Senate Resolution No. 3508

BY: Senator GRIFFO

COMMEMORATING the 150th Anniversary of the Utica
Curling Club

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to honor those
enduring organizations which faithfully devote their resources and
purposeful energies to fostering opportunities and contributing to the
quality of life for the residents of the communities they serve; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Utica Curling Club; and

WHEREAS, After a century and one-half, the Utica Curling Club has
become a true institution within the Utica community; and

WHEREAS, The Mohawk Valley, with its abundance of waterpower and its
strategic location in relation to transportation, was on the leading
edge of industrialization; the population of the area was growing
rapidly, and two out of three Uticans were born in foreign countries or
were children of immigrants; and

WHEREAS, The earliest recorded curling events locally were organized
by Scotch and English textile workers in Clark Mills, New York, in 1832;
more than two decades later, the sport moved to lower Campbell Pond (now
Twin Ponds) in New York Mills where it flourished for more than 20
years; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Allen, who arrived from England in 1832, was an
expert stonecutter and worked on the Erie Canal Expansion, the Chenango
Canal and various other building projects; he was an avid curler who
participated in games held on the Chenango Canal, the Globe Mill Pond in
West Utica, Butterfield skating rink on Jewett Street, the Erie Canal,
and sometimes on the Mohawk River flats; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Allen purchased property which contained Ballou
Creek where it emptied into the Erie Canal; by damming the shallow
section of the creek near Rutger Street, he was able to form a large ice
surface which could be used for both curling and ice skating; and

WHEREAS, In 1868, Benjamin Allen established the Utica Curling Club;
six years later, the rink area was fenced in and a small shed with a
wood-burning stove was built; that same year, the New York Mills Curling
Club merged with Utica and joined the Grand National Curling Club as the
Utica Curling Club; and

WHEREAS, By 1892, a large building, known as Rutger Rink, was
erected and housed three sheets of curling ice under cover;
refrigeration was provided by opening the large windows on three sides
of the building; the Utica Curling Club used this facility until 1916;
and

WHEREAS, The Utica Curling Club then bought property on Francis
Street and began construction on the new Clubhouse in October of 1916;

the building housed five sheets of ice and once again, refrigeration was
provided through large windows in the curling shed; and

WHEREAS, Even though no curling clubs had artificial ice prior to
World War I, A.S. Brinckerhoff, a member of the building committee and
long-time ice chairman of the old Rutger Rink, insisted that a basement
room in the new building be designed to hold equipment for future
ice-making; and

WHEREAS, The Club experienced many fruitful years, and by 1923, the
membership limit of 180 had been reached and a waiting list was
established; and

WHEREAS, Then came two disastrous winters of thaws, uncompleted
schedules, and wrecked bonspiels; consequently, an artificial ice plant
was installed; as a result of old "Brink's" foresight, when the York Ice
Machinery Co. made the installation in 1925, not a single change had to
be made in the basement to accommodate the equipment; and

WHEREAS, During the Great Depression, avid curlers still attended
the Club, and in the early 1940s, women relatives of club members
received permission to use the ice, when available, for 50 cents per
person, per game; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, the Utica Curling Club voted to accept the women
as associate members; in 1949, the Utica Glengarries were formed, and in
1990, women became full members with voting privileges; and

WHEREAS, A major expansion was undertaken in 1958-1959, which was
also the first time that all five sheets had matched stones; in 1962 a
new ice base was installed, with indirect refrigeration which removed
the hazard of pressurized ammonia gas inside the curling shed; and

WHEREAS, The interior was upgraded in 1975-1976, and the stones were
replaced at the start of the 1985-1986 season with the new Ailsa Craig
insert stones with modern plastic handles; and

WHEREAS, After a fire destroyed the building on Francis Street, a
new facility with six sheets of ice was opened on Clark Mills Road in
Whitestown, New York; in honor of its "resurrection from the ashes", Tom
Garber designed a new Phoenix logo and pin; and

WHEREAS, Since then, the building has been modified for wheelchair
curlers and others with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, The new facility has been host to numerous events such as
the United States Men's and Women's Championships, the United States
Club Championships, and the College National Championships; in 2011, the
Club celebrated the 100th Anniversary of hosting the Mitchell Bonspiel,
an international men's Grand National Curling Club contest; and

WHEREAS, Today, the Utica Curling Club is comprised of approximately
300 members, including novices, long-time curlers, juniors, college
curlers, and wheelchair curlers; teenagers began curling in 1954, and
Little Rockers in 1989; and

WHEREAS, College curling became a permanent addition in 2005, when
Hamilton College and Colgate University formed their curling clubs and

made the Utica rink their home; SUNY Polytechnic Institute joined in
2015; and

WHEREAS, Curling has undergone many changes in Utica in the last 150
years, however, the spirit of curling remains strong as the Utica
Curling Club looks forward to celebrating its Sesquicentennial
Anniversary; and

WHEREAS, In light of its commitment, dedication and successful
efforts, it is the custom of this Legislative Body to extend its highest
commendation to the Utica Curling Club of Utica, New York; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Utica Curling Club; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Utica Curling Club.