Series: The Oneida Carry

The Oneida Carry was the English name for the portage path between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. The carry was a part of the major water route between New York City and Canada. It was between one to six miles in length depending on the season of the year.

  • Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Article 1: A Timeline History of the Oneida Carry

    A sketch of a river with rapids and minor falls coming through a rocky outcrop.

    The history of the Oneida Carry, an ancient portage trail, spans several centuries, countless historic events, and many different cultures. These are just a few of those connections. Read more

  • Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Article 2: The Key to the Continent: Early Military History of the Oneida Carry

    Old map with a trail drawn next to a river. Drawings of several small forts are placed along-side.

    For centuries the Haudenosaunee people, including the Oneida Indian Nation, utilized a narrow strip of land situated between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. It is here where the waters of the Mohawk flow east to Albany, the Hudson River, and New York City while those of Wood Creek flow west to Oneida Lake, Oswego, and Lake Ontario. The Oneida Carry was a land portage two to four miles wide that people could carry their canoes between the two waterways with relative ease. Read more

  • Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Article 3: The Oneida Carry and Its Early Fortifications: 1755-1757

    Men in bright red jackets and tartan kilts stand facing a man sitting at a table.

    The Oneida Carry was the English name for the portage path between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. The carry was a part of the major water route between New York City and Canada. It was between one to six miles in length depending on the season of the year. Read more

  • Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Article 4: Fort Stanwix in the French & Indian (Seven Years) War: 1758-1760

    Several men in varying red uniforms walk in formation outside the fort wall.

    While no battles ever took place in and around the Oneida Carry after Fort Stanwix was built, the fort and carry served as important travel and supply bases for British expeditions against the French in 1758, 1759, and 1760. Read more

  • Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Article 5: Fort Schuyler (Stanwix) in the American Revolution: 1776-1781

    A dark night. A fort embrasure is lit up by an exploding cannon. A fireball flies from the muzzle.

    Though Fort Stanwix was situated in New York, people from many states helped to rebuild and defend it during the American Revolution. Because of this the fort served not only as an important military post, but also as a place where people from 13 very different states began to forge a national identity. Read more

  • Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Article 6: Early New York State Waterways & the Inland Lock & Navigation Company

    A black and white print of a river with two long boats. Each boat has several men paddling them.

    The Erie Canal was simply the last “technological update” to an already existing water route linking eastern and western NY. A series of waterways (Hudson River, Mohawk River, Wood Creek, Oneida Lake, Oswego River) served to link Albany with the Great Lakes region prior to the coming of the Erie Canal. Read more

Tags: fort stanwix american revolutionary war french and indian war six nations confederacy erie canal erie canalway national heritage corridor westward expansion fostlanding3 native american history euroamerican settlers european exploration fostlanding