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Catskill Road: Difference between revisions
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The '''Catskill Road''', also known as the '''''[[Catskill Turnpike]]''''', also known as the '''''Ancram Turnpike''''', was one of the most important early routes for migration out of New England into central New York. It was about a 100 mile (161 kilometer) pathway from '''[[Springfield, Massachusetts]]''' to '''[[Catskill, New York]]''', via [[Ancram, New York]]. The route went westward from Springfield, Massachusetts toward the southwest corner of that state. It entered New York State near the town of Ancram and went thence northwest to the town of Catskill on the west bank of the Hudson River. From Catskill the highway was usually called the '''[[Catskill Turnpike]]''' and hugged the north edge of the Catskill Mountains running toward [[Unadilla, New York|Unadilla]] (formerly Wattle's Ferry) on the Susquehanna River, and beyond to [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] and [[Bath, New York]].<ref name="HBG">''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America'', 9th ed. (Logan, Utah: Everton Pub., 1999), pages 532 and M-48. {{WorldCat|48077118|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|740321|item|disp=FHL Book 973 D27e 1999}}. This was one of the most important migration routes for early New England settlers who pioneered into central New York.</ref> | The '''Catskill Road''', also known as the '''''[[Catskill Turnpike]]''''', also known as the '''''Ancram Turnpike''''', was one of the most important early routes for migration out of New England into central New York. It was about a 100 mile (161 kilometer) pathway from '''[[Springfield, Massachusetts]]''' to '''[[Catskill, New York]]''', via [[Ancram, New York]]. The route went westward from Springfield, Massachusetts toward the southwest corner of that state. It entered New York State near the town of Ancram and went thence northwest to the town of Catskill on the west bank of the Hudson River. From Catskill the highway was usually called the '''[[Catskill Turnpike]]''' and hugged the north edge of the Catskill Mountains running toward [[Unadilla, New York|Unadilla]] (formerly Wattle's Ferry) on the Susquehanna River, and beyond to [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] and [[Bath, New York]].<ref name="HBG">''Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America'', 9th ed. (Logan, Utah: Everton Pub., 1999), pages 532 and M-48. {{WorldCat|48077118|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|740321|item|disp=FHL Book 973 D27e 1999}}. This was one of the most important migration routes for early New England settlers who pioneered into central New York.</ref> | ||
The first major village began attracting European settlers into the Catskill area in 1745.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Catskill_Mountains History of the Catskill Mountains] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> The Catskill Road must have been in use before the stagecoach inn was established in 1798 on the old Catskill Road in Ancram. The inn was popular with drovers taking their cattle to the Hudson River for market.<ref>Catherine Tyler Brody, ''[http://gallatin-ny.org/content/History/Home/:field=documents;/content/Documents/File/1.pdf A Brief History of Gallatin]'', 4. (pdf accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> The [[Catskill Turnpike]] opened from Catskill to Unadilla, New York in 1804. The New York legislature in 1804 and 1805 approved the rival Salisbury Turnpike (via nearby Gallatin) and the Ancram Turnpike both for travel from Connecticut to the Hudson River.<ref>Isaac Huntting, ''History of the Little Nine Partners of North East Precinct and Pine Plains, New York, Dutchess County'' (Amenia, NY: Chas. Walsh, 1897), 99-101. [[http://books.google.com/books?id=hJwvAAAAYAAJ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;dq=History%20of%20the%20Little%20Nine%20Partners&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;source=gbs_similarbooks Google Book edition]]</ref> The heyday of wagon roads into central New York was the early 1800s before the coming of the railroads in the 1840s and 1850s.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_and_Boston_Railroad Hudson and Boston Railroad]] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> After the railroads arrived, wagon road travel declined sharply. | The first major village began attracting European settlers into the Catskill area in 1745.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Catskill_Mountains History of the Catskill Mountains] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> | ||
'''Stages.''' Stagecoaches generally began regular transport of mail and passengers on long trips in the American colonies in the 1760s.<ref>Frederic J. Wood, "The Twelfth Massachusetts Turnpike" in ''The Turnpikes of New England and the Evolution of the Same Through England, Virginia, and Maryland'' (Boston: Marshall Jones, 1919), 26-27. [https://archive.org/stream/turnpikesofnewen00woodrich#page/79/mode/1up Internet Archive version online].</ref> They made regular trips between '''''stages ''''' or stations where travelers were provided food and rest.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach Stagecoach] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 30 October 2014).</ref> Where available, stagecoaches became a preferred way for settlers to travel to a new home. | |||
The '''Catskill Road''' must have been in use before the stagecoach inn was established in 1798 on the old Catskill Road in Ancram. The inn was popular with drovers taking their cattle to the Hudson River for market.<ref>Catherine Tyler Brody, ''[http://gallatin-ny.org/content/History/Home/:field=documents;/content/Documents/File/1.pdf A Brief History of Gallatin]'', 4. (pdf accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> | |||
'''Tolls.''' As traffic increased along a roadway American political leaders turned to toll roads (turnpikes) to raise money to improve, clear, and repair their local highways.<ref>Wood, 33-36.</ref> Toll revenue from stagecoaches, drovers, and other travelers was used to maintain the roadbeds and bridges, and, if there was enough left over (rarely happened), to pay a turnpike stockholder dividend. If turnpike revenue decreased too much, the roadway maintenance was typically turned over to the state and the path was made a free public road. | |||
The '''[[Catskill Turnpike]]''' opened from Catskill to Unadilla, New York in 1804. The New York legislature in 1804 and 1805 approved the rival Salisbury Turnpike (via nearby Gallatin) and the Ancram Turnpike both for travel from Connecticut to the Hudson River.<ref>Isaac Huntting, ''History of the Little Nine Partners of North East Precinct and Pine Plains, New York, Dutchess County'' (Amenia, NY: Chas. Walsh, 1897), 99-101. [[http://books.google.com/books?id=hJwvAAAAYAAJ&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;dq=History%20of%20the%20Little%20Nine%20Partners&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;source=gbs_similarbooks Google Book edition]]</ref> The heyday of wagon roads into central New York was the early 1800s before the coming of the railroads in the 1840s and 1850s.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_and_Boston_Railroad Hudson and Boston Railroad]] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 23 October 2014).</ref> After the railroads arrived, wagon road travel declined sharply. | |||
=== Route === | === Route === | ||