MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2002
Chapter 13 - Wonders of Nature
The Road to Lock 18 Island
We Walked Into The Canal
January 6, 2002, Cloudy, 30 degrees.
When Bridget and I tried to hike the much-publicized yet undeveloped
trail between the Herkimer/Mohawk Bridge and Fort Herkimer Church, we discovered
the trail didn't exist, except on paper.
Plan
two. After looking at the Fort Herkimer Church end of the proposed trail,
we walked into the Barge (Erie) Canal. Not to worry. The water was so low
we could walk along the bottom at the previously 5-foot level, well away
from the ice-covered, deeper center section of the canal.
Flocks of Canada geese and mallards flew overhead
as we hiked eastward for a mile or so. In addition to locating root masses,
logs, rock piles and other exposed high-water fish havens, we also discovered
that most of the previously-covered rocks and logs were coated with zebra
mussels.
With the water so low it was easy to see the root masses that held
fish when the canal was open.
These European imports came to New York State via
the St. Lawrence Seaway when ocean-going vessels dumped their freshwater
ballast tanks into the Great Lakes. It's taken a decade or so, but they
have spread throughout much of the state. Although each mussel is not much
bigger than a pinky fingernail, their colonies cover practically any underwater
structure and wreck havoc on water intake systems at power plants.
When the Canal Season ends in November and the water
level is dropped for the winter, millions of these tiny clam-like critters
die each year. We were surprised to discover that something seemed to be
feeding on them. The tops of some rocks were cleaned off and particles
of the shells were scattered about. In some areas we found the tracks of
large birds, perhaps crows, around the picked-over rocks.
Zebra mussels covered logs and rocks along the drained section of
the canal.
When the shoreline became too littered with rocks
to walk in safety and comfort, we returned to the Church, and ended our
outing photographing an ancient canal lock at the eastern end of a soon-to-be
new section of the Erie Canalway Trail.
On the way home I told Bridget that across from
where we walked is one of the wildest places in the Mohawk Valley, and
that I planned to explore it in the very near future. The very near future
came later that week.
This old canal lock near the Fort Herkimer Church marks the eastern
end of a future section of the Erie Canalway Trail. It took a long time
for this tree to grow around a section of the stone wall.
Discovery: A Wild and Woolly Place
January 11, 2002, Cloudy, 34 degrees
Ron Gugnacki retired the first week in January, and was already "begging"
for something to do. I hate to see a grown man cry, so I invited him to
join me in the discovery of Lock 18 Island.
The Barge (Erie) Canal and the Mohawk River part
company at Herkimer and flow separately to Lock 18 at Jacksonburg. The
land between is approximately four miles long and almost a half-mile wide
at its widest point. Over the years this strip of marsh and woodland has
been called Plantation or Lock 18 Island.
Situated across from the mouth of West Canada Creek, it has an interesting
history, having been the site of an ancient Indian village, an early Palatine
farm and a canal that predates the Old Erie Canal. In recent years it has
become the home of a sizeable herd of deer and a variety of other wildlife.
It was 9 a.m. when we left the Jeep in the Lock
18 parking lot and walked across the upper lock dam to the Island. After
crossing the now-dry overflow dam and circumventing a pile of logs, we
found a raised canalside trail through honeysuckle. The tracks of a rabbit
hunter, his beagle and their quarry preceded us for a few hundred yards
before veering down into the marsh.
We discovered stone bridge abutments in the middle of the island.
Did this bridge cross an ancient canal or an old channel of the
river?
Continuing down the trail, we smelled something "fishy."
It reminded us of the odor of dead minnows in a minnow bucket. Not repulsive,
but not pleasant either. When the honeysuckle became too thick to walk
through, we climbed down into the Canal, walked along the edge of the ice
. . . and discovered the source of the odor. Above freezing temperatures
had unlocked the odor of dead zebra mussels.
About a half-mile down the canal we climbed back
up to the trail and found it passable. We followed it until we came to
a well-packed deer trail leading down into the marsh. In the distance,
a row of large willows indicated a stream or canal channel, so we headed
in that direction.
Where cattails once dominated, the marshland was
practically filled with the waving tassels of pampas grass. With these
foreign imports towering overhead, we followed the deer trail to the line
of willows. Fortunately, the marsh was frozen so we didn't have to walk
in knee-deep mud.
The
willows were huge; creating a park-like understory that followed the winding
path of a shallow stream that flowed to the river-side of the island. I
had told Ron that a canal was cut through here in the 1790s to bypass the
rapids, so we split up, looking for evidence of the channel. When Ron came
to the river he saw a flock of mallards just downstream. As he scrambled
for his camera, I walked out of the high grass right in front of the ducks.
Their wings sounded like a gust of wind as they jumped off the water.
As we walked along the north side of the island,
following deer trails, we saw several channels that could have been a canal
or a high-water path of the river. Along one such depression we saw some
stone riprap, perhaps a section of the old canal.
At 11:30 we saw it! A wall of stone among the trees.
A closer look revealed two stone bridge abutments. Although the roadway
approaches were graded upward, there was no water between the abutments.
Could this be the remnant of a canal crossing or had this bridge passed
over an old river channel? I could hardly wait to study some old
maps.
down a tree as hard and spiney as a hawthorn.
While much of the island is marshland,
there are sections of mature forest that include soft maple, box elder,
cottonwood and willow. Some of these trees were covered with grapevines.
I've never seen grapevines with such thick "trunks." One forested area
was thick with hawthorn. I was surprised to discover a beaver had taken
the time to gnaw down one of these spine-covered trees. Hard to chew and
not much food. I chuckled when I recalled that early settlers used hawthorn
spines as toothpicks. An image of a buck-toothed beaver picking his teeth
popped into my mind. I know. I know.
In addition to beaver, deer and rabbit sign, we
saw the tracks of turkey, coyote, fox, raccoon, muskrat, mink and weasel.
An abundance of fresh deer tracks indicated the island was home to a sizeable
deer herd. We weren't the only ones to recognize that fact because we found
several trails marked with fluorescent ribbon. We guessed that hunters
accessed the island by boat. It would be nearly impossible to drag a deer
through the marsh and brush to the Lock.
For all its wildness, Lock 18 Island is not a place
to get away from civilization. The sounds of Thruway traffic were constant
and passing trains added to the din.
We had commitments that afternoon, so we called
it quits around noon and headed back. After busting through brush and climbing
up and down the sides of the canal for over an hour, we were "dragging
buns" when we got back to the car.
When I told Ron I planned to return to explore the
rest of the island, he said, "Don't call me, I'll call you."
Island
Mystery Leads to Mother Lode.
I visited the Herkimer County Historical Society on January 14, 2002
to look at old maps of the area that is now Lock 18 Island. With the help
of Society Director, Sue Perkins and volunteer Fred Doyle, I studied maps
that were printed in the 1860s and early 1900s, and a 1992 copy of the
Society's publication, Legacy that featured an article and
maps on the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company written by Jane Deiffenbacher.
Much
of the Legacy article was based on information, maps and
illustrations provided by the New York State Museum's Durham Project headed
by Phillip Lord, Jr. This 10-year undertaking that began in 1988 collected
data on the Durham Boat and its use on the Mohawk River prior to the construction
of the Erie Canal. Much of that research included a comprehensive study
of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company that operated on the river
from 1790 to 1825.
Mother Lode of information about the Mohawk River.
WILNC built locks and canals to bypass
rapids at Little Falls, German Flatts and Rome. There are remnants of the
German Flatts canal on Lock 18 Island. While this information confirmed
the existence of the old canal, it did not explain the stone bridge abutments
we discovered on the Island. A return visit to determine if the bridge
crossed the 1790s canal was required.
A note below one of the maps in the Legacy
article
led to a Mother Lode of information on the Mohawk River. It read,
"A tracing by D.J. Mordell from the Benjamin Wright 1803 Survey of the
Mohawk River for the WILNC on file at the Oneida County Historical Society,
Utica, N.Y."
I visited the Oneida County Historical Society on
Friday morning, January 17, 2002. Thanks to volunteer, Bob Marshall, I
located the original book of maps of the Mohawk River from Schenectady
to Rome compiled by Benjamin Wright in 1803. I cannot adequately explain
my excitement at discovering so much firsthand information about the Mohawk
River.
This 1803 map shows the German Flatts canal and locks
that bypassed Wolf Rapid and Knock 'Em Stiff Rapid just downstream from
the mouth of (West) Canada Creek, an area now known as Lock 18 or
Plantation Island.
For a half-hour I leafed through the aged book of maps, getting more
excited with each turn of the page. Bob Marshall suggested a coffee break.
He recognized a guy about to blow his top.
Over coffee---well away from those invaluable maps---I
learned that Bob was born in Herkimer, had worked at Remington Arms, earned
an Engineering Degree and worked for General Electric and at Griffiss Air
Force Base before retiring at 65. Bob had become interested in the history
of the area while researching his family's history. At 82 he is still investigating
the Marshall and Young lineage and helping others with their research.
Under the watchful eye of Bob Marshall, I
studied Benjamin Wrights' maps for four hours. It was a humbling experience.
He, or those in his employ, had explored every foot of the river between
Rome and Schenectady, recording the names of bends, rapids, shoals, tributaries,
fords, bridges, estates, settlements, dams, locks and canals. Using a 100-link
"chain" they measured the 106-mile distance from Schenectady to Rome and
marked it on the map in one-mile increments. In many areas water depth
and the height of riverbanks were noted.
I could hardly believe I was actually touching,
reading, photographing . . . and learning from a 200-year old document
that was created by one of the preeminent surveyors of the Mohawk Valley
and one of the prime builders of the Erie Canal.
I had paddled through many of these areas and would
pass through others in the coming year. Some, like the German Flats Canal
and Locks, I would explore on foot. Thanks to Mr. Wright of Rome, NY, I
have a better understanding and appreciation for those early days on the
Big River.
Discovery: Island Mystery Unfolds - Part One
January 21, 2002, 30 degrees, Cloudy
Armed with Benjamin Wright's 1803 Maps, I returned to Lock 18 Island.
This time Dale Janes joined me. It was his first discovery trip that didn't
involve fishing. It was also his first time walking on water.
My goal was to explore the west end of the Island,
and to locate the remnants of the 1790s German Flatts Canal and Locks that
were depicted on Wright's map. To get to that area from Lock 18 would require
a two-mile hike through brush, so I decided to give the frozen Barge Canal
a try. The weather had been so mild I wasn't sure the ice would be thick
enough to support two guys as big as Dale and I, so I brought along an
ice fishing spud (weighted chisel) to test the ice.
We
left our vehicles at the Fort Herkimer parking area and walked down into
the canal. Dale had never walked on a frozen lake or river before, so he
was a little reluctant to make the crossing. But, when he saw how long
it took to chop through four inches of ice, he followed me across the canal
to the Island.
When we climbed the canal bank, I was surprised
to find a "manicured" trail heading west. Unlike the overgrown trail at
the other end of the island, the honeysuckle, vines and small trees had
been removed, and the top of the bank had been mowed. Could this be the
"under-development" Erie Canalway Trail I'd read about? Perhaps I had misunderstood
the information presented in recent newspaper articles. Another item for
the "mystery bag."
Dale had fished in this area from the north shore of the river, so he pointed out the old Hydraulic Canal outlet and a couple of his favorite fishing spots. The Fisherman's Park just downstream from the Washington Street Bridge looked stark and lonely with a coating of new fallen snow.
We continued west, passing under the Thruway Bridge, looking for access to this end of the Island. We didn't find any at the bridges and it was another half-mile to the Canal Dam at Herkimer, so we headed back. We had a 1790s Canal to discover.
With the old map and a topo map as a guide, we hiked back down the trail for a mile or so and crossed over to the north side of the Island to the mouth of West Canada Creek. Across from the mouth of this major tributary of the Mohawk River, we discovered a number of beaver cuttings and flushed a large flock of mallards.
Continuing east, we searched for the old channel where the 1790s dam was once located. We reasoned that if we found the old channel, all we had to do was follow it south to the sites of the dam and lock.
In less than a half-hour, we located the old channel and followed this dry riverbed until we could see the ridge that ran along the Barge Canal. We hadn't found remnants of a dam in the channel, so we turned east and spread out in the woods looking for the lock.
I could feel Dale's excitement when he yelled, "I found the lock! Over here!"
Further
investigation revealed the position of the lock gates. Columns of blocks
on both sides and near each end of the lock were cut to form half-round
receptacles. The rounded section of these blocks faced toward the interior
of the lock, apparently designed to provide support and pivot points
for the wooden gates that controlled the water level in the lock. A steel
rod protruded from the ground at the bottom of the lock.
Outside the east end of the lock was a stone wall. Two upright beams that extended beyond the top of the wall were bolted to the stone. Rope grooves were worn into the top of the beams. Boats and barges had tied up here.
While I was looking over this ancient dock, Dale noted there was something on the other side of the wall. When we walked around the lower end of the wall we discovered another lock, parallel but offset. While the east end of this lock was open, the west end was full to the top and seemed to be closed off by a stone wall.
Two locks? There was only one lock at this end of the 1790s canal.
Rounded columns of rocks on each side and both
ends of the locks once supported the wooden doors
that controlled the level of the water.
From
the west end of the locks it was just a few yards to the Barge Canal. We
were surprised to discover we were directly across from Fort Herkimer Church
and the mouth of Spoon Creek. I told Dale it was just a short walk to the
stone bridge abutments that Ron and I had discovered on a previous trip.
Ten minutes later we were standing between the bridge
abutments. The stone blocks in these abutments were the same as those in
the locks, but unlike the lock walls, there was some mortar between the
blocks. Another feature of the south-end abutment added to its mystery.
The top was a slab of concrete, indicating it was added to raise the bridge
at a much later date.
The road that passed over this bridge, according
to my compass, ran north and south. Could the east-west depression it crossed
be the channel of the 1790s Canal or was it an old riverbed?
Dale Janes examines one of the two wooden beams that were bolted
to the wall outside the lock. Rope grooves are visible at the top of the
beams. Boats and barges tied up here while waiting to get through the lock.
It was 11 a.m. when we walked south to the Barge
Canal and started down the ice toward our vehicles. Along the way we were
treated to the antics of one of the biggest ruffed grouse I've ever seen.
It flew up from the side of the canal and then strutted along the top of
the bank before rocketing into the woods.
A prefect ending to a remarkable morning.
Island Mystery Unfolds - Part Two
Time to Hit the Books
As is often the case, discoveries produce more questions than answers.
So, it was time to hit the books . . . and maps again. For a couple of
days I shuffled between Herkimer and Onieda County Historical Societies
looking for answers.
An
1868 Atlas, a 1906 Atlas and an 1857 wall map of Herkimer County provided
clues to the path of the Old Erie Canal. (The Barge Canal wasn't built
until 1915.) From the Atlas maps I learned that the Erie Canal swung north
and then south in the Fort Herkimer area. That swing north would take it
right through the area of Lock 18 Island where we discovered the stone
locks. The path of the canal corresponded with a dotted line on my topo
map of the area. But, why did the canal deviate from its predominately
east-west route?
With that bit of mapping out of the way, I turned to Beer's History of Herkimer County (1879) and discovered the following:
Erie Canal
"The canal was planned to be forty feet wide
at the surface, and twenty-eight at the bottom, and the depth of four feet.
The locks were ninety feet long and twelve feet wide in the clear."
"The canal early became taxed beyond its capacity,
and the necessity of enlarging it was made apparent. By and act passed
in May, 1835 the canal commissioners were authorized to have this work
performed, including the construction of double locks, as fast as they
should be judged advisable."
"Morse was the name of the contractor on the
section whose eastern end was Fort Herkimer. He took for his purposes the
stone used in the fort, and it was at this time that the latter was demolished."
"In its reconstruction the canal (was) . . .
increased in breadth to seventy feet at the surface and fifty-two and a
half at the bottom, while the depth of water was increased to seven feet."
From Public Documents Relating to the New-York Canals 1821
REPORT OF THE CANAL COMMISSIONERS 17, APRIL 1816
"Mile 31st, ( from Rome) Passes over gravelly loam and bottom land.
Here is considerable deep cutting, and the line might be varied so as to
avoid it in part, but in that case it would pass through a burying ground."
Now I knew the size of the locks, the width and depth
of the canal, that the double locks were part of the 1830s enlargement
of the Erie Canal, and what happened to Fort Herkimer. 
2/18/02
Subsequent
reference to the 1830 Map of the Grand Erie Canal by S.Manon confirmed
that Mile 31st burying ground was the Fort Herkimer Church
Cemetery. The swing north was made to avoid that cemetery.
Nice to
know they considered such places important back then.
But what about the 1790s German Flatts Canal depicted
on Benjamin Wright's 1803 map? For that information I turned to:
Journal of Governor Clinton 1810 (As published in the Standard 1936)
At Fort Herkimer, Town of German Flatts
"We met two empty boats going down to Schenectady,
which had been to Utica with goods; as the wind was favorable, they probably
reached their place of destination this day. We breakfasted at the toll-keeper's
at the German Flatts, 65 miles from Schenectady.
"The canal here is through the Flatts,
a delightful body of lowlands which look like the flats of Esopus, and
were first settled by the Palatine. The canal is 1 1/4 mile long, 24 feet
wide, and 4 feet deep. The land through which it is cut cost the company
120 dollars an acre. It is furnished with a guard lock to prevent too great
flux of water. The embankments afford a delightful walk and the expense
of cutting the canal could not exceed that of a good turnpike. A lock here
cannot, with economy, be more than 6,000 dollars. The lock was filled in
five minutes for our boat to pass. The canal here ought to have been extended
further east, in order to have avoided another difficult rapid, and this
could have been done at a trifling expense.
"The village of German Flatts is a small
place on the south side of the river and near the toll-house. The first
Indian treaty , after the peace, was made at it. It contains a stone house
that was picketted during the war and was called Fort Herkimer. The stone
church was also used as a fort during that period, and the loop-holes for
seeing through are still visible. "
Beer's History of Herkimer County (1879)
Fort Herkimer Village
"The place was never larger than at present,
yet there has been a large amount of business done in and around it.
When the Inland Lock Navigation Company was organized in 1792 and improving
the Mohawk River as the great route of travel and transportation westward,
in order to pass the rifts in the river at this place, locks were constructed,
and a canal excavated from below the rapids. The locks in the river were
directly north of where the present canal locks are located, and traces
of the old canal are yet quite visible. It was called by the German settlers
"Long Conel" and that was the name given to the village, as it was
at the upper or west end of the canal."
From these documents I learned the general location
of the 1790s lock, plus the length, width and depth of the canal. And the
reference to "another difficult rapid" helped confirm the location of the
eastern terminus of the canal.
Discovery: Wild Things, Wildlife and Artifacts
January 22, 2002, 30 degrees, Partly Cloudy
It was 9:45 a.m. when Ron Gugnacki and I crossed the Barge Canal at
Fort Herkimer Church and walked directly to the locks. I explained that
these double locks were part of the upgraded Erie Canal.
Ron
wasn't quite as excited as Dale and I when we first saw them, but he noted
the excellent stone work, metal fittings and the two upright wooden beams.
He also pointed out the indentations in the stone walls where the gates
were allowed to swing flush with the sides of the locks.
From there we walked northeast to the stone bridge
abutments, noting that a concrete block made the south abutment higher
than the north abutment. Concrete was not in general use until the mid
1800s, so this slab was added at a much later date. But, why one side and
not the other?
As we walked east in the channel that ran between
the abutments, we could detect its direction by the large cottonwoods and
willows growing in and along its course. We also discovered some stone
work along the north side of the channel. Was this an old channel of the
Mohawk or was it the upgraded Erie Canal?
As we continued east, this distinct channel seemed
to mingle with other channels. We followed one that angled south and came
to a berm (filled area) where a road had crossed. From there on this channel
was so filled with fallen trees we couldn't walk in it, so we turned north,
crossing to the other side of the Island in search of the 1790s canal.
Here Ron Gugnacki illustrates the size of one of the monarchs of Lock 18 Island.
We found more channels and a stream that meandered
along the edge of marshland where we discovered some huge willows.
It was around 11 a.m. when we approached the north side of the island.
In rapid succession we saw five deer running through the woods and flushed
a ruffed grouse, and at the river's edge a flock of mallards jumped from
the water and a small flock of Canada geese flew overhead. Minutes later
a soaring red-tailed hawk announced our presence and landed in a treetop.
Wow!
With a topo map and Wright's 1803 map in hand, we
followed the edge of the river around a bend, past a run of shallow, fast
water and on to a sort of "notch" in the island just above another run
of fast water. We guessed the upper riff was noted on the old map as "Nock
'Em Stiff Rapid" and the notch was the general location of the 1790s lift
lock. Unfortunately, we discovered two cuts in the riverbank in that area.
Which one was the location of the lock?
Rather than walk back through the woods on the north
side of the island, we decided to cross the frozen marsh to the Barge Canal
and then walk west on the canal to Fort Herkimer Church. This area of the
marsh revealed a predominance of purple loosetrife with some cattails mixed
in. Although this dried vegetation was thick in most places, well-packed
deer trails made the crossing easy.
We were back at the car by 1:15 . . . with more questions than answers.
Discovery: Gert Gives A Hoot
Photos
2/24/02
January 27, 2002, 50 degrees, Sunny
Finally,
a sunny day, and warm too. A perfect opportunity to show Gert the Island
and take some photographs. When we walked down to the canal behind Fort
Herkimer Church we discovered water instead of ice. So much for an adventure
on the Island.
But adventure comes in many forms.
Gert looked at me and said, "How are you going to get that trap off
its leg?"
Great Horned Owl! Razor sharp talons! Powerful beak!
Release from a trap?
Well, I don't get to impress my wife too often, so I took off my down
jacket and dropped it over the agitated raptor. When it started flapping
its wings and biting my jacket, I thought I was going to see feathers fly---
from my jacket---but the nylon shell held while I used both feet and both
hands to open the trap and pull a set of those sharp talons loose.
Fifteen minutes later that yellow-eyed "monster"
was flying over to the Island and being harassed by crows. And I was a
hero.
almost 15 minutes before flying over to the Island.
Discovery:
Once More For Good Measure
January 29, 2002, 40 degrees, Cloudy, threatening rain.
There were three of us. We came with tape measures.
The ice was much too thin to walk on the Barge Canal,
so we started at Lock 18, crossed over the canal gate and overflow dam,
and walked to the north side of the Island. It was 9 a.m.
We followed a winding, indistinct trail
westward for almost a mile. It passed through woods and marshes, over berms,
across streams and among hawthorns covered with grapevines. In some areas
the grapevines were so thick they looked like the framework for a wickiup.
Deer trails criss-crossed the area, and with the
snow gone, piles of droppings seemed to be everywhere. Along one stretch
of shoreline, beaver had practiced chewing on several trees, but had dropped
only one, and it was hung up in another tree. Further investigation revealed
well-worn beaver slides on the riverbank.
This time we approached the "notch" from the east,
hoping to gain a new perspective of the area where the 1790s canal entered
the river. Didn't work. We still couldn't determine which outlet was created
by the ancient canal, so we walked another mile or so through the woods
and along marshes looking for depressions that could have been a canal.
Long before we reached the bridge abutments, we
could see the row of trees that indicated the wide channel we had found
on previous visits. This time we found stonework along each side of the
channel. Ron and Dale unrolled a 100-foot tape measure. A noisy flock of
Canada geese flew overhead.
The gap between stoneworks measured 93 feet. It
certainly wasn't the narrow 24-foot wide 1790s canal. Much closer to the
75-foot wide 1879 Erie Canal which, incidentally, was enlarged again in
the 1890s. Relatively straight stone work on both sides and 90 feet across.
Must be the path of the Old Erie Canal.
At the stone bridge abutments, we broke out the
tape measures again. While Ron and Dale measured the distance between the
abutments, I measured the height of the south abutment. The distance between
was 71 feet, and the height was 9-foot, 8 inches to the top of the stone
and another 40 inches to the top of the concrete slab.
The width of the abutment to the wings was 19 feet, 3 inches, and 41
feet, 2 inches including the wings. The distance between abutments was
very close to the width of the1879 Canal, but why was one abutment
so much higher than the other?
We continued up the channel, finding more sections
with cut stone on each side. Rather than walk directly to the locks, we
angled slightly north and west to the old river channel, looking for the
location of the 1790s dam, which we didn't find. We did find a large depression
that was practically filled with huge chunks of quarried stone.
After following the old river channel south to the
Barge Canal, we turned east to the locks. With the snow gone, it was easy
to see that both locks were open at both ends, as one would expect. Previously,
we were fooled into thinking one end of the south lock was closed because
it was practically filled to the top, no doubt with dirt from the big canal.
All it took was a few inches of snow to hide that end of the lock. We could
also see that the locks were not offset. They were even on the west end,
but the south lock was much longer and had had an extra gate. Subsequent
research indicated that a number of Erie Canal locks were lengthened in
1884 "in order to
accommodate two-boat tows."
river channel. Was it "left over" from the construction
of the 1790s canal or the Old Erie Canal.?
The shorter lock measured 110 feet long
between gates and 18 feet, 9 inches wide. We didn't measure the longer
lock because the brush and trees growing in it were so thick.
Just for the record, the stone blocks in the bridge
abutments are 41 1/2" x 19 1/2" and 10" x 35", and 40 inches thick. Most
of the visible stone blocks in the lock are 54" x 14 1/2 " and 48 inches
thick. The abutment blocks are rougher cut than the lock blocks. They all
appeared to be quarried limestone.
With the measurements completed, Ron was ready to
head back. He had an appointment later that afternoon, but it was noon
and Dale insisted on a break for lunch. Ron was outvoted 2 to 1, so while
Dale and I munched on sandwiches, Ron took a closer look at the locks and
the docking area.
It was 12:45 when we donned our daypacks and headed
northeast. We were five minutes down the trail, when I realized I had left
my walking stick back at the locks. As I headed back, Ron said, "Hurry
up."
I took that as an indication they would continue
down the trail, so when I retrieved my staff, I walked directly to the
bridge abutments, figuring I would cut them off on their more circuitous
route. My mistake.
They were not at the bridge abutments, so I climbed
to the top of the north abutment and yelled several times. No answer. I
waited a few minutes and yelled again without results. Figuring they had
a 15-minute head start, I cut south to the Barge Canal and walked east
towards Lock 18. Another mistake.
I had about a mile and a half to go. At first the
going was easy, but as I walked along the elevated canal bank the brush
became thicker and thicker . . . as we discovered on a previous trip. However,
this time I couldn't go down one side and walk in the marsh or the other
side to walk on the canal because they were no longer frozen. So, I had
to push through the brush or crawl through on my hands and knees.
By the time I got to Lock 18 I was exhausted. Despite
the obstacles I was back at my vehicle at 1:30. Ron and Dale weren't there
yet, so I sat at the top of the crossover dam and waited. They came out
of the woods at 2 p.m.. They were not happy campers. I learned later that
Ron had said that if I was standing on the dam waiting for them, he would
be relieved, and then hit me in the head with a rock.
Turns out they didn't continue down the trail, but
waited near the pile of quarry stone. When I didn't come back, they yelled
and yelled, went back to the locks and then searched the area thinking
I may have "had a heart attack" or was injured. After a 20-minute search,
they returned on the winding riverside trail.
Ron and I have hunted together for years, and became
separated a number of times, so I was certain he would expect me to return
to the vehicles and wait if we didn't connect in the woods. And that is
what he was fairly certain I had done. Nevertheless, there was always that
possibility I could be hurt.
Of course if we had communicated properly, their
anguish and my exhaustion would have been unnecessary. There is a lesson
to be learned here. I'm not certain what it is, but Dale suggests that
the next time we got to the Island we tie ourselves together.
Discovery: What Price Pictures?
February 5, 2002, Sunny, 8 degrees
As I lay face down on the ice-covered streambank,
slowly sliding towards open water, I wondered if this was the smartest
thing I'd ever done.
I prefer to take photographs in the light of the
early morning sun, but every time I visited the Island the sun refused
to shine. So, despite the single digit temperatures and the fact that I
had to go alone, I returned for another visit.
My first stop was at the Lock 18 Office where I
asked Chief Lock Operator, Anthony Gabriel to come looking for me if I
wasn't back in four hours. He agreed to do so, and noted that I wouldn't
be the first person to be "rescued" from the Island.
I wasn't concerned with getting lost. My concern
was getting hurt. Freezing rain had covered the snow with more than an
inch of ice. That crust was, in turn, covered with another inch of snow.
On the level this combination posed no problem, but on inclines it was
quite slippery.
along the shoreline of an island in the
river are Canada geese.
Rather than cross the ice-covered overflow dam,
I walked down to the end of the dry overflow channel and crossed to the
north side of the Island. It was 9:45 a.m.
At 10 o'clock a small flock of mallards jumped off
the river. Thirty minutes later I heard the unmistakable gabble of geese.
Hundreds of Canadas rested on and behind an island in the river. They had
apparently sought refuge here after a night of single digit temperatures
had frozen the open waters of area ponds and lakes.
When I tried to sneak through the woods to get closer
with my camera, they erupted. Hundreds of beating wings sounded like a
windstorm. The chorus was deafening. My first reaction was, "There must
be 1000 birds out there!" On reflection, I'm sure it was closer to
200-300. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience, which unfortunately,
I couldn't adequately capture on film.
As
I stood camera in hand, mouth open, watching and listening to the spectacle
on the river, a chickadee in the woods caught my attention. It seemed oblivious
as it chirped and flitted among hawthorns. The contrast was fascinating.
Inland a flock of crows put up a raucous. I wondered if they were harassing
the owl we had released from the leg-hold trap.
As I progressed up the Island, smaller flocks of
geese took off, as did a few more mallards. When all the mallards and geese
had disappeared, a lone male merganser floated among chunks of ice, its
white and black (actually dark green) body, beautiful against the grey
river.
This is "notch" on the north shore of the Island was the east end of the 1790s German Flatts Canal.
This time when I approached the "notch" it was apparent
that the first cut to the river was the east end of the 1790s canal. Although
the channel to the cut was filled with dry purple loosestrife, it marked
the path of the canal and perhaps covered remnants of the lift lock. 
At 11 a.m. I approached a narrow stream with steep,
sloping banks. On previous inclines I had gained footing by jamming my
heel into the crust. My first step went fine. My second sent me sliding
down the ice-covered bank. "No problem", I thought, "when I get near the
bottom, I'll just jump across the stream to the other side."
and an overgrown towpath (right) mark
the path of the Old Erie Canal.
All went well until my foot crashed through
the ice on the opposite bank and I fell face down . . . and started
sliding towards the creek. With the help of my walking stick and
grass growing through the snow and crust, I scrambled to the top of the
bank, no worse for wear, but glad I had checked in earlier that morning.
After eating lunch and taking a few photographs,
I crossed to the south side of the Island, walked back on the frozen Barge
(Erie) Canal and checked out at 1:15.
No one knows more about navigation on the Old Mohawk River than Phillip Lord, Jr.
Phil has devoted many years
of his professional and personal life to studying the river's ancient mariners,
concentrating much of his efforts to re-discovering the works of the Western
Inland Lock and Navigation Company. By studying old maps and documents,
and by digging in the dirt and wallowing in mud up to his waist, he has
located the remains of canals and locks that were hidden for more than
200 years.
As Director of the Division
of Museum Services for the New York State Museum Phil has written extensively
on the subject, and presented countless programs and seminars up and down
the Mohawk Valley. Much of his work can be viewed at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/hisresearch.html
After reading about our discovery
trips on Lock 18 (Plantation) Island he expressed concern that I was providing
misinformation and perhaps encouraging readers to disturb the historical
integrity of the Island.
Our exchange follows:
Paul,
"Some folks in DEC forwarded
me links to your pages on Plantation Island and the 1790s Canal, Wright
maps, etc.
"I wish you had gotten
in touch with me because you are re-plowing some very old ground and have
gotten some of the facts scrambled. Let me offer my help.
"First of all, the Wright
maps and the entire study of the 1790s inland navigation history of the
Mohawk Valley ("The Durham project") is research we have been doing here
since 1981, and a huge archive of materials, many webpages, lots of slide
lectures and field programs, have resulted over the past 20 years.
"Plantation Island and
all its canal remains was researched under my direction by the State Museum
in 1981 for the DOT, and a comprehensive report, including a detailed new
mapping of the entire site complex, including the three canals (The German
Flatts Canal, the Erie Canal and the Barge Canal systems), was submitted
to DOT and the Federal Highway Administration, in 1982. It was the survey
and discovery of this complex, since dubbed "Plantation Island" by DEC,
that led to the Durham Project and all that came after. Previously, Dan
Mordell had researched and visited the area with canal historians, so it
was well known even then.
"During the 1980s, John
Page at Utica DEC, and I worked together on excavations of the 1798 guard
lock at the (west) end of the old canal, and subsequently I conducted tours
for the Canal Society of NYS of the entire island, and the old canals (Erie
and German Flatts) in the early '90s. I published a complete summary of
the Island and the 1798 canal system in a Canal Society Field Guide in
1991.
"If you could get the 1982
DOT report out of the Utica Office, it will explain some of the things
you have gotten turned around. All the stonework you are identifying as
possibly the "old canal" is from the terminal phase of the Erie Canal,
after 1850. That trough and all this work has nothing to do with the 1798
canal, except that it was built over, and partially destroyed, the 1798
canal in this area. Remnants of the 1798 canal exist both east and west
of this Erie Canal segment, which was later cut off by the Barge Canal.
"All the 1798 canal remains,
and the Erie Canal remains, are on state land, part Canal Corporation lands
and part DEC lands. As you know, archeological sites on state lands are
protected, and it is important that people drawn to explore these sites
be advised - on your web sites - of that fact.
"I expect to shortly post
a Durham Project webpage on this site complex to our website and will send
you the link.
"It is important to recognize
that the Erie Canal remains on Plantation Island are historic in their
own right. But it is the 1798 canal that captures the imagination. Last
summer I led an expedition of state officials, local educators and local
politicians to Plantation Island. I believe there is a well-established
local effort to create an education preserve here, with boat access. All
these people are well aware of which remains go with which canal, (at least
they were by the end of the day) and I suggest you link up with them.
"It is an exciting project
- Plantation island - that I have hoped to see emerge for twenty years."
Phi Lord
Phil,
"I think you miss the point of my Mohawk Valley Book-In-Progress webpage. I explore, discover and research, and write about it on my web page as it progresses. I know I am "re-plowing some very old ground." I have done so from the source of the Mohawk all the way to Plantation Island and beyond. Discovery, my friend, is the fun of it, as you well know.
"I am aware of the Durham Project and your research on the 1790s WILN Co. locks and canals, and I intend to tap into that wealth of information when I complete my exploration and study of the Island.
"After three visits to the Island, accompanied by friends---the most recent today---and the study of old maps, aerial photos and 1800s Canal Commissioner Reports, I am well aware that the locks we discovered were from the upgraded (twin locks) Old Erie Canal. I am also aware that the western end of the 1790s Canal was "intersected" by the Erie Canal. I've walked the length and breadth of the Island. I've followed the path of what appears to be the old canal, noting the large willows growing along it, and here and there, the stone walls on both sides. I have also discovered the general location of the lift lock at the East end of the canal, at the "notch" in the Island, downstream from Knock 'Em Stiff Rapid .
"I have not discovered the guard lock excavation you and my old friend, John Page made. I am also not certain if the stone bridge abutments carried a bridge over the old WILN Canal or a channel of the Mohawk River that was created when the WILN Canal was abandoned. Certainly the raised "concrete" (40 inch) slab on the south abutment was added much later than either Canal.
"Today we measured the width of the old canal bed, the height and width of the stone bridge abutments, the length and width of one of the Erie Canal locks, and the size of the stone blocks.
"I am enjoying the thrill of discovery. Would you deny me that joy?
"I look forward to meeting you and seeing the Durham project.
Paul Keesler
P.S. Have no fear, we have not disturbed anything."
Paul
"Have fun. Just trying to help. Note my inserts
below."
Regards stone walls on both sides:
"This is the Erie Canal, not the 1790s canal.
There is no exposed stonework on the latter."
Regards guard lock:
"The excavation was backfilled and is not
evident, however, the location of the lock is revealed by depressions running
into the old (now abandoned) riverbed."
Regards channel and bridge abutments:
"I think you are speaking of the Erie Canal
bed. There was no 'channel of the Mohawk River created when the WILN canal
was abandoned' The stone bridge abutments you see carried bridges
across the Erie and Enlarged Erie canal (they all appear on canal maps
of the period), which is the trough you are walking in. The concrete slab
on the one abutment WAS part of the Erie Canal and allowed taller boats
to pass one side of the then tilted bridges in the terminal phase of the
canal."
Regards denying you the thrill and joy of discovery:
"No, but as you know, publication (and doing
webpages is publication), has a certain element of rigor and precision
attached to it, and one might want to confirm details before publishing
them as facts. It is OK to post webpages about having adventures in the
woods, but when historic features are mis-diagnosed, it probably should
be looked at critically."
"Having said that, I applaud your energy and interest. Perhaps someday you can either come to one of my lectures or visit the project here in Albany."
Philip Lord, Jr.
Director, Division of Museum Services
New York State Museum
Albany, NY
More: Discovery: Cover-Up On Mystery Island
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Fort Herkimer, select New York, press GO!
Click on margin arrows to follow the path of the Mohawk River to Lock 18 Island.
Return to Mohawk Valley Book-In-Progress Contents