Chapter One
What's So Great About the Mohawk Valley?
There is no place on earth like the Mohawk
Valley.
It's unique in geologic formation and unique in human history.
Nature's Only Gateway to
the
West
The Valley of the Mohawks is the only east-west passage through a range
of mountains that runs from Canada to Georgia. What's equally amazing,
its
western terminus was an easy-mile carry to a watershed that flows
westward
to the Great Lakes, providing a cross-country land and water route that
has served man since time immemorial.
The significance of this "gateway to the west"
cannot
be overstated. It was a major route of travel for thousands of years
for
man and beast. When glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago and glacial
lakes
and rivers receded, prehistoric animals and prehistoric man traveled
through
this newly created valley. For thousands of years this was the route
traversed
by the native peoples who lived in what is now the northeastern United
States.
For thousands of years the Mohawk Valley was the only east-west
water
route through the range of mountains that runs from Canada to Georgia.
(Images and mosaic copyright by Ray Sterner and Andrew
Birrell. http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/states/
When Europeans arrived on the East coast in the 1500s and in the
Hudson
Valley in the early 1600s, and established outposts to trade for beaver
pelts, this east-west foot and water passage became a major route of
travel
and transportation to and from the west.
During the French and Indian Wars and the
Revolutionary War, European and Indian armies fought to control this
area.
When the War of Independence ended in the 1780s and settlers moved into
New York State, they traveled up the Mohawk Valley.
And when the ease of passage was greatly enhanced
by the Erie Canal in the early 1800s, hundreds of thousands of
Americans
and immigrants traveled through the Mohawk Valley to settle the
interior
of the growing United States of America. The passage of people and
products
across New York State on the Erie Canal, by way of the Hudson River,
made
New York City one of the largest seaports in the world. Prior to the
construction
of the canal, Boston was a much bigger port than New York.
Richest Soils On Earth
Wide, flat and bracketed by continuously eroding highlands, Mohawk
Valley bottomland soils are some of the richest on earth. When
prehistoric
inhabitants added cultivated corn, beans and squash to their diets,
they
gathered in villages near bottomlands and on nearby hills. Even using
primitive
and time-consuming methods (slash and burn, hill planting and moving
frequently)
the Indians who lived here produced tons of food for thousands of
people.
When the Dutch and later the Palatines moved into
the valley and used more modern methods of planting and cultivation,
they
produced wheat and peas in such quantity they were shipped throughout
the
Northeast and to Europe. Although not as densely cultivated as in the
past,
these bottomlands still produce more corn per acre than anywhere in New
York State.
Wonders of Nature
Beneath
the rich soils of the valley are layers of rock that range from
sandstone
to shale, dolostone to limestone. Created at the bottom of vast seas
millions
of years ago and exposed by glaciation and erosion, these soft-rock
formations
and underlying "Adirondack" base rocks, have produced such wonders of
nature
as gorges, glens, waterfalls, potholes . . . and quartz crystals.
While such attractions as Trenton Falls, Ilion
Gorge,
Boonville Gorge, Little Falls, Moss Island, Canajoharie Pothole, The
Noses,
Howe Caverns, Herkimer Diamond mines and Cohoes Falls are fairly well
known,
there are natural wonders on practically every tributary in the valley.
streams in the Mohawk Valley?
Rivers and Streams -
Lifeblood
of the Valley
Hundreds of streams flow into the Mohawk Valley. For eons they were
the source of food and drink for man and beast. They provided seemingly
unlimited numbers of freshwater fish and mussels for the Indians that
lived
here for thousands of years, and for the first European immigrants.
Fish and mussel populations dwindled as settlers
populated the valley and built milldams on practically every stream.
These
dams prevented the upstream migration of fish and mussels, and the silt
deposited by slow-moving water (multiplied one hundred fold by
extensive
cultivation), covered eggs and larva. The few water-bound critters that
survived were eventually killed by dyes, acids, oils and organic waste
that flowed from streamside mills and villages.
Streams that once provided sustenance, provided
waterpower to run gristmills, sawmills, fulling and carding mills,
tanneries,
cheese factories and all manner of industry; the lifeblood of a growing
nation.
By the mid 1800s many of the smaller streams
returned
to their natural state as small mills were abandoned, replaced in
function
by the larger mills on bigger waters. Pollution, almost beyond today's
imagination, decimated the larger tributaries, the river and canal.
Such
streams as Sauquoit Creek, West Canada Creek and Cayadutta Creek were
so
polluted with chemicals and organic waste they were practically devoid
of life. In the early 1900s the Mohawk River east of Utica was
officially
declared dead.
In 1915 the Erie Canal---which ran separate from
the river throughout its length---was replaced by the Barge
Canal---which
utilized the riverbed from Frankfort to Cohoes and maintained several
crossover
connections from Rome to Frankfort. In a relatively short time the
river
and canal pollution compounded. The huge oil and chemical barges that
used
the new and bigger canal added to the pollution, primarily as the
result
of spills at transfer stations and terminals along the canal.
Longtime residents well remember the stench of the
river and canal.
A Valley Reborn
Although some communities and industries tried to control the flow
of industrial and human waste, widescale pollution continued well into
the 1970s when New York State passed and vigorously enforced the Pure
Waters
Act. This legislation and nature's propensity to self-clean, did more
to
improve the quality of water, the propagation of fish and wildlife and
the beauty (and smell) of the Mohawk Valley than any event since
glaciers
swept the area clean 10,000 years ago.
Today, most of the smaller tributaries have returned
to their natural state, providing water for man and beast, and habitat
for fish and wildlife. Some of the larger streams are impounded to
provide
water for the Erie/Barge Canal, prevent flooding and generate
electricity.
Fact is, when controlled properly, these impoundments actually improve
conditions for fish and wildlife by providing a variety of habitats and
maintaining waterflow throughout the year.
When the St. Lawrence Seaway provided the means
for large ships to reach the Great Lakes from the East coast, and
cross-state
pipelines were connected to oil terminals, the commercial use of the
Canal
declined rapidly. Today the Canal and adjoining lands are being
developed
for recreational use.
Recreational Opportunities Abound
The re-invention of the Erie Canal will add to the already abundant
recreational opportunities provided by streams, rivers, reservoirs and
public lands. Opportunities to enjoy such activities as fishing,
hunting,
canoeing, boating, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing,
camping,
sightseeing, and visiting historic sites and natural wonders abound in
the Mohawk Valley.
For more information on recreational opportunities, refer to Chapter 18.