MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2002
Little Falls Rollaway
Roaming Around the Rollaway
I was retracing my steps along the top of the Rollaway when I saw a
piece of farm machinery with rotted wooden-spoke wheels. As I circled the
relic, I discovered the corner of a stone foundation that was almost hidden
by brush and fallen trees. After taking a few photographs, I circled the
foundation, discovering a rusted metal bucket and a plow. It was impossible
to determine the shape and exact size of the building that once sat atop
these stone walls because the brush and fallen trees were so thick. I guessed
they were remnants of a large barn . . . and the building depicted atop
the Rollaway on my topographical map.
Little Falls is a fascinating place, perhaps
the most fascinating stretch of land, rock and water in the entire Mohawk
Valley. Just looking at an aerial photograph or a topographical map of
this area points the way to new discoveries. Such was the case with the
Rollaway.
Most of the land at the bottom of the gorge at Little
Falls is on the north side of the river. In the early days, a narrow branch
of the river on the north side of an island was a natural raceway, providing
manageable waterpower to run a sawmill and gristmill. After the Revolutionary
War, one family owned and/or controlled most of the land and all of the
water rights on the north side of the river. Consequently, the water rights
and mill sites were either run by or leased by that family. Competition,
therefore, was stifled, and according to many historians impeded the development
of Little Falls for many years.
On the south side of the river another family owned
the land. Despite the difficulty of access, and the greater expense and
challenge of controlling the waterpower, they constructed a sawmill. Logs
were delivered to the mill by rolling them down the side of the gorge.
To this day that area is called the Rollaway.
Discovery: Trails to the Top
February 26, 2002, 36 degrees, Sunny
Dale
Janes and I followed Route 167 to the south side of Little Falls. Using
the most current (1942) topo map as a guide, we drove to the north end
of the Rollaway and discovered the old switchback road that ran to the
top of the gorge was blocked and posted. Undaunted, we left the Jeep at
the east end of West Shore Road and walked east on the Village Bike &
Hike Trail. It was 9:15 a.m.
(West Shore Road and the bike trail follow the bed
of the abandoned West Shore Railroad that once ran along the south shore
of the Mohawk River. Confused? The West Shore Railroad ran up the west
shore of the Hudson River and continued up the south side of the Mohawk.)
upper island, dams and the east end of Little Falls.
After walking a stretch of railroad bed cut through
solid rock, and through a tunnel-like culvert, we found a trail angling
up the side of the gorge. It led to another village road that officially
ended at an A-frame home before continuing southeast as a dirt road. We
followed snowmobile tracks until the road intersected with another that
angled westward towards the top of the Rollaway.
A deer bounded up the slope through a mature forest
of maple and beech. Here and there outcrops of underlying rock pushed through
the forest floor. Near the top of the gorge, woodland turned to second
growth and brush. We guessed this was the general area of the building
depicted on the topo map, but we didn't find it.
At 10 o'clock we broke out into a large meadow.
At the upper end of the meadow a radio or relay tower sparkled in the morning
sun. We returned to the edge of the woods and followed an ATV trail towards
the Rollaway. FWMA (Fish & Wildlife Management Act) Hunting Cooperator
signs were posted at the edge of the meadow and along the trail.
To insure we were indeed on the top of the Rollaway, we continued west
until reaching a creek that runs from the top of Fall Hill to the
valley below. Convinced, we returned to the edge of the Rollaway, noting
an abundance of white birch, maple, oak, hemlock and cedar. At a
"trimmed" overlook we could see the river, dams, islands and west end of
Little Falls. While taking photographs from this vantage point, I noticed
a lumber yard at the bottom of the Rollaway. I wondered if it was near
the location of the long ago sawmill.
Must Have Been A Wild Ride to the Bottom
March 1, 2002 15 degrees, Partly Sunny
I tried to photograph the Rollaway on previous trips to Little Falls,
but never caught the sun at the right angle. Although the winter sun traverses
the southern sky and the Rollaway faces northwest, I thought perhaps an
early morning visit would shed some light on the subject. When I arrived
at 8 a.m. just a sliver of this historic hillside was basking in sunlight.
The river and village, on the other hand, were aglow with color.
The stone wall was practically
covered with brush and fallen trees.
This time I followed the creek trail, noting
how much steeper it was going up. This was no easy stroll through the woods,
so I stopped occasionally for my heart to catch up. One stop was next to
a derelict green pickup truck, hanging to the side of the trail.
Near the top of the creek trail, new fallen snow was decorated with
the tracks of coyote and fox with occasional crossings of rabbit and squirrel.
A grouse rocketed into the woods from its hiding place among hemlocks.
Crows scolded from above. Chickadees greeted below.
It was 8:45 when I reached the overlook, unloaded
cameras from my daypack and took photos of the sunlit valley below. Fifteen
minutes later I repeated the process further east where I could see the
old mills along the river. Unfortunately, trees blocked a clear view of
this historic area of Little Falls.
I continued east along the hilltop trail until it
angled downward, passing through cedar, second growth hardwoods and honeysuckle.
At one time this trail had been trimmed, but in some area the honeysuckle
grew too thick for easy travel. Nevertheless, I followed it towards the
bottom of the gorge. When I came to the top of a stone and concrete
drainage ditch that ran between houses below, the trail turned sharply
west.
Trees and brush grew up around this old plow.
This I believe was the lower end of the old
"topo map" road that was blocked and posted. I planned to follow it into
the village, but hard-crusted snow provided precarious footing, so I reversed
direction and headed back to the top.
It was on this upward trek that I discovered the
remnants of the old barn. Dale and I had walked through this area but even
in this leafless forest it was well hidden by brush and fallen trees.
I tried to imagine a farmer hauling a wagon load
of hay, corn or cans of milk from his farm down that steep and winding
road to the bottom of the gorge. On occasion it must have been a wild ride
to the bottom.
For more information about the history of Little Falls: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/littlefalls.html
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Little Falls, select New York, press GO!
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