Dear Hope and the Students of Mrs. Sturgis’ Class,
I am Hope’s Auntie Paula and my family was very happy to
receive a visit from Flat Stanley and excited to show him around our state of New
York. We live in a small town named Macedon, which is near the city of
Rochester. New York City is the largest city in New York and home to the Statue
of Liberty. There are 8.5 million people that live in New York City. The entire
state of Maine is 1.3 million. That means that a whole lot of people live in
New York City! At the Western end of the state is the world famous Niagara
Falls. Flat Stanley had a busy time in New York as you can see from the
pictures! Thanks for letting him visit! (love you Hopie)
Auntie Paula
Some facts about New York:
Date of Statehood: July 26, 1788
Capital: Albany
Population: 19,378,102 (2010)
Size: 54,555 square miles
Nickname(s): Empire State
Motto: Excelsior (“Ever Upward”)
Tree: Sugar Maple
Flower: Rose
New York is home to the famous
Erie Canal. It was finished in 1825 and is 363 miles long, connecting the
Hudson River in the East to Buffalo in the West. This canal allowed goods and
people to travel faster and for less money. They didn’t have big equipment like
dump trucks and bulldozers back then so it was dug with shovels and horse
power. The Erie Canal goes through Macedon, New York, so Flat Stanley paid it a
visit.
Here is a famous song about the
Erie Canal. Click below to listen to a 1912 version!
Click here to listen to this song!
Here are the words to the song! Can you sing along?
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And every inch of the way we know
From Albany to Buffalo
Chorus:
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
We'd better look 'round for a job old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
'Cause you bet your life I'd never part with Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Git up there mule, here comes a lock
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock
One more trip and back we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo
Chorus
Oh, where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Oh, I'd like to see a mule as good as Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a busted jaw,
'Cause she let fly with her iron toe,
And kicked him in to Buffalo.
Chorus
Don't have to call when I want my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She trots from her stall like a good old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I eat my meals with Sal each day
I eat beef and she eats hay
And she ain't so slow if you want to know
She put the "Buff" in Buffalo
Click here to listen to this song!
Here are the words to the song! Can you sing along?
The Erie Canal Song Lyrics
I've got an old mule and her name is SalFifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And every inch of the way we know
From Albany to Buffalo
Chorus:
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
We'd better look 'round for a job old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
'Cause you bet your life I'd never part with Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Git up there mule, here comes a lock
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock
One more trip and back we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo
Chorus
Oh, where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Oh, I'd like to see a mule as good as Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a busted jaw,
'Cause she let fly with her iron toe,
And kicked him in to Buffalo.
Chorus
Don't have to call when I want my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She trots from her stall like a good old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I eat my meals with Sal each day
I eat beef and she eats hay
And she ain't so slow if you want to know
She put the "Buff" in Buffalo
 |
| Flat Stanley is looking at one of the Erie Canal locks in Macedon, New York. The lock makes the water level go up or down. |
 |
| Flat Stanley spots the sign for the Erie Canal! |
 |
| Flat Stanley sure can smile! |
 |
| Flat Stanley is checking out the map and then went for a 2 mile hike along the Erie Canal! |
 |
| Flat Stanley needed a rest after his hike! |
 |
| Flat Stanley went with Hope’s Uncle Jonathan to the city of Rochester, New York. Here he is in Uncle Jonathan's office! Rochester is where Eastman Kodak Film began in 1888. This company invented the portable camera that used film and later digital cameras. Rochester is also home to the Women’s Right’s Movement that eventually got women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony was the leader of this movement and today her house is a museum in Rochester. Frederick Douglass, a man who worked to abolish slavery, also lived in Rochester, NY. |
 |
| Flat Stanley is not afraid of heights! |
 |
| Flat Stanley spots the Kodak building! |
 |
| Flat Stanley at the Susan B. Anthony House. (Can you spot him?) |
 |
| Day 3-Flat Stanley visited Niagara Falls! Niagara Falls refers to three water falls that are between the United States and Canada. The Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the whole country. Luckily Flat Stanley did not go over the falls, but he did get in a bit of trouble because you are not allowed to go into the falls on your own because it is too dangerous! Be careful, Flat Stanley! |
 | ||
| Flat Stanley visited the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is over 100 years old and was a gift from the country of France. The torch represents the never-ending freedom of our great country. Thank you, Auntie Paula and family, for a great tour of New York! |
