From Great Wilderness to Seaway Towns

Claire Puccia Parham

Description

From Great Wilderness to Seaway Towns adds a new dimension to the debate over the perceived differences between American and Canadian society. This fascinating case study examines two communities separated by the St. Lawrence River: Cornwall, Ontario, and Massena, New York, from the end of the Revolutionary War to the present. Moving from the struggles of early settlers to industrialization and beyond, Claire Puccia Parham chronicles how the residents of both areas created similar social, political, and economic institutions because of their peripheral locations in a capitalist world system and their inherent congregational and democratic values. These distinctive views often brought them into conflict with national leaders.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Early Settlement of Cornwall, Ontario, and Massena, New York, 1784-1834

2. The Canal Era and the First Manufacturing Boom in Cornwall and Massena, 1834-1900

3. The Era of Large Corporations in Cornwall and Massena, 1900-1954

4. The St. Lawrence Seaway Project and Its Short-Term Social Impact on Cornwall and Massena, 1954-1958

5. The Long-Term Economic Impact of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project on Cornwall and Massena

Conclusion

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Sujets

• USA
• United States of America
• Local history
• History of the Americas
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791485675
• Langue: English

Extrait

From Great Wilderness to Seaway Towns

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From Great Wilderness to Seaway Towns

A Comparative History of Cornwall, Ontario, and Massena, New York, 1784–2001

C P P LAIRE UCCIA ARHAM

S TATE  U NIVERSITY OF  N EW Y ORK  P RESS

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2004 Claire Puccia Parham

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, pho- tocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address the State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Parham, Claire Puccia. From great wilderness to Seaway towns : a comparative history of Cornwall, Ontario, and Massena, New York, 1784–2001 / Claire Puccia Parham. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-5981-0 (hc : alk. paper) 1. Cornwall (Ont.)—History. 2. Massena (N.Y.)—History. 3. Northern boundary of the United States—History, Local. 4. Saint Lawrence Seaway—History. 5. United States—Relations—Canada—Case studies. 6. Canada—Relations—United States—Case studies. I. Title.

F1059.5.C67P37 2004 971.3' 75—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2003058127

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter One The Early Settlement of Cornwall, Ontario and Massena, New York, 1784–1834

Chapter Two The Canal Era and the First Manufacturing Boom in Cornwall and Massena, 1834–1900

Chapter Three The Era of Large Corporations in Cornwall and Massena, 1900–1954

Chapter Four The St. Lawrence Seaway Project and Its Short-Term Social Impact on Cornwall and Massena, 1954–1958

Chapter Five The Long-Term Economic Impact of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project on Cornwall and Massena

Conclusion

Notes

Works Cited

Index

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the many people who assisted me with this project. I am indebted to my husband, Edward, whose love and support made this book possible; to my parents who have always believed in me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams; and to my daughters, Eve and Annabelle, who are daily inspirations to me. I am also grateful to the residents of Massena, New York and Cornwall, Ontario and the numerous Seaway workers who shared their life stories with me and invited me into their homes. Special thanks also go to the St. Lawrence County Historical Society, the Power Authority of the State of New York, and David Mercier who provided the cover art and design. I would like, finally, to thank my long-time advisor, Dr. Robert Weir, for his guidance during my years of work on this project.

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Introduction

Cornwall, Ontario and Massena, New York are two towns separated by a nar- row expanse of the St. Lawrence River on the northern New York–Canadian border. Besides being close geographical neighbors, the locales were both settled in the closing decades of the eighteenth century. In 1784 United Empire Loy- alists and their families who were no longer welcome in the former colonies relocated to Royal Township #2, later renamed Cornwall. Massena’s founding fathers were northeastern farmers who left family homesteads in New England and New York in search of cheap and abundant land on the newly opened frontier. Initially, both groups of settlers struggled to become economically self- sufficient and to foster cultural and political institutions among a widespread and often transient population. Religion proved to be the common link that brought the members of these communities together. Settlers’ shared spiritual beliefs gave them the strength to endure the harsh frontier conditions and enhanced their relationships with their neighbors. In terms of industrialization, the progress of both towns was tied to their location near a navigable waterway and the subsequent development of hydropower. Following the construction of power canals on the St. Lawrence and Grasse Rivers during the second half of the nineteenth century, Cornwall and Massena became major regional manufacturing centers. Cornwall’s initial factories were textile mills financed by wealthy Montreal entrepreneurs. By the early twentieth century these enterprises were joined by more than a dozen manufacturing operations including a paper mill and a men’s clothing factory. Massena’s first major manufacturing firm was an aluminum process- ing plant constructed by the Pittsburgh Reduction Company in 1903, later known as the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa). Prior to World War II Alcoa was the only producer of aluminum-based goods in the continental United States and was the largest employer north of Syracuse. The workers recruited by the owners of these large enterprises altered the population of Cornwall and Massena and increased the number of local residents employed in manufacturing. Following World War II, however, both towns experienced

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