Mammals
Before the fur trade took its toll, beaver (Castor canadensis) populations were more abundant overall and influential in shaping a landscape of wetlands, beaver-modified riparian patches, extensive meadows diversity of wetland graminoids (Wright et al. 2002). In New England, nearly every body of water was occupied by beaver prior to European settlement (Naiman et al. 1988), though I do not know specific history of this large rodent in the Onondaga Lake watershed.
Beauchamp (1908), citing DeKay’s natural history of New York state, reports that fishers were once abundant in swamps and streams around Oneida Lake. Beauchamp also lists otters, cougar, moose in Onondaga County, while noting that “Cicero was the haunt of wolves.” Many of these mammals probably occurred in the vicinity of Onondaga Lake. While at Onondaga in 1755, Moravian missionary David Zeisberger “captured a Fish Otter, which was very welcome, not only for the meat, but the skin, being quite valuable” (Frederick and Zeisberger 1916).
Thomas Ashe (1809) wrote of wildlife such as elk, bison, deer attracted to the salt springs around Onondaga Lake. Elk, bear, deer are also mentioned in the Jesuit Relations (Thwaites 1899) for the area around the Ste Marie mission. He provides an extraordinary account of buffalo (Bison bison) making an annual visit to the spring. He describes “Onondargo” as
. . . a fine lake of brackish water, surrounded by springs, from two to five hundred gallons of the water of which make a bushel of salt. It appears as if Nature expressly intended this region to be populated; and, as a strong temptation, placed this treasure in the bosom of hills and woods.
All the animals of those parts have a great fondness for salt. . . . The native animals of the country too, as the buffalo, elk, deer, &c. are well known to pay periodical visits to the saline springs and lakes, bathing and washing in them, and drinking the water until they are hardly able to move from the vicinity. The best roads to Onondargo from all parts are the buffalo tracks; so called from having been observed to be made by the buffaloes in their annual visitations to the lake from their pasture-grounds: and though this is a distance of above two hundred miles, the best surveyor could not have chosen a more direct course, or firmer or better ground. . . . They travelled in single files, always following each other at equal distances; forming droves, on their arrival, of about three hundred each, [with an estimated total of about] 10,000 in the neighborhood of the spring. They sought for no manner of food; but only bathed and drank three or four times a day, and rolled in the earth; or reposed, with their flanks distended, in the adjacent shades: and on the fifth and sixth days . . . departed in single files, according to the exact order of their arrival. They all rolled successively in the same hole: and each thus carried away a coat of mud to preserve the moisture on their skin; and which, when hardened and baked by the sun, would resist the stings of millions of insects that otherwise would persecute these peaceful travelers to madness or even death (Ashe 1809).
I include this story for interest, but as of this date I have not corroborated its content to the extent necessary. At the very least, the numbers—“10,000 in the neighborhood of the spring”—would seem exaggerated. No other early European/American visitors to the salt springs around Onondaga Lake—Pursh, Bartram, Jesuits-- mention buffalo, or their roads/tracks as described by Ashe. Le Moine, traversing "vast prairies" possibly in northern New York, described "vaches sauvages" or wild cows. He wrote that “their horns resemble in many respects the antlers of a stag," suggesting deer antlers rather than buffalo horns. Yet migrations of the magnitude described by Ashe, made by such a massive animal, could not easily be overlooked, one would think. And oral history from the Onondagas does confirm the presence of bison in the central NY area.
Until I can verify Ashe's account, I consider it doubtful at least at the numbers given. Did buffalo visit the salt springs historical in smaller bands? That seems plausible and even likely, and there is some minimal archaeological evidence of buffalo presence. Buffalo roamed at least as far east as Oswego (XXXX 197X).
Beauchamp (1908), citing DeKay’s natural history of New York state, reports that fishers were once abundant in swamps and streams around Oneida Lake. Beauchamp also lists otters, cougar, moose in Onondaga County, while noting that “Cicero was the haunt of wolves.” Many of these mammals probably occurred in the vicinity of Onondaga Lake. While at Onondaga in 1755, Moravian missionary David Zeisberger “captured a Fish Otter, which was very welcome, not only for the meat, but the skin, being quite valuable” (Frederick and Zeisberger 1916).
Thomas Ashe (1809) wrote of wildlife such as elk, bison, deer attracted to the salt springs around Onondaga Lake. Elk, bear, deer are also mentioned in the Jesuit Relations (Thwaites 1899) for the area around the Ste Marie mission. He provides an extraordinary account of buffalo (Bison bison) making an annual visit to the spring. He describes “Onondargo” as
. . . a fine lake of brackish water, surrounded by springs, from two to five hundred gallons of the water of which make a bushel of salt. It appears as if Nature expressly intended this region to be populated; and, as a strong temptation, placed this treasure in the bosom of hills and woods.
All the animals of those parts have a great fondness for salt. . . . The native animals of the country too, as the buffalo, elk, deer, &c. are well known to pay periodical visits to the saline springs and lakes, bathing and washing in them, and drinking the water until they are hardly able to move from the vicinity. The best roads to Onondargo from all parts are the buffalo tracks; so called from having been observed to be made by the buffaloes in their annual visitations to the lake from their pasture-grounds: and though this is a distance of above two hundred miles, the best surveyor could not have chosen a more direct course, or firmer or better ground. . . . They travelled in single files, always following each other at equal distances; forming droves, on their arrival, of about three hundred each, [with an estimated total of about] 10,000 in the neighborhood of the spring. They sought for no manner of food; but only bathed and drank three or four times a day, and rolled in the earth; or reposed, with their flanks distended, in the adjacent shades: and on the fifth and sixth days . . . departed in single files, according to the exact order of their arrival. They all rolled successively in the same hole: and each thus carried away a coat of mud to preserve the moisture on their skin; and which, when hardened and baked by the sun, would resist the stings of millions of insects that otherwise would persecute these peaceful travelers to madness or even death (Ashe 1809).
I include this story for interest, but as of this date I have not corroborated its content to the extent necessary. At the very least, the numbers—“10,000 in the neighborhood of the spring”—would seem exaggerated. No other early European/American visitors to the salt springs around Onondaga Lake—Pursh, Bartram, Jesuits-- mention buffalo, or their roads/tracks as described by Ashe. Le Moine, traversing "vast prairies" possibly in northern New York, described "vaches sauvages" or wild cows. He wrote that “their horns resemble in many respects the antlers of a stag," suggesting deer antlers rather than buffalo horns. Yet migrations of the magnitude described by Ashe, made by such a massive animal, could not easily be overlooked, one would think. And oral history from the Onondagas does confirm the presence of bison in the central NY area.
Until I can verify Ashe's account, I consider it doubtful at least at the numbers given. Did buffalo visit the salt springs historical in smaller bands? That seems plausible and even likely, and there is some minimal archaeological evidence of buffalo presence. Buffalo roamed at least as far east as Oswego (XXXX 197X).