Ogdensburg

By David E. Martin

Ogdensburg recounts the history of the only American city along the St. Lawrence River and the only city in St. Lawrence County. It depicts a bustling and prosperous community that in the first half of the twentieth century was a major port of entry by ship and rail, with an impact that extended westward far beyond the Great Lakes region. It highlights the immigrants who entered the country here and helped build the nation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439628713

David E. Martin

David E. Martin is also the author of Ogdensburg and coauthor of Massena. For Around Oswegatchie, he has assembled images from the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, the village of Rensselaer Falls, and the town historians of Oswegatchie, Lisbon, and DePeyster. A longtime collector of vintage pictures, he is an active member of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association and works in conjunction with local museums and historical groups to bring the past into the present so that local heritage will not be forgotten.

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INTRODUCTION

If Location, Location, Location was the only factor for success, Ogdensburg would be one of the largest and busiest cities in New York State. Its strategic location was first recognized by Abbé Francois Picquet in 1748, when he was looking for a site on which to build an Indian mission and protect French interests in the region.

At the confluence of the Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence Rivers, he found a natural, deep harbor that was wide enough for ships and had sufficient flow and slope on the Oswegatchie to power mills. The location of Fort La Presentation—somewhat equidistant between Fort Oswego and Montreal—would allow for commerce with Montreal as well as afford the French opportunity to monitor activities of the British at Oswego. It would overlook river traffic up and down the St. Lawrence.

After construction of the mission, Picquet built a dam across the Oswegatchie River to provide power for a sawmill. The first industry was soon up and running, providing lumber for buildings, and beams and planks for shipbuilding. La Presentation grew rapidly, but by 1759, the French were forced out of the area by the British during the Seven Years’ War. La Presentation fell under the control of the British, whose only apparent agenda was to strip the land of its fine timber and float it down the St. Lawrence to Quebec for the British market.

Despite the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the British remained illegally on American soil at Ogdensburg and continued to deforest the land. The new Americans were so busy forming a government that they had no time to press the issue of British occupation. The new American government finally forced the British to leave in 1796.

As a result of the Macomb Purchase, large tracts of land in the northern section of New York State were purchased by a wealthy speculator named Samuel Ogden. Ogden sent a land agent, Nathan Ford, to inspect and sell smaller parcels of land to encourage people to move to the area and work the land. He rebuilt the dam, repaired the sawmill, and built the first gristmill.

By 1810, two schooners, the Collector and the Experiment, were built at Ogdensburg and a third was completed the following year. By 1816, river navigation had extended to the Great Lakes, and shipbuilding at Ogdensburg and the surrounding area became a major industry. In 1839, the first ferry was making regular daily round-trips between Ogdensburg and Prescott, Ontario.

The year 1852 was another banner one, as the St. Lawrence Steamboat Company had a total of 11 steamers in daily service. There were so many ships involved with navigation that it became necessary to have a facility to repair and build new ships, and the Ogdensburg Marine Railway Company was formed to handle the task. The shipyard had sufficient shops, launching ramps, and a dry dock capable of handling almost any ship on the river or lakes.

Roads extended in all directions, providing access to the central parts of the state. The Northern Railroad arrived in 1850, and, through connections with other railroads, a direct route to Boston and the East Coast existed, thus sparking a period of industrial growth and prosperity that would last more than 50 years.

Industry now flocked to the area as transportation for raw materials and finished goods became inexpensive and fast. Finished goods and raw materials from all over the northeastern United States was shipped to Ogdensburg by rail and ship, and then to the other parts of the country, as well as to Europe through the St. Lawrence River route to the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the major local occupations of Ogdensburg and the surrounding area was the production of butter and cheese, but, being very perishable, these items were consumed locally only. During the winter months, ice blocks were cut from the St. Lawrence River, buried in sawdust, and stored in warehouses until the summer months. In 1851, boxcars were lined with blocks of ice and loaded with butter and other perishable goods and, thus, the refrigerated boxcar was invented.

Industrial growth continued at an almost explosive rate, with imports from the period of January 1 to December 31, 1906, totaling $33,444,610—an even greater amount than the city of Chicago. Lumbering continued to be a major business, with a number of lumbermills in and around the city, the largest of which was Skillings, Whitneys & Barnes Lumber Company. The company maintained a large mill on the eastern end of the city and another on the western side, employed nearly 700 workers, and produced one million board feet of lumber each month.

As Ogdensburg entered the 20th century, business was booming, with the manufacture of custom milling, foundry and machine work, stoves, pumps of every description, matches, paper, bricks, motors, boilers, pills, windows and doors, stained glass, clothing, deck engines, iron ore paint, veneers, skiffs and canoes, cheese, flour, butter, and cigars—and the list goes on.

As business prospered so did the people, and soon there were several different churches and schools, and other organizations of all kinds, public and private. Recreational facilities developed, as well as an excellent library. Numerous fine homes were built throughout the city, and stately trees lined the streets. Such was Ogdensburg in the first quarter of the 20th century. However, with the advent of improved transportation systems downstate, the city began a period of decline and, today, is only a shadow of its former self. Yet, the community boasts an interesting and remarkable history, much of which is portrayed in the images in this volume.

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BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

THE PROCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY. Established in 1863 by Henry I. Proctor, this concern became one of the major sources for rough and finished lumber of all kinds. The facility had extensive lumberyards, planing mills, and sash and door capabilities for standard and custom requirements. (Courtesy Ogdensburg Public Library.)

RODEE, BILL & COMPANY. This large stone mill and warehouse was built at 2 River Street in 1880 on the hydraulic canal that supplied water to power the mill. (St. Lawrence County Historical Association.)

BILL, BELL & COMPANY. Succeeding