The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 301
Town of Montezuma / Village of Montezuma

"The manufacture of salt from this brine, therefore, will require more than ordinary care; as the earthy chlorides, even in small proportions, render it moist and unfit for certain uses."*

The well here referred to is doubtless the one sunk in 1839, by Solomon P. Jacobs, then State Superintendent of Salt Works, back of the present grist-mill in the village of Montezuma. It was carried to a depth of 650 feet.

About 1858 the State appropriated $7,000 to develop the Montezuma salt springs. Col. John S. Clark and William H. Carpenter, of Auburn, were appointed commissioners to superintend operations. A boring was made east of the village, near Buckland's bridge, on the farm owned by C. W. Clapp, and another near the river, on land owned by J. J. McLoud; but the brine at neither place was sufficiently strong to warrant the erection of works. A third boring was made at a place locally known as "Charleston," one and one-half miles south-west of this village, and brine obtained, which, it is said, was equal to that of Syracuse. Two long blocks were built and the manufacture of salt begun about 1860. In 1862 Messrs. Truesdale & Loomis began to make salt of a superior quality, and bade fair to realize their fondest hopes. Salt was manufactured about three years, till 1863, when a bar of iron or steel, an attachment to the pump, fell to the bottom of the well, which was thus effectually sealed and remains so to this day. The bar exactly fitted the tube and could not be removed. The business was consequently abandoned.

This circumstance gave rise to the suspicion of foul play and induced the belief that this accident was concerted in the interest of the salt works at Syracuse; but it is probable that the business here, like that at Syracuse, suffered from the competition incident to the development of the salt interests in Michigan and Canada, and that this accounts for the final abandonment.

A few years previous to this Frank Torrey, L. D. Fenelon and David Gaston manufactured a good article of salt from brine drawn from the old well near the grist-mill, in the village; but they soon discontinued it. In 1872 a stock company was formed, the capital being furnished by weekly contributions, for the manufacture of salt by solar evaporation. Seven long vats were erected; but after a short trial some lost faith in the enterprise and withheld their contributions, and the project was soon abandoned. The inferior brine and deliquescent character of the salt made from it, owing to the presence of earthy chlorides, made it impossible to compete with the works at Syracuse.

About this time another appropriation of $3,000 was obtained through the efforts of Hon. Ira D. Brown, member of the Legislature in 1871. Wm. Thorn, J. M. Jones and B. Ross were appointed commissioners. They were of the opinion that by cleaning out and extending the tube of the well near the grist-mill a stronger brine would be obtained, but they sunk the well to a depth of 1,000 feet without realizing their expectations. The derrick still stands, a monument to their enterprise and the State's improvidence.

The soil upon the hills is a clay loam, mixed in places with gravel; in the valleys and on the flats it is a rich alluvion.

The area of the town is 9,550 acres; of which 7,528 are improved; 844, woodland; and 1,178, otherwise unimproved.

The populaion in 1875 was 1,395; of whom 1,222 were native; 173, foreign; 1,385, white; 10, colored; and 215, owners of land.**

The direct line of the New York Central Railroad crosses the north border of the town, but there is no station within the town. The Erie Canal crosses the town from east to west a little north of the center and crosses the river upon an aqueduct. The Cayuga & Seneca Lake Canal connects with the Erie Canal at Montezuma village, and extends south along the west border.

MONTEZUMA

Montezuma (p. o.) was incorporated in 1866.+ It is situated near the center of the west border, adjacent to the river, and at the junction of the Erie and Cayuga and Seneca Lake Canals. It is connected by stage with Auburn, whence it receives its mail. It contains four churches, (M. E., Free Methodist, Baptist and Catholic,) a district school, one dry goods store, one hardware store, one drug store, four groceries, two

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*James C. Beck, Natural History of New York Mineralogy.
**Census of 1875.
+Following is a list of the presidents of the village since its incorporation, with the years in which each served; Wm. Thorn, 1866 and '7; Alanson White, 1868; Frank Torrey, 1869-'70 and '71; Alonzo D. Drake, 1872,-'3 and '5; Col. Wm. Bell, 1874; Henry Stokes, 1876; C. E. Chase, 1877; and Garrett Forshee, 1878.

The village officers in 1878 were Garrett Forshee, president; Dr. Emerick Crispell, clerk; Jerome Warrick, treasurer; Frank Torrey, John Ross and John Malloy, trustees.

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