Cruising the Erie Canal

In 1825, the Erie Canal opened the only trade route west of the Appalachian, with 83 locks and a rise of 568 feet connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie. With its success, the canal was enlarged between 1936 and 1862, increasing boat capacity from 30 tons to 240 tons and decreasing the number of locks to 72.

Map of NY State Canal System showing the locks.

Between 1905 and 1918, New York state constructed the new "Barge Canal" consisting of the Erie Canal, the Champlain, the Oswego, and the Cayuga and Seneca Canals.  Between Albany and Buffalo, the new canal was 363 miles long with 57 locks, built for self-propelled vessels carrying up to 3000 tons of cargo.  After attaining its peak in 1951, commercial traffic progressively declined because of increasing competition from the railroad and highways, and particularly with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. With the loss of the barges and a shift to recreational use, the canal was renamed the New York State Canal System. It now has 524 miles of waterways connecting lakes and rivers across the Empire State, linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and with five waterways in Canada. In 2000, Congress established the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor to help preserve New York's historic canal system and the communities along its banks.


From May to October, the canals are open for activities like cruising, rowing, canoeing and kayaking, motorboating and fishing. Waterfront parks offer many opportunities to picnic, fish, play or just go boat watching,  Nearly 3/4 finished, the planned 524 mile long, off road Erie Canalway Trail will become the nation's longest multi-use trail open to hikers, joggers, bicyclists and cross-country skiers in the winter.

Those who do not have their own watercraft can either rent one or take a cruise offered by many companies along the canal.  Click here for the list of these companies.

We decided to take the Erie Canal Cruise in Herkimer, being the closest to Kayuta Lake.  Aboard the Lil' Diamond III, Captain Jerry Gertz piloted the boat eastward (with an occasional assistance from some willing passengers), narrating the history of the canal and pointing out interesting spots along the way.

Fort Herkimer Church

 Fort Herkimer Church, built between 1753 and 1767, is one of the oldest churches in the state, the oldest building in Herkimer County, and the only remaining structure of the Fort Herkimer complex, an important defense stronghold during the French and Indian War.  On a side trip that we took after the cruise, we had a close up view of the old church, its front yard bestrewn with interesting tombstones dating to the 1800's.  Outside the gate of the church is a plaque stating that this was also the birthplace of Nicholas Herkimer, whose heroic exploit we've previously described in an earlier blog on the Oriskany Battlefield. We also saw a remnant of the old Erie Canal at the outskirts of the church.




     

Plaque in front of church

Remnant of old Erie Canal

   

A little over 5miles of cruising took us to lock 18 in Jacksonburg.  After the boat was moored to the wall of the lock, the gate behind us was closed and valves raised to start dumping water to the river below.  After about 7 1/2 minutes, 2 1/2 million gallons of water was removed from the lock, the vessel descended 20 feet and the spring-loaded miter-v gate (invented by Leonardo DaVinci around 1480) started to open.  With further assist from electric motors, the gate was completely opened and we were free to continue onward only to make a quick U-turn back to the lock.

Entry to Lock 18

Water level 20 feet lower; gate starting to open

Back in the lock, a boat was already waiting for the lift, bearing the banner of AGLCA,  America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association, the third one we've seen on the canal. During the cruise, we heard a detailed narrative of how boaters like these try to circumnavigate the eastern North America by water known as the Great Loop or the Great Circle Route.   Like most loopers, the folks ahead of us started from Florida on their way to the great lakes.  Our captain, who has done the loop twice, said that 1700 loopers went through the Erie last year.
 

 

Once the water has risen to the level of the river above, the gate opened and we returned to the dock at the Gems of the Mohawk for a last interesting sight.  A working remnant of the past, buoy boats like the one below were used to refuel lighted buoys in the days of oil lamps.  Today, they are used to transport workers to job sites and help look for tree limbs and other floating debris in the canals.

Gems Along the Mohawk

Buoy Boat

We left the boat with a little more understanding of the workings of the lock, more knowledge of the history of the canal as well as the Great Loop - definitely a cruise worth taking.

Steuben Memorial State Historic Site

One of our friends from the Mid-Hudson Valley recently related an interesting episode he saw on the History Channel's hit series Pawn Stars. A first edition Revolutionary War training manual  written for George Washington by Baron von Steuben, the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of Troops of the United States, was brought to the shop which according to star Rick Harrison is only 1
of "roughly 5 copies in such fine condition left from the first printing". This was appraised at $18,000 by Rebecca Romney, manager of the Las Vegas gallery of Bauman Rare Books, the most expensive book she's done on the show.  It was to our friend's big surprise to find out that there is a memorial for von Steuben close to Kayuta Lake on Starr Hill Road in Remsen.

Portrait by Ralph Earl, 1786

Friederich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben was a major general in the Continental Army known as the "Drillmaster of the American Revolution."  A former officer in the Prussian Army (1746-1763), he joined Gen. George Washington in Valley Forge on February 5, 1778. Based on his experience with the Prussian Army,  he drafted a training program for soldiers which he initially applied to his model company of 100 chosen men.  He also developed a program of camp sanitation, establishing standards of sanitation and camp layout.

In May 1778, he was appointed Inspector General with the rank of Major General based on the success of his programs. In the winter months of 1778-1779, he prepared the legendary manual. He was the principal military adviser and assistant to Washington in making the continental army a formidable fighting force and whose service was thus indispensable to the achievement of American independence. He was one of 3 division commanders beside George Washington during the surrender of British General Lord Cornwallis in Yorktown on Oct.19, 1781. He later assisted Washington in demobilizing the army in 1783 and aiding in the defense plan for the new nation.

In March 1784, he became an American citizen and was discharged from the military with honors. In 1786, he became an honorary citizen of New York which deeded to him 16,000 acres of land in the Mohawk Valley where he cleared 16 acres for his homesite and erected a 2-room log cabin . This summer retreat became his full-time residence when  poverty forced him to leave his New York City home. In 1790, he had been granted a lifetime pension of $2,500 which was less than expected. He wanted to attract settlers to his property but until the time of his sudden death in Nov. 1794, he only had a few scattered settlers. He died a bachelor and left his property to his former aides William North and Benjamin Walker.












As per his wishes, Steuben was wrapped in his military cloak and buried in an unmarked grave. His remains were moved to a 5-acre wooded area when a road was proposed that would cut through his gravesite.  Col. Benjamin Walker donated 50 acres including the burial site to the Welsh  Baptist Society which agreed to maintain and preserve what is now known as the Sacred Grove. In 1824, a simple limestone marker was placed over the grave by the citizens of Oneida county.  When that deteriorated, the erection of a permanent memorial was initiated by the German-American societies and newspapers and with assistance from New York state was completed in 1872.

To commemorate the bicentennial of the baron's 1730 birth, the 50-acre Steuben Memorial State Historical Site was created with the Sacred Grove at its center,  Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicating the site on Sept. 12, 1931. A replica log cabin was built in 1936, the original site at least half mile south on Sixty Road.

The Steuben Memorial State Historical Site is open until dusk

2014 Hours of Operation:
May 24 - September 1

and is staffed most weekends.

Boonville Fitness

The Boonville Health and Fitness Club, located at 199 Post Street,  has been serving the Boonville area for 25 years or so.  As recently as two months ago, it has been acquired by new owners and renamed Boonville Fitness.



 

Chad Richardson, formerly of the US Army's 101st Airborne and now a DEC cop and his wife Trista, an occupational therapist, just appear to be the perfect couple to head this center.




On our first visit, 2 weeks ago, we were welcomed by a very friendly Max with a free trial.  Pleased with the facility, we are now regulars at the gym.  With about 10 treadmills, 4-5 bicycles and ellipticals, 9 Nautilus, and others I can't name, there are more than enough machines to get us pumped up.

Main Room at Boonville Fitness.  More equipment in smaller rooms.

Leg Press

If we want to use a machine we're not familiar with, Chad is always eager to teach us how.  We've also met some other very friendly clients who gave us helpful tips as well.  If we want to, we can hire our own personal trainer.

Special classes are offered there by different instructors, like zumba every Saturday.  A 3-day youth fitness clinic is planned in July followed by the kids' fitness classes in August.

Chad is hoping that these programs will generate more interest in the fitness center.  We wish Boonville Fitness much success because we plan to continue to go there for as long as we have our camp on Kayuta Lake.

Oriskany Battlefield

During our visit to Fort Stanwix, we learned of the fort's contribution to the cause of the War for Independence.  In August 1777, it was attacked by a combined force of British, German, Canadian, Loyalists and Indian forces led by Lieut. Col. Barry St. Leger.

While Fort Stanwix (then called Fort Schuyler) was being attacked, Brig. Gen Nicholas Herkimer led 800 militiamen and 60 allied Oneida warriors from Fort Dayton (now Herkimer, NY) to aid the fort against the siege.  Before reaching the fort, they fell into a trap set up by British and loyalist troops (who were sent from Fort Stanwix ) in a ravine west of Oriskany Creek about 6 miles east of the fort. The ensuing battle fought on Aug. 6, 1777 was described as "one of the bloodiest battles of the war."  Only about 150 of the 800 rebels survived without serious injury and many of them were taken prisoners by Tory Indians. The Battle of Oriskany caused the death of General Herkimer 10 days after sustaining a wound to his leg. The battle only ended when the Tory Indians (followed by the British-Loyalists) left after hearing news that their camps have been raided by rebels.

Back at Fort Shuyler,  Leger's Native American allies, discouraged by the failure of the siege and wary of the coming reenforcement led by Major General Benedict Arnold, abandoned him causing Leger to end the siege and retreat to Canada.  Leger's forces were supposed to go to Albany to join Gen. Burgoyne's campaign to capture the Lake Champlain-Lake George-Hudson River waterway. Leger's retreat lead to Burgoyne's defeat in Saratoga. The American victory in Saratoga and Fort Schuyler lead directly to alliances with France and Netherlands.  With these alliances, the United States was able to sustain the fight for independence leading to their final victory and British surrender in Yorktown in 1781.

On Aug. 6, 1884, an 85-foot high monument was dedicated on the site of  this battle as a memorial to those who fought bravely for freedom. The Oriskany Battlefield was designated a New York State Historic site in 1927 and a National Historic Landmark in 1963.

 
Now, visitors can explore the site and read interpretive signs.  A mowed path leads to the ravine where General Herkimer's troops were ambushed.  We wanted to follow the entire trail which according to cnyhiking.com is only 0.8 mile.  We were however being inundated by a driving rain, somewhat akin to what occurred during the battle. Unlike the brave combatants who regrouped, we decided to retreat and come back another day.

Rome Sand Plains

The Rome Sand Plains is one of only a few inland pine barrens in the nation, (see list here).  Fine grain sands  had accumulated in the shallow areas of the eastern shore of the ancient Lake Iroquois, wide swaths of which were later exposed in Rome, NY when the glaciers receded,  The west wind then blew them into high sand dunes while the low areas became peat bogs.  There are still some exposed sand dunes with pine barrens,wetlands, and northern hard woods interspersed with transitional meadow with unique birds, butterflies and plants.

The Rome Sand Plains is owned and managed by a consortium of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Izaak Walton League, Oneida County, the City of Rome and private landowners.  More than 4000 of the 16,000 acres of the Rome Sand Plains are protected.


An exposed sand dune is easily seen from this trailhead parking on Hogsback Road.  We followed a foot trail that went to the top of the dune and exited to the road.  This turned out to be Bog Trail.

At another parking lot, we followed a trail which lead to another exposed sand dune. This appears to be a popular target shooting area based on the remnants of targets on the dune, spent shells and other garbage on the ground.  What a shame to do this damage to a natural wonder.  The first sand dune we saw also had some spent shells and casings on the ground in spite of the clear warning against target shooting in the area.


As we headed back to the parking lot, we saw another trail on the left which lead to a gently sloping sandy hill bordered by pitch pines with new growth close to the trail.  There was even a bench at the edge of the trail, at a large open area.  Could this be the Sand Dune Trail?  We did not find any sign and could not find this on any trail map.

As we continued, we ended up at the trailhead for Wood Creek Trail.  The informational signs describe the geologic history of the sand plains and the navigational significance of Wood Creek.

We signed the registry then proceeded along the 0.6 mile trail along the crest of a dune.  There are tall white pine, hemlocks and oaks with moss and lichens covering some of the barren areas.  The trail narrows as it approaches the banks of Wood Creek.  We turned around and followed the trail back to the parking lot.

Wood Creek

 We were a little disappointed for not seeing any blue lupine or frosted elfin butterfly and the litter around the exposed dunes left a sour note to the hike.  It was nevertheless interesting to walk on the sand dunes and discover the vegetation they support.  Maybe we'll come back next time to walk the slightly longer Blue Trail.

Crandall Falls

Crandall Falls is located along the Black River in the town of Forestport. Our previous attempt to find the falls was unsuccessful because of lack of reliable directions.  This time, thanks to the detailed description by Northern New York Waterfalls, we had no problem finding it.


Driving along Muthig Road which becomes Roberts Road, we crossed a smal metal bridge with the NYS DEC indicating the Little Black Creek Fishing Access Site.

About 1/4 mile down the road, a sign directed us towards the Black River Public Fishing Stream.  The sign on the post said Jeep Trail Road Private Drive which apparently was an unofficial sign since all the maps we've consulted stated that this was supposed to be Crandall Falls Road. No wonder we missed it the first time around.

We parked our car at a parking spot about 1.2 miles down the narrow jeep trail.  The road was getting even narrower and muddy but we could have driven another 0.2 mile to the other parking lot close to the trail.  We followed the trail on the right side of the parking lot which went down and took us alongside the river to the designated fishing spot.


Although there were DEC markers on a trail that went uphill and to the left, we followed the narrower trail on the right which ran alongside the river.  We assumed that the "Private Property No Trespassing" signs on the left side of the trail did not include the trail itself.  About 200 feet downstream, we saw the waterfall.

It was not a big waterfall.  Although it might not even meet the 15ft vertical drop qualifying criteria to be included in the World Waterfall Database which claimed to be the "webs most authoritive source about waterfalls", it is there because of it's history of recognition.  After all, it is one of only two waterfalls in Oneida county that are registered with the GNIS (Geographic Names Information System) of the US Geological Survey.  The other one is Pixley Falls.

It was a beautiful day for a hike, breezy with low humidity, so we continued to follow the trail.  Another way to get to the falls is to paddle upstream (for about 2 hours) or take some powerboat from the mouth of Kayuta Lake.  As the river turns rocky at some point, anybody going this way would still have to anchor/beach the boat and hike up to the falls.  We had hoped to be able to follow the river downstream to this point. Alas, the trail ended at the edge of a small tributary and unless we cross the river, we could not continue.  Maybe another time, we'll be prepared to wade across (and even take a swim) or find another trail to take us there.

A Saint From Utica - St. Marianne of Molokai

The term "saints" originally referred to all those who believed in Jesus Christ but very early on became limited to those people who were recognized for their holiness either by universal acclamation (like St. Peter, St. Paul), or through canonization by the Catholic Church. The canonization process was a lengthy and tedious process. In 1983, Pope John Paul II streamlined the process, after which more saints became canonized.  Considering the number of Catholics worldwide, there are still not that many recognized saints and only 12 come from the United States (according to Wikipedia).

And one of them was a resident of Utica.


Mother Marianne was born Barbara Koob in Germany, January 23, 1838 and emigrated to the US with her family the year after her birth. The Koobs (later changed to Cope) settled in Utica in 1840 and became among the earliest parishioners of  St. Joseph's.  Barbara studied at St. Joseph's School until the 8th grade.  Although she experienced a call to religious life at an early age, she had to work in a factory in West Utica to help support her family when her father became an invalid.  After her younger siblings could care for themselves, and one month after her father's death in 1862, she joined the Third Order of St. Francis at St. Joseph's, adopting the name Sister Marianne, taking her vows in November 1863.

As Sister Marianne, she became superior of St. Clare's Convent at St. Joseph's Church (1868-69) and deputy to the Mother Superior in Syracuse (1864). She helped established two hospitals in Utica and Syracuse, and became adminstrator of St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse (1870). Between 1877 and 1883, she was the Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters in Syracuse.  It was her response to a letter from King Kalākaua begging her to send her Sisters to the hospitals and schools in Hawaii that led to her candidacy to sainthood.

In October 1883, Mother Marianne and 6 sisters left for Hawaii, where they worked with Fr. Damien caring for the lepers in the settlement.  She managed a hospital in O'ahu, established another in Maui and cared for orphans of women lepers as well as diseased clergy.  When nobody else would, she cared for the dying Fr. Damien. She, or any of the sisters that followed her, even until now, never succumbed to leprosy, considered itself a miracle. She never returned to the mainland and after devoting more than three decades in the care and education of the victims of this devastating disease, died in 1918. She was canonized by Pope Benedict  XVI on October 21, 2012.



The original church and school attended by St. Marianne in Utica are no longer there, the present church built before she went to the islands.  A later St. Joseph School also closed and the building is now used as the parish center.

This shrine and other places of pilgrimage are listed in the St. Marianne Cope's website.







The church was closed when we visited on a Monday afternoon so we checked at the parish office and a sister graciously came out and opened the church just for us. The church had beautiful stained glass windows although we failed to locate the two which supposedly depicted some scenes in St. Marianne's life.







 To the left of the altar, a section was devoted to St. Marianne.  The reliquary, we were told, contains a bone of the newly recognized saint. After saying a prayer and offering a petition, we left feeling privileged to have walked (sort of) in the footsteps of a saint.

Parker F. Scripure Botanical Garden

The  Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens  is a 15 acre site in Oriskany NY (about 28 miles from Kayuta Lake) surrounding the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County. Dedicated in 1985, it was rededicated in 1996 to honor a local nurseryman and former country legislator Parker F. Scripture. The gardens are maintained by approximately 50 Master Gardener Volunteers.  Last year, it was a third place winner in the category 1 (<10,000 visitors) All-America Selections first annual Landscape Design Contest.  

Among the different features the garden has, we were most interested in the herb garden and the perennial garden.

The butterfly house had a lot of flowering plants but we only saw two monarchs.



We went on the Nature Trail which was a little muddy in areas, thanks to the abundant rain we've had the
last few days. There were woodpeckers, a snake, and probably a hooting owl.  There were too many bugs though to truly enjoy the walk.