The Tug Hill Plateau: A History
Geography and Setting
The Tug Hill Plateau occupies a distinctive place in the landscape of northern New York State, rising between Lake Ontario to the west and the Adirondack Mountains to the east, with the Black River Valley separating it from the Adirondack foothills. Sitting roughly 60 miles southeast of the geographic center of the Thousand Islands Region, it encompasses approximately 2,100 square miles of upland terrain, spanning portions of Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Oswego counties. Though commonly called a plateau because of its flat top, it is technically a cuesta — composed of sedimentary rocks that tip up on one side, rising from about 350 feet on the west to over 2,000 feet in the east.
Ancient Origins
The story of Tug Hill begins hundreds of millions of years ago. The rocks in this area were formed over 410 million years ago when the region was a shallow inland sea covered with sediments. The plateau has a core of sandstone that is less erodible than the surrounding shale and siltstone, which is why it rises higher than the areas around it. Later, during the ice ages, glaciation dramatically reshaped the terrain. Most of the features on Tug Hill today are the result of meltwater from glaciers and the deposition of glacial till and sand, leaving the landscape with soils generally formed on dense glacial till.
The Haudenosaunee Era
Long before European settlers arrived, the Tug Hill region was home to Indigenous peoples. Prior to European colonization, the region was controlled by the Iroquois Confederacy, specifically the Onondaga and Oneida nations. Tug Hill lands were used by the Iroquois as seasonal hunting and fishing grounds, with permanent settlements located primarily to the south and west of the region. The rugged, heavily forested plateau was valued as a resource but not as a place of permanent habitation. These lands were seized from the Iroquois following the American Revolution.
European Settlement and Speculation
In the years following American independence, Tug Hill became the subject of ambitious land speculation. About four million acres in and around the Tug Hill region were initially purchased by colonial land speculator William Constable in the 1700s, who in turn subdivided the land to sell to New Englanders and newly arrived European immigrants, mainly Irish. Constable also set aside 10,500 acres for regional improvements such as roads and canals, which spurred the development of much of Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, and parts of Oswego, Herkimer, and Franklin counties.
Inexpensive land, abundant timber resources, and available farmland drove increased settlement in the region from 1820 to 1880. Expanding railroads and the completion of the Black River Canal in 1851 allowed for increased exports of food and timber products out of the region, often destined for New York City.
The Timber Boom
The forests of Tug Hill proved to be among its greatest early assets. Between 1840 and 1860, Lewis County furnished about two-thirds of all birdseye maple used in the world, with most of it coming from the Tug Hill Plateau. The tall spruce of the plateau were in great demand for the spars of sailing vessels, and the sawed softwoods supplied city wharves, piers, and buildings. New York City and Buffalo consumed tremendous amounts of Tug Hill timber for their waterfront infrastructure. Sawmills operated across the plateau, and the timber trade supported iron forges and furnaces in Lewis County towns such as Port Leyden and Harrisville.
Dairy farming and timber-based industries flourished in the region throughout the late 1800s, and around 1870, the region's population peaked at 80,000.
Decline and Abandonment
The prosperity proved difficult to sustain. The Tug Hill's rugged terrain, poor soils, and difficult winters eventually caused many of the region's inhabitants to abandon their farms and settlements. By 1930, most of the region's agriculture and industry was concentrated in the more fertile valleys of the region's northwest. The plateau itself gradually returned to forest, and today about two-thirds of the Tug Hill Plateau is private timberland, with the remainder being public lands. It lacks any major cities or population centers, and much of it is roadless, where roads exist primarily to service hunting camps or timberlands.
Climate: The Snow Capital of the East
Perhaps nothing defines Tug Hill's character more powerfully than its weather. Positioned directly in the path of cold Arctic air sweeping across the open waters of Lake Ontario, the plateau receives staggering amounts of lake-effect snow each winter. Thanks to its elevation and prevailing lake-effect winds, Tug Hill receives the heaviest snowfall in the eastern United States, averaging as much as 300 inches per year. It is not uncommon for a single overnight storm to dump four feet or more of snow on the plateau, and patches of snow have been known to linger in the deep forest well into June.
Tug Hill Today
In the modern era, this once-rugged frontier has found a new identity as a destination for outdoor recreation. Snowmobilers and cross-country skiers flock to the region each winter, drawn by its legendary snowfall. The annual Tug Hill Tourathon, held each February, attracts hundreds of cross-country skiers competing across 25 to 50 kilometers of trails. In summer, the plateau offers hiking, hunting, fishing, and a quiet natural beauty that reflects its long, layered past.
The NYS Tug Hill Commission, a small non-regulatory state agency, is charged with helping local governments and citizens shape the future of the Tug Hill region, which encompasses 41 towns and 18 villages across Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Oswego counties. Meanwhile, the cultural fabric of the surrounding communities retains its roots, with Amish communities in Lewis County, particularly around Croghan, contributing significantly to local markets and tourism through traditional crafts, furniture-making, and horse-drawn farming techniques.
From ancient seabed to glacial wilderness, from Iroquois hunting ground to timber boomtown to snow-covered recreational paradise, the Tug Hill Plateau carries within it a rich and often overlooked chapter of New York's history — one well worth exploring on your way through the North Country.