Mohawk River

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History
The Mohawk River is a 149-mile-long (240 km) river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. It is a major waterway in north-central New York. From its source in Lewis County, the Mohawk River flows generally east through the Mohawk Valley, passing by the cities of Rome, Utica, Little Falls, Canajoharie, Amsterdam, and Schenectady before entering the Hudson River at Cohoes, just north of Albany. The Mohawk Valley has played an integral historical role in human settlement, migration, and transportation of New York State, mainly due to its beneficial transportation route, the Mohawk River. The Mohawk River connected the Atlantic Ocean with the interior of the North American continent and catered to the needs of westward bound settlers. This strategic location attracted farmers in the 1700s and provided a transportation route and a number of jobs for the Germans, Dutch, Highland Scots, and the Iroquois Confederacy. In the 18th century, the Mohawk Valley was a frontier for political, military and economic growth. European settlement and trade with the Iroquois set the stage for commercial and military competition between European nations. This competition led to the French and Indian Wars, and eventually the American Revolution. Almost one hundred battles were fought in New York State during the American Revolution.

Records
Records of this migration route may be found in both state and county records:

New York

Lewis County, New York

Oneida County, New York

Herkimer County, New York

Montgomery County, New York

Schenectady County, New York

Cohoes, New York

Websites
Mohawk Valley Mohawk Valley Home History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925