New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Massena

ATV Goes Through Lake Ice; Man Dies In Snowmobile Crash

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ATV through the ice on Waneta LakeOn December 20th, Retired Forest Ranger Lieutenant Morse reported an ATV broke through the ice on Waneta Lake in Willowemoc Wild Forest in the Catskills town of Rockland, Sullivan County. Ranger Stratton responded and issued tickets to the two subjects from Pennsylvania for unauthorized motor vehicle use on state land. A tow company removed the ATV from the lake.

Two days later, on December 22, 2022, at around 3:12 am, State Police responded to a report of a snowmobile crash with injuries on a snowmobile trail off the Wallace Road in the town of Louisville. Louisville is located along the St. Lawrence River, on the northern border of St. Lawrence County west of Massena. [Read more…] about ATV Goes Through Lake Ice; Man Dies In Snowmobile Crash

Annual Lake Sturgeon Stocking Complete

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Lake Sturgeon courtesy DEC New York State’s Oneida Fish Hatchery and partners from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Genoa National Fish Hatchery recently stocked more than 23,000 lake sturgeon fingerlings across their New York range.

Lake sturgeon are raised at both hatcheries from eggs taken from wild fish in early June near the Moses-Saunders Dam in Massena, NY. By the time they’re stocked they’ve grown to about seven inches in just four and a half months. [Read more…] about Annual Lake Sturgeon Stocking Complete

Update On Grasse River Superfund Site Restoration

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freshwater mussels courtesy DECThe Alcoa Massena-West Plant is an aluminum production plant on the north shore of the lower Grasse River. In the 1950s, Alcoa began using and discharging polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Grasse River, contaminating water and sediment. [Read more…] about Update On Grasse River Superfund Site Restoration

Civil War Weekend at Robert Moses State Park July 28-29

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Soldiers line up for their pay at last year’s Civil War Reenactment WeekendThe St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s (SLCHA) annual Civil War Reenactment Weekend at Robert Moses State Park in Massena has been set for Saturday and Sunday July 28-29.

The military camps are open to the public from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, and 10 am to 2 pm on Sunday. Mock battles will be at 3 pm Saturday and 1 pm Sunday. [Read more…] about Civil War Weekend at Robert Moses State Park July 28-29

A Fisher of Men and a Fish in the Water

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A few weeks ago, the Adirondacks and North Country lost a native who led a unique life, a man who three years ago added “author” to his resume. Robert “Bob” Manning of Massena passed away on September 28 at the age of 81. My personal connection with him is a strange one indeed. We met back in 1966, but I hadn’t been in touch with him since 1969, so you might suppose that our phone conversation in 2014, when we became reacquainted, might have been a bit awkward.

It sure could have been, but not for the reason you might be thinking — that 45 years had passed. No, that wasn’t an issue at all, but these next few lines should help explain my use of the word “strange.” When I knew him back in the 1960s, he was a Catholic priest and one of my schoolteachers (nothing odd about that). He called in 2014 to ask if he and his wife could come and visit me (and there it is!). [Read more…] about A Fisher of Men and a Fish in the Water

Civil War Weekend at Robert Moses State Park July 29-30

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slcha childrens musterThe St. Lawrence County Historical Association will hold their annual Civil War Reenactment Weekend at Robert Moses State Park, Massena.

The 16th annual Reenactment will take place Saturday and Sunday July 29-30.

Union and Confederate reenactors will stage mock battles, perform military drills, talk about camp life, and demonstrate cooking, spinning, ladies’ aid, cannon firing, and medical practices. [Read more…] about Civil War Weekend at Robert Moses State Park July 29-30

North Country’s Hal Smith, Mayberry’s Affable Town Drunk

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For millions of people, holidays are all about going home, returning to one’s roots of family and friends. That concept was epitomized by a North Country man who attained great fame in Hollywood, but to his great credit never forgot the home folks — and to their credit, the home folks never forgot him. Whenever he returned to the North Country, or old friends visited him in California, there was always an exchange of love, admiration, and deep appreciation.

He was born in northern Michigan in 1916 as Harold John Smith, about as anonymous a name as one can imagine, and likely one that stirs no sense of recognition. But if Otis Campbell were mentioned, many would instantly recall Mayberry’s affable town drunk from The Andy Griffith Show. [Read more…] about North Country’s Hal Smith, Mayberry’s Affable Town Drunk

Civil War Weekend at Robert Moses State Park

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2nd Michigan on the fieldThe St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s 14th Annual Civil War Reenactment Weekend will be held at Robert Moses State Park in Massena on Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26.

Military and civilian re-enactors from New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Ontario and Quebec, Canada are expected to attend, including President Lincoln, as well as sutlers, vendors of period goods and clothing. [Read more…] about Civil War Weekend at Robert Moses State Park