Black River Canal documents in images how a manmade river transformed a region. This upper New York State canal was an improbable engineering success. In 1825, DeWitt Clinton proposed construction of a canal that would link the Erie Canal at Rome with the Black River at Lyons Falls. The idea was well received, but the obstacles were great. The canal would have to run uphill. In the end, the 35-mile overland canal required a record 109 locks to negotiate a rise and fall of 1,079 feet. Construction was authorized in 1836, and against all odds, the Black River Canal was fully operational in...

With only a handful of incorporated villages and seven stoplights, Lewis County is unmistakably rural. Cows continue to outnumber people, and nearly two-thirds of the land remains wooded. Despite its geographical isolation, Lewis County has a colorful history dating back to the 1790s, when the first settlers from New England and France arrived. Drawing on archival images to document life in this section of New Yorks vast and sparsely populated North Country, Lewis County illustrates the areas rich history with photographs of the people, landmarks, and scenery that have given the various...

Nestled in the Black River valley with the Tug Hill Plateau to the east and the Adirondack Mountains to the west, Boonville traces its origin to the failure of a grand investment scheme. In the mid-1790s, Gerrit Boon, agent for the Holland Land Company, purchased vast acreage in northern New York, hoping to establish a plantation for the production of maple sugar. When that enterprise collapsed, Boon founded a settlement in the remote wilderness. Adopting a paternalistic stance, he attracted settlers by extending financial assistance to farmers, artisans, and tradesmen. The village soon...