Scottsville and Genesee River Canal Blog

Access to this blog is your reward for visiting the three points of this geocache. As you discovered these points and viewed the scenes at these places, you were walking in an area which was once bustling with the early day commerce of old Scottsville.

The Town of Wheatland was an area of early wheat production among other agricultural products which needed to be transported by the most efficient means. Use of horse or mule drawn carts or wagons was impractical beyond small quantities or loads and thus more efficient means were developed. An early demand for a canal linking Scottsville with the Genesee River was one step in commercial transportation improvement. The canal was begun in 1836 for a capital sum of $30,000.

The major stock holders in this venture were Powel Carpenter, Abraham Hanford, and Isaac Cox. They formed the board of directors for the project.

The contract for the canal construction was awarded to Joseph Cox and Thomas Halstead.

The canal was short lived and operated between 1838 and 1839 at which time it was partially used in the local construction of the Genesee Valley Canal which superseded it. The parts of the Scottsville and Genesee River Canal which were combined with the Genesee Valley Canal were the dam and feeder gates on Oatka Creek which provided feed water to the new canal and a stretch of canal ditch approximately 1650 feet long from the feeder gates to the point where the old canal used to turn right and head toward the Genesee River. At that point the new canal continued northward heading toward Rochester.

The Genesee Valley Canal began operation in 1840 and continued to operate until 1878. Although it never completely recovered its original construction costs, the stimulus which it provided for development of the region and western New York is monumental.

Eventually the tow path of the Genesee Valley Canal became the right of way of the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad and then later the Pennsylvania Railroad. This railroad right of way is now the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail.

NAVIGATION NOTE: As you scroll down in this blog you can click on the various photographs to see a larger view of them with better detail. When you scroll to the bottom of a page you can click on "Older Posts" to see the entire blog in the logical order of the way you discovered the points in the geocaching process. You can also view any particular page by clicking on its title at the right- hand side of each blog page.

Scottsville and Genesee River Canal Map

This historical map shows where the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal began at Allen's Creek, now Oatka Creek and headed northeasterly.

The first black bar on this map across the creek is the location where a dam crossed the creek to supply feed water into the Scottsville & Genesee Valley Canal initially and then later as one of many feed water sources for the more modern Genesee Valley Canal. The wider black bar across the creek to the right of the dam marks the aqueduct which carried canal boats across the Oatka Creek. The creek flowed under this aqueduct. Later the footings of the aqueduct were used to construct the railroad bridge still present which everyone calls "George Bridge".

As the canal transitions northward from the creek to the canal itself, there is a guard gate shown by one "V" across the canal. This guard gate could be closed in the event that canal banks washed out and water had to be stopped to avoid flooding.

This map shows 3 sets of lift locks on the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal. There are no longer any remnants of these lift locks in existence and it was said that the lock closest to the Genesee River was difficult to maintain due to the sandy soil where it was constructed. It is still possible to view the canal ditch which runs parallel to Oatka Creek closer to the Genesee River. It is in the woods but it is still there and easiest to see in early spring or when there is little vegetation to make walking there easier.

The reference numbers on this map are also shown at the same approximate locations on a recent aerial photograph on the next entry of this blog. They are as follows:

#1: Geocache point #1 which is on the boardwalk near the stone foundation of what was once likely an old warehouse at the end of Canal Street on the west side of the canal. This point is directly over the original Scottsville & Genesee River Canal which later became a feed water supply to the Genesee Valley Canal.

#2: Geocache point #2 at the Greenway Trail bench near the end of present day Genesee Street. This is close to the point where the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal turned more eastward on a course toward the Genesee River. The turning point was claimed to be 100 rods or 1650 feet from the guard gates.

#3: Geocache final point #3 which is along the east bank of the Genesee Valley Canal which went from Rochester to Olean and joined the Allegheny River there.

#4: A point which is in the now wooded area in the farm fields of Rodney Horse Farms. This was the original site of the homestead of Ebenezer Indian Allen for whom Allen's Creek was named. Allen's creek was later renamed Oatka Creek.

Ebenezer Indian Allen was the first settler to plant wheat in what is now the Town of Wheatland. He planted two bushels of Lisbon or Velvet wheat seed on 2 acres near this site in the fall of 1788. He subsequently sold this property to Peter Sheffer who owned the wheat at harvest time.

Some remnants of construction at this site are still evident.

The Town of Wheatland was originally named "Inverness" but that name only lasted for 6 weeks after which it was renamed the Town of Wheatland. In the present time it should more likely be renamed "Cornland" since that seems to be the most common cash crop these days.

Present Day View

This aerial view photograph is a relatively recent picture of the area where the Scottsville & Genesee Valley Canal was present. The photograph was apparently made after a large snow melt or high water since some areas of the fields clearly have large ponds in them which are normally not present. This condition makes it possible to see the approximate path where the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal crossed the large farm field heading eastward from point #2 on the map into the wooded area on the north side of Oatka Creek.

The numbered points correspond to those on the historical map. Point #1 is on the boardwalk over the original Scottsville & Genesee River Canal. Point #2 is at the end of present day Genesee Street near the park bench. Point #3 is the final geocache location, and Point #4 is the location of the original homestead of Ebenezer Indian Allen who was the first sewer of wheat in what eventually came to be named the Town of Wheatland.

George Bridge

This view is from the modern bridge which crosses the Oatka Creek just south of the village of Scottsville.

The "George Bridge" is the old railroad bridge in this photo. It was once the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad bridge and then later the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge. The bridge is constructed on some of the original stone work which supported the aqueduct for the Genesee Valley Canal which crossed Oatka Creek here. Thus, canal barges would cross the creek in a huge trough or aqueduct and the creek flowed under it on its way to the Genesee River.

It is not visible in this picture due to the vegetation along the banks but the abutments for the dam which crossed this creek are still visible when the leaves fall. The dam which crossed the creek here was located about where the rapids are seen on the surface of the water in this picture. The dam was constructed to provide water for the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal which branched off to the left in this photograph. The stone guard gate structure is still present and is referred to as the "feeder gates" since it was converted from guard gate to a feeder gate to provide water to the more modern Genesee Valley Canal when the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal ceased to be used and was incorporated into the newer canal where possible.

Feeder Gates Plackard

This historical marker is present at the northeast side of the modern bridge which now crosses Oatka Creek. It refers to the feeder gates which had previously been the guard gates of the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal heading north.

When the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal was replaced by the Genesee Valley Canal, this guard gate was converted into a feeder gate which was used to control the water flow from a dam in Oatka Creek into the new Genesee Valley Canal at this location.

In the event that there were a break-out of the canal bank near this location, this feeder gate could be adjusted to avoid flooding and divert the canal fill water entirely down Oatka Creek instead.

New Boardwalk on Canal Street

As you head up the boardwalk towards the village you are approaching geocache point #1 to the right. Where this boardwalk is constructed is the approximate path of Canal Street.

The Scottsville & Genesee River Canal crossed under this boardwalk and later became the feeder canal which supplied water to the Genesee Valley Canal when the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal was replaced by the newer canal.

Warehouse Foundation Remains

As you stand on the modern boardwalk and look northward along the ditch of the earlier Scottsville & Genesee River Canal you can see the stone foundations of some of the original warehouses which used to operate here.

This is geocache point #1. The canal passed directly under this point. After this canal was converted to feed water to the Genesee Valley Canal, a triangular land mass was formed which can still be seen and was bounded on the west by the feed water canal which was once the Scottsville & Genesee River Canal, on the east by the Genesee Valley Canal, and on the south by Oatka Creek which was previously named Allen's Creek. This triangular land mass was was called "The Island" and buildings were present on it.