Montour, New York

Montour is a town in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,446 at the 2000 census. The town is one of two towns in the county named after Catherine Montour.The Town of Montour is in the south part of the county and is north of Elmira, New York.HistoryThe Seneca village of Queanettquaga, also known by colonial settlers as Catherine's Town, was destroyed by the Sullivan Expedition in 1779. These colonial forces ranged throughout western New York, destroying Iroquois villages as well as their stores of crops. They were destitute when winter arrived.The Town of Montour was first settled by European Americans around 1794 after the American Revolutionary War. They first settled the current village of Montour Falls, named after a waterfall along one edge. This was known by the Seneca as Che-qua-gah, or "roaring water."The Chemung Canal was completed in 1833 and passed through the town, connecting it to other waterways. This declined in use after railroads were built through the state.Montour was the last town organized in the county, created in 1860 from part of the Town of Catharine.