Paddling the Nine Mile Swamp: a Loomis Gang hideout in the 1800's

A haven for stolen horses and counterfeit money

Who was the Loomis gang?

In the early 1800’s, George Washington Loomis arrived in Madison County in upstate New York. According to local history, he was fleeing Vermont for stealing horses. Upon arrival in Madison County, George purchased 385 acres overlooking the Nine Mile Swamp. There he built a huge farmhouse and raised a family. At that time, the swamp was bordered by a thick stand of cedar trees that made it almost impossible to navigate.

Over the next 50 years or so, Loomis and his extended family developed into a rich crime family by committing all kinds of crimes - robbery, counterfeiting, arson, murder and such. They became one of the largest crime families in the state by sharing their ill-begotten wealth with local farmers and influential people. As a result, the family used their influence to exert pressure on legal authorities with threats as needed to continue their criminal activities. Eventually, the threats led to barn burning, cattle stealing and other heinous crimes.

The Nine Mile Swamp became a haven of escape. Members of the crime family would flee to the swamp to evade authorities. The story is that stolen horses were stashed among the thick cedar trees lining the swamp.

In 1865, a suspicious fire burned the Loomis family farmhouse - supposedly 14 family members perished. Apparently their crimes finally caught up with them.

My escape to the swamp

The Nine Mile Swamp is not a typical destination for paddle sports because of its reputation and its remote location. However, that did not deter me. I search for quieter waters where I can “escape” to enjoy a placid paddle.

There is a magic in the feel of a paddle and the movement of a canoe, a magic compounded of distance, adventure, solitude and peace. - Sigrid Olson

One of the lures of paddling is being able to sit in a canoe in the middle of a river and just focus on the moment and forget about what else is going on in the world. Paddling does that - just me, my paddle and my canoe.

A meandering paddle through a beautiful forested stream

Most of the time when I paddle, I do not have a well-defined plan. That encourages me to focus more on the journey and not the destination. For today, I just wanted to set my paddle in the water and see what kind of adventure I could find.

Cottonwood trees shedding their fluffy seeds on the water surface.

Exploring the swamp

As I paddled around each bend, I searched for any signs of civilization, wildlife and birds. Except for the sounds of the water and the light wind pushing the heavy foliage along the shores, the swamp seemed quiet.

I was hoping for some possible birding activity along the way. I did see two turtles swimming just below the surface.

Beaver dam issues

On the way upstream, my husband and I encountered our first beaver dam. We were able to squeeze through it easily and keep paddling.

About a mile later into the paddle, we encountered a larger beaver dam. The swamp had narrowed and the beaver dam reached across the entire width. We were not sure if we could push ourselves through. After inspecting it carefully and pushing on the beaver dam with our paddles, we were not sure we could push ourselves through without getting stuck. The water was deep so getting out of our canoes and “portaging” over the dam was not a possibility.

The sighting of the day

On the way back to our launch site, a Great Blue Heron followed us or we followed him. I am not sure because he kept skipping ahead and hiding in the shore underbrush. I think he (or she) was trying to distract us from his nest. I tried to photograph him as best as possible and did capture a few live-action shots.

The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men. - Mark Twain

Thanks for joining me on our adventure today. If you wish to paddle the Nine Mile Swamp, here are the details.

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