Federal authorities arrested 2,197 people across New York last month during what they have derisively named “Operation Rotten Apple,” the highest monthly immigration arrest total since the Trump administration’s round-ups began in New York State. [Read more…] about With ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ Upstate Police Round-Ups Surge
Wayne County
Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters
The first indication that the Fox Sisters had spiritualist talents occurred on the evening of March 31, 1848 when 11-year-old Kate and 14-year-old Maggie Fox claimed they heard knocking sounds coming from the east bedroom of their parents’ rented farmhouse in Hydesville, Wayne County, NY, about 30 miles east of Rochester.
The next night, the young ladies revealed this strange knocking spirit to their mother and older sister, Leah. The family’s excitement about communicating beyond the grave took no note that the inaugural demonstration had been staged on April first. [Read more…] about Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters
Women’s Role in Canned Food Consumption
New York State was the birthplace of the American canning industry and grew to become one of the nation’s most prolific food processing hubs by the late 19th century. The state’s history is marked by early technological developments, massive growth during wartime, and the rise of major corporate processors.
Initially, canned foods were not widely accepted, however. The overarching factor that drove the prevalence and public acceptance of canned food was the symbiotic relationship between the evolving canning industry and the changing role of women, in particular their need or desire to work in the public sphere. [Read more…] about Women’s Role in Canned Food Consumption
A Wayne County Historic Cobblestone House Suffers From Neglect
Cobblestone construction is arguably the most unique aspect of the architectural heritage of Western New York: of the 1,054 identified cobblestone structures in North America, 855 (81%) are located within eighty miles of Rochester, with over one hundred each in Wayne, Orleans, Monroe, and Ontario Counties alone.
The manifestation of a unique confluence of glacial processes and skilled masons remaining in the region after its canal building boom, each cobblestone structure — though perhaps easy to overlook in isolation on the modern landscape — is a treasure testifying to the power of craftsmanship. [Read more…] about A Wayne County Historic Cobblestone House Suffers From Neglect
Drought Watch Issued for 20 New York Counties
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a Drought Watch for 20 New York counties because of a shortage of rainfall and declining levels of stream-flow and ground water. [Read more…] about Drought Watch Issued for 20 New York Counties
Drilling For Salt: Salt Springs & New York’s Salt Industry Origins
As the presence of salt in New York was first made manifest through saline mineral springs it is proper to begin this discussion with the history of their discovery and utilization. The most important of these are in Onondaga County at Syracuse.
About the middle of the seventeenth century several of the Jesuit missionaries during their journeys among the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), in what is now the State of New York, heard local salt springs and related these experiences in the Relations of the Jesuit fathers. [Read more…] about Drilling For Salt: Salt Springs & New York’s Salt Industry Origins
Debris Burning Causes Multiple Wildfires Across Upstate New York
Between March 17 and 24, Forest Rangers responded to 12 wildfires in nine counties across New York State. The fires burned more than 40 acres of land. The largest fire was in Butternuts, Otsego County, measuring 10.5 acres. [Read more…] about Debris Burning Causes Multiple Wildfires Across Upstate New York
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
The Great Lakes: World’s Largest Freshwater Ecosystem
The latest episode of “DEC Does What?!” a podcast from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, explores the work of DEC’s Great Lakes Program to protect the iconic Great Lakes, the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world.
DEC’s Great Lakes Program oversees the largest watershed by land area, working across more than 42 percent of the state’s land area and along over 750 miles of shoreline. [Read more…] about The Great Lakes: World’s Largest Freshwater Ecosystem
Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
The roughly 50,000-acre Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Central New York is a globally significant Important Bird Area situated at the outlet of Cayuga Lake, and consists of the National Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, the State’s Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, and lands owned by The Nature Conservancy and other private parties. [Read more…] about Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
24 Nominations for State and National Registers of Historic Places
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced the nominations of 24 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The nominations include bank buildings, factories, historic district updates, and more. [Read more…] about 24 Nominations for State and National Registers of Historic Places
Luella Robinson North: The First Woman Elected Judge in New York
It was 1922. Women in New York State finally obtained the right to vote just five years earlier, and it was only two years since the 19th Amendment passed, assuring women across the nation the right to vote.
There were many other things women still could not do, including serving on a jury (which took until 1937) and there had never been a female attorney in Clinton County. [Read more…] about Luella Robinson North: The First Woman Elected Judge in New York
Charges Filed in Sale of Wild Canada Geese
On August 15, a concerned hobby farmer in Wayne County, NY contacted New York State Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) John Rich and explained that he was in possession of a dozen wild Canada geese mistakenly purchased as goslings, thinking they were domestic geese. The geese later became aggressive to the farmer’s established chicken, duck, and goose flock, injuring some of them. [Read more…] about Charges Filed in Sale of Wild Canada Geese
Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Approved
Finalization of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary was announced in Washington, DC last week, during Capitol Hill Ocean Week. The Lake Ontario sanctuary is the 16th sanctuary to be designated, and the third on the Great Lakes. [Read more…] about Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Approved
Railroads, Food, Economic & Cultural Diversification in the Finger Lakes
Canals were the first transportation revolution in New York, but they were eclipsed in a few decades by extensive railroad development. Starting in the 1840s, railroads shipped goods faster than canal barges and provided additional inland routes to the Midwest as it emerged as the breadbasket of the expanding nation. [Read more…] about Railroads, Food, Economic & Cultural Diversification in the Finger Lakes
Last Remnants of Prohibition May End in New York State
The 21st Amendment ended national Prohibition and the question of alcohol control and regulation was left to the individual states. Each state created its own unique regulations. According to the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, 17 states, including New York retain direct control over wholesale or retail operations. [Read more…] about Last Remnants of Prohibition May End in New York State
Landmark Society of Western NY Announces 2024 ‘Five to Revive’
The Landmark Society of Western New York today announced its 2024 Five to Revive — a list that identifies opportunities for targeted historic preservation and strategic revitalization. The announcement was made at a news conference this morning at The Landmark Society headquarters in Rochester, NY. [Read more…] about Landmark Society of Western NY Announces 2024 ‘Five to Revive’
Social and Religious Movements in Central New York
Central New York communities that flourished with canal-related development and rail connections throughout the 19th century also became hotbeds for religious and social movements of the early 1800s as the area’s population rapidly grew.
Religious freedom granted by the United States Bill of Rights combined with rapid societal and technological changes experienced by Americans living through western expansion fueled an American spiritual movement that was exemplified in the newly opened frontier of New York. [Read more…] about Social and Religious Movements in Central New York
Canandaigua Lake Water Quality Plan Finalized
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of State (DOS) have announced the joint agency approval of the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Nine Element Plan for Enhanced Phosphorus Management, a plan to advance efforts to restore and protect the water quality of Canandaigua Lake and its watershed. [Read more…] about Canandaigua Lake Water Quality Plan Finalized
Recycling Companies Illegally Dumped 800 Tons of Hazardous E-Waste
Dumping e-waste is illegal and has the potential to damage natural resources and impact the health of New Yorkers. ALPCO Recycling, Inc., (ALPCO), and its owner, Alton Plumb, Jr., as well as Finger Lakes Cleanup and Recycling Consultants, Inc., and its project manager, Craig Foster, have been convicted for their roles in illegally processing and disposing of 800 tons of electronic waste (e-waste) in Wayne County. [Read more…] about Recycling Companies Illegally Dumped 800 Tons of Hazardous E-Waste