Skip to main content

Erie Canal: Montezuma Heritage Park and Richmond Viaduct

Image
By

 Even though the Erie Canal has been modernized and has followed some slightly different alignments over the past 200 years, there are many old remnants, locks and aqueducts of the Erie Canal that are yours to discover and explore across the Empire State. The canals in New York State are definitely an important part of this state's rich history, so it's nice that vestiges of the Erie Canal can still be seen. Some of the old remnants are sitting quietly in the wild or alongside roads while others are preserved as part of various parks and historical sites. There's even a rest area on the New York Thruway in Port Byron that doubles as the Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park. Not far from Port Byron, in Montezuma, is another one of these relics from a bygone era of the Erie Canal. This area is preserved for public use as the Montezuma Heritage Park.


There is quite a bit of history to explore at the Montezuma Heritage Park. The park has some walking trails, including one that follows the old towpath of the enlarged Erie Canal, as well as a trail that goes to the ruins of the old Montezuma Fibre Mill, which attempted to make paper out of cattails. This area of Montezuma around the Montezuma Heritage Park is a bit swampy, so you can see why the mill tried to take advantage of these resources.

If you follow the Byron Lapp Memorial Trail that follows the old towpath of the canal, you will reach the remnants of the 840 foot long Seneca River Aqueduct, also known as the Richmond Aqueduct, as it was designed and built under the careful direction of Van Richmond, who was an engineer and surveyor. The aqueduct was constructed starting in 1849 and was opened for use in 1857. Today, a portion of the old aqueduct is still in existence, because when the modern day successor to the Erie Canal was constructed in 1917 along the Seneca River, part of the aqueduct was removed so boats could freely move up and down the Seneca River with the remains of the aqueduct jutting out into the Seneca River. During my visit to the park, I just walked down to the aqueduct and back, as a few of the trails were quite muddy and a bit flooded from the early spring snow melt.

Historical sign noting the Richmond Aqueduct.
Old infrastructure at the trailhead.

Walking down the old towpath.




Photos from the Seneca River Aqueduct, or Richmond Aqueduct.






Sources and Links:
Montezuma Historical Society - Visit the Park
TourCayuga.com - Montezuma Heritage Park
The Erie Canal - The Seneca River Aqueduct
The Travels of Tug 44 - Old Richmond Aqueduct 
New York History Blog - Montezuma Heritage Park: Interpreting Four Canals
New York History Blog - The Cat Tail Company: Montezuma Fibre
Town of Montezuma, NY -  Parks & Recreation

How to Get There:




Update Log:
January 14, 2018 - Originally published article to Unlocking New York.
August 19, 2021 - Transferred article from Unlocking New York to Gribblenation.
Labels:
Location: Montezuma Heritage Park, 8098 High St, Montezuma, NY 13117, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yes, the color of your nearby fire hydrant matters...

By
...and here's why. You will find White, Red, Yellow and Violet colored fire hydrants pretty much everywhere.  But there's a reason for this - and it's because of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  This association has issued guidelines for color coding standards for fire hydrants.  These color codes from the body of the hydrant, top of the hydrant, and in some municipalities the outlet caps are designed to allow fire fighters to know what type of system, water flow rate (Gallons Per Minute or GPM), and level of water pressure.  This guideline is known as NFPA 291 and is intended to be used universally throughout the United States. The NFPA guidelines are specific to the body and the top cap of the hydrant.  If a hydrant is WHITE or YELLOW - it means that it is connected to a public/municipal water system.  If a hydrant is RED - the hydrant is connected to a private system, typically a well.  These are most common in rural or unincorporated areas
1 comment
Read more

Phase 1 of the California State Route 132 West Expressway (in the making since 1947)

By
On September 15, 2022, the Phase 1 of the California State Route 132 West Expressway opened in the city of Modesto from California State Route 99 west to North Dakota Avenue.  Phase 1 of the California State Route 132 West Expressway was built upon a corridor which was tentatively to designated to become the branching point for Interstate 5W in the 1947 concept of the Interstate Highway System.  The present California State Route 132 West Expressway corridor was adopted by the California Highway Commission on June 20, 1956.  Despite almost being rescinded during the 1970s the concept of the California State Route 132 West Expressway corridor lingered on for over half a century and became likely the oldest undeveloped right-of-way owned by California Transportation Commission.  Pictured above is the planned California State Route 132 freeway west of US Route 99 in Modesto as featured in the May/June 1962 California Highways & Public Works.   The history of the California State Route
Post a Comment
Read more

Aptos Creek Road to the Loma Prieta ghost town site

By
Aptos Creek Road is a roadway in Santa Cruz County, California which connects the community of Aptos north to The Forest of Nisene Marks State Parks.  Aptos Creek Road north of Aptos is largely unpaved and is where the town site of Loma Prieta can be located.  Loma Prieta was a sawmill community which operated from 1883-1923 and reached a peak population of approximately three hundred.  Loma Prieta included a railroad which is now occupied by Aptos Creek Road along with a spur to Bridge Creek which now the Loma Prieta Grade Trail.  The site of the Loma Prieta Mill and company town burned in 1942.   Part 1; the history of Aptos Creek Road and the Loma Prieta town site Modern Aptos traces its origin to Mexican Rancho Aptos.  Rancho Aptos was granted by the Mexican Government in 1833 Rafael Castro.  Rancho Aptos took its name from Aptos Creek which coursed through from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Monterey Bay.  Castro initially used Rancho Aptos to raise cattle for their hides.  Following
Post a Comment
Read more