By Erin Place, The Palladium-Times link to original article
A hazy September morning was the perfect day for a canoe ride on the Oswego River and a history lesson from environmentalist and local history aficionado Dick Drosse.
We launched behind Drosse’s house on Hickory Grove Road in Minetto. After climbing into the canoe, we paddled through the still waters of the river that mostly was covered with a green surface layer made up of river algae and lily pads. We avoided impassable patches of water chestnuts that had infiltrated large sections of the river. This is an invasive species to the area, Drosse said, noting that this year the water chestnuts had nearly doubled since last year.
One of the first historic landmarks on the river we passed was Battle Island. The island was host to the historic battle of 1756 where British troops were ambushed by French and Indian forces. It’s hard to believe that history happened on this overgrown island floating in the middle of the Oswego River. The eastern end of the island was once connected to the riverbank and mainland many years ago, Drosse said.
The first remaining structure we saw was one of the stone masonry locks that was part of the original Oswego Canal. The construction on the 19.7-mile canal began in 1826 and was the only connector into the Erie Canal. The stone locks were used until the turn of the 19th century and were largely forgotten about after the new lock system on the river was installed. As we traveled through the lock, we passed a dilapidated dock and under a wooden bridge that was also beginning to fall apart.
Next on our list of places to see as we traveled farther down the river was the house John VanBuren and the tavern he once operated. VanBuren lived in Volney in the early- and mid-1800s during the height of the Oswego Canal’s operation. His red brick and white Doric column house stood proudly roughly 40 feet away from the riverbank. Someone still lives there today, but Drosse is unsure who the current owner is.
VanBuren’s red brick tavern was a little farther down the river and was more overgrown than the neatly kept house. Not only did VanBuren operate a tavern for canal travelers, but he also kept a stable to feed, water and change mules, a blacksmith shop and a store filled with goods for those traversing the canal. There is also a neglected cemetery belonging to the VanBurens, but we were not able to see it via canoe because of the weeds blocking our path.
The last remaining structure we passed on our way back to Drosse’s house was the remnants of a starch factory that burned down sometime in the 1800s. Drosse joked that Thomas Kingsford, the famous Oswego inventor of Kingsford Starch, sent somebody out in the middle of the night to burn the competitor’s factory to the ground. All that remained was the cement foundation and a small archway.
It is amazing the historic and interesting things you can find tucked away in your own backyard. So next time you get the chance, take a ride on the Oswego River and view a little bit of hidden history.
For additional paddling options in this region, pick up a copy of Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks.
