Capital - Mohawk Region 2: 

Welcome to the second part of the geographic journey through the Capital-Mohawk Region! You have been already be introduced to the Capital District of Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and Saratoga. The trip continues up the corridor leading westward, the Mohawk River Valley.

As rivers go, it is not particularly impressive. It will never be confused with the Mississippi, or for that matter, even with the Hudson, its parent stream. The Mohawk, however, does something that no other American river does; it provides a low-elevation route through the uplands toward the Great Lakes Basin. A look at any relief map of the Eastern United States (see the Human Geography section), shows the Mohawk Valley as a thin ribbon of green between the Adirondacks (to the north) and the Appalachian Plateau (to the south). It is along this route that the Erie Canal was built. During the 19th century, many small industrial cities were also built, owing their existence to hydropower from the river's many small waterfalls and rapids. The rural countryside in the uplands south of the valley (along Rte. 20) are also tied economically and culturally to the Mohawk. Our little trip will investigate them both.

WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE:

1. Your trip through Capital Land ended in Schenectady. Cross the Mohawk River, and immediately pick up NY Route 5 in Scotia. Travel west with the Mohawk River on your left. Get a physical sense of the valley. It is deeper and wider than should be expected for a river of this stature. Much of the erosion in this valley took place at the end of the Ice Age. As the glaciers receded, meltwater poured down this valley. The power of this "super-Mohawk" changed the character of the valley forever.

You will pass through or near several Mohawk Valley villages and small cities: Amsterdam, Johnstown, Gloversville.  They were at one time the center of a booming industrial center, the home to carpet and clothing factories. Now most of these industries are gone, and the downtown districts show the economic strain.

QUESTION: Take a short survey of the factories in Amsterdam. How many are vacant? For those in operation, do they have new uses? If so, what kinds of businesses survive here?

A quick aside about Johnstown, which is about ten miles north of the Valley. It was first settled by Sir William Johnson, the British "ambassador" to the Mohawk people. His well-preserved home is a state historic site, and worth a visit.

2. Cross the Mohawk River on Route 30. Take Route 5S to Fort Hunter. The Mohawk River is now "canalized." Rapids are dammed, and locks go around them. However, the original Erie Canal was in a ditch that paralleled the river. Few remnants of the original canal remain, but here in Fort Hunter is Schoharie Crossing Park. Here you will see what is left of the original Clinton's Ditch, and part of the great Schoharie Aqueduct that took the canal over north-flowing Schoharie Creek, one of the Mohawk's most important tributaries. There is a visitor center with some interesting displays.  Note that the creek was originally dammed so the canal boats could cross at river level. Why was the aqueduct constructed at a later date? Allow yourself time to walk around to see some of the outdoor exhibits.

3. Get back on Route 5S going westward (upstream, if you prefer).  Shortly, you will arrive in Auriesville, the home of an unexpected tourist attraction, the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs.  This site commemorates the Jesuits priests who were killed by the Mohawks in the 17th century. This is also the birthplace of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who was converted to Catholicism despite opposition from her own people. There is a strong movement in the Church to have her canonized, and that is currently pending. (There is a another shrine for Tekakwitha across the river in Fonda).

Remember that this site is considered sacred ground, so as you stroll around the shrine be respectful of those who are here to worship.

QUESTION: The theme of conflict is reoccurring in the Mohawk Valley. What was the cultural clash between the Mohawk people and the French Jesuits that led to their martyrdom?

4. Resume your westward trek, with the Mohawk on your right. Soon you will pass through one of the narrowest points in the valley, "The Noses." This fault block of ancient rock would have been a major obtacle to travel had the river not cut a path through it. Note that there are cliffs on both sides of the river (Big Nose and Little Nose) and that all highways and the railroad hug the river at this point.
Soon you will enter the small city of Canajoharie, "The Place of the Boiling Pot." A small stream that flows through town has carved out potholes where the water churns, which is the derivation of the name.
As you drive (and hopefully walk) around the town, notice how the construction must fit the physical geography. Downtown is in the flats, as is the Beech Nut complex along the river itself. Much of the residential areas and built along the escarpment.

5. Your next stop should be in Little Falls, around 12 miles west of Canajoharie. Just before you cross the Mohawk to enter Little Falls, there is a canal park on the left side of the bridge. Drive up the roadway and park. You are at the site where the Erie Canal concept was born. At this barrier on the Mohawk River, at the end of the 18th century, some small locks were built by the Western Inland Navigation Company. This greatly improved boat travel on the river, but it wasn't until Clinton's Ditch was built twenty-five years later, that commerce really boomed.
Today, the canal goes through two major locks near Little Falls. You can visit Lock 17 here, and if you are lucky, a boat will pass through the lock while you are there. It is an impressive site. (The photo at the right shows the lock both full and empty).
Walk over the lockgate and explore Moss Island, which lies between the artificial waterway and the river itself. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes on, since the rocks might be slippery. On the river side of the island are some very interesting rock formations. They were carved by the flood waters of the melting glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. They give testimony to the erosive power of that proto-Mohawk River. Here at Little Falls, there once was a divide between the east-flowing Mohawk and a second river flowing towards Oswego. The meltwaters cut through that divide, so the Mohawk now extends beyond Rome. The result was some tricky waterfalls on the river but no divide.

QUESTION: Do you think that 19th century technology could have created a canal that would have gone over such a divide? How did this Ice Age event change the fortunes of the Mohawk Valley and the rest of the state, too?