SIXTY YEARS of Schoharie Crossing: Cultural Milestones

Schoharie Crossing was established in 1966 after a decade of renewed interest in the canal features of Fort Hunter.

   While the Fort Hunter Canal Society was advocating for the creation of an Erie Canal restorations site during the early to mid-1960’s, Americans were experiencing cultural changes. By 1966, protests emerged around the Vietnam War as the nation watched it play out on their TV screens. Building mistrust   replaced the booming post WWII era.  But, there was still a growing sense of nostalgia for an earlier era lost to time.

   As Bill Hovey and others from the canal society saw their vision develop with the creation of
Schoharie Crossing in 1966, gas was 32 cents, a loaf of bread would cost you a quarter, and a dozen eggs averaged $0.60. You could drop $0.29 on a cup of coffee, and grab a gallon of milk for less than a buck on your way home. 

   When you turned on the TV, you were  probably watching the Newlywed Game in its first year, just like most other Americans,  making it the top ranked show of ’66.  Maybe you caught the Rolling Stones on the Ed Sullivan Show, or tuned in before donating during the first Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.  

   In 1966, you could purchase the new Beach Boys record, Pet Sounds for about $4.00, or what you earned at minimum wage in just about three and a half hours.  When you hopped into your new Fairlane, turning the dial The Beatles new song “Paperback Writer” began to play, but you prefer the new sounds of a group freshly from the California hills as the Monkee’s grabbed your ear when you watched the show debut on TV. 

   The neighbor invited you over to play the brand new game Twister, and you brought a dessert topped with your first purchase of a product called Cool Whip. That’s when you told them about a stop at a 7-Eleven on your road trip, and what the first sip of a Slurpee was like; brain freeze and all. Still, it was one of your new favorite things, like whiskers on kittens because the Sound of Music had won Best Picture at the Oscars and you couldn’t get that song out of your head. 

   Ah, 1966, it was the same year that Wite-Out hit the market and you could save time typing up       reports at work. Which gave you time to think about retirement, and you were feeling more confident   because you knew there was this new Medicare thing that would help you pay your health care costs. Now you could “...live long and prosper…” 

   The year Schoharie Crossing was created saw changes in the political climate and popular culture. It saw new products and new entertainment that helped shape the coming decades. We hope you’ll experience the site this year, even if you don’t remember 1966—cause if you remember the ‘60’s, were you really there?