Friends of Fort Ontario once again offers a First Day Hike on New Year’s Day 2023. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, participants will enjoy a free, self-guided tour of the 75-acre Fort Ontario Military Reservation National Register District.

The tour will utilize original sources to describe life, living conditions, community relations, and the physical layout of the post during its occupation by the 2nd Battalion, 24th U.S. Infantry from 1908 to 1911.

The 24th U.S. Infantry was composed of African American enlisted men led by white commissioned officers. It was the oldest of the four famous Buffalo Soldier regiments.

The 24th was sent to Fort Ontario in Oswego and Madison Barracks in Sackets Harbor by the War Department in direct response to the Brownsville (Texas) Riot of 1906, during which troops of the 25th U.S. Infantry were accused of attacking civilians in retaliation for their race-based abuse of soldiers. The transfer occurred during the rebirth and rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the northeast and resistance to the presence of black troops in mostly white western communities. Oswego was the first instance of African American troops being posted east of the Mississippi.

The tour will take hikers beyond the traditional East Ninth and Schuyler Street boundaries of the military reservation into a geographically undefined area known as Oswego’s “Black Belt.” Black Belts grew around army posts with African American garrisons that were located within white communities. They catered to the specific needs of the troops and contained low-income housing for army families who could not be accommodated on post. They also held shops, saloons and other businesses.

First Day Hike participants are asked to report inside the entrance of the old stone fort where they will receive a free self-guided tour booklet. The booklet will include a map of the points of interest.

AmeriCorps member Jonathan Kobelia will be available to answer any historical questions and provide directions if needed.

Participants are advised to dress for cold and windy lakeside conditions and wear appropriate shoes for walking. Restrooms will be available inside the post headquarters.

First Day Hikes are a nationwide National Park Service initiative in cooperation with New York State Parks. They are intended to encourage people to begin the New Year by rejuvenating and reconnecting with the outdoors.

In the event of inclement weather, check the Fort Ontario Facebook page for updates. For more information on the Fort Ontario First Day Hike, contact Fort Ontario AmeriCorps member Jonathan Kobelia at 315-343-4711 or jonathan.kobelia@parks.ny.gov.

2ND BATTALION, 24TH U.S. INFANTRY DRESS PARADE – Colorized postcard image shows Fort Ontario grounds and soldiers in July 1908. Image provided by Fort Ontario State Historic Site.

2ND BATTALION, 24TH U.S. INFANTRY FIELD INSPECTION – Colorized postcard image shows Fort Ontario parade grounds and old stone fort. Image provided by Fort Ontario State Historic Site.