Mohawk Valley

Mohawk Valley Region Counties Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie

Located along the Mohawk River, the Mohawk Valley is the ancestral homeland of the Mohawk and the Oneida Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The Mohawk River's central location provided a valuable strategic location for the Colonial Army during the American Revolution. Significant turning points in the war occurred at the Battle of Oriskany (1777) in Oneida County and the Battle of Johnstown (1781) in Fulton County.

Whether by way of the river, railroad, or the Erie Canal, effective and efficient transportation helped establish manufacturing cities throughout the counties. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the valley was a booming center of textile, leather, glove, furnace, and milling industries.

Although most of these industries had closed by the mid-twentieth century, the valley has seen renewed prosperity as industries evolve and technology advances. Today, the region is a key distribution hub with centers built around industrial machinery services and information and technology centers such as the Masonic Medical Research Institute in Utica and the Marcy Nanocenter at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Top image: The Mohawk River flows near the city of Amsterdam in Montgomery County. At 149 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Hudson River.

Baseball Hall of Fame
Cooperstown in Otsego County is known as the home of Doubleday Field and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Adobe stock editorial image used under the license from New York State.

 

Inside Howe Caverns, a cave with limestone walls and ceiling.
Howe Caverns, located in Schoharie County, was discovered in 1842, but scientists believe it was slowly created by nature over six million years ago.

 

Exterior view of the Iroquois Museum, a long wooden structure with a green lawn.
The Iroquois Museum, located in Schoharie County, is an educational and anthropological institution dedicated to sharing the history and culture of the Iroquois people. It houses the nation’s most comprehensive collection of modern Iroquois art.

 

A trio of metal reliefs showing, the first a family of wolves, the middle Iroquois people, and third Iroquois carrying a canoe.
Oneida Carrying Place Sculpture, 301 W. Dominick Street, Rome, Oneida County. Originally called the Deo-wain-sta (Tiowestah) by the Oneida Nation but referred to as the Oneida Carrying Place by the Europeans, this portage path linked the Mohawk River to Wood Creek and was part of the waterway, linking New York City to Canada. It became an essential location during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.

 

Historic print of the steamboat "Clermont" traveling on a body of water.
Fulton County got its name from Robert Fulton who built the first commercially successful steamboat, Clermont, in 1807. Robert Fulton’s S.S. “Clermont,” 1810. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

 

Black and white photograph of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the chief organizers of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, was born in Fulton County. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.