College French professor will present lecture - "The Castorland Journal" - a look at how Northern New York was settled and how the Black River was re-discovered

LOWVILLE- A college professor will present a lecture - featuring direct accounts - on how Upstate New York was settled long ago.

Known as the Castorland Journal, this presentation will take place Thursday, July 28 at Lowville Academy High School Auditorium, featuring Professor of French at Colgate University, Dr. John Gallucci.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the lecture aimed for 7:00 p.m. The presentation will last about an hour and there will be time for questions and answers. 

Pre-registration is required, which can be achieved online or by dialing the Tug Hill Commission: 315-785-2380.  

According to Dr. Gallucci, the lecture will focus in on the first-person accounts of Pierre Pharoux and Simon Desjardins are reminiscent of the famous Lewis and Clark expeditions to the American Southwest in the early 1800’s.

In 1793, Pierre Pharoux and Simon Desjardins were sent to the United States to develop newly acquired French holdings in Lewis and Jefferson counties in upstate New York, Gallucci told us.

They documented their explorations in what were then largely unknown regions along New York State’s northwestern frontier.

The Compagnie de New York (New York Company) named its tract Castorland, from the French word for beaver, castor, found to be plentiful here.

The story is heroic and heartbreaking. Once a promising attempt by the French to speculate American lands, the duo experienced tragic disappointments. The death of Pharoux, who drowned in a flooded Black River, is chief among them.

"Yet, the story told through the journal entries brings to life the character of these historic individuals and along with it the land and people they encounter," Dr. Gallucci explained.

"This translation of their journey is a unique document of American history with national significance that happened in our own hometown."

Be sure to listen to our latest on-air interview with Dr. John Gallucci for more details on the Castorland Journal:

Image courtesy via the Tug Hill Commission.