From earliest times, the St. Lawrence River provided a direct route for travel and transportation between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. After the Revolution, much of the land in northern New York came into the hands of Alexander Macomb and other speculators, so settlement began slowly. In 1798, settlers attracted by mineral springs founded Massena, naming it for one of Napoleon's generals. During the War of 1812 and the Canadian Patriot War of 1837-39, the region saw military action and cross-border raids. In recent times, international cooperation led to the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project, opened in 1959. These greatly altered the appearance of the area and also created new facilities for transportation and recreation. Extensive pasture lands made the region ideal for dairy farming. Iron, zinc, talc, and lead mines yielded significant industrial products. Water power, later converted to electrical energy, stimulated diverse industries, including paper making and, after 1897, the manufacture of aluminum.