MINA KING REMEMBERS

As the century changes, it seems other things also appear to bring about those changes that are needed for progress and advancement in our everyday living and ways of travel.

In 1874, some changes came in Redwood when the Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg Railroad (which had been completed as far as Evans Mills) was extended to Clayton and Morristown. This was a great help for the area, as with this service people could travel and were able to get things they needed more easily.

When the tracks were laid for the railroad throughout the lowland south of the village, a great convenience was assured everyone, as in times past they had to go to Watertown to transact all of their business. Redwood did not have a bank of its own. The railroad helped the booming business in Alexandria Bay, as the big hotels became a popular vacation place.

Good train service encouraged the building of a livery barn by Charles Spalsbury. He had horses and vehicles at the railroad depot to meet the trains and deliver the passengers to their destination. I remember standing at the depot and watching the porters load the baggage cart high with big trunks and other types of baggage.

Each day there were several trains going both north and south. Two met each other coming and going at about 8:00 A. M. To drive six miles with a horse to meet the train was not an easy task for my father, as he had to eat his breakfast and get his barn work done before he started out. For several years on a Monday morning we girls had to get a train on our way to Antwerp where we were in school. We never missed a train and arrived in time for the 9:00 A. M. classes.

Milk plants were built, and farmers were able to ship their milk by train to a fluid market, other than to a factory to be made up in cheese. But all in all, the railroad did help the cheese market.

There was a milk station in Redwood. The milk trains came from the north arriving about 11:00 A. M. The milk from the Redwood milk station was loaded and the train, I think, made collections along the way to its destination which was New York City. This train had one passenger car which was an accommodation for people not in a hurry, as the traveling was interrupted by loading so much milk.

Every Saturday in the spring there were cars on the track loaded with young calves that the farmers were willing to sell to the dealers from Redwood. This was a great convenience for both the farmers and the dealers to have them weighed and put directly onto the train. Other times the farmers sold hay to dealers and it was a good help to load this in a rail car to be shipped out. Other commodities came to this town in larger quantities especially coal. Every home had to use wood for heat. With the coming of the railroad, more coal could be used than before.

As cars and trucks took over the freight and transportation, people began to rely on them more. Thus the railroad soon became a thing of the past. The tracks and the depot were discontinued.

THE TROLLEY

Owing to tourist travel to the Thousand Islands increasing and stage or livery service to Alexandria Bay not so convenient, lots of these people did go to Clayton and take a boat from there. This was better, but this they did not care to do as transferring baggage, and other thins was not pleasant for them. Therefore, about the turn of the century, people also felt travel form Redwood to Alexandria Bay should be better.

At this time Martin Springer, a farmer who had a farm in Goose Bay, became a road commissioner, and with others, thought out a plan to remedy this. There was also a lot of freight to be moved. A trolley line between the two places was considered the proper thing to build. Therefore, after discussions and deliberations, the electric company was incorporated on February 6, 1890. A franchise to construct a railroad was secured. It was backed by Charles H. Remington and B. B. Taggart in Watertown and Jacob Amos of Baldwinsville.

The construction of the line was seven and a half miles long. The first run was August 18, 1902, on a Sunday. Many had waited for this day to come, and I can say that I was one of those who had a free ride on that first day. My father took my sisters, Edna and Arloine, also Glenn Zoller, who was then living in Goose Bay with us.

The new electric trolley railroad was built along the side of the highway which is still there except for about one mile from Redwood, where it made a turn and came in on the north end of Main Street, making a circle and crossing Main Street on the left side, going as far as the railroad tracks. But it did not connect to the steam railroad.

On that first day the board was present: Mr. Amos, B. V. Taggart, vice president, F. M. Hugo, secretary, Charles Remington, treasurer, M. P. McGrath, general manager, and superintendent R. H. Jennings. This company also furnished some electricity for the village of Alexandria Bay and had built a big building for the cars and power.

It began with three cars. Two were open and one was closed. The open cars were used mainly for excursions. In October of 1902, a new car was purchased and it was a thing of beauty. It had all the modern conveniences that people could possibly use. The company's office was located on market Street. Except in the winter months, the trolley ran down Church Street in the village.

The first motorman was Pat Gallagher of Watertown, The first conductor was William Grappote of Redwood. Later Mr. Gallagher was promoted to superintendent. Other conductors and motormen included Howard Scott, Michael Cobey, Frank Hess, Harry Sibley, C. R. Springer and Fred Springer. In 1908 Herbert Martin became superintendent and continued in that capacity until the road was abandoned. In early times this trolley line did a big business both for the passengers and freight, and it was very good for Alexandria Bay. But somehow the line was neglected and the cars also needed a lot of repairs. In 1907 the public service commission found it to be in deplorable condition as motor trucks and cars had begun to take over a lot of the business that was needed to keep it operating financially. The operation ceased to function about 1916.

The trolley was sold for junk and the remaining assets of the company were sold to the Northern New York Utilities Company, later a part of Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation. At that time, John B. Taylor, treasurer of North new York Utilities, owned the whole concern. The line was then sold to Hurwits Brothers of Syracuse, junk dealers who in turn sold the rails to James Smitt of Cortland. The trolleys are said to have been sold to private individuals who transformed them into camps on Millsite lake near Redwood. Today all that remains is the old stone trolley barn in Alexandria Bay which is used as a storage place by the Niagara Mohawk.

© Nan Dixon, 2001