USA > New York > Onondaga County > Gazetteer and business directory of Onondaga County, N. Y., for 1868-9 > Part 5
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The Surveyor General was directed to make a survey in person ; lay out the salt springs reservation into lots not exceeding ten acres, with five acres of salt marsh, for the convenience of persons engaged in the manufacture of salt; and to execute a lease for three years to any person who had already erected and occupied salt works, upon the following terms : For every kettle or pan used or to be used the lessee should cause to be made at least ten bushels of salt annually, and pay as a rent for the premises four cents for every bushel of salt made thereon during the time. If a manufacturer was not able to extract all the salt from the water on his premises, the next manufacturer to him was entitled to it, and so on till it was all turned into use. The process of procuring salt was confined to boiling until the year 1821, when the first solar works were erected, and with so much opposition that the Legislature had to pass special laws for their protection. Another improvement in the manufac- ture of salt was the introduction of bittern pans, and a number of experiments have been made, but the process must essentially remain the same as at first. The addition of alum to the water rendered the crystallization more perfect. The engineer, (Simeon
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Ford, Esq.,) in his report to the Legislature in 1826, says, "There can be no doubt that there are large beds of fossil salt in the neigh- borhood of Salina, and recommends the carrying down of a shaft to a considerable depth. The probability being that the fresh water which enters into the salt pits enters the ground on the oak hills, back from the lake, passing over the rock, becomes more or less impregnated, according to the quantity admitted and the time taken up in passing over the rocks. The reason why the water is supposed to come from the oak hills is, that, whenever the present well is cleansed, acorns, hickory nuts, leaves, sticks and pieces of oak wood, will be found rising through the orifices in which the salt water appears, from the bottom of the well. A large mandrake rose through one of the crevices at the bottom, and was taken out in a complete state of saturation."
In 1827, wells were opened at Geddes, Salina, and one mile north of Salina, which gave an abundance of brine, equal in all respects to the old well at Salina. An analysis of the water is as follows :-
Common salt
173.50
Sulphate of lime &c. 8.50
Water
818.00
1.000.00
35 gallons of water give a bushel of salt, weighing 56 lbs. The temperature of the water as it rises from the ground is from 50 to 52 Fahrenheit. Lime is the principal ingredient made use of in ac- celerating the precipitation ofimpurities. It is sometimes cast into the kettles but oftener it is sprinkled in the reservoirs where it mixes the heterogeneous ingredients and the impure mass subsides to the bottom.
The State levies a duty of one cent per bushel on all salt manu- factured, and from this revenue the State works are kept up.
In visiting the works, what strikes a stranger most are the ex- tensive solar works, consisting of acres of shallow vats, construct- ed of wood, and placed upon posts, two to three and a-half feet above the ground. Each vat is 16 feet square, or 16 by 18, and 9 inches deep. Movable roofs are so constructed that the vats can easily be covered on the approach of rain, and exposed in dry weather. An acre of ground contains about 60 vats, giving an evaporating surface of more than 15,000 square feet. Over 500 acres are now covered by solar works. Solar salt is much coarser than that produced by boiling.
In 1797, William Stevens was appointed first Superintendent of the Onondaga Salt Works, in which office he remained until his death. The Superintendent was authorized to settle all disputes, and his award was final. No manufacturer could receive more
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than sixty cents a bushel for salt, and no salt should be sold on the leased premises, but should be put into barrels or casks and deliv- ered to the Superintendent, and by him stored until sold.
The duties of the Superintendent obliged him to store all salt, brand his name and the year when made on each cask, and to de- liver the same to the respective owners as they sold the same, upon receiving from them the lawful rent and one cent per bushel for storage; always taking care to keep in store at least two thousand bushels, and after the first year, five hundred bushels for each year, which quantity was to be kept in store for the citizens of the State of New York, who depended on obtaining their supply from these works. He was also to sell to any citizen for family use, at a price not exceeding sixty cents a bushel, reserving for rent and storage five cents per bushel, and return 55 cents to the maker. Owners of stores were allowed to store salt in them, but the keys should be kept by the Superintendent. In such case the owner had no storage to pay. Not having room for the immense quantity of salt manufactured, it was enacted in 1798, that lessees should account to the Superintendent, under oath, for the quantity made, and leases were allowed to pay rent according to the capacity of their kettles, at the rate of two cents per month for every gallon of the capacity of their pans or kettles, instead of rent of four cents per bushel. All salt should be sold at the factory by weight, at the rate of fifty-six pounds per bushel. In 1799, an act was passed for the assortment of salt when necessary ; the first quality to be free from dirt and filth, with the bitterns properly separated and fully drained from brine; the second quality to be free from impurities, dry, and not more than twenty-five per cent inferior to the first quality ; to be packed in good, seasoned, white oak casks, water tight, having twelve hoops, three on each end and three on each bilge, to be thirty inches long, and the diameter of each head to be nineteen inches. Any person packing uninspected salt was fined five dollars ; five dollars forfeited also for buying or selling, or ship- ping uninspected salt. The canals are the great highways used in the transportation of salt, the great Erie being the chief.
The fathers of this stupendous work should be forever venerated for their perseverance in overcoming the opposition that they had to contend with, both from individuals as well as from the infancy of the country they had to penetrate and depend on for the means to carry it through. We must always admire genius struggling against fate, with an infatuated mind that will not allow itself to be dethroned from its high position, overcoming all obstacles and de- fying fate itself in the contest. A few miles of aqueduct, construct- ed by the wealthy eastern nations in the height of their prosperity, was considered a great achievement; but what nation in its youth would have courage enough to undertake 350 miles of a canal, with-
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out having even an engineer of their own who had earned confidence enough among them to be deemed worthy of their confidence. It was well that the Englishman, to whom they applied for assistance, felt that his reputation might be endangered by having to come to the wilds of America to earn $5,000 a year, for it threw them again on their own resources, and they were not long in discover- ing that there were actually among them better engineers than they could import, and whose services could be obtained for 1,500 dol- lars. The Hon. Jas. Geddes is a sample of what genius will do, and of the wonderful resources of the mind of man in its trials to overcome difficulties. Self-educated and self-relying, without the aid of artificial help, he became eminent in the profession of his adoption which will associate his name with the noblest works of the age. He had many able assistants, one of whom, on account of the remarkable level taken by himself and Mr. Geddes, is worthy of notice. In 1817 the levels and surveys of the previous years were reviewed, and in order to test their accuracy it was deemed expedient that Mr. Geddes should start at a given point on the ea- nal line at Rome, and Mr. Wright from another given point, to the place where Mr. Geddes had terminated his line, a distance of near- ly 100 miles, and see what their difference of level would be. It was less than an inch and a half. Such a result is unparalleled. It is not easy to do justice to the few men who bore the brunt of the early battle, before men's minds were capable of comprehending such a noble work as the Erie Canal. Who had firmness to ad- vocate it when men like Mr. Jefferson looked on it as little short of madness or emanating from over-heated minds which should have at least one hundred years to cool. But if the scheme was wild it had men to deal with who were accustomed to the " wilds ;" so it was carried. Thanks to Messrs. Geddes, De Witt Clinton, Joshua Forman, Jesse Hawley, Dr. Williamson, Mr. Gallatin, General Philip Schuyler and others.
With thousands the idea of a canal was scouted as wild and chi- merieal ; still there were those men of comprehensive minds who believed and advocated the plan as feasible and worthy of adoption. Judge Joshua Forman, of Onondaga, being enlisted in the cause, in 1807 was elected a member of the Legislature by the people of Onondaga, with express reference to moving in that body the grand projeet of a canal. In 1808 a law was passed authorizing the Sur- veyor General to draw upon the Treasury of the State for such sum or sums as he might require to prosecute the survey contemplated in the resolutions of the joint committee; that was a survey of the most direet route for a canal, to open a communication between the tide waters of the Hudson River and Lake Erie ; not exceeding in the whole the sum of six hundred dollars, which was all that was appropriated for the first survey and exploration of the grand
-
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ONONDAGA COUNTY.
Erie Canal. Mr. Geddes was appointed by the Surveyor General, but the appropriation was so small very little could be done ap- parently ; but Mr. Geddes, by overrunning the appropriation by seventy-three dollars, submitted a report in 1809 of three different routes. The report was favorable on the practicability of an inte- rior route from Lake Erie, and it is worthy of remark that Judge Geddes' plan and route was mainly followed in the final location of the canal. Thus, by the operations of 1808, through the instru- mentality of the true men of Onondaga, the fact was satisfactorily established that a canal from the Hudson river to Lake Erie was practicable ; yet it was not until three or four years after the war of 1812, that the project germinated into a reality. The first con- tract was dated 27th June, 1817, and given to Judge John Rich- ardson, of Cayuga. The remaining part of the middle section was soon under contract, and on the 4th of July following, the excava- tion was commenced at Rome with appropriate ceremonies. In 1819, the middle section, from Utica to Seneca River, including a lateral canal to Salina, about 94 miles, was reported by Gov. Clin- ton, in his annual message of 1820, as completed. By the open- ing of this portion of the canal, the resources of Onondaga were more fully developed. Her salt, gypsum and lime, found their way to a ready market, so that a new and vigorous impulse was given to her advancement and prosperity, which placed her among the first counties of the Empire State, which position she is des- tined long to enjoy. The first ground broken on the Erie Canal in the County of Onondaga, was by Mr. Elias Gumaer, in the town of Manlius. The first boats used on the canal were the Mohawk boats, with wide walking boards for poling up the Mohawk River. Oliver Teall was appointed the first Superintendent on the Erie Canal, and Joshua Forman the first Collector. In 1819 the Canal Commissioners recommended the construction of a water commu- nication from the Erie Canal to the salt works of Salina, which work was completed simultaneously with the middle section of the Erie Canal. The following year the Legislature directed the Canal Commissioners to open a boat navigation between the village of Salina and Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River. This was named the Salina Canal, but afterwards, when the improvement was con- tinued to Oswego, the whole was designated as the Oswego Canal, which was completed in 1827, and is now the greatest avenue for the exportation, of salt. I have said in a former paragraph that the great Erie Canal was the broadway for salt ; but I shall be forgiven if the statistics show a surplus in favor of the route that the white man had persued in discovering it.
What is known as the Military Tract was laid out into 25 town- ships ; three more were added, making 28 in all. In the month of February, 1788, Mr. Webster, in company with two Indians,
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ONONDAGA COUNTY.
proceeded on a hunting excursion into the lower part of Montgome- ry county. Late one afternoon they came to a small clearing in the town of Mayfield, where they met a man whose residence was convenient, of whom they asked a night's lodging in his barn. He refused, but insisted that they should spend the night with him in his own house by the fire. During the evening conversation, Webster remarked that he lived at Onondaga, a much more fruit- ful and inviting country than the one he was located in, and finally so much was said in favor of Onondaga, that it was agreed Webster should solicit permission from the Indians to let him settle there, and if successful, was to return or send an Indian to inform him of the fact. The host was Mr. Asa Danforth, who became the pioneer of Onondaga County. An Indian carried the information to Mr. Danforth, that he could come and settle with them at Onondaga Hollow, and it was so arranged that he should come out immediate- ly. Early in May, Mr. Danforth embarked with his family, house- hold goods, and farming utensils, in two flat bottomed boats, ac- companied by three boatmen, and after a tedious voyage up the Mohawk River, through Oneida Lake and river and Onondaga Lake, landed at the mouth of Onondaga Creek. Here they met Mr. Webster, and Mr. Danforth's son Asa, a young man, who, with Comfort Tyler, had been sent across the country with the stock in- tended for the New Settlement, and who had arrived some time in advance of the boats. The boats were lightened of their freight and pushed up the creek to where Mr. Danforth settled, a little south of Onondaga Hollow, May 22, 1788. The head civil Chief of the On- ondagas at this time was called Ca-whie-do-ta, and the second, Ta- whis-quanta. Although treated with great kindness, they were liv- ing under the apprehension of immediate death from the vindietive spirit manifested by the lower Indians, made base from intemper- ance and jealousies. There are two traders mentioned in connec- tion with the traders of this section of the country, one of whom un- der an assumed name was supposed to have died very rich in the east. Cauhicdota, an excellent man, and Chief of the Onondagas, has left us more than one address to the pale face to desist from " spending their time" in making his people a dangerous "trap" to the white as well as to the Indian. The influence of Major Dan- forth and Comfort Tyler being sought to put an end to this infer- nal traffic, made enemies of them in the eyes of these villains, where- upon they offered the Indians a barrel of rum, and every Indian a new knife and tomahawk, if they would drive Ha-tec-ol-hot-was (Major Danforth, the man who ploughs the ground,) and his family away. This promise did not fail to get men desirous of obtaining those articles that make the Indian's eye glitter with his desire for " hell-fire." They assembled at the castle armed with rifles and tomahawks, and burning brands, bent on destroying the family and
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ONONDAGA COUNTY.
their habitation. Cau-hic-do-ta found means of informing this family of their danger, and interposed his authority in their behalf, and finally succeeded in quieting their rage and in inducing them to relinquish their unhallowed design. It would appear that this good natured Chief kept continual watch over this family, who are indebt- ed to him for saving them from the red savage and the pale-faced villain.
,Amid such scenes of trial and suffering, Mrs. Danforth proposed to visit her friends east. Accordingly, in December, Mr. and Mrs. Danforth, with her baby, set out on a sled, with an axman before to clear the way. The first night they slept " on board," at Chit- tenango; the next with Sken-an-do-a, at Oneida castle; the third with Judge White, their nearest white neighbor, at Ladaquate. After a short delay, they proceeded to Brookfield, the home of their early days, in Massachusetts. In the middle of March they returned, after an absence of about three months.
After the crops of 1789 had been sown, Tyler and Danforth Jr., thought they would follow the example of Mr. and Mrs. Danforth, and visit the home of their childhood, not only to see their old playmates, but to find for themselves wives, and as Mr. Clark re- marks, after the fashion of the wording of the Constitution, "in the course of events," Mr. and Mrs. Asa Danforth Jr. became the fath- er and mother of the first white child born in the County-the late Mrs. Amanda Phillips, wife of the late Col. Phillips, of Syracuse, and mother of Mrs. Outwater. She was born 14th October, 1789. In 1791 Mr. Danforth had become possessor of lot No. 81, town- ship of Manlius, (now De Witt,) and had moved there temporari- ly. In the spring of 1792, he erected the first saw mill in the County, on Butternut Creek, about a mile north of Jamesville,- (now Dunlap's Mills.) The mill was first covered with bark. No boards were used in the County until they were sawed in this mill, and Mr. Danforth carried the saw on his shoulder from Old Fort Schuyler. In 1793 he erected his grist mill near his saw mill. In the erection of these mills Mr. Danforth was helped by all the able bodied men of the settlement for twenty-five miles around, so anxious were the people to have the means of grinding their corn, and the advantage of turning their timber into boards. It was at the raising of these mills, when, in the absence of sugar or articles used in sweetening, that the first drink mixed with Indian corn was introduced.
In closing this historical sketch, we would gladly give a record of the part the loyal citizens of this County took in the suppression of the Great Rebellion. It is very difficult to obtain a satisfacto- ry record of all who entered the army from this County; and if we could, the space allotted in this work forbids any extended no- tice. We leave, therefore, to the future historian, this pleasing
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ONONDAGA COUNTY.
duty. Let it suffice to say, they bore their full share in furnishing men and means, and those who left their homes to encounter the dangers and endure the hardships of the soldier, are entitled to the lasting gratitude of all patriotic citizens.
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GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
CAMILLUS .- This was one of the original townships of the Military Tract, and was formed from Marcellus, March 8, 1799. A part of Onondaga was annexed in 1834. It is an interior town, lying a little north-west from the centre of the County. The sur- face is generally rolling, the ridges extending in a north and south direction. Although there is in the north-west corner a swamp covering several hundred acres, yet the soil is rich in fertile loam, and judging from the magnitude and multiplicity of its crops, the estimation of those who consider it second to none cannot be over- rated. In the hills south of the Turnpike, inexhaustible beds of plaster are quarried and sold in great quantities, and is unsurpassed in quality.
It is said that the first gypsum found in the United States was taken from here by William Lindsay in 1792. De Witt Clinton, Samuel Young, and other distinguished individuals, visited the lo- cality in 1809, so great was the interest felt in its discovery, and about the same time a joint stock company commenced quarrying with great success, and continued for many years afterwards. This company was formed of 50 members, holding shares of 50 dollars each share, some, as Judge Foreman, holding largely of the one thousand shares until the whole was taken up. Judge Foreman was chosen President, and Josiah Buck, principal Manager. Some of the finest specimens of the foliated transparent selenite variety have been obtained at these beds, which, from its transparency, is often termed alabaster. Efforts have since been made in this town to explore what has long been considered by some a bed of coal .- About two miles south of the village of Camillus, a shaft was sunk; but without success, although detached pieces of Anthracite coal
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GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
were found. Calcareous Tufa abounds in the hills, which makes excellent lime and is called " basswood limestone." In the Nine Mile Creek valley there are numerous calcareous deposits along the foot of the hills.
Camillus, ( p. v.) situated on Nine Mile Creek, near the center of the town, was incorporated in 1852; it contains 3 churches and another one building, 1 flouring mill, a woolen factory, and has a pop- ulation of about 800 inhabitants. Amboy, another village, in the north-east part of the town, contains a church, a saw and grist mill, and about 25 houses. Belle Isle, (p. v.) on the canal, one mile east of Amboy, contains one church, and has about 150 inhabitants. Fairmount is a p. o. near the east border.
The first white settler of the town was Capt. Isaac Lindsay, about the year 1790, and directly after, his brothers James, Wil- liam and Elijah followed him and settled on lot 80, paying two shillings per acre. Nicholas Lamberson, William Reed, Selden Leonard and Mordecai Ellis, settled here about 1793. Among the early settlers were David Hinsdale, the Whites and Munroes, who have since been known throughout the County for their enterprise, industry, intelligence and wealth. The first church (Pres.) was formed in 1817. There are six churches in the town now.
The population in 1865, was 2,552.
CICERO was formed from Lysander, Feb. 20. 1807. Clay was taken off in 1827. It lies upon Oneida Lake, in the north-east corner of the County. Its surface is level or very slightly undu- lating. An extensive swamp in the south-east part, occupies about one third of the entire surface of the town, and another extends along the lake shore, west of South Bay. The soil is a clayey and sandy loam.
Cicero, (p. v.) in the west part of the town, has three churches, a large two story brick school house, and about 65 houses. There is also a large steam saw mill, with one upright and three circular saws. The first church (Pres.) was formed at Cicero Corners, in 1819. Rev. James Shepard was the first preacher.
Brewerton, ( p. v.) on the outlet of Oneida Lake, contains two churches, a fine two story brick school house, a steam saw mill and stave machine, and several mechanic shops. The population is about 600. South Bay and Frenchman's Island are places of re- sort for pleasure seekers.
A Mr. Dexter, a blacksmith, was the first white person who set- tled in this town. He settled in 1790, opposite to Fort Brewerton, where he lived several years. Mr. Oliver Stevens settled on the north side of the river in 1789, and cultivated a garden in the town of Cicero. A few years after, he moved to the south side of the
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ONONDAGA COUNTY.
river, where he died in 1813. Ryal Bingham settled at Fort Brewerton in 1791, and subsequently moved to Salina. Mr. Ste- vens kept what is called a boatman's tavern, furnishing provisions and other necessaries to those who passed that way. He carried on quite a trade with the Indians, in furs, peltry, &c., which at that early day was abundant in all the country. John Leach settled at Cicero Corners, and for several years kept a tavern in a small log cabin about 1802. The first settlers suffered very much from fever and ague and other diseases. . Elijah Loomis was the first settler at South Bay, on the lake shore, in 1804. Martin Woodruff set- tled near him, the same year. Patrick McGee settled at Brewer- ton, in Cicero, in 1791, and that year erected the first frame house in this town, which was occupied as a tavern by him, and after- wards by Jonathan Emmons. It was located near where the Brewerton House now stands. In 1813, Jonathan Emmons was authorized by the Legislature to establish a ferry across the outlet of Oneida Lake at Fort Brewerton, in the town of Cicero. The notorious Tory Foster first settled in the east part of the town, where, from his continual boasting of the cruelties practiced on his countrymen during the Revolutionary war, provoked Judge Tous- ley to rid the country of him. The Judge was a blacksmith, and while at work in his shop, Foster as usual was relating his cruel- ties, when the Judge raised a bar of iron which he intended to bury in the head of Foster, but it fortunately struck a beam, saving the villain, who fled for parts unknown.
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