Chinook and I visited Nichols Pond County Park on Friday. Unlike many of the other trails we’ve visited over the last couple of months, this one had some strong historical ties to the Oneida Nation and to Oneida County as a whole.
“It was here in the Smithfield/Stockbridge area, in 1615, that Samuel de Champlain and his allies the Huron Indians traveled from Canada, to attack the Oneidas. The Oneidas managed to ward off the attack, but their settlement was later abandoned and the people moved slightly westward. (They eventually settled in the area known as Oneida Castle, in 1784.)” — New York Traveler.Net
Crain Pits
Our first stop was at “Crain Pits”. According the NYS signage, “these pits are the remains of community storage cellars for corns, beans and squash used by the Iroquois Indians.” There is a small parking lot off to the side and this area also serves and the trailhead for Indian Springs.
Indian Springs Trailhead
Indian Springs was “outside the area of the fort and unprotected by the Palisades.” Alot of Native American lives were lost here. The walk down to the observation deck is very short but slippery and steep. A picture from the lookout area is below.
Indian Springs Overlook
Nichols Pond - Champlain Battle Site
The main parking area is also the site of the Champlain Battle where “Champlain added by Huron Indians attached the stockaded Oneida Village — October 10-16, 1615.” The park has a couple of large covered picnic areas, a Wetland Outlook and a 1.5 mile nature trail. In the distance, you can see the turbines from the Fenner Wind Power Project.
Oneida Stone of 1615
On the eastern end of the park stands the Oneida Stone of 1615, or least this is what the signage reads. The “New York Traveler.Net” actually has a nice write up about the stone and their quest to locate the original stone.
Nichols Pond - Wetland Outlook
To one side of the Wetland Outlook trail is a short, well maintained observation area that looks out onto the pond (above). On the other side of the stone is the trail entrance to the “Deep Woods” trail. The picture below was taken of Nichols Pond from this trail.
Nichols Pond - Deep Woods Trail
Deep Woods Trail - Entering the woods
The Deep Woods Trail itself is easily walked and moves away from the pond into a denser wooded area. For the most part, the trail is well marked. The picture below is my favorite of the day.
Deep Woods Trail
Deep Woods Trail
The trail comes out of the denser trees and loops around. We obviously missed the loop and after taking the picture below, I noticed that I was completely off the beaten path and had to back track to where we went wrong. So, if you see the area in this picture, you are also lost 
Off the beaten path
After making our way back to the battle ground area, we checked out the area that was excavated (below). The area is where an Oneida Indian Village dating back to the late 1400s. It was excavated in the 1950′s. Walking through the park, you could really sense how difficult it must have been to attach this village and it also explains why the attempt failed. It’s a really nice park and only a few minutes from Oxbow Falls — another great area for hiking.
Excavation Site ...
I have additional photos and trail information on my “Trails, Tales & Tents” blog.
Tags: Historical