Historic New York

Historic New York. The Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes are a portion of the most remarkable series of parallel valleys in the world. They occupy six of the 21 north-south valleys set amid gently rolling hills. From west to east these sparkling lakes are Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco and Skaneateles., The region was the home of Cayuga and Seneca Indians of the Six Nations whose lands the Sullivan Clinton Expedition devastated in 1779. After the American Revolution, the area was opened for settlement. Jemimna Wilkinson, the "Publick Universal Friend," brought here, in 1788, followers who accepted her ideas of celibacy and communal living. In the 1830's, canals linked Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka Lakes with the Erie Canal. The population grew, and the region flourished., Andrew Reisinger began in 1853 the commercial grape industry in the Keuka region. His production of wine and champagne marked the start of a successful enterprise. Good soil and stable temperatures combine to make the area outstanding for vineyards. It is now called the "Champagne Region of America.", Glen H. Curtiss, by his pioneering feats in flying airplanes, made Hammondsport the aviation center of the nation in the early 1900's.