Introduction
Postcards from the Mohawk Valley, images and text from the picturesque and damaged Mohawk Valley region of upstate New York.
Recently I have been exploring the Mohawk Valley area of New York State. I am wondering across the 90-mile stretch of river between the cities of Schenectady and Utica. Geography made this region a natural passageway and it continues to be a transportation corridor. Although I grew up in the Schenectady area, the Mohawk Valley was most often a part of the state that I would pass through, rarely would I linger. Coming back now I am exploring a place that is both familiar and strange to me: there is the history that I know; every schoolchild in upstate learns a certain set of stories. This is a region that bears the scars of conflict, exploitation and enterprise. There is of course much more that I did not learn in school. It most certainly is a damaged place. The towns and cities struggle economically and the farms continue to collapse into wilderness. Often I encounter a palpable sense of loss. Yet it is a region of great natural beauty. There is a resilience and grace here that seems willing to reveal itself to the extent that I'm willing to slow down, look and linger.