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Oneida Carrying Place

Fort Bull – Oneida Carrying Place Archaeology Funded

September 14, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Fort Bull – Fort Wood Creek siteFort Bull and the Oneida Carrying Place were important parts of the military and Indigenous landscape that shaped the development of the Upper Mohawk Valley region.

The Oneida Carrying Place, a four-mile overland route that connected the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, was vital to British military campaign strategies beginning with the French and Indian War. The Carry also saw significant action during St. Leger’s American Revolution Campaign (1777), which included the Siege of Fort Stanwix/Schuyler and the Battle of Oriskany. [Read more…] about Fort Bull – Oneida Carrying Place Archaeology Funded

Filed Under: History, Western NY Tagged With: Archaeology, Fort Bull, French And Indian War, French History, Haudenosaunee, Indigenous History, Iroquois, Military History, Mohawk River, New France, Oneida Carrying Place, Oneida County, Oneida Indian Nation, Rome Historical Society, SUNY Binghamton

1758: The Fall of Fort Frontenac

August 14, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

map of Fort Frontenac in 1759In August 1758, during the French and Indian War Lieutenant Colonel John Bradstreet launched a secret military expedition against the French Fort Frontenac on Lake Ontario.

The expedition left from the Oneida Carrying Place, a several mile long portage where boats had to be dragged between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. It is was located at what is now Rome, Oneida County, NY. [Read more…] about 1758: The Fall of Fort Frontenac

Filed Under: Events, History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: Oneida Carrying Place, Rome Historical Society

Schenectady’s Relationship to Native America

July 7, 2022 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

Mohawk “squaw,” watercolorFor many people, “American” history begins with European exploration of the continent. From there, the narrative invariably centers on the colonial perspective and, after 1776, the perspective of the United States.

Consequently, the general public is generally uninformed about the history of Indigenous People that both predates New Netherland and the Pilgrims and persists to the present. And this article is by no means capable of addressing this broad historical issue. So let’s turn from this historical macrocosm to the microcosm of one city, Schenectady. [Read more…] about Schenectady’s Relationship to Native America

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Algonquin, American Revolution, Arent Van Curler, French And Indian War, French History, fur trade, Haudenosaunee, Hudson River, Indigenous History, Iroquois, King William’s War, Military History, Mohawk, Mohawk River, New France, Oneida Carrying Place, Oneida Indian Nation, Schenectady, Schenectady County, Schenectady County Historical Society, Seneca Nation, Sullivan_Clinton Expedition

Jock Wright & Dut Barber: Honondaga Lake History

June 6, 2022 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

Map of Jock’s Lake is taken from the 1876 E. R. Wallace Map of the Adirondack WildernessOne of the earliest written accounts of Jock’s Lake in the Adirondacks (about twenty-five miles east of Boonville) was given by Jeptha Simms in his 1850 book Trappers of New York: A Biography of Nicholas Stoner & Nathaniel Foster:

“Jock’s Lake, so-called after Jock (Jonathan) Wright, an early trapper upon its shores, is a very pretty lake, five or six miles long, though not very wide; and is situated in the north-eastern or wilderness portion of Herkimer County, some ten miles from a place called Noblesborough. Its outlet is one of the sources of the west branch of West Canada Creek.” [Read more…] about Jock Wright & Dut Barber: Honondaga Lake History

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Mohawk Valley, Nature, Western NY Tagged With: Adirondack League Club, Adirondacks, Black River, Herkimer COunty, Honondaga Lake, New Hampshire, Norway, Oneida Carrying Place, Oneida County, Rome, Utica, West Canada Lakes Wilderness

General Peter Gansevoort’s Map

June 19, 2021 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

Gen. Gansevoort statueA sculpture of Brigadier General Peter Gansevoort stands in a city park named in his honor at Rome, Oneida County, NY.  This bronze, dedicated November 8, 1906, was created by Emilio F. Piatti. It presents the General in dress uniform grasping his sword and holding what is perhaps one of the most impactful tools (or weapons) ever devised – an accurate map. [Read more…] about General Peter Gansevoort’s Map

Filed Under: History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Oriskany, Colonialism, Fort Stanwix, Geography, Indigenous History, Iroquois, Mapmakers, Maps, Military History, Native American History, Oneida Carrying Place, Oneida County, Oneida Lake, Oneida River, Peter Gansevoort, Rome

War of 1812: Carrying the Great Rope

October 11, 2011 by Lawrence P. Gooley Leave a Comment

During the War of 1812, control of Lake Ontario was one of many issues considered critical by both sides. A key position for the British was Kingston, Ontario, about thirty miles north of the vital American base at Sackets Harbor. In an effort to establish domination of the lake, the two sites engaged in a shipbuilding race.

The British finished first and gained control, but American builders quickly completed three new ships (two brigs and the huge frigate Superior, larger than its British counterpart). Their launch required only weapons and rigging, which were en route from Brooklyn via Albany. In 1814, hoping to keep those vessels in port, the British sought to disrupt American supply routes. A prime target was Fort Ontario, located at Oswego on the mouth of the Oswego River.


On May 5, the British fleet launched an attack that was repelled by the Americans. On the following day, an intensified assault featured heavy cannon fire from the British. Eventually, the Americans lost the fort and some important armaments, but most of the valuable supplies had been taken upriver to Oswego Falls (now Fulton) for safe storage. The preservation tactic worked, and shortly after the Battle of Oswego, a plan was in place to resume moving war supplies northward to the waiting ships at Sackets Harbor.

Following the attack, the British withdrew to Kingston, but a few weeks later, they were at the Galloo Islands near Sackets Harbor, blockading any marine attempts at supplying this strategic site. Should the materials slip through, it would dramatically tip the scales in favor of the American forces. By monitoring the harbor, the Brits were preventing that from happening, ensuring their superiority on the lake.

A British attempt to destroy the Superior was foiled, and on May 2, the ship was launched. But it was hardly battle-ready, still lacking guns and rigging. Less than three weeks after the attack on Oswego, the critical supplies hidden at Oswego Falls were once again on the move. They had already traveled from Brooklyn to Albany, and then to Oneida Lake. Now, from Oswego Falls, it was time for the final, dangerous leg of the journey.

A land contingent paralleled the 19 American boats as they fairly sneaked up the eastern shoreline of Lake Ontario. At Sandy Creek, the boats were taken inland as far as possible while scouts checked ahead for the presence of British ships. It was a wise move, for the enemy was indeed lurking nearby. Shortly after, the British launched an attack, but in less than a half hour, the Americans had won a resounding victory known as the Battle of Big Sandy Creek.

Despite the win, it was deemed unsafe to risk sending the valued supplies any farther by water, lest they again fall under attack and be captured or destroyed by the British. Wagons, oxen, horses, and manpower were summoned, both from the military and from local residents. The plan was to move the important supplies the remaining distance by land.

The bateaux (boats) were unloaded, and soon a lengthy caravan laden with guns, ship cables, and other supplies was on its way to Sackets Harbor, about 20 miles north. Only one item was yet to be moved—a length of rope, albeit an important one—and it presented a real problem.

This wasn’t just any length of rope. It was intended as the anchor line and/or rigging for the USS Superior, the huge new frigate that could alter the balance of power on the lake. That meant this was a BIG rope. Most descriptions portrayed it as 6 inches thick and 600 feet long, weighing in at just under 5 tons.

No cart was big enough to handle its tremendous size and weight, but if it wasn’t delivered, the Superior would remain port-bound, and the Brits would own the lake. Ingenuity often yields solutions at such critical moments, but sometimes good ol’ elbow grease is the answer. In this case, it was a combination of the two, but the emphasis was clearly on the physical.

A section of the rope (referred to as a cable) was piled on a cart, and the remaining cable was strung out along the trail. Militiamen heaved it to their shoulders, and like one gigantic, ponderous snake, the cable began moving slowly northward behind the cart.

There are various accounts of the trip, and claims as to the number of cable-carriers range from 84 to more than 200. Some say that discouraged men skipped out of the nasty job after a few hours, and that locals stepped in, literally shouldering the burden. None of the stories differed on one count, though: participants were left badly bruised from the incredibly difficult ordeal.

But, they did it! The cable arrived at Sackets Harbor on the afternoon of the second day. The tired men wore abrasions, cuts, and huge, deep-purple bruises as hard-earned badges of valor. At the close of their incredible 20-mile journey, “there was loud cheering the whole length of the cable,” as the men were greeted with music, drumming, flag-waving, and drink—and the princely sum of $2 each for their efforts.

They should have celebrated with a tug-of-war!

As soon as it was deemed seaworthy, the Superior turned the tables on the British, blockading their main shipyard at Kingston and helping establish American dominance of the lake. It was thanks in no small part to the “can-do” attitude exemplified by North Country pioneer folks.

Top Photo: Fort Ontario at Oswego.

Middle Photo: One of several plaques honoring the cable carriers.

Bottom Photo: Map of Lake Ontario sites.

Lawrence Gooley has authored ten books and dozens of articles on the North Country’s past. He and his partner, Jill McKee, founded Bloated Toe Enterprises in 2004. Expanding their services in 2008, they have produced 19 titles to date, and are now offering web design. For information on book publishing, visit Bloated Toe Publishing.

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Canada, Lake Ontario, Lawrence Gooley, Maritime History, Military History, Oneida Carrying Place, Oswego, Oswego County, Sackets Harbor, War of 1812

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