Richard Palmer

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  • 25 posts

Traveling to the Thousand Islands by Stagecoach

The party reached Depauville on Saturday, where they spent a "horrid" night. They left Depauville at 4 am, drove through to Clayton, and were met by an immense crowd.

'Volume 18, Issue 8, August 2023
Richard Palmer

"USS Superior" Celebrates the End of the War of 1812

News of the end of the war was slow to reach Sackets Harbor. But when it did, it was a cause for celebration.

Volume 18, Issue 6, June 2023
Richard Palmer

"Spring Fit-out" on the Great Lakes, Part II

It was soon time to get under way. A two or three master might need new gear such as throat and peak halliards; sheets for mainsail, spanker, mizzen, foresail . . .

Volume 18, Issue 5, May 2023
Richard Palmer

"Spring Fit-out" on the Great Lakes, Part I

In the mid-19th century, as many as one hundred ships wintered in such ports as Oswego. As soon as the ice melted, Oswego came alive like a bear awakening from its long winter’s nap.

Volume 18, Issue 4, April 2023
Richard Palmer

Fate of the Schooner "Maggie L"

Captain Merton H. Mellon was at the helm of his small two-masted schooner, the "Maggie L.", sailing down the St. Lawrence River on the night of November 1, 1929 . . .

Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2023
Richard Palmer

Cruise Ships are Back!

All about the 2022 cruise ship OCEAN NAVIGATOR and the 1948 cruise ship ONTARIO.

Volume 17, Issue 11, November 2022
Susan W. Smith

Miser, a Railroad Dog

This morning I left the elegant coach with its comfortable, high-backed seats, for a trip in the baggage car. . . I wanted to get better acquainted with my friend Miser.

Volume 17, Issue 7, July 2022
Richard Palmer

Wreck of The "Janet"

A voyage that started out as a pleasure cruise, to attend a regatta from Kington to Cape Vincent and French Creek (Clayton) on August 14, 1851, came to a tragic end when the yacht Janet overturned during a squall, drowning 17 women and two men

Volume 17, Issue 6, June 2022
Richard Palmer

Early Navigation on the Chaumont River, Depauville

To look at the shallow and winding six-mile Chaumont River, running between Chaumont and Depauville, NY, it’s hard to believe that this stream was once navigated by steamboats and even by a sizable schooner.

Volume 17, Issue 4, April 2022
Richard Palmer

Clayton's 150th: The Life of Simon G. Johnston

The Life of Simon G. Johnston - Shipbuilding was the major industry and largest employer in Clayton, NY, from the early 19th century to well into the 20th century. . .

Volume 17, Issue 3, March 2022
Richard Palmer

Taking the Trolley to Alexandria Bay

One of the first electric trolley lines in northern New York was a line built from Redwood to the village of Alexandria Bay. It was only seven and a half miles long and was built by a group of local investors . .

Volume 17, Issue 2, February 2022
Richard Palmer

Steamboat Lady of the Lake Sailed Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River

One of the most popular steamboats on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in the 19th century was the "Lady of the Lake," of the Ontario & St. Lawrence Steamboat Company.

Volume 17, Issue 1, January 2022
Richard Palmer

Wreck of the Steamboat "Martha Ogden" in 1832

The "Martha Ogden", enroute from Oswego to Sackets Harbor on November 12, 1832, was hit by a northwest gale and sprang a leak.

Volume 16, Issue 12, December 2021
Richard Palmer

Heyday of the Hay Scows

Hay scows were a product of their environment, floating supplies to the inhabitants of the many islands, and transporting farmers’ produce from the islands to market.

Volume 16, Issue 9, September 2021
Richard Palmer

Cadets Spent Summer Sailing the Thousand Islands

The "John S. Parsons" passed the summer cruising up and down Lake Ontario and through the Thousand Islands region, and finally returned to Oswego, where the cadets disembarked and returned to school in time for the opening of the fall term.

Volume 16, Issue 9, September 2021
Richard Palmer

Recording History - Schooner Days and the "Picton" by C.H.J. Snider

Author Richard Palmer shares "Schooner Days Project". with C.H.J. Snider's history of the Schooner "Picton" . . .

Volume 16, Issue 7, July 2021
Richard Palmer

"A.E. Vickery" Hits a Shoal

One of the most popular dive sites on the St. Lawrence River is the remains of the sunken schooner A.E. Vickery, off Rock Island Light near Clayton.

Volume 16, Issue 3, March 2021
Richard Palmer

Captain Best, 'The Hermit of Wigwam Cove'

One of the most interesting characters who once lived in a small cabin at the edge of Lake Ontario on Sandy Pond was Captain George Best, commonly known as the "Hermit of Wigwam Cove."

Volume 15, Issue 11, November 2020
Richard Palmer