The Chenango Canal its Reservoirs & Lakes & Bit of History

The idea of having a canal is a simple visualization, boats  floating down stream or being towed through canal channels and across aqueducts, but the reality is that a commodity was needed for its success – WATER.

The original surveyors believed that the vast majority of the water supply for the canal could be easily garnered from a town at the canal’s summit.

A study of building the feeders and reservoirs was commenced with an eye toward its eventual cost, since a cap of $1,000,000 had been basically set by the New York State Legislature.  The study returned a finding that 9 reservoirs or lakes could be established or drawn from for the purpose of filling the canal and keeping it full; of the nine, seven of the water bodies would be located in the Town of Eaton.

 The total cost was estimated at $l32,349.26.  The annual supply was gauged to be 510,298 M c. feet (M represents 1000 X) (later Kingsley (Lebanon) Reservoir would be added for more water.)

The contracts for these reservoirs and feeders were issued in June of 1834 and needed to be completed by the fall of 1835 which would give the summer of 1836 for testing the quality of work and their ability to fill the distance of over 90 miles.

 Here the author notes that of the 510,298 M cu. feet estimated, about 400,000 M cu. feet of water would be supplied by Eaton’s reservoirs or lakes.

To quote Michelle McFee, who had published a book entitled Limestone Locks and Overgrowth, “The amount of time and effort required to build the feeder and reservoir system was enormous, and the changes the engineers proposed were extraordinary. The three year long construction plan involved building dams with rudimentary equipment, digging miles of feeders and directing their flow, flooding farms and mills, and draining swamps.”

The canal was unable to open in 1836 and Kingsley Brook feeder would not be completed until 1837, so that canal opening would wait.  At this time the canal consisted of 114 composite (wood, quicklime and stone) locks, 2 stone lift locks (at either end of the canal), one guard lock, 19 aqueducts, 52 culverts, 21 waste-water-weirs, 56 road bridges, 106 farm bridges, 53 feeder bridges, 12 dams, and 11 lock houses, this in the year 1836.

Here our long hidden story of Eaton and the canal is recorded for the first time in 150 years.  Eaton in 1835 set to work to gain support for the deepening and widening of the West Branch Feeder in order to make it able to be navigated.

The great need for this was the foundries and distilleries of Eaton, the Hamlet, and their need for iron ore from Clinton and grain from the state.  Ellis Morse was a prime voice in trying to bring the measure to fruition.  The Morse distillery, woolen mills, grain mills, and lumber mills were a major industry in the area.  The foundries (though they did not include Wood, Taber & Morse at that time) still produced the Winchester Axe and was home to the early cast plow factory of Alpeous Morse and the famous Payson and Burch Foundry.

This proposed branch would also connect it with the settlement and commerce of Eaton, the Town, via its turnpikes.

Chenango Canal, Eaton, Ellis Morse, and New History

Some interesting information on the Chenango Canal!

     “Dear Sir: I am waiting very impatiently for instructions from the committee whether to remain here and try to get the bill through or return home and let it take its course.”  This excerpt is from a newly discovered letter written on March 18, 1835 from Albany by Robert Henry of Eaton.

     Eaton had introduced an Act in Assembly on March 13, 1835 to make the proposed West Branch Feeder of Chenango Canal navigable to the Hamlet of Eaton.  In a letter to Ellis Morse and others from Carbondale, dated January 23, 1835, we find that Mr. William McAlprin had made an estimate of the cost involved and found that of the two routes proposed, one using “Pettis’s Pond” the other the proposed feeder, that they would be about the same both in distance and in lockage and in cost. ($20,000 for one $21,000 for the other.)

     A main factor involved with the success or failure of this plan, however, must be somehow realized, it was politics.  Though this feeder would certainly benefit the public interest (which was a main criteria in the Legislative Act), the politics that were still somewhat in power at that time and involved with the Chenango Canal (though supporters of this venture throughout) was the Anti-Masonic Party.  

The Anti-Masonic movement in New York State had gathered great political force and power, and it was well known that Ellis Morse and Eaton had remained a hot bed of loyal Masons who had remained active while other lodges and orders had closed from political and public pressure.  This canal improvement would have made it easy for Ellis Morse’s (high ranking Mason) large distillery in Eaton to get needed grain and for him to ship his product.  I believe that this is why the act was not passed!

     Eaton would latter connect to the canal via Peck’s Port and an area now referred to as “Fiddler’s Green.”  Peck’s Port in its prime had as many as four barges docked at one time.  Peck’s Port was literally the most active port on the canal because of the Town of Eaton goods and businesses.

     The Chenango Canal opened in May of 1837 with limited success which gained and waned as the years went on.  Some of the original problems included porous canal walls which had to be sealed (flooding occurred in the basements of some communities where the canal was put through its many streets because of the loose soil.) higher loses of water through lock gates that became less than tight when closing because of sediment and loose gravel and, the inability of the Canal Authority to accurately gauge the tonnage of the canal boats, since there was no weight locks on the cnal and the shipper’s figures had to be used.

     In spite of this all, before 1859 the canal ran quietly with ordinary repairs and maintenance of its bridges and tow banks.

     The 1860’s, however proved costly as extensive repairs could not be more to the dilapidated locks.  J. P. Goodsell the Resident Engineer of the Middle Division of the State Canals in his 1861 report said: “I have made a personal and thorough examination of all the locks upon this canal and find that those from the summit (Peck’s Port) North which are built of lime and sandstone of that vicinity, have retained their original proportions entire, with the exception of a few of the lower wings.

    

Summer, Camps Pond and the history of today's Hatch Lake..

This first week of summer has brought some wonderful weather to our area.  The summer folks who gather around our many lakes and reservoirs have arrived and camp cleaning and summer dinning are evident in the area near the ponds, lakes and reservoirs. From Leland's Ponds in the east to Hatch Lake in the west the Town of Eaton still sparkles in the summer sun!

The history of these bodies of water are an interesting reminder of what was accomplished by men who did not have earth moving equipment... only rudimentary tools and horses.  Some of these are a marvel when you think about the years they were engineered and the success of the idea of a canal feeder and its feeders materialized.  One such pond, which was just that a pond, was expanded to be one of the most beautiful summer get-a-ways for people....in the old days it was called Camp's Pond and today we call it Hatch's Lake.  Have been a bit under the weather this week but figured you might enjoy a trip into history!

Camps’ Pond

Today’s Hatch’s Lake, in the corner of the Town of Eaton, once fed the historic Chenango Canal but dates its original name, Camp’s Pond, back to the late 1790s.

Dr. Abner Camp was an early resident of what he named Camp’s Hill, a man of great humor and interest in the local community.  Tales of his adventures hunting and with his efforts to stop the local Native Americans from peering into his cabin at all hours still exist in the area.  He once set about to scare the local intruders by threatening to raise a company of men to run them off after they threatened a war party to get even with him.  He won when he and two other men shouted about like a troop of men and put a bullet over the head of a sleeping old Indian, scaring him almost to death.  The man ran away back to his village thinking a whole troop of men was after him.

Camp’s Pond gave way to Hatch’s Pond when Peter Hatch took the property over in the early 1800s.  By 1833, and the opening of the Chenango Canal, the pond was enlarged as part of the feeder system of canal reservoirs and is today named Hatch Lake.

At one point, the lake’s outlet at the southwestern end was dammed so that the water would no longer flow to the south over the Tioughnioga River and instead would flow to another man-made reservoir, Bradley Brook Reservoir.

Today, the level of the lake and its outlet are controlled and summer camps dot the shores, a great fisherman’s paradise.  This part of the Chenango Canal’s feeder system still feeds the Erie Canal far to the north, at its end starts a man-made reservoir called Bradley Brook. Bradley Brook Reservoir, constructed also in 1835 and '36, covers an area of 134 acres.

Summer, Camps Pond and the history of today's Hatch Lake. & Wednesday Lecture!

Our summer Lecture series is ongoing with a lecture on Muller Hill and its mysterious owner set for Wednesday July 18th at 7pm.  Refreshments to purchase include ice cream, pies and goodies, all to benefit the Old Town of Eaton Museum.  The speaker is Back Street Mary, former Madison County Historian.

Summer has brought some wonderful hot weather to our area.  The summer folks who gather around our many lakes and reservoirs have arrived near the ponds, lakes and reservoirs. From Leland's Ponds in the east to Hatch Lake in the west the Town of Eaton still sparkles in the summer sun!

The history of these bodies of water are an interesting reminder of what was accomplished by men who did not have earth moving equipment... only rudimentary tools and horses.  Some of these are a marvel when you think about the years they were engineered and the success of the idea of a canal feeder and its feeders materialized.  One such pond, which was just that a pond, was expanded to be one of the most beautiful summer get-a-ways for people....in the old days it was called Camp's Pond and today we call it Hatch's Lake.  Have been a bit under the weather this week but figured you might enjoy a trip into history!

Camps’ Pond

Today’s Hatch’s Lake, in the corner of the Town of Eaton, once fed the historic Chenango Canal but dates its original name, Camp’s Pond, back to the late 1790s.

Dr. Abner Camp was an early resident of what he named Camp’s Hill, a man of great humor and interest in the local community.  Tales of his adventures hunting and with his efforts to stop the local Native Americans from peering into his cabin at all hours still exist in the area.  He once set about to scare the local intruders by threatening to raise a company of men to run them off after they threatened a war party to get even with him.  He won when he and two other men shouted about like a troop of men and put a bullet over the head of a sleeping old Indian, scaring him almost to death.  The man ran away back to his village thinking a whole troop of men was after him.

Camp’s Pond gave way to Hatch’s Pond when Peter Hatch took the property over in the early 1800s.  By 1833, and the opening of the Chenango Canal, the pond was enlarged as part of the feeder system of canal reservoirs and is today named Hatch’s Lake.

At one point, the lake’s outlet at the southwestern end was dammed so that the water would no longer flow to the south over the Tioughnioga River and instead would flow to another man-made reservoir, Bradley Brook Reservoir.

Today, the level of the lake and its outlet are controlled and summer camps dot the shores, a great fisherman’s paradise.  This part of the Chenango Canal’s feeder system still feeds the Erie Canal far to the north, at its end starts a man-made reservoir called Bradley Brook. Bradley Brook Reservoir, constructed also in 1835 and '36, covers an area of 134 acres.

A found dog and a found cat... Homeward Bound and Drake is HOME!

Well it is offically a happy ending to the story of Drake the missing Sheltie!  

He was found and is home with his family and is back to barking at me when I go out the door.  Mind you his bark is not quite the same as before because he is week...but its Drake!

After 2 and one half months of searching and crying his owner can now sleep knowing he is not dying cold and hungry...tho he was down from 35 pounds to around 18.  So this proves that animal stories can be both sad and heart warming; over the years Eaton has had a number of interesting cases that can attribute to that.  A lost pet can just wrench at a family who worries about where the animal is, if it has food or if it is alive.  These feelings last for a long time and guilt many times causes owners to loose sleep and wellbeing while they continue to search sometimes for months for months.

One such case are my neighbors who… including myself…. have been looking for their lost Sheltie called Drake.  Drake became lost July 3rd near Sherrill on Seneca Street.   The dog has been spotted a number of times running wild but has not been caught.  Hope for catching him has started to dwindle.

However, remarkable stories of hope also survive in stories like "The Incredible Journey", or "Lassie Comes Home" and so on.   In Eaton there is a incredible tale of a cat who looked much like my Rascal.  The cat was a birthday present for a very ill young man who loved and bonded with him until his death at the young age of 19 years. 

The boy and the cat were so close and he loved it so much that a picture of the cat was put on the boys gravestone.  The animal continued to live with the family as a link to their son until an explosion caused the owners to move to a family summer home on the Eatonbrook Reservoir while their house was repaired…. this is where the beloved cat got lost.

The owners searched and searched but to no avail and eventually moved back to their home near Cicero. 

Three years later a cat was brought to the Cazenovia Animal Hospital after a car had hit it.  To the surprise of all it had an information chip embedding in it.  The workers called the chip company but had no luck locating who owned it. (It had been 3 years).  Then by a stroke of fate the salesman for the company came in the office that very day and after some searching found its owners.  Yes, three years later the family was united with their link to their son…. a heartwarming story.

So today we can add the story of Drake who has come home!

The Trailer for Homeward Bound or the incredible Journey!

A trip back to the past..and the memories linger!

Sometimes memories are a bit painful as well as wonderful and this weekend brought those emotions to the forefront for me.

Eaton when I first moved here was such a wonderful place filled with friends and good times.  Oh yes the going was tough since we bought this house before the wrecking ball got it and had to struggle to stay warm in Eaton's seriously cold winters...but the neighbors became family and we had fun.

This weekend I had a wonderful visitor from North Carolina named Jill.  I met Jill when she was just a young girl who came up to Eaton to stay with her grandmother for a few weeks every summer.  Her grandmother was my best friend and fishing buddy...and summers were made up of picnics, swimming in the little pool we had out back, and trips to pick cowslips..berries....and all the things that make country life so wonderful.

So in this dreary weather Jill and I set off to revisit a few of the old haunts....we laughed...and later when she left I cried....not a horrible cry but a painful cry because now all my dear friends and neighbors are dead ...and the street though filled with new young people ...that is still quiet and safe... is missing that wonderful older segment of the population that let you remember Eaton's past.

A past that included a closed atmosphere where everyone worried about everyone else and enjoyed life for its simple pleasures like just walking to the neighbors uninvited for coffee, having lunch on the porch listening to tales of the past....learning what the family and friends were up to....or sitting by the woodstove in winter chatting about the coming springs adventures.  We called ourselves "Back Door Friends"..but we were more like family...and unfortunately they are all dead and the young have moved away.

Well today we have Facebook..and although the new neighbors and I do Facebook with each other....its not the same.....and with the introduction of the internet...it will never be the same again...never I fear!

A trip back was fun!

So a toast to those good times and to those now gone....I still remember...!

Sad that we can only revisit those good times as memories.....and the summers seem to get much shorter as you get older...and the winters much longer!

Thanks for the visit Jill....