Any settlement story of the state parks along the Genesee River in the western part of New York State begins with the Onöndowa’ga:’, the People of the Great Hill.

The Genesee River’s sweeping valley, with naturally re-nourishing floodplains, hills, and well-draining glacial moraines ideal for farm towns, is the dominant land feature of the region. Flowing to Lake Ontario in Rochester, the Genesee River’s tributaries branch through Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming, Genesee, Ontario, Allegany, Steuben, and Orleans Counties. The Onöndowa’ga:’ are master agriculturalists who established the first permanent towns on this landscape, known regionally today as the “Genesee Country.”