Urger: A Personal Tribute

I had the good fortune to crew on Urger–the ambassador vessel– during the navigation season ten years ago. That season and my employment came to a close at the end of October 2014. These photos are but a few of the hundreds I took between October 7 and the 28th, and are in order from…

will van dorp

October 24, 2024

2–3 minutes

This 1823 culvert was built to allow traffic to cross under the canal east of Medina. Remember this photo from the CSNY collection?

Can you identify the location of the next three in what appears to be a wilderness area?

It’s Rochester, which hardly appears as an urban center from the canal perspective. The bridges below are in Genesee Valley Park.

Palmyra on the canal is quite a different place than it is NY 31, just off to the right.

We met tug Syracuse just before Wide Waters Port Gibson.

While in Newark, we passed tug Seneca westbound to retrieve a barge.

Grouper was still tied up above lock E-28A.

Crewman Mike Byrnes was ready with a ticklestick, used to judge whether we would fit under the bridge in Clyde without damaging the superstructure.

After a run to Seneca Falls, I sat out as the rest of the crew traveled through Montezuma and points east.

Oneida Lake demands respect even if the 20+ miles are sometimes crossed on smooth waters.

Approaching lock E-19 from the west might be confusing, and the rail bridge

as seen from underneath might be disconcerting. If you’ve taken Amtrak across central NY, you’ve crossed this bridge.

The current bike trail is off to the left there, and cliffs at Moss Island to the right is a gathering point for rock climbers. Of course, this is the high side of

lock 17.

Urger approaches lock 14 in Palatine Bridge, where Governor Cleveland was docked. The New York Thruway aka I-90 is off to the left and busy railroad tracks to the right.