Conflict and Settlement

Conflict and Settlement (Story #1)

For generations, the rivers and lakes of our region provided Native People with reliable routes of travel and communication. These waterways were utilized by European groups exploring and settling in the lands claimed by the Native People. Some, like the French, coming from the north were mostly interested in trade rather than large-scale settlement. Other Europeans, especially the English, were intending to stay and exploit the resources of the land. As these competing powers expanded their influence in North America, their interests and ambitions collided head-on. For nearly three quarters of a century England and France contested control of the continent. Caught in the middle during these wars, the various Native People would align themselves with the two powers, occasionally playing them off against each other.

The resulting conflicts were a startling contrast and mixture of European and Native warfare. Permanent forts built by the contending European powers established some control but outside the range of their defensive cannon, brutal, merciless raids and ambushes made life precarious for settlers and Natives alike. Eventually, the English proved stronger, expelling the French from almost all of North America by 1763. Their land-hungry colonists saw the removal of the French as a signal to seize whatever lands they desired.

Conflict and Settlement (Story #2)

The silence must have seemed deafening in mid-October, 1777 when the cannons stopped firing.  British General John Burgoyne’s army was surrounded and trapped, just south of here, in the small town then known as Saratoga. John Henry Brandow, in The Story of Old Saratoga and History of Schuylerville published in 1919 recounts that General Stark had “corked the bottle” preventing the British troop’s safe retreat to the north.  A visit to nearby Stark’s Knob will give evidence to the wisdom of Stark’s strategy.

Burgoyne’s men had been bombarded and starved by the much larger army of American Rebels under Major General Horatio Gates.  His weary troops, already defeated in two battles further downriver near Stillwater, had no choice but to lay down their arms. For the thousands of American troops, it was a military triumph to be savored.  For some, particularly from land-hungry New England, the countryside held great promise for farming, timber and other ventures. With the end of the Revolutionary War, many would re-settle in the region and exploit the resources to their fullest.

 As early as the 1790’s the area near Saratoga was sadly emptied of its previously bountiful timber resources.

 Conflict and Settlement (Story #3)

It would be hard to blame the farmers for thinking that soil and other resources were almost infinite. Not only was the topsoil rich and deep, but there always seemed to be more land; if not nearby, then further west along the expanding canal system and beyond. Advances in transportation allowed farmers to reach markets that had been well outside the reach of their ancestors. Markets in cities proved to be insatiable in their need for food, wood, fish, livestock and hay. Cash crops were quite profitable, and farmers cleared and devoted more and more land to their cultivation. Unfortunately, many nineteenth century American farming practices hadn't changed a great deal from medieval times. True, some changes had been introduced in breeding animals and improved machines, but the notion of conserving resources was non-existent. Crops were planted in fields until the nutrients were exhausted; clearing timber and plowing techniques resulted in disastrous erosion.

By the 1840's most of New York had been deforested and with much of the land worn out and with populations growing, the pressures for opening agricultural lands further and further west accelerated. In time, factories and mills would become the most important employers in the region.

Conflict and Settlement (Story #4)

In 1767, Philip Schuyler erected a flax mill - the first of its kind in the country - on the Fish Creek at Saratoga. For this, he was awarded a medal from the "Society for Promoting Arts". It was the start of industrialization in our region. The resulting exploitation of resources would reach well into the 20th century. The environmental movement begun in the 1960's was fervently embraced by many but not by all. Newly minted laws placed restrictions on disposal of waste and use of certain pesticides. This required changes of thinking and operations which some felt would inhibit agriculture and industry, making it more difficult to operate in a profitable manner. At the same time, rising costs of living caused friction between members of the workforce and their employers. Higher wages meant a further bite out of profits, and many industries moved to areas outside the region with less stringent environmental rules and cheaper labor.

As local industries shut down it lessened pollution into the River. Unfortunately, the closing of mills and factories was also a severe blow to the region's economic health. This conflict continues to plague us today. It is a precarious - and political - balance that we struggle to face. On global, national, and state levels the battles are waged. In our own backyard we must strive to bring environmental responsibility to economic revitalization for one must not preclude the other.