Raquette River Dams Oral History Project

The Raquette River Oral History Project, conducted by TAUNY and project partners from 2014 to 2016, documents the stories of people involved in or significantly affected by the construction of the hydroelectric dams and powerhouses along the Raquette River, one of the most heavily dammed rivers in New York State. This oral history project was made possible by the support of the New York Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. Project partners include TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York), the Raquette River Blueway Corridor Group, the Village of Potsdam, and Watertown PBS. Interviews were conducted primarily by Camilla Ammirati, Director of Programs and Research at TAUNY in Canton, NY, and Mary Jane Watson of South Colton, NY, in cooperation with Roque Murray of Watertown PBS. This collection includes thirty interviews with thirty-one individuals with significant connections to and/or memories of the Raquette River hydro projects, approximately five hundred photos and other scanned memorabilia items shared by these interviewees, and approximately 3700 additional photos representing the history of the Raquette River more generally, and the life of the communities along its shores. These materials also include some contemporary photos taken by Ammirati and Watson to document people and places involved in the oral history project, and Murray recorded fifteen of the interviews on video for a separate Watertown PBS documentary project (which aired spring 2016).