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May x Jun, 1981 Page 59 OSWEGO'S COAL DOCKS RICHARD F. PALMER On December 7, 1963, the canaller Valley Camp left the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad coal dock in Oswego, New York with 3,800 tons of soft coal, bound for Hamilton, Ontario. Except for a brief mention in the local news- paper, its departure went almost unnoticed. However, it brought to an end a colorful and important chapter in the port's history. Since the early 1880's, coal had been one of the most important commodities exported from Oswego. The major purveyor of both anthracite and bituminous coal to Canada here was the Delaware, Lackawanna & Wes- tern Railroad (later the Erie-Lackawanna), which maintained a large trestle and later a more modern coal dumper near the present Coast Guard station. On the east side of the river, adjacent to the present Oswego Port Authority dock, the New York, Ontario & Western Railroad maintained and operated two coal trestles, one of which was owned by the Delaware & Hudson Coal Company. Coal shipping from Oswego dates back to the early 1870's, in the days of shallow-draft schooners and wooden hulls. The Lackawanna Railroad was able to maintain the coal business until 1963, while the O & W operations ceased in the late 1930's when the hard coal business dwindled. The D & H trestle disappeared during World War II. Today, with the exception of photographs and memories, all vestiges of this once-thriving business have disappeared from Oswego's waterfront. Yet, in a 90-year period, millions of tons passed through Oswego enroute to Canada and northern New York. Many other hundreds of tons of coal lie at the bottom of Lake Ontario; cargoes of schooners, barges and freighters that foundered many years ago. The Lackawanna's first coal trestle was adjacent to the west side of the river, in back of the present-day State Armory. However, a miscalculation of the draft capability of the channel for ships quickly made the trestle useable only during times of high water. Therefore, the vessels could not take on a full cargo. They then had to move to what was later the O & W dock. On the south tip there was a small island connected to the mainland by a bridge, over which coal was drawn by