The creation of the Schenectady Locomotive Works manufacturing factory that was an integral part of the transcontinental railroad function and Central Pacific Railroad.
On the Mohawk river, a bit south of Albany New York, a freshwater dam was constructed. This impounded the Schoharie Creek, a tributary of the Mohawk river, which was turned into a reservoir for the New York City water system.
The Edison Machine Works Company took up 10 acres of factories in Schenectady to make electric motors and systems used for locamotives. This company then merged with other electric companies owned by Thomas A. Edison to form Edison General Electric in 1889. Edison General Electric merged with Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1892 to form General Electric which became headquarted in Schnectady.
Europeans moved from the Albany area further outward, settling eventually at Schenectady near the Mohawk River. The area near the river was used for farming and growing crops, with The King's Fort being built there. It was officially chartered in 1798.
On Febuary 8A force of Candians, Mohawk and Algonquin warriors attacked the community of Schenectady in the dark of night burning most of the village and killing 60 residents.
Because of the Great Depression, a large number of Schenectady residents lost their jobs. This massive unemployment is what lead to Schenectady's growth to halt and later become a modern example of urban decay up until the 21st century, .
Originally found in plans dating back to 1813, construction of the Nott Memorial (originally called "Alumni Hall") began in 1858. At some point during the Civil War, construction of the building was halted. After a protest by students in 1869, hoping to encourage the college to finish construction, the building was finished by 1875.
In 1609, the De Halve Maen, a trading vessel from the Dutch East India Company, arrived at Sandy Hook before moving up the Hudson River. The abundance of natural resources (beaver) and position on the river made it an area of great interest to the Dutch, who would establish a colony in the years after the De Halve Maen's expedition, settling in what would become eventually become Albany, NY in 1614. The settlement was known as Fort Orange, and was the first permanent settlement in the burgeoning "New Netherlands".
Construction on the Erie Canal began in 1817 and finished in 1825. It ran from the Hudson River in Albany to the Niagara River in Buffalo. It lowered the cost of both shipping and food in the Midwest and the Northeast. The canal also increased trade and enabled migration out West.
The Columbian exchange signifies the large-scale transfer of goods between Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America in the centuries following Columbus's arrival; this facilitation included but was not limited to people, crops, and animals. Although the Columbian Exchange did help to jumpstart America's settlement and expansion, it also spread disease, thus decimating populations, and played a role in expanding slavery throughout the world.
Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, taught the pilgrims how to plant maize, also known as corn. The pilgrims soon learned the value of corn, as it would provide plenty of food and was easy to grow. This event is significant because it introduced settlers to a food source we are now dependent on and produce in mass quantity.
The Rivers Casino was the first in a series of developments along the Mohawk River and near Mohawk Harbor. The casino pays the city of Schenectady $3 million annually while giving partons a spectacular view of the Mohawk.
The Schenectady Locomotive Works, founded in 1848, was a locomotive manufacturing company. The company operated from a factory in the north western portion of the season. The company merged with the American Locomotive Company in 1901.
In 1892 GE moved its company headquarters from New York City to Schenectady, NY. As we saw in the Sanborn map from 1914, the company set up along the Erie Canal. This brought in thousands of jobs, but as we know GE was responsible for a large amount of pollution.
As Schenectady began to industrialize, GE was introduced to the area. As a diverse manufacturing company, GE offered thousands of jobs to the people in the area. However, what once was known as a symbol of power and beauty, the Mohawk River would soon become a convenient landfill for the company. This represents a major shift in how people viewed nature.
It was around these few days in late February, when our beloved Union College officially became chartered from the Board of Regents of the State of New York. It would be one of the first schools without a Religious Denomination, have a highly liberal educational program with bachelors degrees available in history, math, science, and modern languages, as well as becoming the founding home of three fraternities. Overtime Union would have many famous alumni, ranging from Politicians to Actors, a NCAA Division 1 Championship winning Hockey team, as well as becoming one of the top, "Green" schools of the country. From 1795 till today, it has allowed students from across the world, with all kinds of backgrounds, the ability to learn and experience what they need too in order to prepare for their future lives!
https://www.union.edu/about/history-and-traditions
https://www.union.edu/news/stories/201910/union-named-one-top-50-green-colleges-country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_College#cite_note-yates423-19
In the 1940s and 1950s, Paul Schaefer led a dedicated group of conservationists against the power industry in an attempt to prevent the construction of dams in the Adirondacks. Schaefer’s campaign was an effective blend of media, education, legal arguments and political savvy that resulted in a victory which created a model for environmental activism that has been adopted by conservationists across the country.