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Rochester

The Canal Era in the Finger Lakes

October 1, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

1858 Canal Map of New York StateAs the population of interior New York increased, developers pushed for a faster method of transportation between the area and developed population centers like the city of New York.

The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, revolutionized inland travel and ushered in a broader era of canal construction across the state, connecting the state capital of Albany on the Hudson River to Western New York and the Great Lakes. [Read more…] about The Canal Era in the Finger Lakes

Filed Under: History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: Agricultural History, Binghamton, Cayuga, Cayuga Lake, Cayuga-Seneca Canal, Chemung Barge Canal, Chemung County, Chemung River, Crooked Lake Canal, Elmira, Erie Canal, Finger Lakes, Genesee River, Genesee Valley Canal, Geneva, Great Lakes, Industrial History, Keuka Lake, Lake Erie, Livingston County, Monroe County, Onondaga Lake, Ontario County, Penn Yan, Pennsylvania, Rochester, Schuyler County, Seneca County, Seneca Falls, Seneca Lake, Seneca River, Steuben County, Syracuse, Tompkins, Transportation History, Waterloo, Watkins Glen, Wayne County, Yates County

The Fox Sisters and the “Great American Hoax”

September 3, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Fox SistersOn this episode of the A New York Minute in History Podcast, Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts tell the story of the Fox sisters of Rochester, NY, who rose to fame as early practitioners of modern spiritualism in the 19th Century. [Read more…] about The Fox Sisters and the “Great American Hoax”

Filed Under: History, Western NY Tagged With: Historic Palmyra Museums, Monroe County, Newark-Arcadia Historical Society, Podcasts, Rochester, Spiritualism

Euro-American Expansion Into The Finger Lakes Region

August 27, 2023 by Guest Contributor 7 Comments

Map of the State of New York (1802) by Simeon DeWitt, (Library of Congress, Geography & Map Division)The Treaty of Paris of 1783 officially ended hostilities between the British and Americans; however, the treaty did not include the allied Indian Nations, leaving their legacy treaties with the Europeans unresolved and their future to be resolved through separate treaties with the new American government. [Read more…] about Euro-American Expansion Into The Finger Lakes Region

Filed Under: History, Western NY Tagged With: American Revolution, Auburn, Auburn Prison, Canandaigua, Cayuga County, Cayuga Lake, Cayuga Nation, Finger Lakes, Genesee River, Geneva, Haudenosaunee, Indigenous History, Iroquois, Ithaca, Keuka Lake, Livingston County, Monroe County, Onondaga County, Onondaga Nation, Ontario County, Religious History, Rochester, Schuyler County, Seneca Nation, Seneca River, Skaneateles Lake, Social History, Steuben County, Syracuse, Tompkins County, Transportation History, Treaty of Canandaigua, Waterloo, Wayne County, Yates County

The Many Mangiones of Rochester

August 24, 2023 by Rebecca Rector Leave a Comment

Gap and Chuck Mangione from the cover of Rivereside album Hey Baby! The Jazz BrothersMost people have heard of the musical Mangione brothers – Jazz artists Chuck and Gap of Rochester, New York. But there was also an interesting uncle – a writer, who was quite famous in his day. I first encountered Jerre Mangione while transcribing his handwritten letters to Jack Conroy, author of The Disinherited. [Read more…] about The Many Mangiones of Rochester

Filed Under: Arts, History, Western NY Tagged With: Genealogy, Immigration, Italian History, Jazz, Monroe County, Musical History, Performing Arts, Rochester, Writing

Early Inhabitants of the Finger Lakes Region

August 14, 2023 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

Lamoka Site diorama at the New York State MuseumAccording to archeological records, groups of nomadic Paleo-Indians traveled through the Finger Lakes region approximately 8,000 to 9,000 years ago. Small bands of these hunters and gatherers followed large game during the last stages of the Ice Age when the glaciers that formed the area’s notable lakes were receding.

Somewhat more recent early archaic archeological sites scattered across Western New York reflect a culture that was highly mobile and left little in terms of an archeological record. [Read more…] about Early Inhabitants of the Finger Lakes Region

Filed Under: History, Western NY Tagged With: Algonquin, Archaeology, Broome County, Canadice lake, Canandaigua Lake, Cayuga County, Cayuga Lake, Cayuga Nation, Chemung County, Conesus Lake, Cortland County, Finger Lakes, French And Indian War, fur trade, Geology, Grass lake, Haudenosaunee, Hemlock Lake, Honeoye Lake, Indigenous History, Iroquois, Ithaca, Keuka Lake, Lamoka, Lenape, Lenape - Munsee - Delaware, Livingston County, Material Culture, Monroe County, New France, New Netherland, Oneida Indian Nation, Oneida Lake, Onondaga County, Onondaga Lake, Onondaga Nation, Ontario County, Otisco Lake, Owasco Lake, Paleontology, Pennsylvania, Rochester, Schuyler County, Seneca County, Seneca Falls, Seneca Lake, Seneca Nation, Seven Years War, Skaneateles Lake, Spencer, Steuben County, Susquehanna River, Syracuse, Tioga County, Tompkins County, Treaty of Fort Stanwix, Tuscarora, Valley Heads Moraine, Waneta-Lamoka WMA, Watkins Glen, Wayne County, William Johnson, Yates County

Side Paths: New York State’s 1890s Bike Trail Network

August 8, 2023 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

East Avenue sidepath (Monroe County Sidepaths, 1899) Sidepaths were constructed for bicycles in the 1890sAs the 1890s took New York State toward a new century, the use of the bicycle for recreation by both the young and old was sweeping the country. One reason for this growth was the development of a safer, easier-to-ride machine with a smaller front wheel than the earlier high-wheeled bicycles.

Other advances in the development of the bicycle at this time were pneumatic tires and a chain drive that further eliminated the need for the large front tire. [Read more…] about Side Paths: New York State’s 1890s Bike Trail Network

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Ballston Spa, bicycling, biking, Glens Falls, Lake George, Legal History, Levi P. Morton, Mechanicville, Monroe County, Rochester, Round Lake, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Springs, trails, Transportation History, Warren County, Waterford

Genesee Valley Park & The Barge Canal: Roman Arches Over Indian Rivers

August 2, 2023 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

a Real Picture Post Card view of pedestrian bridge spanning the NYS Barge Canal in Genesee Valley Park Rochester, New YorkThe partnership of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux pioneered American landscape architecture. Their work in Manhattan’s Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Boston’s Franklin Park set new standards for outdoor spaces which some Upstate New York cities such as Buffalo sought to emulate, albeit on a reduced scale. [Read more…] about Genesee Valley Park & The Barge Canal: Roman Arches Over Indian Rivers

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Architecture, Barge Canal, boating, Calvert Vaux, Engineering History, Frederick Law Olmsted, Genesee River, Genesee Valley Conservancy, Genesee Valley Greenway, Genesee Valley Park, Landscape Architecture, Mohawk River, Monroe County, paddling, Rochester, Transportation History

Geologic Formation of the Finger Lakes

July 26, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

A late fall snowstorm frosted the hills of the Finger Lakes region of central New York in early December 2004Approximately 600 million years ago, during the Neoproterozoic Era, the Earth’s supercontinent began to break apart, and an ocean formed between land masses that roughly correlate to Europe and North America today. For the next 100 million years, this ocean continued to widen until the continents changed course and began to move back towards each other.

The eventual collision of these land masses formed a tall mountain range now known as North America’s Appalachians. [Read more…] about Geologic Formation of the Finger Lakes

Filed Under: History, Nature, Western NY Tagged With: Appalachian Mountains, Canadice lake, Canandaigua Lake, Cayuga County, Cayuga Lake, Chemung County, Conesus Lake, Cortland County, Finger Lakes, Geology, Grass lake, Hemlock Lake, Honeoye Lake, Ithaca, Keuka Lake, Livingston County, Monroe County, Oneida Lake, Onondaga County, Onondaga Lake, Onondaga Nation, Ontario County, Otisco Lake, Owasco Lake, Paleontology, Rochester, Schuyler County, Seneca County, Seneca Falls, Seneca Lake, Skaneateles Lake, Spencer, Steuben County, Syracuse, Tioga County, Tompkins County, Valley Heads Moraine, Watkins Glen, Wayne County, Yates County

National Park Service Declares Finger Lakes Eligble For National Heritage Designation

July 19, 2023 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

National Park Service NPSOn Tuesday, July 18th, the National Park Service delivered the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area Feasibility Study to Congress. The feasibility study determined that the study area in the Finger Lakes region of New York state meets the criteria to be eligible for inclusion as part of the National Heritage Area System. [Read more…] about National Park Service Declares Finger Lakes Eligble For National Heritage Designation

Filed Under: History, Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Canadice lake, Canandaigua Lake, Cayuga County, Cayuga Lake, Cayuga Nation, Chemung County, Conesus Lake, Cortland County, Erie Canalway Heritage Corridor, Finger Lakes, Finger Lakes National Heritage Area, Geology, Grass lake, Hemlock Lake, Honeoye Lake, Indigenous History, Ithaca, Keuka Lake, Livingston County, Monroe County, National Park Service, Oneida Lake, Onondaga County, Onondaga Lake, Onondaga Nation, Ontario County, Otisco Lake, Owasco Lake, Rochester, Schuyler County, Seneca County, Seneca Falls, Seneca Lake, Seneca Nation, Skaneateles Lake, Steuben County, Syracuse, Tioga County, Tompkins County, Valley Heads Moraine, Watkins Glen, Wayne County, Yates County

Nearly 100 Miles of New Greenway Trails in NYS Since Opened Since 2021

June 26, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Greenway Trails ReportParks & Trails New York (PTNY) and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) have announced the release of the New York State Greenway Trails Progress Report (August 2021-December 2022), which outlines the accomplishments made, the projects initiated, and the funding secured by state, local, and non-profit partners between August 2021 and December 2022. The report identifies 97.1 miles of new trails completed and 372.7 additional miles of trail in progress in that time frame. [Read more…] about Nearly 100 Miles of New Greenway Trails in NYS Since Opened Since 2021

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Adirondack Rail Trail, Adirondacks, bicycling, Cattaraugus County, empire state trail, Environmental Protection Fund, Essex County, Franklin County, Genesee Valley Greenway, hiking, Hinsdale, Hudson Valley Greenway, Lake Placid, Long Island, Long Island Greenway, Monroe County, New York City, OPRHP, Orange County, Parks and Trails NY, Rochester, State Parks, Sullivan County, trails, Transportation, Tupper Lake, Ulster County

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