Historic New York

	            This is Mohawk Country

     The majestic Mohawk Valley has been the scene of many key events  
which have helped to shape the character and destiny of New York State. 
and the nation.  This was once the home of the proud Mohawks, one of  
the main tribes of the powerful six-nation Iroquois Confederacy.  As 
the main gateway between the Adirondack Mountains and the Allegheny 
Plateau, the valley came to be used by French-Catholic missionaries, 
land-hungry settlers moving west, foreign travelers, French and Indian 
raiders, British tory, and American troops.  During the French and  
Indian War, and the American Revolution, it was a vital center of  
Action -- the main highway for east-west communication and a major 
point of contact between the contending armies. 

     The Erie Canal and New York Central Railroad followed the valley 
route and gave a new direction to its history.  Internal improvements 
led to intensive settlement and industrial growth.  While the valley 
has changed in many ways over the years, it still retains one element 
of the past -- its incomparable beauty.

			Historic New York
			
			    Mohawk Area

	The Mohawk Valley was a principal pass to the interior between the
Adirondack Mountains and the Allegheny Plateau.  Here dwelt the Mohawks,
one of the Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy who barred the white man's
advance westward.  In the seventeenth century they were visited by French
Catholic missionaries from Canada, some of whom suffered martyrdom.
In 1712, with the aid of Queen Ann, An Anglican Chapel for the Mohawks
was erected at Fort Hunter.

	Trade goods and furs were carried by river boats over the Mohawk
between Albany and the West.  The same route was followed by military
expeditions during the French and Indian War.

	From Fort Johnson, and after 1763 from Johnson Hall at Johnstown,
Sir William Johnson ably conducted Indian affairs for the British government.
During the Revolution, Tory and Indian raiders from Canada harassed the 
Mohawk Valley settlements.

	The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the formation of the 
New York Central Railroad in 1853 introduced an era of rapid settlement
and industrial growth.  In the twentieth century improved highways follow
this historic route, long famed for its scenic beauty.