The City of Ogdensburg, New York is located in northern St. Lawrence County along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River, directly across from the Canadian towns of Prescott and Brockville, Ontario. The City encompasses an area of approximately 8.18 square miles and has a diverse population of 12,364 according to the 2000 Census. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge conveniently connects the two countries.
The earliest settlement in Ogdensburg dates back to 1749 when the celebrated Sulspician Missionary Father Picquet founded his mission on the banks of the St. Lawrence at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River. He built Fort LaPresentation upon the site of an old Indian village named Swa-gatch. The area was the northern terminus of an original Indian trail that ran from the Mohawk Valley to the St. Lawrence. The City developed into an important port of entry and railroad center during the 19th and early 20th centuries, with extensive trade in lumber and grains.
Throughout Ogdensburg's history the principle branches of industry in St. Lawrence County have relied on the nearby rivers and the bountiful resources common to the North Country. They have included all aspects of lumbering and paper production, boat building, merchant and custom milling, foundry and machine work.
Capitalizing on its location at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers, the City has been a seaport since the early l9th century. The completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and opened the area to unprecedented industrial expansion.