Welcome to the Chenango Canal Towpath Trail

Welcome to the Chenango Canal Towpath Trail. . , Welcome to the Chenango Canal Towpath Trail , Chenango Canal Association, Inc. Mission, The Chenango Canal Association (CCA) is dedicated to preserving, maintaining and improving the historic Chenango Canal and its towpath. Preservation of the canal creates an understanding of its historic significance, as well as builds a foundation for ongoing, positive community development. This is accomplished through a range of recreational and educational activities., The Cottage Museum is located on the corner of Canal Road and Scenic Byway State Rt. 20, Bouckville. Open 10-5, it contains a collection of local history and explains the impact the Chenango Canal had on New York State and America from 1837-1878. Adjacent parking is available., The CCA meets every month and is an all-volunteer organization. We partner with local schools and colleges to keep the trail clear and rely on the generosity of local businesses. Our budget is based on donations, friend's memberships, fundraisers and grants to keep the Towpath Trail along the 5-mile summit clear for the public to enjoy. Please sign in our visitor's book and consider a donation., Towpath Trail , The Towpath Trail, when opened to the public, consisted of five miles along the Chenango Canal historic towpath. The Village of Hamilton maintained an additional mile of trail alongside Woodman Pond and in 2009 extended the trail to the Montgomery Street trailhead., The length of the trail from Hamilton to the North end is about 8 miles. There is a Hamilton Police shooting range next to the trail near Woodman Pond. Watch for signs warning when the range is in use. Trespassing signs are for Woodman Pond and not for use of the trail., There is an about 1.5 mile branch along the abandoned O&W railroad bed leading south from the Hamilton Municipal Airport to College Street. The RR trail also goes north from the airport to Woodman Road and a 1 K walk along the road to the west leads to the Towpath trail back to the airport. Park at the airport and one can circumnavigate the airport., Park at the Chenango Canal Association Cottage Museum in Bouckville at the intersection of Canal Road and Route 20. Open for self-guiding 10 AM to 5 PM. There is a self-guided audio tour of the Trail in Bouckville for smart phones. , --- or park at The North end of the trail on Canal Road past Elm Street , -- or park at , ---Woodman Pond Road at the canal , ---or park at the Montgomery Street Trailhead., Birding along the trail is excellent at peak migration times and Woodman Pond often has a wide variety of waterfowl in the Fall. There are geocaching locations along the Trail. For more information see www.chenangoCanal.org., The Feeder System of the Chenango Canal , Any canal, like the Chenango Canal, needs a water supply at the highest elevation to feed the locks as shipping moves down the canal. John Jervis, Chief Engineer for the Canal, measured the rainfall in the region and determined that the wetlands, if dammed into reservoirs, could retain 20% of rainfall and provide enough water to feed The Canal. Seven wetlands were dammed to create the reservoirs shown on the map. Feeder canals were dug by hand to bring the water from the reservoirs to Leland Pond at the summit, the highest point on the Canal., Mott's® apple products was founded in Bouckville, NY on the Chenango Canal. New York at that time was, and today remains, a prime apple growing region., The company was founded in 1842 by Samuel R. Mott in Bouckville, New York, where he made cider with the help of hitched horses that plodded in a circle, crushing apples between two large stone mill stones af the center of the 'sweep'. The crushed apples were shoveled into a crib with slatted sides, packed in straw and pressed by three men leaning on a lengthy lever that operated a jack screw. The golden juice ran off into a tank beneath and was ready for bottling., Mott was very successful in Bouckville. The warehouse was located across the Chenango Canal from a bottling plant that still operates today as the Bouckville Feed Mill, the longest-running feed mill in NYS. Mott originally made apple cider vinegar here. It was known as the bottling plant before the larger complex was built up the street on State Route 20, but destroyed by another fire., S.R. Mott became the Railroad Commissioner and was instrumental in getting the railroad to cross his property on Route 20, next to his business. Across the street, he lived in a house that is still standing today., Mott's cider and vinegar caught the fancy of his neighbors and, as demand grew, so did the size of his mill. Water power and steam replaced his horse and now, with a son to help him, he began enjoying distribution far beyond the local market. Long before the turn of the century, Clipper ships were carrying 1,000 case lots of Mott's champagne cider and casks of Mott's vinegar around Cape Horn to California., Mott's Stone Warehouse opposite the main buildings across the Chenango Canal Mott's successfully exhibited their products at world fairs in Paris and Brussels. They promoted their wares, too, at the Philadelphia Centennial of 1876 and the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, picking up first prizes for quality. More at https://www.motts.com/about., Credits: Motts web site, and Diane van Slyke.