Gasport got its name from coal gas that bubbled out of springs that were destroyed during the digging of the Erie Canal. Despite their destruction, some gas still remains.
The village portion of Red Creek that runs from the old reservoir to the Canal still has some bubbles in it here and there.
The best spot to see where we got our moniker is in the stony stream that runs through my family's farm on Slayton Settlement Road. There is a sizable area that has gas bubbling continuously in the water (see the top photo). It never stops. The area smells strongly like methane. Rumor has it hobos used to stick pipes in this spot and create eternal flames to cook on.
This year has been a dry summer, so the water is quite low in the stream. This has created an interesting situation...some of the bubble spots are now above water and there the earth is rumbling, hissing, and regurgitating gas, leaving piles of white minerals (see bottom photo).
