Sandstoner Park

Sandstoner Park. Potsdam Raquette River Walk. , (above) These turn-of-the-century boaters are using oared craft resembling Adirondack guideboats. Note that couples usually face each other. (right) Canoeing had two surges in popularity: once in the 1900s, as shown here and again in the 1950s. Courtesy of the Potsdam Museum [both pictures]. , Recreation , For most of its recorded history, the Raquette was appreciated for its practical uses to society as a transportation route and a source of food, water, and power. As its use in local industry declined in the twentieth century, its recreational use grew. Photographers, painters, and walkers now visit its shores, and boaters and swimmers enjoy its waters. , Sewage Treatment , The village had no sewage treatment system until 1886, when pipes were laid around the village to collect waste. Even then, waste was simply released untreated into the river at Raymond Street. Shoreline residents had to endure mosquito swarms and bad smells in summer, and children were advised not to swim downriver of those pipes. , A sewage treatment plant was built nearby in 1969 and returns clean water to the river. Decline of local shoreline industry also resulted in a cleaner river. Sewage treatment plant, 2010.