Montezuma is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Cayuga County Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Native American tribes in the Iroq ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census. Located along the Seneca River, the Town is at the western border of Cayuga County and is northwest of Auburn. The

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

was built through here, bringing new commerce, as did the railroad. National and state historic districts have been designated as related to the canal period, as well as national and state wildlife areas to preserve natural resources of the remaining areas of the Montezuma Swamp. Once one of the largest wetlands areas in the Northeast, it extended between the northern end of

Cayuga Lake Cayuga Lake (, or ) is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller than Seneca Lake) and second largest in volume. It is just under long. Its average width is , and i ...

and almost reached the southern end of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

History

This was part of the large territory occupied and controlled by the Five Nations of the

Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

as well established before any European colonization. Most Europeans during the colonial period did not penetrate this far west but had relations with the

Mohawk nation The Mohawk, also known by their own name, (), are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America and the easternmost nation of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Five Nations or later the ...

to the East for trading. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, there was extensive warfare on the frontier;

Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York and, later, Brantford, in what is today Ontario, who was closely associated with Great Britain du ...

, a Mohawk chief, led Iroquois and some Loyalist forces against patriot villages. In retaliation, General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

assigned the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

to punish the Iroquois; they attacked the Seneca and

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada *Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

villages in the western part of New York, destroying more than 50, plus their winter stores and crops. Many of the Iroquois fled to Canada and fatalities were high that winter from starvation. After the war, the area of the town was part of a reservation set aside for the members of the Cayuga tribe when the

Central New York Military Tract The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Establishment ...

was established. European-American settlers began to arrive around 1798, some migrating from the Mohawk Valley and others from New England. The Mentz Church was founded by early settlers. New York sold off much of the reservation, and the Cayuga were forced to share land with the Seneca on the latter's reservation. The federally recognized

Cayuga Nation of New York The Cayuga Nation of New York is a federally recognized tribe of Cayuga people, based in New York, United States. Other organized tribes with Cayuga members are the federally recognized Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and the Canadian-recognized ...

were landless until the early 21st century."Cayuga Nation Acquires a Homeland."
''WRVO Public Media.'' (retrieved November 18, 2014) The new settlers made

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

production an important early industry, developed from salt springs long used by the Iroquois. The

was constructed along the Mohawk River in the 1820s and passed through the town. It was so popular with passengers and commercial traffic that the state quickly made plans to enlarge it. During redevelopment to enlarge the canal, part of the canal was carried over the Seneca River via construction of the massive Richmond Aqueduct (1849-1856). This had 31 stone arches, and was 11 feet high and 22 feet wide. It was the second-largest aqueduct built on the Enlarged Erie and cost $125,000 to build. The Town of Montezuma was established from the town of Mentz in 1859. The Mentz Church was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2004. The Seneca River Crossing Canals Historic District was listed in the NRHP in 2005. Montezuma Heritage Park was established in the early 21st century to preserve natural and cultural resources in the canal and river area. The site is to be interpreted to tell the dynamic story of the four separate canals built in Montezuma that were developed into the current Canal System."History"
Town of Montezuma, accessed December 20, 2014

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Montezuma has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.53%, is water. Most of the west town line, partly marked by the Seneca River and the

Cayuga–Seneca Canal The Cayuga–Seneca Canal is a canal in New York (state), New York, United States. It is now part of the New York State Canal System. The canal connects the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake and is approximately l ...

, is the border of Seneca County. The northwest town line is the border of Wayne County, also marked by the Seneca River along with the Erie Canal. The

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

(

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

) crosses the town. Conjoined

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Highway, United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major ...

and

New York State Route 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Sy ...

pass through the southwest corner of the town. New York State Route 90 is a north-south highway that intersects east-west

New York State Route 31 New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York (state), New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with New York State Route 104, NY ...

north of Montezuma village. The eastern part of the large and important Montezuma Swamp is in the Town; it is part of the Atlantic Flyway for migratory birds. Although 70 percent of the swamp's original 40,000 acres were drained for agricultural cultivation in the 19th and 20th centuries, the remaining portions are critical habitat to migratory birds and many animals.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,431 people, 498 households, and 384 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 547 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.39%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.07%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.42% Native American, 0.21% Asian, and 0.91% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 498 households, out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.22. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,769, and the median income for a family was $44,808. Males had a median income of $31,518 versus $22,885 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,551. About 10.7% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Montezuma

*Fox Ridge – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

by the

and the northern Town line. *Free Bridge Corners – A location in the southwestern corner of the Town. *Montezuma – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the Town. NY-90 north of the Thruway was constructed here. It was incorporated as a village in 1866, but later abandoned that status. *

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, encompassing part of the Montezuma Swamp at the north end of Cayuga Lake. The 10,004-acre (40.48 km2) preserve is composed ...

– A conservation area on the western side of the Town. *Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area – Part of this state conservation area is in the northern part of the Town. *Montezuma Station A hamlet geographically between Fox Ridge, and Willow Grove. *Willow Grove – A hamlet near the western Town line, located next to the Erie Canal.

References

External links

Town of Montezuma official website

{{authority control Towns in Cayuga County, New York Towns in New York (state)