Abbe Picquet Trail

 Abbe Picquet Trail makes a loop through the site of Fort de la Presentation which was built in 1749 as a mission fort to covert and make allies of the Iroquois. Interpretive signs on the history of the fort are clustered around the base of a tall monument. 

The trail is about a mile long and level. It's surfaced with gravel and the main loop is accessible. A boardwalk that makes a small loop off the trail does not met the ground at one end but the other end is a fine. A peninsula sticks out into the river past the lighthouse which is private property. The peninsula trail is not accessible due to large gravel.

     

The parking lot is small. Short RVs can be parked face in but longer RVs will have to be parked across the spaces. It may be possible to park near the monument in the gravel and grass lot used during special events. Trail  44.69424, -75.5034

 

Frederic Remington Art Museum

Frederic Remington, a native New Yorker, developed a deep  fascination with the western frontier at an early age. His first trip west was to Montana in 1880 when he was 19 years old. While there one of his sketches was published in Harper's Weekly, marking the beginning of his artistic career, but three years later he was in Kansas trying his hand at sheep ranching, then running a hardware store and finally as a partner in a salon. All were failures which spurred him to dedicate more time to sketching and painting. Fortunately eastern readers were eager for stories and pictures of the west. Harper's Weekly sent him to Arizona to cover the army's quest for Geronimo plus he worked for other New York magazines and sold his work at art exhibitions. 

 Most of Remington's work was done in his studios in New York, drawing on inspiration from his sketches, photographs, other artist's paintings, and materials that he'd collected in the west. In 1895 he started sculpting and in the 1900s he began painting eastern landscapes. Over his lifetime he created more than 3000 sketches and paintings and 23 clay sculptures that were cast in bronze. 

The museum is located in an 1810 mansion built by David Parish, the founder of Ogdensburg, NY. In 1896 George Hall, who purchased the mansion in 1896, conducted extensive renovations, including installing the beautiful oak paneling in the entry hall. When Frederic Remington died in 1909 his wife, Eva,  moved into the mansion. She brought along Remington's sketches, paintings, sculptures, artifacts, and memorabilia many which she bequest to the city on her death in 1918. George Hall then donated his mansion to serve as the museum. 

The exhibits in the museum include Remington's artifacts, paintings, sketches, and statues. Visitors can  compare two sculptures of the same subject cast at different times to observe the changes made and the loss of detail over time. 

The second floor of the museum has an exhibit of work by local artist, Sally James Farnham, a collection of glass and porcelain figurines, and the story of David Parish's struggle to built a town in sparsely settled wilderness.  

The museum is accessible with a slightly overgrown ramp along the left side of the yard that leads to the porch. An elevator access the second floor. Part of the glass collection may not be accessible to all wheelchair users due to an exceptionally narrow doorway. 

Parking is along the street.  Museum  44.69871, -75.49332

 

Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site

 In 1812, at the outbreak of war between the US and Britain, the US Navy established a naval yard in Sackets Harbor to build warships for the purpose of gaining control of the Great Lakes. The 3000 men who worked at the shipyard and the villagers of Sackets Harbor were protected by thousands of soldiers manning the five small forts and the earthworks that surrounded the village.

In the first battle of Sackets Harbor the brig USS Oneida and shore batteries forced five invading British ships to return to Canada. The second battle occurred when British troops landed at Sackets Harbor in May 1813. The battle claimed the lives of 49 British soldiers and 307 US soldiers before the British retreated. The village didn't see any more action but the site was used up to WWII as a military base, hospital post, and training post. 

Nothing from the War of 1812 remains but there is a walking trail of the battlegrounds with interpretive signs. The trail makes a loop and has five buildings with exhibits. The 1850s Commandant's House is opened for guided tours only. 

The trail is finely crushed stone or paved. It's fairly flat and accessible. The barn which has exhibits about the battles is accessed over a grassy path and has a short ramp and a metal threshold. The ground floor of the farmhouse which has exhibits about archeology is accessed by a ramp at the rear of the building. It looks like it goes to the restrooms only and is easy to miss. The Lieutenant's House has exhibits and is accessed in the rear by a lift that goes to the porch. Knock very loudly because there's a storage area and another door between the porch and the front desk. The boat yard exhibit buildings are down a long steep boardwalk. The doors are sticky and require a good push to get them to open. The Commandant's House is not accessible.

From Main Street turn south onto Hill Street to get to a large parking lot where any vehicle will fit. Sackets Harbor 43.94769, -76.12737

Empire State Trail

This section of the Erie Canalway Trail is hard packed dirt and gravel. We parked in a lot northwest of Rome and walked/rolled south until we hit a section where the trail becomes a bike lane on the side of road. We turned around and went the other way for about 1.7 miles for a total of  5 miles.

Heading south the trail follows the canal. We saw ducks and  one fuzzy caterpillar - not much wildlife but flowers everywhere!. Going the opposite direction, the trail is asphalt for a short way as it follows the road then it veers away, becomes dirt and gravel again and quieter as it heads into the woods. 

     

The trail is almost level and hard packed so it's accessible.

The parking lot is not marked. Heading west on Route 49 look for the lot with large piles of dirt and gravel on the left side of the road. The trail lot is south of the trail sign. It's large enough for any vehicle. Trail  43.22647, -75.49946

 

Shako:wi Cultural Center

Photography is not allowed in the center. The buildings is log, built using no nails or other fasteners and with a beautiful open floor plan and high ceilings. The exhibits cover Oneida culture, traditions, and history. The center is fairly small so it doesn't take much time to see it. 

The first floor is accessible but stairs are the only access to the small loft area. There's a log house on the grounds that was locked when we visited. It has a couple of steps to the entrance and is not accessible. Center  43.03971, -75.6219