Mohawk Towpath
Decades ago the rolling hills, forests and farmland of Upstate New York were dotted with small rural communities, little more than names on a map. After 1817, the increased river trade from the completion of the Erie Canal transformed sleepy communities into industrial powerhouses. The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway connects Lakes to Locks Passage to the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River through the Schenectady region, highlighting the canal culture sites that changed this region forever.
During the canal era, the Harmony Mills district in Cohoes took advantage of its prime location at the junction of the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal to develop a thriving industrial complex. Today's visitors can take a self-guided tour of the large red brick buildings located on the very edge of the Mohawk River. Harmony Mill #3 might attract special interest for its unusual nickname: Mastodon Mill. It was given that name in 1872 not only because it was the largest individual cotton factory in the world, but also because a complete mammoth skeleton was found there during its construction.
Another self-guided tour awaits visitors to the Historic Schenectady Stockade, the oldest unspoiled residential neighborhood in the country. Visitors may learn the history of this Dutch settlement from the many informative signs scattered throughout the district. Several of the remaining buildings date from before 1690, miraculously surviving both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. As stops on the tour, they present a view of the life of some of the earliest settlers of America.
Today, bikers and hikers travel the byway's canal-side paths where mules and horses once towed barges. Catamarans and cruisers have replaced bulky industrial barges on the sections of the Erie Canal that are still in operation today. Several towns along the byway cater to such visiting boaters, but none more so than Waterford, the city at the beginning of the Erie Canal. As a center of canal activity, Waterford offers visitors water recreation along the canal and an intriguing view of locks in action along the still-functioning Barge Canal.
With hundreds of years represented, from the remnants of the Dutch settlers to modern canal recreation, the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway offers n expansive view of life in upstate New York. For more information about the Mohawk Towpath visit www.mohawktowpath.homestead.com.
Partners
Lakes to Locks Partners
