AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK

Seasonal Event

10/5 K VOLKSWALK

2nd Annual

AVA Event #78585     NE09/0320

AVA Special Programs

Cemetery Stroll

Riverwalk America

Native American Culture

Walking Europe in the USA

Railroad Heritage

Historic Churches

Museum Walk America

Veteran Memorials

Firehouses

 


guypark
START/FINISH   America's Best Value  Inn,
                                   10 Market Street, Amsterdam, NY
                            (518) 842-0940

HOURS:  Daily Dawn to Dusk

FEES:
"A"  Award & Credit - $6.00
IVV Credit Only - $3.00
Non IVV Credit Walkers - $2.00

Trail Rating is 2+    The 10 km route is along city streets, sidewalks with hills.
This walk is suitable for strollers or wagons.

Award:  The A Award is an  1 1/4 inch oval pin depicting the Guy Park Manor House.
amsterdam
Directions: From the South or East:
Directions:  Please consult a map for a better route..These directions are given by the Motel and doesn't include all ways to approach Amsterdam..
From: North. Take Interstate 90 to Exit 27 (New York State Thruway), then take Route 30 North for 1 mile, at the first traffic light go over bridge, turn left on Main Street, right on Market Street, to the Best Western Amsterdam which is located in downtown Amsterdam in the historic Mohawk Valley, Adirondack Region.
From: South. (From Cooperstown, NY) Take 28 North to 20 East to 30 North, to the Best Western Amsterdam.
From: East. (From Saratoga, NY) Take 50 West to 67 West, to the Best Western Amsterdam.
map
REST ROOMS/WATER will be available at the  start/finish.


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT:

E-Mail: Barbara Bilins
Phone:  (518) 842-7899
Amsterdam Background: The most modern pre-European inhabitants of the area that is now called the Town of Amsterdam were of the Native Americans, referred to as the Mohawks.  The Mohawks were a member of what the British called the "Five Nations", and the French called the "Iroquois Nation".

     Franciscan, a French missionary, was one of the first white men to pass through the Mohawk Valley in 1616.  Soon to follow were Jesuit priests who worked with the Mohawks between 1633 and 1644.  Among them was Father Isaac Jougues who, after being tortured, died by the tomahawk.

Half a century later, sent here under the patronage of Queen Anne of England, were the German Palatines who arrived between 1708 and 1710.  At the same time Holland Dutch settlers also moved up the Mohawk Valley from Schenectady and other parts.   In 1738 Sir William Johnson built the first of his many homesteads in the present day Town of Florida.   In 1742 he moved a few miles west and built a flouring mill and stone mansion.  He called this new estate Fort Johnson. 

The earliest known family to settle within the Town was that of Philip Groat.  Groat acquired the title to the land directly from the Mohawks.  This is probably the earliest grant obtained from the Mohawks.   The first grist mill, on the north side of the Mohawk River at what is now Cranesville, was erected in 1730 by the Groat brothers. 

During the Revolutionary period, Aaron Vedder settled near the Chuctanunda Creek and erected a sawmill and grist mill.   This was the beginning of the small settlement  of  Veedersburg.   In 1804 the name was changed to Amsterdam as a courtesy to the Dutch people.  A charter was granted to the Village of Amsterdam in 1831 and in 1885 the City of Amsterdam was incorporated.

The Chuctanunda Creek provided water power for many different manufacturing companies.   Among these were a steel spring factory, a coffin manufacturer, a hosiery mill, a foundry and machine shop, a kerosene oil refinery, a broom factory, a boot and shoe factory, a button shop, a paper box factory and other numerous small factories.  These, along with its carpet and paper mills, boiler works and linseed oil works, resulted in Amsterdam having more millionaires per capita than any other city in New York state during the late 1800’s.   This industrial growth was aided by the migration of Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Germans, Irish, and Italians.

As a result of factory closures and relocations, Amsterdam is no longer considered a  “mill town”.    Urban renewal, public housing, arterial development and recreational facilities, including a municipal golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones and Riverlink and Shuttleworth Parks, have helped to revitalize the city