This circa 1854 ambrotype of the east side of Genesee Street north of Bleecker Street may be the oldest existing photograph of a Utica scene. Courtesy, Broome County Historical Society, Binghamton.

The county fortunately had the Mohawk River - and later railroads and the Erie, Chenango and Black River canals -flowing through its veins and was located ideally within easy reach of New York City, Boston, Montreal and other major markets.

Its farmers and manufacturers were able to compete successfully with regions to the east - especially in New England - and had a giant head start over the small number of communities and companies that existed at the time to the west.

Oneida County was fortunate, too, that entrepreneurs like Theodore Faxton, Alfred Munson, John Butterfield and Silas Childs were able to start businesses with their own money and local capital. Today’s circumstances among communities often depends on growth from new businesses moving in and using mostly outside capital and management.

Oneida County soon was producing more than it needed and began to export its excesses. Its farms and factories grew and made much money - sometimes millions - for its local owners and investors. That, in turn, attracted outsiders with ideas for new businesses, but in need of capital.

In the early 1900s, Oneida County was on its way to becoming a giant in the burgeoning automobile industry. Company owners, however, received little encouragement from area leaders in the textile industry who were wary of competition from automakers because they paid workers more than knitting mills did.

Bagg's Hotel in Utica was one of the first commercial successes and by the mid 19th century the area was dotted with dozens of hotels, inns and taverns. Many of them were built to accommodate westbound travelers who would stop overnight in the region to rest and resupply before heading to western territories. The Park House Hotel was built at the northern end of the Village Park in Clinton in the summer of 1800, and for a number of years was the only hotel in the village.

There also appeared in the area in those early days restaurants, blacksmith shops, jewelry stores, mineries, dressmaking shops, hardware stores, pottery works and cabinetmakers.

Many of the businesses were family-owned and employed not only husband and wife but also their children. Banking also quickly became a major business and by the early 19th century there were dozens of banks in the area. Some were owned by local persons, while others were branches of larger banks in New York city.

Downtown Utica in the first half of the 20th century was the cultural, commercial and professional center of the region. It was the home of many first-run theaters restaurants, department stores and fiveand-dimes. In the 1870s, Frank W Woolworth opened his first five-cent store on Bleecker Street in Utica. It evolved into the vast chain that dominated the country for years.