Two Lane Adventure in New York – Thursday, May 30th 2019

Today we traveled the long Two Lane Adventure, 24 miles, from Donny & Donna’s house in Cohocton to the Hemlock Fairgrounds. We drove north on State Route 415. Route 415 parallels in part, the Cohocton River and I-390. The northern end is at a junction with NY 15 and NY 21 south of the village of Wayland. Where we turned north on Route 15.

Wayland is one of the first civil divisions in the county, and was formed from Cohocton and Dansville in 1848. Wayland now covers 23,400 acres of land. It is flat with rolling hills in the north and moderately hilly in the south. The highest ridges are approximately 1,800 feet above sea level, and form a portion of the watershed between Lake Ontario and the Susquehanna. Loon and Mud Lakes are situated in the rich valley in the south part of the town, but their waters flow in opposite directions.

Some of the early institutions of Wayland, were a saw mill, grist mill, a tavern, the first school built in 1811 and a hotel at Patchin's Mills in 1824. The plank road from Patchinville to Dansville was constructed about 1842. Outside of these old industries Patchin's Mills, or Patchinville, has not attracted any considerable attention to the history of the town. The same may also be said of the locality known as Loon Lake, an attempt was made to establish a summer resort, but with indifferent success. Wayland in the north part, and Perkinsville near the center of the town, are thriving villages, and are the centers of rich agricultural regions. The town at large yields well in farm products, potatoes being the special crop grown and affording excellent returns.

Besides farming, the main industry in Wayland now in Gunlocke. But why in Wayland NY? The Gunlocke heritage has deep roots in Wayland, their New York community. One of their most valuable assets, the Gunlocke Brand, embodies a long heritage in this community. In 1902, William H Gunlocke and four other wood furniture experts acquired a vacant factory in Wayland. They established the W. H. Gunlocke Chair Company, which initially specialized in seating for homes, libraries and lounges. In 1920, Gunlocke was awarded its first National Contract with Western Electric. 

Due to this contract, demand for Gunlocke’s office seating was so strong that the company discontinues its household furniture to concentrate on manufacturing for the corporate market. Fast forward to 1970, Gunlocke expands its headquarters to 665,000 square feet and began manufacturing case goods.  Although, the factories business is dwindling, it is still the biggest employer in the town.

One of my favorite things in Wayland is the well-kept and painted shake & shingle siding on the homes. There are two of them right on Route 15. The first home has a simple color pattern.

The second home has a much more colorful appearance. Since it has some purple, it is my favorite!

After Wayland, you come out of the village and start to climb a hill. At the crest of the hill, is the barn I spoke of in another blog. The advertising is painted over, but the barn still stands!

Just past the barn is a “buggy crossing” sign. Some Amish have moved into the area. There is even a hitching post at the new Dollar General store in town.

Going down into the valley of Springwater. In the early days, the only known inhabitants were Indians from the Seneca tribe, part of the Iroquois Confederacy and a few trappers who periodically wandered in this direction. They were the keepers and custodians of the western gate of the Iroquois Indians.

From Springwater, you head north on Route 15A. Route 15A heads due north from Springwater toward Hemlock Lake. The route heads northward as North Main Street, proceeding along the eastern base of the valley as it passes through the northern half of the community.

In 1806 after the harvest, the first known white resident, Seth Knowles, having observed from his drought-ridden farm in Livonia that clouds formed and rested on the hills regularly to the south and frequently rain fell. They followed an Indian trail over Bald Hill in the Town of Canadice to Springwater Valley. About a mile from the head of Hemlock Lake, they made a small clearing and built a small log cabin. They returned to winter in Livonia and at the of March 1807, Mr. Knowles and his family came up Hemlock Lake on the ice and took possession of that cabin, becoming the first of many settlers that would follow them in the ten years prior to an official town of Springwater being organized, in 1816.

Outside of Springwater, NY 15A enters a rural, undeveloped area dominated by dense forests to the east and a low-lying, slightly more open area to the west. This area of Route 15A was named Springwater Veterans Memorial Highway.

As the route approaches the Livingston–Ontario county line, the lowlands give way to marshes, which in turn lead to Hemlock Lake at the county line. While in Ontario County in the town of Canadice, NY 15A follows a more inland route to the east, passing through an isolated forest situated between Hemlock and Canadice Lakes. This area of Route 15A was named Canadice Veterans Memorial Highway.

Oh, the spectacular views! At the crest of the hill is Rob’s Trail Preserve. It’s a collection of trails among the high ridges and rolling hills of the Finger Lakes. Completed in 2008, Rob’s Trail—Canadice was built to connect two undeveloped lakeshore properties that protect Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, the main source of Rochester’s drinking water supply. With the help of donors and volunteers, a new trail, Rob’s Trail—Hemlock Lake, was built in 2016 that makes it possible to hike from one lake to the other.

The Central & Western Chapter of The Nature Conservancy built these trails to honor the memory of Rob van der Stricht, the board chair who passed away in 2006. Rob was an avid birder, canoeist, and fisherman who carried a broad smile and a pair of binoculars everywhere he went. He was especially fond of the Finger Lakes, particularly Hemlock and Canadice. His commitment to preserving nature inspired us all, and The Nature Conservancy officially dedicated this trail to his memory. Once a hardwood forest converted to cropland, Rob’s Trail showcases ecological communities, scenic vistas and geological features typical of the Finger Lakes Region. Hemlock and Canadice are the only Finger Lakes with undeveloped shorelines.

From this vantage point, you can see the old mission. The Divine Word Missionaries called the holy ground or sacred space where they lived, prayed, studied, and died between 1924 and 1984 on Hemlock Lake by a variety of names, starting with St. Bernard’s (1924–1936), St. Michael’s Mission House (1937–1957), and Divine Word Seminary (1958–1984). Some of the lore and legend of how Father Hugo Aubry had a hand in naming the location after St. Michael the Archangel. The history of Saint Michael’s Mission began when the priests and brothers came to Conesus to continue the operation of Bishop McQuaid’s vineyards. Eventually, it became a preparatory seminary for young men studying Theology. Saint Michael’s Mission is located on the west slope of Hemlock Lake. 

The highway reenters Livingston County near the northern end of Hemlock Lake. This area of Route 15A was named Livonia Veterans Memorial Highway, are you seeing a pattern? Now in the town of Livonia, but the hamlet of Hemlock. NY 15A becomes Bald Hill Road as it passes by Hemlock Lake Park, a local park situated at the northeastern tip of the lake. It changes names again, to Main Street, just upon entering the hamlet of Hemlock. Hemlock is a translation of the Seneca name for the lake, O-neh-da Te-car-ne-o-di.

Many don’t believe that a small lake, can be a water source for the City of Rochester. In 1852 the City of Rochester approved the construction of a 16-mile pipeline after a severe outbreak of illness caused by contaminated city water. In 1876 the gravity-fed pipeline connecting Hemlock Lake to Rochester was opened. To improve water quality, the city purchased the land surrounding both Hemlock Lake and neighboring Canadice Lake; the lakes' cottages, hotels, and farms were condemned and torn down beginning in 1895. Including the land around Hemlock and Canadice lakes, the city owned over 5,000 acres of land, of which 4,000 acres were forested.

In 2010 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) purchased both Hemlock and Canadice Lakes from the City of Rochester for $13.7 million. The State has pledged to keep the lakes forever wild. Public access to the lake is permitted and encouraged, however boats are restricted to 17 feet in length and to outboard motors must be 10 horse-power or less.

Our final destination for today’s travel was the Fairgrounds. We are going to meet up with friends and prepare for the second annual Hops in Hemlock event.