Part 7

This beautiful group of mountains was once covered, all but the highest peaks, by the Laurentian glacier, whose erosion, while perhaps having little effect on the large features of the region, has greatly modified it in detail, producing lakes and ponds to the number of more than 1,300 and causing many falls and rapids in the streams. In the Adirondacks are some of the best hunting and fishing grounds in the United States, which are so carefully preserved that there are quantities of deer and small game in the woods, and black bass and trout in the lakes. Some 3,000,000 acres are preserved. The scenery is wonderfully fine and the air so clear that many sanatoriums have been established for tuberculosis patients.

175 M. AMSTERDAM, Pop. 33,524. (Train 51 passes 12:15p; No. 3, 1:12p; No. 41, 5:20p; No. 25, 6:30p; No. 19, 9:52p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 5:07a; No. 26, 5:39a; No. 16, 11:10a; No. 22, 1:03p.)

Amsterdam was settled about 1775 and was called Veedersburg until 1804 when its present name was adopted. It was for some time the home of Elisha Arnold, father of Benedict Arnold, but the latter was born in Norwich, Conn. (Jan. 14, 1741.) The so-called Guy Park Mansion built in 1763, by Guy Johnson, nephew of Sir William Johnson is still used as a private residence. Today Amsterdam ranks as the first city in the United States in the manufacture of carpets and second in the manufacturing of hosiery and knit goods. It has one of the largest pearl button factories in the country; other products are brushes, brooms, silk gloves, paper boxes, electrical supplies, dyeing machines, cigars, wagon and automobile springs; the total value of the output being about $30,000,000 annually.

178 M. FORT JOHNSON, Pop. 680. (Train 51 passes 12:18p; No. 3, 1:15p; No. 41, 5:23p; No. 25, 6:33p; No. 19, 9:56p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 5:03a; No. 26, 5:36a; No. 16, 11:03a; No. 22, 12:59p.)

This village is named for the house* and fort erected here in 1742, by Sir William Johnson, one of the most remarkable of the early pioneers.

Sir William Johnson (1715-1774) distinguished himself not only for the prosperous settlements which he built up along the valley of the Mohawk, but also for his military ability and his remarkable influence with the Iroquois Indians. Born in Ireland, he came to America in 1738 for the purpose of managing a tract of land in this valley belonging to his uncle, Admiral Sir Peter Warren. The fort which he built on the site of the present village bearing his name soon became the center of trade with the Indians, and likewise a strategic point for Johnson's military ventures. The Mohawks adopted him and elected him a sachem. He was at various times superintendent of the affairs of the Six Nations, commissary of the province for Indian affairs, and major-general in the British army. As a commanding officer he directed the expedition against Crown Point (1755) and in September of that year defeated the French and Indians, at the battle of Lake George. For his success he received the thanks of parliament and was created a baronet. He took part in a number of other expeditions against the French and Indians, and as a reward for his services the king granted him a tract of 100,000 acres of land north of the Mohawk River. It was in a great measure due to his influence that the Iroquois remained faithful to the cause of the colonies up to the time of the Revolutionary War. In 1739 Johnson married Catherine Wisenberg, by whom he had three children. After her death he had various mistresses, including a niece of the Indian chief Hendrick, and Molly Brant, a sister of the famous chief, Joseph Brant. It is said that he was the father of 100 children in all. After the French and Indian War he retired to the present Johnstown.

After 1763 the fort was occupied by his son Sir John, who, during the War of Independence organized a loyalist regiment known as the "Queen's Royal Greens," which he led at the battle of Oriskany, and in raids on Cherry Valley (1778-1780) and on the Mohawk Valley. The house, once used as a fort, is described by an early writer thus: "Col. Johnson's mansion is situated on the border of the north bank of the River Moack. It is three stories high (two with an attic) built of stone, with port-holes and a parapet, and flanked with four bastions on which are some small guns. In the yard, on both sides of the mansion, are two small houses; that on the right of the entrance is a store, and that on the left is designed for workmen, negroes and other domestics. The yard gate is a heavy swing-gate, well ironed; it is on the Moack River side; from this gate to the river is about two hundred paces of level ground. The high road passes there." The place, now somewhat remodeled, is owned by the Montgomery County Historical Society and many curious historic relics are on exhibition here. It is open to the public daily.

181 M. TRIBES HILL, Pop. 900. (Train 51 passes 12:21p; No. 3, 1:18p; No. 41, 5:27p; No. 25, 6:36p; No. 19, 10:00p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 5:00a; No. 26, 5:33a; No. 16, 11:00a; No. 22, 12:56p.)

Tribes Hill received its name from the fact that it was an old meeting place of the Indians. Across the river, in the estuary at the junction of Schoharie Creek with the Mohawk, once stood Ft. Hunter, which was the lower Mohawk castle, the upper castle being at Canajoharie.

A contemporary description says: "Ft. Hunter, known by the Indians as Ticonderoga, is one of the same form as that of Canajoharie except that it is twice as large. It likewise has a house at each corner. The cannon at each bastion are seven and nine pounders. The pickets of this fort are higher than those at Canajoharie There is a church or temple in the middle of the fort, while in its inclosure are also some thirty cabins of Mohawk Indians, which is their most considerable village. This fort, like that of Canajoharie, has no ditch and has a large swing-gate at the entrance. There are some houses outside, though under the protection of the fort, in which the country people seek shelter when an Indian or French war party is looked for."

About two miles farther at the little village of Auriesville on the left side of the Mohawk, where the river is joined by Auries Creek, there is a shrine (visible on the left from the train) marking the spot where Father Jogues, a Jesuit Priest, was killed in 1646.

186 M. FONDA, Pop. 747. (Train 51 passes 12:27p; No. 3, 1:25p; No. 41, 5:39p; No. 25, 6:42p; No. 19, 10:05p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 4:55a; No. 26, 5.28; No. 16, 10:55a; No. 22, 12:51p.)

The town of Fonda was named for Jelles Fonda, said to have been the first merchant west of Schenectady. Fonda established a prosperous store here about 1760, and his old accounts (still preserved) disclose that he had among his customers "Young Baron of the Hill," "Wide Mouth Jacob," "Young Moses," "Snuffers David," and the "Squinty Cayuga."

Following is a bill from Jelles Fonda's accounts:

Young Moses, Dr.

Sept. 20, 1762 L s. d. To one French blanket 0 16 0 " one small blanket 0 12 0 " 4 Ells White linnen 0 8 0 " 1 pair Indian stockings 0 6 0 " 1 hat 0 8 0 " 1 pt. of rum and one dram 0 1 4 " 1 qt. rum 0 2 0

I leave in pledge two silver wrist-bands.

(In other words, the wrist-bands were put up as security for the debt.)

Six miles north of Fonda is Johnstown (Pop. 10,908) where Sir William Johnson built his second residence (1762) now in the custody of the Johnstown Historical Society. It is a fine old baronial mansion.

Sir William called this residence Johnson Hall and lived here with all the state of an English country gentleman. He devoted himself to colonizing his extensive lands and is said to have been the first to introduce sheep and pedigreed horses into the province.

Sir William also built the Fulton County Court House with its jail (1772), used during the Revolutionary War as a civil and military prison. A free school, probably the first in N.Y. State, was established at Johnstown by Sir William Johnson in 1764 in his residence. In 1766 he organized a Masonic Lodge, one of the oldest in the U.S. In 1781, during the War of Independence, Col. Marinus Willett defeated here a force of British and Indians. The city is one of the principal glove making centers in the U.S. The total products are valued at about $3,000,000 annually. The manufacture of gloves in commercial quantities was introduced into the U.S. at Johnstown in 1809 by Talmadge Edwards, who was buried here in the Colonial Cemetery.

197 M. CANAJOHARIE (Palatine Bridge), Pop. 2,415. (Train 51 passes 12:40p; No. 3, 1:39p; No. 41, 5:55p; No. 25, 7:43p; No. 19, 10:20p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 4:42a; No. 26, 5:45a; No. 16, 10:44a; No. 22 12:36p.)

Passing the villages of Yosts and Sprakers we arrive in the town of Canajoharie, which in early days was the site of the upper Mohawk castle.

The upper Mohawk castle, sometimes called Ft. Canajoharie, was described by an early writer as consisting of "a square of 4 bastions of upright pickets joined with lintels 15 ft. high and about 1 ft. square, with port-holes, and a stage all around to fire from. The fort was 100 paces on each side, had small cannon in its bastions, and houses to serve as a store and barracks. Five or 6 families of Mohawks reside outside the pickets. From Ft. Canajoharie to Ft. Hunter (the lower Mohawk castle) is about twelve league, with a good carriage road along the bank of the river."

In 1749 a fortified dwelling was built here known as Ft. Rensselaer, which was utilized as a place of defence during the Revolutionary War. Canajoharie was the home of the famous Indian leader, Joseph Brant.

On the left, a little beyond Palatine Bridge, can be seen the red brick Herkimer mansion, near which a monument has been erected to Nicholas Herkimer, who died in 1777 from wounds received at Oriskany. We pass the village of Ft. Plain, St. Johnsville and East Creek.

216 M. LITTLE FALLS, Pop. 13,029. (Train 51 passes 12:58p; No. 6, 1:59p; No. 41, 6:17p; No. 25, 7:14p; No. 19, 10:39p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 4:22a; No. 26, 4:55a; No. 16, 10:22a; No. 22, 12:16p.)

Our route here lies through a ravine cut by the Mohawk River through a spur of the Adirondack Mts. The town is picturesquely situated on the sides of the gorge overlooking the rapids and falls. The Mohawk here descends 45 ft. in 1/2 M.

In the gorge, there are crystalline rocks which are of interest as belonging to the Laurentian formation, the oldest rock formation on the face of the globe.

According to geological classification, these rocks belong to the Archaean system. They represent formations of the very earliest period of the earth's history--probably before there was any animal or vegetable life whatsoever. The Archaean rocks have sometimes been spoken of as the original crust of the earth, but this is disputed by many geologists.

Little Falls dates from about 1750. In 1782 there was an influx of German settlers into the village, and almost immediately thereafter the town was destroyed by Indians and "Tories.". It was resettled in 1790. Two and a half miles east of the town was the boyhood home of Gen. Nicholas Herkimer.

Gen. Herkimer (1728-1777) was the son of John Jost Herkimer (d. 1775), one of the original group of German settlers in this section of the Mohawk Valley. Gen. Herkimer was colonel of the Tyrone County Militia in 1775, and was made brigadier general of the state militia in 1776. He was mortally wounded at the battle of Oriskany.

It is planned to establish an Historical Museum at the old Herkimer homestead. Near the city is the grave of Gen. Herkimer, to whom a monument was erected in 1896.

The water power derived from the falls has stimulated manufacturing in the city; its output includes cotton yarns, hosiery, knit goods, leather, etc., valued at $15,000,000 annually. The city is one of the largest cheese markets in the U.S.

223 M. HERKIMER, Pop. 10,453. (Train 51 passes 1:07p; No. 3, 2:06p; No. 41, 6:25p; No. 25, 7:22p; No. 19, 10:47p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 4:15a; No. 26, 4:49a; No. 16, 10:12a; No. 22, 12:08p.)

Herkimer was settled about 1725 by Palatine Germans, who bought from the Mohawk Indians a large tract of land, including the present site of the village. They established several settlements which became known collectively as "German Flats."

These settlers came from the Palatinate, a province of the kingdom of Bavaria, lying west of the Rhine. The district had been torn by a succession of wars, culminating in the carnage wrought by the French in 1707. In the following year, more than 13,000 Palatines emigrated to America, settling first on the Livingston Manor, and later along the Mohawk and elsewhere.

In 1756 a stone house (built in 1740 by John Jost Herkimer), a stone church, and other buildings, standing within what is now Herkimer Village, were enclosed in a stockade by Sir William Johnson. This post, at first known as Ft. Kouari (the Indian name), was subsequently called Ft. Herkimer. Another fort (Ft. Dayton) was built within the limits of the present village in 1776 by Col. Elias Dayton (1737-1807), who later became a brigadier-general and served in Congress in 1787-1788. During the French and Indian War the settlement was attacked (Nov. 12, 1757) and practically destroyed, many of the settlers being killed or taken prisoners; and it was again attacked on April 30, 1758. In the War of Independence, Gen. Herkimer assembled here the force which on Aug. 6th, 1777, was ambushed near Oriskany on its march from Ft. Dayton to the relief of Ft. Schuyler. The settlement was again attacked by Indians and "Tories" in Sept. 1778, and still again in June, 1782. The township of Herkimer was organized in 1788, and in 1807 the village was incorporated. Herkimer is situated in a rich dairying region and has manufactures with an output of $4,000,000 annually.

225 M. ILION, Pop. 10,169. (Train 51 passes 1:10p; No. 3, 2:10p; No. 41, 6:29p; No. 25, 7:25p; No. 19, 10:51p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 4:12a; No. 26, 4:46a; No. 16, 10:07a; No. 22, 12:05p.)

This village, the main part of which is situated on the south bank of the Mohawk, owed its origin to a settlement made here in 1725 by Palatine Germans, but the village as such really dates from the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. In 1828 Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) established here a small factory for the manufacture of rifles. He invented, and with the assistance of his sons, Philo, Samuel and Eliphalet, improved the famous Remington rifle.

In 1856 the company added to its business the manufacture of farming tools, in 1870 of sewing machines and in 1874 of typewriters. The last-named industry was sold to another company in 1886, and soon afterwards, on the failure of the original Remington company, the fire arms factory was bought by a N.Y.C. firm, though the Remington name was retained. The spot where Eliphalet had his primitive forge on the Ilion gorge road, just south of the town, is marked by a tablet placed there by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The principal manufactures today are typewriters, fire-arms, cartridges, and filing cabinets and office furniture. The annual output is valued at about $10,000,000.

237 M. UTICA, Pop. 94,156. (Train 51 passes 1:22p; No. 3, 2:31p; No. 41, 6:42p; No. 25, 7:41p; No. 19, 11:08p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 3:57a; No. 26, 4:31a; No. 16, 9:53; No. 22, 11:50a.)

The territory on which Utica is built was originally part of the 22,000 acre tract granted in 1734 by George II. to William Cosby (1695-1736), colonial governor of New York in 1732-36, and his associates. It was then known as Cosby's Manor.

Sir William Cosby served originally as colonel in the British army, then, after being governor of Minorca and later of the Leeward Islands, he was sent to New York. Before leaving England, he obtained a good deal of money for colonizing expenses, and his refusal to share this with Van Dam, his predecessor and colleague, gave rise to a law suit between the two which came to nothing but was the cause of much bitterness between Cosby and his friends on the one hand, and Van Dam and the people's party on the other. His administration was turbulent and unpopular. The grant made to Cosby was one of a number of colonizing ventures made by the British government during this period.

During the Seven Years' War a palisaded fort was erected on the south bank of the Mohawk at the ford where Utica later sprang up. It was named Ft. Schuyler in honor of Col. Peter Schuyler, an uncle of Gen. Philip Schuyler of the Continental Army.

This should not be confused with the fort of the same name at Rome which was built later. In order to distinguish the two, the fort at Utica is often referred to as Old Ft. Schuyler.

The main trail of the Iroquois which became later the most used route to the western country, crossed the Mohawk here and continued to Ft. Stanwix, now Rome. A branch trail turned slightly to the southwest, then more directly west to Oneida Castle. Cosby's Manor was sold at a sheriff's sale for arrears of rent in 1792 and was bid in by Gen. Philip Schuyler, Gen. John Bradstreet, John Morin Scott and others for L1387 (about 15 cents an acre). The first bridge across the Mohawk at Utica was built in 1792. Soon after the close of the War of Independence, a large number of new settlers arrived, most of them Germans from the lower Mohawk Valley. About 1788 there was an influx of New Englanders, among whom was Peter Smith (1768-1837), later a partner of John Jacob Astor, and father of Gerrit Smith, a political and religious radical, who was born here in 1797.