numerous early factories and mills-- gristmills, sawmills, cotton mills, and silk mills. Often the same businessmen ran factories in several of the villages. Mill owners had a paternalistic approach to their employees, providing not only jobs but also homes, recreational facilities, and even schools--a sharp contrast to the downsizing and forced retirement of today. The Sauquoit Valley looks at village life in the early 1900s through the lens of traveling photographers, such as A.J. Manning of Utica. These photographers recorded men and women and children in the clothing and fashions of the day, at their homes and shops and workplaces. Many of the photographs became real photo postcards.