The Empire State Trail at Rome

Rome's historic importance grew from its strategic location in the Mohawk Valley, a narrow passage between the Adirondack Mountains and the Appalachians, where the Oneida Carrying Place, also called the Great Carrying Place, closed the gap between the east-flowing Mohawk River and Wood Creek, which flowed west into Lake Ontario. For centuries, Native Americans and European colonists used this overland portage to carry boats and cargo to and from the interior of North America, and colonists built successive forts, including Fort Newport and Fort Stanwix, to secure goods moving along the route. The road over the Carrying Place served as a superhighway of trade and transportation until the Rome Canal opened in 1797 and removed the need to portage. In 1817, Rome also became the site of the groundbreaking ceremony for the Erie Canal, the commerce and transportation project that transformed New York into the Empire State.

Rome, New York · United States