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A PUBLICATION OF THE DAILY STAR
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2016
Oneonta grew from first settlers to a city Mark SiMonSon Contributing Writer
The condition in which the glaciers left this area thousands of years ago might explain how Oneonta became a regional hub of activity and commerce. From the time the first European settlers arrived in the 1770s — and American Indians before them — five valleys brought them to Oneonta, on the northern bank of the Susquehanna River. Only five miles east of Oneonta, the Susquehanna River Valley from the north converges with the Charlotte River Valley from the east and Schenevus Creek Valley from the northeast, forming a westbound valley of the Susquehanna. Then, at a point just west of Oneonta, the Otego Creek Valley comes from the north. Except from the south, where the mountains were steep, Oneonta was easy to reach from all directions. Oneonta’s name, from information provided by William A. Starna, professor emeritus of anthropology at SUNY Oneonta, has long been known as the “City of the Hills.” The name, derived from a Mohawk Indian word, does not have a similar meaning. Pronounced o-neny-onda, Oneonta can literally be translated as “rocks sticking out,” a reference to the exposed bedrock cliff faces found on the east end and north side of the city. The Revolutionary War drove many of the early settlers out of the area, but they returned as the frontier expanded. The hills and valleys were fertile, and with an early western movement, Oneonta grew with the farm community. In addition, farmers became parttime lumbermen. With plenty of trees and water power from the Susquehanna, logs were sawed and rafted to markets in larger cities. What began as nearly unsettled in 1780, Oneonta had about 200 people by 1825. The valleys leading to Oneonta saw trails, turnpikes, and then roads built. Stagecoaches brought more people, providing a boost to new businesses. However, Oneonta was anything but a boomtown at first, despite its easy accessibility. Along came the Erie Canal, finished in 1825. For the local economy, this was a tragic turn of events. Suddenly it was less expensive to transport farm goods and other materials to places like Albany or New York from the Midwest, than it was from Oneonta. The farm community remained flat or depressed for years to come. There were ideas of building a Susquehanna Canal, but they passed quickly. In 1826, however, Oneonta businessmen began talking publicly about a railroad along the Susquehanna. It took a few more decades to raise enough capital for such a huge project. See ONEONTA, Page 2
The McDonald Tavern, built by James McDonald, once stood at the corner of River and Main streets, where today’s Stewart’s Shop is located.
The former village hall and fire station, where today’s 242 Main St. is found.
CONTRIBUTED
CONTRIBUTED
Two sports have stood out through Oneonta’s history Mark SiMonSon Contributing Writer
If Oneonta was to be defined by popular sports throughout its history, most would easily think of baseball and soccer.
BASEBALL DATES BACK TO the 1860s
Locals played the game with rules very different from today on the Central New York Fairgrounds, where the Hudson Street and Belmont Circle neighborhood is today. The game moved to the area of today’s Neahwa Park after the turn of the 20th century. It wasn’t until around 1890 that professional baseball was played here, initially with the New York State League. There were periods Oneonta didn’t have a professional team, so semi-professional ball was a substitute for the favorite American pastime.
Our region had town teams, and college men would be hired to play. For example, Stamford’s town team were mostly men from Princeton University. Oneonta had ties to Colgate University. For the players’ “real jobs,” they’d work in the D&H Railroad shops in the early years, or later at Scintilla Magneto in Sidney, today’s Amphenol, until it was time to play ball. During those semi-pro years, Major League teams would “barnstorm” town teams. Oneonta played the likes of the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, or traveling all-star teams. Now and then, Oneonta’s nine would send the big teams packing with a loss. That remote site to play in the East End got old. Frank H. Monroe, a co-manager of the first team to play at the new baseball field in See SPORTS, Page 2
COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME ARCHIVES
The second site of Oneonta’s National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum on Ford Avenue, serving from 1987 to 1999.