New York’s canal building boom and the urban explosion that it triggered dramatically accelerated the dispossession and disruption of traditional life ways of the region’s Native American inhabitants that had been initiated by the introduction of European trade, diseases, colonial wars, the American Revolution, and encroaching settlement by non-natives. [Read more…] about The Erie Canal’s Impacts on Indigenous People
Mohawk
Lake George Battlefield Plans New Exhibits, Major Events
On this week’s Lake George Battlefield Moments podcast, Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance Trustees Bruce Venter and John DiNuzzo discuss plans for Visitor Center exhibits set to be unveiled in 2026. They also review some important special events planned for the coming months. [Read more…] about Lake George Battlefield Plans New Exhibits, Major Events
King George’s War and the Thirty-Year Peace
King George’s War and the Thirty-Year Peace:continues the contest for North America from the end of Queen Anne’s War in 1713, marking the beginning of the Thirty-Year Peace, through the start of King George’s War in 1744, to its conclusion with the signing of Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle four years later.
While there would be little fighting between the French, Spanish, and British colonies in North America during the Thirty-Year Peace — the Franco-Spanish conflict of 1719 being an exception — for the French and British it did not prove to be peaceful. [Read more…] about King George’s War and the Thirty-Year Peace
Mineral Springs of the Saratoga County Area: Some History
The mineral springs of Saratoga County first attracted the attention of the white settlers soon after the middle of the eighteenth century. In early colonial days they were westward of the first line of settlements and off the main line of such travel as there was between the valley of the Hudson River and the valleys of Lake Champlain and the St Lawrence River.
The colonists, naturally, established themselves first in the valley of the Hudson and their earliest settlements in this region were some ten miles to the east of Saratoga Springs [near what is now Schuylerville]. [Read more…] about Mineral Springs of the Saratoga County Area: Some History
The Old Mohawk Turnpike: New York’s Road West
The old Mohawk Turnpike between what are now Albany and Rome, NY, was originally an Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) trail used frequently by Mohawk and Oneida people in particular, but many others as well.
For the first two hundred years of European settlement it was the only major link between the Hudson River and the Great Lakes. It became an important national transportation connection. [Read more…] about The Old Mohawk Turnpike: New York’s Road West
George Pratt, Lake George’s ‘Mohawk Warrior’ & Saratoga Springs
I was pleased to recently learn through the New York Almanack and Lake George Mirror about the planned restoration of historic sculptures at the Lake George Battlefield Park.
I have a special interest in the “Mohawk Warrior” sculpture produced by Alexander Phimister Proctor and the unique history surrounding this monumental work.
This sculpture was a gift from George D. Pratt, who commissioned the artist. Interestingly, the sculpture was conceived as a component of the planned conception for the New York State Reservation in Saratoga Springs (now known as Saratoga Spa State Park). [Read more…] about George Pratt, Lake George’s ‘Mohawk Warrior’ & Saratoga Springs
Lake George Battlefield Park Historic Statues Being Restored
The 85-year-old bronze and granite monument to Father Isaac Jogues in Lake George’s Battlefield Park is being restored at a cost of $16,980. The refurbishing of the Park’s two other bronzes – the 1903 sculpture of Sir William Johnson with the Mohawk chieftain King Hendrick (Hendrick Theyanoguin) and the 1921 statue of an anonymous Native American – will begin this spring, said John DiNuzzo, the president of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance. [Read more…] about Lake George Battlefield Park Historic Statues Being Restored
Saratoga Springs’ Indian Encampments
The tourism fostered at Saratoga Springs by the mineral waters and baths spawned the spectacle of thoroughbred racing during the nineteenth century and also a clubhouse which operated as a casino. They were exciting diversions for those visiting to take the “water cure.”
With so many tourists at the numerous hotels and boarding houses by virtue of the convenient rail connections, another attraction of sorts was fostered, Indian Encampments which functioned much like carnivals. [Read more…] about Saratoga Springs’ Indian Encampments
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
DEC Relations with Indigenous Nations
November is Native American Heritage Month, a nationwide celebration of the contributions of Indigenous peoples and celebration of their heritage, traditions, culture, art, and history while acknowledging how society has impacted Indigenous peoples and culture. New York State was the first state to recognize “American Indian Day” in 1916, originally observed on the second Saturday in May. [Read more…] about DEC Relations with Indigenous Nations
‘Sodomy’ & Colonial America Crime and Punishment
The early conquest of overseas territories led to the application of European directives regulating life in the colonies.
Imposing rules on sexual behavior served as tools of social control and dominance. Prohibitions on “sodomy” entered legislation in New England and New Netherland with severe penalties attached. [Read more…] about ‘Sodomy’ & Colonial America Crime and Punishment
Volume 3 in Schoharie Valley History Trilogy Published
When the Palatines arrived at the Schoharie Valley in 1712, the world they stepped into was a century in the making. This formative period of the valley’s history has never been fully told, nor has the true impact these rebellious German refugees had on pushing New York’s western frontier as far as they did, as fast as they did. Until now.
The three-volume series Skohere and the Birth of New York’s Western Frontier 1609 – 1731 is a trilogy about the Palatines and a biography of the Schoharie Valley and the people and events that helped shape its earliest colonial history. [Read more…] about Volume 3 in Schoharie Valley History Trilogy Published
James Shanahan: Stone Mason & Railroad and Canal Builder
At Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site you can see all three of the major phases of the Erie Canal – from the original “Clinton’s Ditch,” to the enlargements of the mid-19th century to the Barge Canal of today. You can also see Lock E-12 operated by the New York State Canal Corporation between Tribes Hill and Fort Hunter in Montgomery County, NY.
This lock has a movable dam and is one of only two which also serve as an automobile bridge. It’s known as the “James Shanahan Lock.” [Read more…] about James Shanahan: Stone Mason & Railroad and Canal Builder
Where Were Johnson’s Lines at the 1755 Battle of Lake George?
The Battle of Lake George on September 8, 1755 was an important early engagement during the French & Indian War. The Battle occurred in three phases. The first skirmish, known in history as the “Bloody Morning Scout,” found the French and their Native allies ambushing the British provincials and their Mohawk allies about three miles south of Lake George. The attack was a rout for the French and resulted in the deaths of British Col. Ephraim Williams and Hendrick Theyanoguin (King Hendrick), the Mohawk sachem allied with Major General William Johnson. [Read more…] about Where Were Johnson’s Lines at the 1755 Battle of Lake George?
Shirts Powdered Red: Iroquois Gender, Trade, and Exchange
When Agnese, a Kahnawà:ke Mohawk woman, traveled through the Adirondacks in the summer of 1742, she connected two colonial centers of trade across imperial borders and through traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) territories. Agnese carried a pack of beaver pelts down from Montreal and returned with red fabric and fine laces.
This trade was illegal for Agnese’s trade partners — one a French widow, the other Robert Sanders (1705 – 1765), a future mayor of Albany, NY. [Read more…] about Shirts Powdered Red: Iroquois Gender, Trade, and Exchange
The Leland House in Mechanicville
An historic marker along the Waterford Road in Mechanicville, Saratoga County, NY, reads “Leland House: Raided by French and Indians in 1748, rebuilt in 1749, later the home of revolutionary patriot John Ten Broeck 1740-1822.”
The beautiful house that stands a short distance from the marker is indeed the one that was rebuilt 275 years ago. It was built from lumber cut right there on the farm, with bricks made from clay obtained from the soil thereon. [Read more…] about The Leland House in Mechanicville
Nieuw Dorp, Now & Then: Dutch History in Ulster County
Traveling from Washington D.C. to Milwaukee, Dutch journalist Bas Blokker makes a stop-over in Hurley, Ulster County, NY, and discovers its Dutch history. His curiosity is piqued and he dives into the past to find the nineteenth-century views of the Dutch colonizers very different from modern ones.
During the last five years, I always crossed the Susquehanna River just north of Baltimore when driving from my house in Washington DC to New York. Once on the bridge the same scene unfolded again and again in my mind’s eye: a sailing ship changing course from the Chesapeake Bay to enter the river’s mouth and drop anchor at what is now Havre de Grace or Garret Island. [Read more…] about Nieuw Dorp, Now & Then: Dutch History in Ulster County
Woman Dies Crossing Great Chazy River: Some Background
On Tuesday, December 12 at about 6:30 pm, US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office requested NYS Forest Ranger assistance with the search for 31-year-old Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores, who was reported missing by her husband on Monday, December 11th.
On Wednesday, December 13th, nine Forest Rangers arrived to helped coordinate linear search assignments. Investigative efforts narrowed the primary search area to the Great Chazy River. [Read more…] about Woman Dies Crossing Great Chazy River: Some Background
New York Land Grants: Some History Until The American Revolution
Land policy in colonial times in what is now New York State favored nobility and prominent men with connections to the Crown. This involved several countries (The Netherlands, England, and France), several explorers, several early pioneers, and appointed officials who oversaw the disbursement of land by land grants or patents. [Read more…] about New York Land Grants: Some History Until The American Revolution
French Attacks On Old Saratoga During King George’s War (1744-1748)
During King George’s War (1744-1748), the primary military encounters in the Saratoga area were focused on the Schuyler estate and associated settlements and Fort Saratoga/Fort Clinton.
The most significant event was the November 1745 First Battle of Saratoga in which a force of French and Indian allies from Fort St. Frederic (at Crown Point) attacked the village, burning 30 houses, several mills, and the fort as well as killing, scalping, and capturing soldiers and residents. (You can read about that here.) [Read more…] about French Attacks On Old Saratoga During King George’s War (1744-1748)