History

The Town of Montezuma is located at the great bend in the Seneca River in Cayuga County, New York.

It is believed that Montezuma was named for the Aztec chieftain. The area was first settled by Dr. Peter Clarke, Comfort Tyler and Abram Morgan. They were attracted to the area for the abundant salt springs first discovered by the Indians. Later, they became the early promoters for canal development amd building roads and bridges.

Montezuma became the western terminal when the Erie Canal opened in 1820. Work on the "middle section" of the canal between Utica and Montezuma started after ground breaking at Rome in 1817. The Cayuga/Seneca Canal was also built and junctions here with the Erie Canal. It opened up 80 miles of lakes to navigation on our two largest Finger Lakes. Montezuma was a bustling village becoming the head of navigation while the building of the Erie Canal proceeded westward. The first passage boat was built and launched here. Seventy-six feet long and 14 feet wide, The Montezuma, contained an elegant dining room, kitchen and two cabins.

When the original Erie Canal was constructed, no one anticipated the heavy boat traffic it would accommodate. Clinton's Ditch - a mere 40' wide and 4' deep soon proved to be insufficient in size, and no sooner had it opened when plans began to enlarge it. Because crossing the Seneca River at Montezuma was so difficult, the State decided to relocate the canal to higher ground and to build an aqueduct to carry boats across the shallow river.

The Richmond Aqueduct, the second largest on the Erie Canal replaced the hazards of crossing through the river by lifting the canal up over the river, speeding up transit time. The canal commissioner reported to the State Legislature when it was built in 1856 that this was "one of the largest and most important structures on the Erie Canal." 110,000 linear feet of wood pilings were driven into the soft ground to support the Seneca with 31 stones arches, 11 feet high and 22 feet wide. It was the second largest built on the Enlarged Erie and cost $125,000 to build.

In the meantime, other visionaries were building railroads, replacing one technology for another. As new modes of transportation were developed, more and more commerce was taken away from the original canal system. Between 1905 and 1918 the Seneca River was dredged to a uniform 12 foot depth creating present day Barge Canal system. The aqueduct needed to be removed over the Seneca River when the old canal system was abandoned. Today, all that remains of the 31 arches are seven on the east side of the Seneca River and three on the west side.

In 1965 the town was awarded funding through the Outdoor Recreation Development Bond Act and the Land and Water Conservation Act to acquire 136 acres of land that contains rich natural and historic canal resources. The Town of Montezuma is planning on develop a Heritage Park where these cultural and natural resources come together as a monument to where the past meets the present. A site that will tell the dynamic story of four separate canals built in Montezuma that has evolved into today's present-day Canal System. Visit the Historian's Internet blog at Montezuma Heritage Park to follow park development plans.

We've come a long way from the days when mules and horses pulled boats through the Finger Lakes region, but there are ongoing efforts to assure us that our rich canal history will be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come.

A walking guidebook is available to use while touring canal sites through town starting at Memorial Park on Dock Street. This was the site of a large state managed canal basin where boaters traveling along the canal could stop and rest or wait for service. Other sites on the tour include the Cayuga & Seneca Canal junction, Lock 11, dry dock area, Lock 62, the Richmond Aqueduct and paper mill remains. A guided tour of Erie Canal sites in Cayuga County is offered yearly during the New York State Canal Splash weekend. For updated information follow Mike Riley's Internet blog. It's also a great resource to learn more about the canal history of this area.