History

Sandbar history timeline Final

Sandbar Park Project Introduction

The Seneca Nation cherished this special place where bay meets lake. It was a great port for them - a gateway to their lands. Many of their trails inland emanated from the shores of these waters.

This bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario was significant enough in the eyes of the early explorers and geographers to be featured on maps of the "New World". French and English armies recognized this port as a convenient passageway into the resource-rich lands of the Seneca's and the trade routes in this new frontier. They engaged in a long struggle over control of this land.

From: Sandbar Waterfront Park Improvements

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In the not too distant past, this waterfront boasted a number of charming resorts and passenger boats, and was a favorite summer destination for generations of Rochesterians.

Although the area has been through some significant changes from the heyday of the Bayfront resorts, and have suffered periods of decline and environmental degradation. The underlying beauty, environmental significance, and recreational potential of this waterfront are unequaled in this region.

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The Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg Railroad (RW&O and nicknamed the "Hojack Line") lumbered along this stretch of land carrying both goods and passengers.

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