In preparation for potential impacts from Tropical Storm Ida, the New York State Canal Corporation has preemptively lifted the upper gates of the movable dams along the Erie Canal and Mohawk River between Lock E-8 (Rotterdam) and Lock E-12 (Tribes Hill). [Read more…] about Erie Canal Preparations Underway For Approaching Tropical Storm Ida
Mohawk River
3,300 Acres Protected Along East Canada Creek Tributary
The Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced the permanent protection of more than 3,300 acres in the Herkimer County towns of Salisbury and Norway. The tract is comprised of hardwood and softwood forests and significant wetlands within the Mohawk River watershed.
OSI purchased the Spruce Creek property for $3 million from Datum 9 Forestry LLC. [Read more…] about 3,300 Acres Protected Along East Canada Creek Tributary
State Awards Mohawk River Watershed Grants for Flooding, Wildlife
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced funding for seven projects throughout the Mohawk River watershed.
The grants, supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund, will help reduce flood risks and bolster resiliency, improve stewardship and stakeholder engagement, and protect fish, wildlife, and associated aquatic and riparian habitats in the watershed. [Read more…] about State Awards Mohawk River Watershed Grants for Flooding, Wildlife
Bates Tavern: A Lost Oneida County Landmark
The Bates Tavern, named for innkeeper Salmon Bates (1774-1858), was in Northern Oneida County, just south of Ava Corners, then part of the Town of Boonville.
Bates was born in Connecticut and had made his way there with his wife Annie Campbell and their young children, by way of New Lebanon, Columbia County, NY, around 1805. They soon opened a tavern in their house; a place to rest the horses and quench the thirst. [Read more…] about Bates Tavern: A Lost Oneida County Landmark
Mohawk Valley Transportation History at Schoharie Crossing
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is set to conduct its fifth annual Tuesday Talk series to recognize New York State History Month this November. Each week a speaker presents on regional or New York State history.
Historian Scott Haefner will discuss Transportation in the Mohawk Valley on November 12th. This presentation will explore the significance of the river valley in developing transportation to the West and covers the Bateaux era in the 18th century through Turnpikes, Canals and Railroads. Haefner is a Registered Public Historian and is the site manager of Old Fort Johnson, operated by the Montgomery County Historical Society. [Read more…] about Mohawk Valley Transportation History at Schoharie Crossing
Mohawk River Bridge Dams: Engineering Landmarks
The Mohawk River has been used as a transportation corridor since the beginning of human settlement. Indigenous people used the river to move east and west, as did the first European explorers and those who followed. The river was shallow and relatively slow flowing. Along the 120-miles between Rome and the Hudson river, there are two waterfalls. The largest of the two is near the eastern end of the river, where the water flows over a 90-foot high falls at Cohoes. At Little Falls the river flows over a series of rapids that are 45-feet in height. [Read more…] about Mohawk River Bridge Dams: Engineering Landmarks
Battle of Oriskany and Nicholas Herkimer
Author and story teller Paul Boehlert is set to tell the story of the siege of Fort Stanwix and the Battle of Oriskany, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution, on Wednesday, July 17th at 7 pm, at the Rome Historical Society, 200 Church Street. [Read more…] about Battle of Oriskany and Nicholas Herkimer
Bridge Dams Along Mohawk River
This week on The Historians Podcast, Bob Cudmore’s guest is Michael Riley, author of the book Bridge Dams on the Mohawk: David A. Watt’s Marvelous Creation. A long stretch of New York’s Mohawk River became a canal in the early 1900s. Bridge dams made that possible and are still in use today. [Read more…] about Bridge Dams Along Mohawk River
Mohawk River Schenectady History Kayak Tours
The Schenectady County Historical Society has announced Kayak Through History guided paddling tours of Schenectady along the Mohawk River.
A Schenectady County Historical Society guide will lead paddlers upstream from The Waters Edge Lighthouse and back, passing under railroad bridges and around wild islands, discussing the history of the river and its surroundings. Tours may also feature a guest expert in invasive species, birds, and river ecology. [Read more…] about Mohawk River Schenectady History Kayak Tours
Scott Haefner of Old Fort Johnson on Historians Podcast
This week on The Historians Podcast, site manager Scott Haefner talks about Old Fort Johnson, the 1749 limestone house that British Indian agent William Johnson built on the Mohawk River in colonial New York. It was fortified for protection during the French and Indian Wars. [Read more…] about Scott Haefner of Old Fort Johnson on Historians Podcast