A Little History of Cape Vincent
(As I see it)
By Harold Wiley
August 2011
Cape Vincent is, has and always will be a beautiful town and village on the bank of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. We have the most beautiful sunsets, sunrises and moonlit nights, all unsurpassed by any others in the world. Our beautiful clean St. Lawrence River is a sight to behold with ships and boats passing on a beautiful day, in a very relaxing atmosphere.
Lets go back to my fond memories of Cape Vincent and how it has progressed or possibly digressed over my 80 plus years of living here.
First of all, I remember five thriving hotels, four successful grocery stores, one dry goods and clothing store, one movie theater, two hardware stores, one lumberyard, two gristmills and feed stores, one pharmacy and drug store, two resident dentists, one family doctor and one resident undertaker who also served as ambulance service for the town. We also had four gas stations and garages and one new car dealership. Where have they all gone and why? We do have one big asset in our community, a thriving bank, the Citizens Bank of Cape Vincent. Thanks to a strong board of directors, the bank has survived through thick and thin and still manages to keep on growing.
Cape Vincent started out as a small, growing community with everyone supporting local business and keeping them going. The old story, live, let live and help others live. The hotels used to fill up in the summer with corporation and business executives when they came to fish and relax for a weekend , keeping a guides association busy taking them fishing, relaxing and providing shore dinners on the beautiful St. Lawrence.
Then these people began to realize that they could bring their families, pitch a tent on the beautiful shores of the St. Lawrence River, row a boat, fish relax and enjoy the beauty of the area. Soon they began bringing campers and trailers
And put them on the banks of the beautiful River. And permanent trailers were installed as summer homes for many people.
Then they began trailering boats to the area, bigger and better every year. Mobile home parks were established and permanent trailers were installed as summer homes for many people.
Many mobile home park owners made good money with these parks, but some of the people that built beautiful homes along the river started to complain that there were too many tin cans obstructing the beautiful view of the river. I would hate to think what our tax base would be if it were not for mobile home parks and summer homes along the river. Again, it helped our tax base and allowed for many improvements in our town.
We need and appreciate these people very much but again, live and let live.
I believe the next project after the negative discussion of tin cans along the river was the merger of Cape Vincent and Clayton School districts into one great district. Was it plain and simple? No. There were many meetings and negative discussions about the increase in taxes, etc. Our school board prevailed, the district was formed and we have a school district to be proud of today as it is recognized as one of the best in the northern area. It attracted good teachers, superintendents, principals, coaches, etc.
Again live, let live and help others live.
The next huge issue to come before the residents of Cape Vincent was the building of a prison in our town. This really aroused people the the point of turning friends and neighbors against each other again. When it was first mentioned at a town board meeting the comment was “Do you want Cape Vincent Known as a prison town?”
Times passed and many public meetings overflowing with hands for and against. Finally, with a strong town board, a decision was reached. Property was purchased and the prison was built. It has provided many jobs for local men and women (good paying jobs). It has also brought other people to move here, rent homes, built homes and helped boost our economy. What other business was about to come to Cape Vincent with a 12 to 13 million dollar pay roll. It has helped keep Cape Vincent alive and well and provided many jobs.
Again live, let live and help others live.
The next issue was a water line running from Cape Vincent to Brownville. Was it easy? No. There was much opposition from people who had good wells next door to people who didn’t have good water. They were all set and didn’t care about their neighbor or others along the water line. Our local town board worked hard and long to provide what was the best for the majority of the people and get the water line through and since has water going off in other directions to serve the people of Cape Vincent.
Again, live, let live and help others live.
This brings us up to our latest discussion and controversy over windmills. It has been a long and arduous battle pro and con. Again, with all other problems that we have had you must respect and listen to opinions and still get along for the best of majority.
The past election though the majority of absentee ballots, brings us a new supervisor and town councilman new to politics in our area. Many of these same people who elected our new supervisor through absentee ballots are the same ones plus many others who have made themselves a comfortable living here on the river or elsewhere that have been against most of the progress proposals that come to Cape Vincent. It is in my thoughts that they have no concern for neighbors, relatives and friends who also want to better themselves here in Cape .Again, that is their opinion and must be respected for it, they have a right to it as we all do.
In closing, I would hope our new supervisor and councilman will have the best interests of all the people in their thoughts and decisions when they are made.
Again, live, let live and help others live.
When I think about our past supervisors and who they were, they were there for all the right reasons, to make Cape Vincent a better place to live.
Our newly elected supervisor, Urban Hirschey, is a stranger to many in our town. The first so called summer resident who has ever been elected to supervisor. Let’s hope he will get well- known to all of us and do what is right for the majority in Cape Vincent and not a select few. I wish him well and hope he gets to know Cape Vincent the way many of us do.
Again, live, let live and help others live.
P.S. I think the windmills will come
and I think they should. I wouldn’t want one but for those that do, I hope they get them. After they are in we can all sit back and enjoy the benefits from them as we all do with controversial issues that have passed over the years.
Harold Wiley
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