Greetings from the Finger Lakes |The Postman Loves Me

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Greetings from the Finger Lakes

Greeting from the Finger Lakes Vintage Postcard

Greeting from the Finger Lakes Vintage Postcard (Back with Message)

Postmarked July 22, 1952

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Postcard Caption:

FRONT: Greetings from the Finger Lakes of Central New York

BACK: One of the great vacation and tourist centers of America is the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York It was the Garden of Eden of the Red Men.

F - Historical Canandaigua Court House
I - General John Sullivan's Monument near Waverly
N - Taughannock Falls, near Ithaca
G - Skaneateles Lake
E - The Historical Scythe Tree
R - Geneva Harbor, Seneca Lake
L - Famous Catharine Creek Trout Stream
A - Lucifer Falls, Robert Tremain State Park, near Ithaca
K - A trail in Watkin Glen Sate Park
E - Sailboating, Keuka Lake
S - Harris Hill, Gilder Capitol, Elmira

Postcard Message:

Dear John / arrived in Niagara Falls. Around 4 p.m. / Hoping everything is O.K. - Pi---

The Finger Lakes landscape was formed over two million years ago when glacial flows cut deep trenches in the earth as they crisscrossed the region. The Native Americans living here attributed the finger-shaped lakes to the Great Spirit who left fingerprints when he touched the earth to bless it with fertility and marked it as sacred ground. Unfortunately for the Iriquos who were living in the region, they sided with the British during the American Revolution. In 1779, George Washington ordered Generals Sullivan and Clinton to retaliate, and their campaign destroyed over 40 villages, hundreds of acres of farmland, and stored food and supplies. Since then, the land has been in the hands of white settlers. After a brief period of industrialization, the region is now known for recreation, the wine industry, and its higher education institutions.

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I really haven't explored much of the area, even though we've been here nearly six years now. Of course, we have spent a lot of time at Cayuga Lake, and a reasonable amount of time around Seneca Lake. George and I, with the dogs, have driven around Keuka Lake together once. In 2012, I swam across Cayuga Lake (the short way, about 1-1/2 miles) to raise funds for HospiCare, and George now works at a winery that overlooks Seneca Lake. But there is still lots to do to catch up!