Herkimer County treasures its history

One day, you can explore the southern region, and the towns of Little Falls, Herkimer, Mohawk, Ilion and Dolgeville.

The next day, you can trek the pristine wilderness up north in the towns of Old Forge, Big Moose and Beaver River.

On the water

Our kids were quite young when we took them there, and there were water rides for all ages. Some of the big slides scared them at the time, but they've often talked about going back.

The town of Old Forge is one of my favorite rustic Adirondack towns. In the winter, it's known as the "snowmobile capital of the Northeast." It offers hundreds of miles of well-groomed snowmobile trails that have now been opened to mountain bikers in the spring, summer and fall.

Lots to do

The few times I've been there, I've always made a stop at The Old Forge Hardware Store on Main Street; you can get just about anything. I especially like all the Adirondack books for sale.

My son Paul has stayed with a friend who has a camp in Old Forge. "It's really nice there," said Paul. "At the camp, there were deer right in the backyard. I hand-fed them, and one night we took a boat and sailed into the town, docked, and ate out. That was really neat. There were all these lakes connected together up there, and sometimes the connecting streams are only about five feet deep."

Heading south

I've always been fascinated by the Erie Canal and its lock system. As a boy, I used to bike with my friends to Lock 7 in Niskayuna and spend all day there, and I can still entertain myself for hours by sitting at a lock to watch boats big and small pass through.

Lock 17 didn't disappoint. It's situated between a hillside on the left and Moss Island on the right. I walked over the Lock 17 bridge and began my trip by exploring some of the trails of Moss Island. There were some good overlook views of the town of Little Falls.

Going up

I sat there for about 15 minutes, watching climbers of varying abilities. There was even a mother and father with their three children. It seemed like everyone knew each other, and secretly I wanted someone to encourage me to put on a helmet and try one of the ropes.

"It's fun," said a climber who was about 50. He must have been watching me and knew what I was thinking. "It's harder than it looks, and it's a great workout for your arms and legs."

I could have stayed much longer, but there were other places I needed to visit; so I hopped back in my car for the short drive to Little Falls. Main Street there feels like a movie set, with pretty awnings over the storefronts and quite a few American flags blowing. I could see why people might want to live in such a cute town.

I continued back down Route 5 going west for my next stop: Herkimer. Its Main Street is lined with some pretty shops and eateries.

History

Across the street is the Herkimer County Courthouse, and close by is the original 1834 county jail, made famous in "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. It's the jail where Chester Gillette waited for his trial for the Grace Brown murder. Touring the museum is free, but there's a nominal fee for a guided tour of the jail.

Rev. Robert Shinos of Ss. Anthony and Joseph Parish in Herkimer has lived in the area for more than 25 years.

"It's a beautiful area," he said. "We're not too far from Cooperstown and the Auriesville Shrine. Many people come here for camping and fishing. The population is stable since it's so easy to commute from here because of the Thruway. Many people who live here enjoy boating and the canal system, and many of the towns have built marinas. It's a great place to raise a family."

Ilion

Eliphalet Remington built his first rifle back in 1816; his company is one of the largest firearms makers in the world and America's oldest. Remington was also the first company to create the typewriter, and its museum contains a typewriter used by Mark Twain.

The museum displays many guns owned by famous people, such as Annie Oakley, star of Wild West Shows, along with posters and paintings from the early days of the company. Their slogan is, "The Remington Firearms Museum, where the history of a company tells the history of a country."

Sparklers

Herkimer Diamonds are actually double-terminated quartz crystals. These gemstones are believed to be close to 500 million years old. They are found in rock and appear to have been precision-cut by a diamond expert.

The Herkimer Diamond Mines is like a world all to itself. There are campsites for tenting, RV sites, cottages and cabins. Children can go tubing down the West Canada Creek, and what I found very interesting were the actual working mines, where you could pay a fee and then spend all day digging for the quartz gemstones.

I first walked around the museum and gift shop, which is filled with jewelry, gems, rocks and minerals from around the world. Then it was on to the working mines. I talked to a few of the prospectors, but it didn't seem to be a good day for finding diamonds -- I mean quartz.

Rural roads

At Salisbury Center, Route 29 swings south in the direction of Dolgeville. I saw a sign on the right that said "Covered Bridge," so I took a quick turn. It was a wise move, because I came upon a quiet, secluded little park with a pretty covered bridge.

The Salisbury Covered Bridge is the only original covered bridge in Herkimer County. Built in 1875, it is still in use today. It was nice to get out of the car and walk around the tree-shaded park. The bridge crossed over some fast-running rapids. An older couple was seated quietly on a bench overlooking the bridge and stream. They were each reading sections of a newspaper and enjoying the solitude. I could have stayed all day there.

Going batty

When I was a little boy and seriously believed that I would one day play second base for the Boston Red Sox, my dad used to tell me to use only an Adirondack bat during Little League games. "They're the best bats," he'd say, "and they're made in New York State in a little town named Dolgeville. Major league baseball players use Adirondack bats."

I drove by the bat company, hoping to find a museum or at least a tour showing how baseball bats are made; but all was quiet. I was disappointed because I've wanted to visit since I was a little boy.

Festival

The street was loaded with pedestrians. I felt like I had wandered into Disneyland. There were Clydesdale horses pulling people in a wagon...bands playing...clowns juggling...and many booths of pies, crafts and flowers. I had stumbled on to the Violet Festival in Dolgeville.

It seemed like a happy town where everyone knew each other. I felt sad to be alone as I wandered around, but everyone I passed was smiling and friendly. Maybe I swung and missed out on a tour of the bat company, but I hit a home run by finding out that Dolgeville is a wonderful little town populated by friendly people.

In his name

Gen. Herkimer showed legendary courage during the summer of 1777 when the British were attempting to control the Mohawk Valley. At the Battle of Oriskany, he was injured severely but still commanded his troops valiantly. His militia held its ground despite fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Ten days later, Herkimer died from his wounds; almost immediately, he was declared a martyr to the cause of American freedom.

Herkimer House

I also explored the visitor's center, which displays exhibits and audio-visual programs on Gen. Herkimer, the Mohawk Valley and the Revolutionary war battles that occurred near by.

I could have spent hours at the Herkimer Home, which is a New York State historic site located right near exit 29A of the Thruway.

The next time I'm traveling west on the New York State Thruway, I'm making a quick detour at exit 29A to show my family this wonderful historic site.

(07-18-02) [[In-content Ad]]