A. O. H. Excursion to Thousand Islands and Cortland Park Land Company

Thousand Island steamer St. Lawrence

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, July 25, 1896.

Cortland's Population.

   Mr. Samuel Parsons, who has just issued the new directory of Cortland, Homer, Marathon and McGrawvllle, is usually able to make a pretty close estimate on the population of a place from the number of names in his directory. In Tonawanda he issued a directory the same year the official census was taken and his estimate came within 150 of the official census in a place of 15,000 people. Applying the same principle and percent of estimate to Cortland he figures that our population at present will exceed 12,000 by a few people. That is a little more than we had supposed we had, but while Cortland has not boomed at all for some time there is a steady and healthy growth and perhaps we have reached this 12,000 mark.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, July 26, 1896.

HAD A FINE TIME.

The Excursion to the Thousand Islands a Delightful One.

   No excursion ever proved more enjoyable than the A. O. H. excursion to the Thousand Islands last Saturday. At 7 o'clock that morning over 300 excursionists left the D., L. & W. station in a special through train. Clayton was reached at 11:30. Here the passengers took the steamer Empire State for a ramble among the islands. The ride down the river was delightful. On the way short stops were made at Round Island and Thousand Island parks. Leaving Alexandria Bay, the ramble was continued among the islands until the bay was reached again at 6 o'clock. At 8 o'clock the grand searchlight excursion was taken, returning to Clayton at 10 o'clock when the train was taken for the return. The excursionists reached Cortland at 3 o'clock the next morning all exceedingly well pleased with the day's sight seeing.



 

 

THROWN FROM A WAGON.

Charles Odell of South Cortland Seriously Injured.

   Mr. Charles Odell started this morning from his residence near South Cortland to go to Blodgett Mills on business. He drove one horse attached to a top buggy. When within about one mile of his destination a hog jumped from some bushes by the side of the road, frightening the horse which jumped and forcibly threw Mr. Odell from the wagon to the ground. He suffered a compound fracture of the left ankle. Both bones were broken and one protruded through the flesh. Dr. Jerome Angel was called and reduced the fracture. It will be a long time before Mr. Odell will recover the use of the limb. The horse continued to the house of a neighbor where it stopped without doing any further serious damage.

BREVITIES.

—The special excursion train under the auspices of the M. E. churches of Cortland to Cascade leaves the Lehigh Valley station at 8 o'clock to-morrow morning and returning will arrive at Cortland at 6 o'clock P. M.

—The locomotive, I. H. Palmer, which has been standing on the track of the Erie & Central New York R. R. was taken Saturday to the Adirondack mountains, where it will be used as a passenger engine between Saranac Lake and Fulton Chain.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, July 28, 1896.

Thanks Extended.

   The Ancient Order of Hibernian's, through the columns of The STANDARD, begs permission to thank, for courtesies shown, Mr. W. T. Bushby, of this place, Clare Hartigan, traveling passenger agent, R. W. & O. R. R. Co., the conductors and trainmen of our train, the captain and crew of the Empire State; also in particular all those who joined us in making our excursion to the Thousand Islands on July 25, the great success that it was.

 

Elm Street trolley bridge located at bottom center of drawing.

 

Desirable Building Lots Cheap.

   The Cortland Park Land company has laid out the land south of the park into very desirable building lots, and will place them on the market through their agent, Lewis Van Duyne of Boonton, N. J. These are some of the most desirable lots in or about Cortland, and the opportunity should be improved by every man or woman who can save $1 a week. No such opportunity as this has ever been offered to the people of Cortland. Read their advertisement, you will make money by it.

 

 

 

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, August 3, 1896.

Struck by a Trolley Car.

   Henry Driscoll, a deaf mute residing at 30 Crandall-st., was struck by a park car Saturday evening on Elm-st. near Crandall. He was playing ball in the street and when struck was just outside the track. He was thrown about twenty feet and received a bad bruise on the left leg. The left hand was split open between the third and little fingers. It was a very narrow escape, for had he been standing between the tracks he would probably have been fatally injured as the car was going at a rapid rate. The car was in charge of Conductor L. M. Head and Motorman Hollenbeck, who thought Mr. Driscoll saw the car and was walking off from the track.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, August 10, 1896.

AT THE PARK.

Grand Display of Fireworks Saturday Night. Music and Dancing.

   There were plenty of attractions at the park Saturday night, and a great many people went over there. The cars were crowded for hours. The cool breezes were delightful and all had a very pleasant time. The display of fireworks, consisting of skyrockets, Roman candles, pinwheels, etc., was fine. The Cortland City band gave one of the best concerts ever heard at this pleasure resort. McDermott’s full orchestra furnished excellent music for dancing which was engaged in by many. It was one of the largest crowds that ever assembled on the park hill and a large number were present from Homer and McGrawville.

 

Editor’s note:

   I. H. Palmer was an attorney for the railroad, and former mayor of Cortland. A photo negative of the locomotive can be found at the New York State Library in the Frank F. Sornberger Collection. The book Cortland County Traction: The Story of Cortland's Trolley System (available at the Cortland County Historical Society) tells us that "numerous lots were sold by the company over the years" and that "the park's popularity continued for a decade until Little York (now Dwyer Memorial Park) was developed in 1906, after which it was abandoned." Left click on Cortland Park drawing to enlarge.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_and_Central_New_York_Railroad

http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/pri5347.htm

http://www.gegoux.com/St-Lawrence.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome,_Watertown_and_Ogdensburg_Railroad