The canal-building fever of the early 1800s that forged New York into the Empire State included a planned water route linking Lake Champlain with the newly completed Erie Canal.

Concern surfaced about adequate water levels for the Champlain Canal, and one result was the Feeder Canal, a seven-mile channel that siphoned water from the Hudson River near Glens Falls into the Champlain Canal.

Upon completion of the Feeder Canal in 1832, local farmers found ready transportation for their crops. Industry proliferated along this canal.

Though the Feeder Canal's halcyon days ended with the growth of railroad networks, boats still plied these waters as late as 1928. The last vessel carried newsprint from the Finch Pruyn Paper Company in Glens Falls for The New York Times.

Decades of neglect followed. During the 1980s, a grass-roots initiative to preserve the route for recreational purposes led to formation of the Feeder Canal Alliance. The water was cleaned up, the towpath was improved and interpretive signs were added. Restoration of five consecutive locks, called the Five Combines, near Hudson Falls, capped the effort.

Now the canal welcomes hikers, bikers and canoeists.

BIG BOOM

We frequently take short treks along the Feeder Canal. This trip, however, marked our second end-to-end foray.

It's easy to find the beginning. Take Exit 18 off Interstate 87, and head toward Glens Falls. Shortly thereafter, signs designate a right-hand turn onto Richardson Street. Following the road to its end, one finds the dam that diverts water into the Feeder Canal.

The dam was built in 1824, then enlarged in 1832. Lumber mills once stood on both sides of the Hudson River here. Just upstream was the Big Boom, which caught logs cut throughout the southern and central Adirondacks until river-running days ended in 1950. We walked steadily along the towpath, occasionally stopping to identify a wildflower (the Feeder Canal Alliance has published a booklet identifying the dozens of plants one is likely to encounter) or study the rock walls of the canal. Later, we would see a smattering of bird life, including a heron and a cormorant. Soon, we came to Haviland Cove, a public park and beach for the city of Glens Falls.

From there, we approached Pruyn Island, long a local industrial site. Piles of logs began to appear, harbingers of the paper companies on both sides of the upcoming falls. The Finch Pruyn Company has operated since 1865; it has only recently passed from local ownership. On the south side of the falls stands Encore Paper.

Now, we were on the fringe of downtown Glens Falls. Abraham Wing built a tavern, inn and store here in 1765. His sawmill became the first to take advantage of the 56-foot falls for power. More mills followed plus a black marble quarry that cut stone from ledges along the banks. From the south end of the bridge that crosses the water, there's a view of Cooper's Cave, immortalized in "The Last of the Mohicans."

MARTINDALE BASIN

Those paddling canoes can continue through the Finch Pruyn site. Walkers and bikers must detour down Warren Street then turn right onto Shermantown Road to re-access the towpath. (A nice stop along the way would be the Hyde Collection, a wonderful art museum established by descendants of Finch Pruyn founders.)