Cicero

One of the fastest-growing suburbs of Syracuse, Cicero lies on the shores of Oneida Lake, the largest lake entirely enclosed within New York. The Cicero area was home to the Iroquois and Owasco Indian tribes. The trails they created through Cicero were transformed into the first plank road laid in the United States. Known as the crossroads of New York, Cicero’s central position in the state was crucial in the distribution of agricultural resources from the north to markets throughout New York by way of the Erie Canal, located 10 miles south of Cicero. Cicero was also the home of suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage, who worked with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, two leaders in the suffrage movement. From the first plank road through the modern interstate highway system, transportation has always played an important role in the development of this community. Cicero provides a snapshot of the daily life and important events in this town’s colorful and dynamic history.