The Old Town of Eaton Museum will be sponsoring another
history lecture on Wednesday, June 20th at 7 pm, at the old auction
barn on Route 26 in Eaton. The
discussion will focus around the Native Americans of the Central New York area
and the importance of Onondaga Lake its Salt Springs to it early
settlement.
The Summer Solstice is the perfect time to shed light on the
traditions and stories of this time of the year and the importance of the
rising sun in our culture. All peoples
the world over used this solar time for special ceremonies that marked the
beginning of the planting season.
Onondaga Lake and its many salt springs gave rise to
businesses that allowed Syracuse and Central New York communities like Solvay,
Tully, Jamesville and others to flourish and become the hub of Syracuse know at
one time as “The City Salt Built”.
A lake steeped in traditions that go back to the start of
the Haudenosaunee confederacy and the story of Hiawatha it was the home of “The Great Tree of Peace” under which was
buried the hatchet of war.
The Salt Springs themselves were of great interest to the
early Jesuit Ministers who came down from Canada to map and to convert its
Native inhabitants to their Christian Ways.
Many an early settle made their way onto Native land with their boiling
bucket and ax to make salt to preserve their meat and fish for the winter. Onondaga Lake also contained White Fish and
Sturgeon a food source that has now become extinct.
Today’s Onondaga Lake is returning to fishing, recreation
and boating by projects to clean its pollution cause by many years of industry
and waste dumping, however it is these very industries that built the Central
New York area and gave immigrants and settlers alike the jobs necessary to
produce a vibrant economy.
join Back Street Mary the former Madison County Historian
on June 20th with a Rain Date of June 21 at 7 pm to learn more. You
can visit the Old Town of Eaton Museum on the first and third Sunday of the
month in the summer, from 1 – 3 pm. The
museum is just a stones throw from the auction barn on River Road.
A short video I've done on today's Salt Museum and Onondaga Lake Park.
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