The Genesee River is one of the great waterways of the eastern United States.  It flows for more than 150 miles from its origins in north-central Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario.  It is also the only major river in the eastern US that runs from south to north.   In this picture of the Big Tree, the river is portrayed as calm and peaceful.  However, in the past the river could also be a source of danger, as reflected in the eroded banks in the painting. 

The following photos show the river at flood stage before the construction of the Mount Morris Dam in 1952.  For much of the 19th and early 20th century, spring floods caused by melting snow and rain could cause devastating floods in Livingston County and Rochester. 

Flooded lands along the Mt. Morris "flats" looking East from the village, 1916. (person unknown). Courtesy of the Office of the Livingston County Historian

"Moscow Landing" (near the old Genesee Valley Canal), Jones Bridge Road, Town of Leicester, c. 1940. Courtesy of the Office of the Livingston County Historian