FORT DRUM, NY – U.S. Army Garrison Fort Drum invites the public to explore local history during the History of Industry Tour on Wednesday, April 24.
Long before Fort Drum became the premier military training site in the Northeast, it was a center of rural American industry. Residents of the north country used the area’s natural resources to support their families and communities. These communities were known for making cheese and maple products in addition to harvesting lumber and producing paper.
The History of Industry Tour will include stops at a former cheese factory and what were once saw mills, grist mills, sugar bushes, and taverns. A hidden treasure on the tour is the recreation area known as Buck’s Creek Park, which was turned over to the Army in the early 1930s.
Participants also will hear from members of the Fort Drum Natural Resources Branch, who will explain current management practices of the wetlands, grasslands, forests, streams, rivers, animals and plants found on the installation. The staff is responsible for balancing the installation’s environmental resources and training missions.
The tour will be a full-day event, with buses departing at 8:45 a.m. and returning participants to their vehicles by 3:30 p.m.
