Dave'n'Kathy's Vagabond Blog: Guest Blog: A Tour of Historic Letchworth State Park in Genesee Falls, New York

I was so impressed by this blog entry from our friends Ginny and Eric LaJuene, that I have to post it here in its entirety:

A Tour of Historic Letchworth State Park in Genesee Falls, New York

Today, we Escapees are touring
Letchworth State Park in
Genesee Falls.

Tom Pedlow, in the yellow

shirt, is our guide for this

tour of this historic park.

William Pryor Letchworth, a wealthy Buffalo businessman, started buying land in this area in 1859. Besides loving the Genesee Valley, he was fascinated by the area's history and the Seneca Indians, who had lived here,

In 1898, the Genesee River Company proposed a dam that would permanently change the valley. Mr. Letchworth donated his lands to New York State in 1906 for use as a public park. Since then, additional purchases enlarged these public lands.

The escarpments show the
Genesee River's path through

the layers of sandstone & slate
that accumulated for millennia
beneath the ancient inland sea
that once covered this area.

Tom tells our group of the importance of this valley in remote western New York throughoutAmerica's history.

Mary Jemison is known as

"The White Woman of the

Genesee."

Captured by a French and Shawnee raiding party in 1758, Mary Jemison was taken from her home near Gettysburg was brought to Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). She was sold to a group of Senecas and taken to the western New York. When Mary arrived at the Seneca village, she was given a new name, Dehgewanus. After her first husband died, Dehgewanus married Hiokatoo, a Seneca Chief.

The Senecas sided with the British during the Revolutionary War. George Washington sent an army of 5,000 to western New York to kill Seneca warriors, burn villages and crops. Dehgewamus (Mary) fled her ravaged village and settled her family in the Genesee Valley.

After the Revolutionary War ended, the Senecas were threatened by growing numbers of settlers. Negotiations in 1797 allowed for payments from settlers to the Senecas for the majority of their lands. Twelve small reservations were set aside for the tribe. The Gardeau Reservation included lands set aside for Dehgewamus (Mary). Women were considered to be their husbands' property in the 1700s. Yet, Dehgewamus (Mary) was listed as a landowner.

This cabin was built by Mary

around 1800 for her daughter,

Nancy.

Locals appreciated the hospitality that Dehgewamus (Mary) offered to all who came to her home. They asked James Seaver to interview her and make a record of her life among the Seneca. Mr. Seward interviewed Dehgewamus (Mary) in 1823, and published The Life and Times of Mrs. Mary Jemison. ensuring her place in history.

Throughout the 1800s, the Seneca reservations were sold off to settlers. Dehgewamus (Mary) sold her lands and moved to Buffalo Creek Reservation.

This cabin was used as the
Seneca Council House.

Mr..Letchworth bought Nancy's cabin and Seneca Council House and had them moved to his property. At Mary's family's request, he brought her remains back to the Genesee Valley in 1874, where they were re-interred.

Southern states seceded from the Union after President Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860. The Civil War started when Confederate troops attacked Union held Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Volunteers needed to be trained and sent south to fight. Camp Portage was established in this area to train recruits. The first group of Northern soldiers that drilled here saw action at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Mist rises from the

Upper Falls.

Camps were built for the Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built roads, bridges and walkways in this park during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Ten years later, German prisoners of war were held at the former Conservation Corps during World War II.