Ogdensburg, New York: The First City of the North
Long before European explorers arrived on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the land at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers was home to the Oswegatchie and Mohawk peoples. It was a place of spiritual and strategic significance — and it would go on to become one of the most historically layered communities in all of northern New York.
A Mission in the Wilderness
The first permanent European settlement in what would become northern New York State began not with soldiers or settlers, but with a priest. On November 21, 1748, Abbé François Piquet, a Sulpician missionary, arrived from Canada and established a fort and mission at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers. He named it Fort La Présentation, in honor of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the very day he arrived. On June 1, 1749, Abbé Piquet celebrated the first Mass at the site, which was also the first Mass ever held in northern New York. The fort served simultaneously as a church, school, trading post, Indian village, and military citadel — a remarkable multi-purpose outpost on the edge of the known world.
The fort played a significant role in the French and Indian War, serving as a supply post for French forts throughout the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes. When the British ultimately prevailed and took control of the region in 1760, Fort La Présentation was destroyed and replaced by Fort Oswegatchie — a busy stopping point for traveling soldiers and a symbol of the transfer of power that had reshaped North America.
From British Outpost to American City
Under the provisions of Jay's Treaty, the land was turned over in 1796 to Nathan Ford, acting as agent for Colonel Samuel Ogden of New York City. Settlers from Europe, Canada, New England, and beyond began arriving, and the community that grew up around the old fort site took the name Ogdensburgh in honor of Colonel Ogden. Streets throughout the city today still carry the names of its founders — Ford Street, Ford Avenue, Ogden Avenue, Jay Street, and Piquet Drive among them.
By 1802 Ogdensburgh had been designated the county seat of the newly formed St. Lawrence County, and in 1817 it became the first incorporated village in the county. Steamboats from the Great Lakes began calling at its port, and the city's reputation as a vital river crossing and commercial hub began to take shape.
The War of 1812 and Its Aftermath
Ogdensburgh's position on the St. Lawrence River made it a strategic prize during the War of 1812. On February 22, 1813, British forces attacked and captured the community, ending a partial American blockade of the river. In the absence of U.S. troops, local merchants quietly resumed trade with Canadian towns across the river — a practical arrangement that spoke to the deep cross-border ties that have always defined life in this corner of the continent.
After the war, Ogdensburgh rebounded and grew steadily. Its first train arrived in 1850, connecting the city to regional markets and accelerating commerce in lumber, grain, and goods. The city became a vital hub for the timber trade, with vast forests of northern New York feeding a booming export economy via the St. Lawrence.
The "New York of the North"
After the Civil War, Ogdensburgh entered a period of remarkable growth and ambition. Known proudly as the "Maple City," the community earned a reputation as the commercial and cultural center of the North Country — so much so that it was sometimes called the "New York of the North." A city form of government was officially adopted on April 27, 1868, and the spelling of the name was modernized, dropping the final "h" to become Ogdensburg as it is known today.
That same era produced one of Ogdensburg's most celebrated sons — Frederic Remington, the legendary painter and sculptor whose vivid depictions of the American West made him one of the most recognized artists in the country. Today the Frederic Remington Art Museum, housed in the historic Parish Mansion on Washington Street, preserves his legacy and draws visitors from across North America.
Also honored in the city is Civil War hero Brevet Major General Newton Martin Curtis, born in 1835. A statue erected in 1913 stands guard over the Greenbelt Area as a lasting tribute to his service and sacrifice.
Ogdensburg Today
The completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 opened a new chapter for Ogdensburg, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and cementing its role as the only U.S. port city on the Seaway. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, completed in 1960, links the city directly to Ontario, Canada, with a route running all the way to Ottawa.
Today Ogdensburg offers more than six miles of St. Lawrence River shoreline, a vibrant waterfront, world-class fishing, and a rich collection of historical sites including the reconstructed Fort de La Présentation at Lighthouse Point — a site listed on both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. Every summer, thousands of visitors and re-enactors descend on the city for Founder's Day Weekend, reliving the battles and daily life of the French colonial era.
From Abbé Piquet's wilderness mission in 1748 to a thriving international port city today, Ogdensburg has always been a place where history runs as deep as the river itself.
