Fort Ontario, like Fort Niagara, was originally established by the French to control the Oswego waterway route from Lake Ontario into what is now western New York and the Ohio valley. Sheri and I bypassed this fort which the Nano crew would visit later and turned south to follow the Oswego and Erie canals to Rome, NY.
It is striking how different these canals appear from the highway compared to experiencing them by boat. From the highway we had only occasional glimpses of the canals but still got an appreciation for the lush woodlands of northern New York. These river corridors are now used by 18-wheelers, freight trains and boats alike and they appear congested when viewed from the highway. Later, when travelling by boat, we would be somewhat removed from the trains and highway traffic and be taken back in time by the history of these waterways and the importance of their geography to the westward expansion of early settlements and quest for empire. Boating in historic waters is like time travel.
Revisiting Rome, NY was a pilgrimage for me. My family lived here during World War II and I have many fond memories of that time in my life. Although I could not identify our house on Maple street, I easily recognized Fort Stanwix Elementary school where I entered first grade. I also clearly remember my 1st grade teacher, Ms. Grovejohn. Unlike anyone in my family she had very large breasts.
Fort Stanwix itself has been rediscovered and reconstructed as a national monument since I lived in Rome. It was strategically built to control the Oneida Carrying Place, a six mile portage connecting the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, served as a vital link for those traveling by water from the ocean to the Great Lakes. When Europeans arrived, nations fought for control of the carry, the homelands of the Six Nations (ie., Iroquois) Confederacy, and the rich resources of North America. In this struggle, Fort Stanwix would play a vital role in both the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. Known as "the fort that never surrendered," Fort Stanwix successfully repelled a prolonged siege, in August 1777, by British, German, Loyalist, Canadian, and American Indian allies. The failed siege combined with the battles at Oriskany, Bennington, and Saratoga thwarted a coordinated effort by the British in to take the northern colonies, and led to American alliances with France and the Netherlands. Troops from Fort Stanwix protected America's northwest frontier from British campaigns until finally being abandoned in 1781.
Our journey by car down the Mohawk valley from Rome to Albany will be repeated later as we return to Rome on our canal trip aboard Nano.
On August 2nd we rendezvoused with Nano and her crew at Donovan's Shady Harbor Marina south of Albany near New Baltimore on the Hudson. Nano's delivery to Shady Harbor from Portland, Maine has been discribed in a previous blog.
