Day27 - 6.22.18 - Rome, NY

Friday starts with horns blowing. We are tied to the wall below lock 19, as far from the lock itself as there are tie-ups. I pop my head up, and a large power cruiser is near us. They call out 'You're too close to the lock for them to release the water.' That doesn't seem logical, but we untie and back off. We wait and wait, and finally return to the tie-ups on the wall, as does the power boat. Finally the water is released, and an east-bound sailboat exits. But the lower door is not open fully, so a repair crew is called in, and they manage to operate it by hand. We enter, rise slowly, and at the top the lockmaster apologizes for the condition of his machinery, which was due to be overhauled last winter. 

Erie Canal work boat

Traffic jam on the Erie

Onward up the canal, surrounded by forest. Very peaceful and relaxing. Mid afternoon we arrive in Rome. There is a historic fort here, run by the National Park Service, Fort Stanwix. It's free, and we learn much about elements of the US Revolutionary war.

Back at the landing we meet more fellow cruisers, and stroll along the riverfront walkway.

Fort Stanwix was built by the British in 1758 to protect a key portage along the trade route of what would later become the Erie Canal from attacks by the Iroquois and the colonists. In 1768 the British presented a “treaty” to the Iroquois to end the fighting and in fine print, it also ceded lands to the British all the way down to Kentucky. Why squabble over a few extra acres over who took land from who! This is supposed to be a happy occasion! The native Americans down in Kentucky of course never had a say in that treaty. I guess they never got a copy of the memo which included putting cover sheets on all TPS reports. During this same year, the fort went to ruin and fell down into the swamp.

Enter the upstart Americans who, on July 12, 1776, rebuilt the fort and occupied it to protect against the British. The British laid siege to the fort but while so doing, another colonial group heading west to relieve the siege encountered the British resulting in the British seige ending . After this event, the fort was abandone then burned down and then fell into the swamp.

Enter the Park service in 1974. They built the fort for the THIRD time in an attempt to besiege tourists and extract dollars from them and that fort stayed up! Now when you come to visit, all this can be yours!

“What, the curtains?”

“No, not the curtains”

Gary channels Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"