Lands
In January, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $1.8 million in grants to support 27 not-for-profit organizations involved with the stewardship of state parks, trails, historic sites, and other public lands.
The grants support public-private partnerships leveraging private funds for new state park amenities, to engage in state park and historic site maintenance and beautification projects, and to provide educational programming and special events. [Read more…] about $1.8M For Sate Parks, Trails, Historic Sites and Other Public Lands
State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid Named Open Space Institute CEO, President
The Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced that New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) Commissioner Erik Kulleseid will serve as its next President and CEO.
The selection of Commissioner Kulleseid marks his return to OSI. During his original eight-year stint at OSI, Kulleseid oversaw the creation of OSI’s parks initiative aimed at making protected land more accessible and welcoming to all people, according to the announcement. [Read more…] about State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid Named Open Space Institute CEO, President
Alan Rabinowitz: Brooklyn Zoologist & A Voice for Jaguars
Alan Rabinowitz (1953-2018) endured a difficult childhood. Born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents from Eastern Europe, he grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. By the age of five he had developed such a debilitating stutter that his whole body shook when he tried to speak.
Even though he was a straight A student in school, considered disruptive, he was put in classes with developmentally disabled children and bullied relentlessly. [Read more…] about Alan Rabinowitz: Brooklyn Zoologist & A Voice for Jaguars