History, Natural History & the Arts
On Friday, August 18th, 1871, “The Riot at Ogdensburg” was the New-York Tribune’s title for its detailed review on the rapid rise of an Irish mob three days earlier – which the paper labeled “a formidable riotous element” – in the small, quiet port of Ogdensburg on the St. Lawrence River.
For two days, the mob’s threat of violence, and violence itself, was so intense that the mayor deputized nearly 100 men to restore law and order. [Read more…] about The Riot in Ogdensburg, 1871
The Clinton County Historical Association will host the lecture “Isaac Johnson: Slave, Soldier, Quarryman, Master Mason, Contractor” by Cornel “Corky” Reinhart, on Tuesday, July 13th, in Plattsburgh. [Read more…] about Isaac Johnson: A Soldier, Quarryman, Master Mason
This is a story of a fascinating but rather forgotten individual from the history of the Adirondacks.
Along with his slightly older mentor Ebenezer Emmons, and his younger contemporary Verplanck Colvin, he was among the first to accurately survey much of the Adirondacks. He also proposed a number of early dams, canals, locks and inclined planes and considered using historic waterways and canals to traverse the Adirondacks by water. [Read more…] about Dams, Canals, Locks & Inclined Planes: Farrand Benedict In The Adirondacks
The “Victory Quartet” was in political harmony with fellow Republicans when it performed on the GOP “No Third Term” broadcast at 6:30 pm on October 23rd, 1940 on WSLB radio in Ogdensburg.
The musicians had been singing much longer that FDR, who they hoped to turn out of office. [Read more…] about Republican Music: Ogdensburg’s ‘Victory Quartet’
A nineteenth century invading army’s journey into battle had two options, by land or by water. In the winter of 1838 the patriot army, which sought to invade Canada from New York State and overthrow the British Crown, saw a third alternative – by ice.
With Lake Erie covered with ice, “a band of the invaders determined to make it an avenue of passage across to Canada at a point where discovery would be improbable,” according to Our County and Its People, A History of Erie County published in 1898. [Read more…] about The Patriot War: Republic of Canada
“Al Marlowe, ‘the French Cyclone,’ returned yesterday from Alburg, Vt. where he wrestled Leo Desbriches, champion of the New England states, to a draw…. The Ogdensburg man is proving himself one of the best wrestlers in this section….”
On November 28, 1919, this was the reportage in Ogdensburg’s Republican Journal’s sports section regarding the city’s 21 year old professional grappler’s two hour match. His career was marked by two championships, and many print sources referred to Marlowe as “an artist of the mat.” Today he is recognized as one of the last legitimate professional wrestling champions in the North Country as well. [Read more…] about Early Professional Wrestler Al Marlowe: The French Cyclone
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is set to continue their Brown Bag Lunch series on Thursday, March 21st. Philip Paige will speak on the Ogden family, of which Ogdensburg, NY, got its name.
While they’re obscure today, the Ogden family’s influence in early New York State can hardly be overstated, especially in St. Lawrence County. Two Ogdens negotiated the Treaty of New York (1796), which largely ended Native American title to North Country land; members of the family shortly thereafter bought up large tracts of land, and began settling it. [Read more…] about Ogdens of Ogdensburg Topic of Brown Bag Lunch
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association has announced the fifth tour of its new series, Historic North Country Village Talk & Walks. This tour will take place in Ogdensburg on Saturday, September 8th, and be led by city historian Julie Madlin.
The tour will start across from the First Baptist Church, 617 State Street, at 10 am, for a talk on the history of the oldest European settlement, and only city, in St. Lawrence County. Following this, Madlin will lead the group on a walking tour of Ogdensburg. The program will run from 10 am to approximately 11:30, and is free and open to the public. No advance registration is required. [Read more…] about Ogdensburg Historical Talk & Walk Sept 8th
The word hero is often tossed around loosely, but when it comes to wounded soldiers, no one argues that it’s fitting — so what does it say about someone else when wounded soldiers call them heroes? Consider American women during World War I. Although many wanted to, they didn’t have to serve because of their sex, and could support the troops by important actions at home. But some chose to place themselves near the front lines, and with no weapons to defend themselves. Their only protection came from nebulous agreements by both sides not to bomb hospitals and care centers.
That’s what nurses did, risking their lives to comfort, save the lives of, or ease the deaths of, soldiers. Which explains why so many wounded men referred to nurses as the real heroes. A fine example of that circumstance, with an unusual twist or two, involved Ruth Williams of Ogdensburg. [Read more…] about Ruth Williams: A World War One Nurse Overseas
Our current flu season is a reminder that not so long ago the 1918 Influenza Pandemic – known then as the “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe” – killed over 22 million people. It sickened thousands in Northern New York and killed hundreds.
The first documented case occurred on March 11, 1918 at Camp Funston, Kansas. By the end of that week more than 500 soldiers had been sickened. Influenza first spread through army bases, but by September 5th the Massachusetts State Department of Health warned that “unless precautions are taken, the disease in all probability will spread to the civilian population,” which it did. By October 22nd the city of Philadelphia’s death rate was 700 times higher than normal for a single week. [Read more…] about Ogdensburg and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic