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09/23/2012 02:31 PM

Your Hometown: Lisbon

It is now comprised of 30 towns, but 200 years ago, there was just one Saint Lawrence County. Lisbon Center was the first township, encompassing all of the land in the county. And though its size has shrunk over the years, the county still celebrates its large history on the railways, and two of its larger than life residents. In this edition of Your Hometown, our Brian Dwyer and photojournalist RD White take us near the St. Lawrence River and into Lisbon.

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LISBON, N.Y. -- "When the railroad was built, things shifted from the St. Lawrence River into this part of town, which was later named Lisbon Center," explained Nancy LaFaver, Town Historian. "It grew around the railroad and that eventually became the Hamlet of Lisbon, and it's still a Hamlet today.

The railroad closed for good in 1961 after employees went on strike, and the company went broke. But, a big piece of that still remains in Lisbon today, and is still in use.

"The Lisbon Depot Museum. It's kind of a ncie little gem that we have hidden here in Lisbon. We don't get a lot of traffic here, but I don't know that a lot of people know we are here. A lot of people in Lisbon know we're here," added LaFaver.

A huge part of that history is E.J. Dailey., who was an author and inventor of all things trapping. He is known as the dean of American trappers.

LaFaver explained, "He had a trapper's shop. He was pretty well known for writing for Fur-Fish-Game. He wrote a lot of magazine articles. He was well known in the world of trapping for his lures and different scents, and his way of building traps."

Now, E.J. Dailey isn't the only Lisbon man celebrating across the nation. Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks Head Coach, grew up in Lisbon and played high school basketball as a member of the Lisbon Knights.

"It's been a long time. It's been 40 years since I really got interested in playing. A lot of that was spending time tagging along with my dad. Fighting my way into pick-up games, and just getting a real interest for the game that way," said Carlisle.

Carlisle, who played college ball at Virginia, and than NBA in Boston, was honored last summer in his hometown, and is inspiring a new generation of players.

"He's taught me a lot about basketball, so now I have to set future goal for myself," said a young basketball player.

Another local student added, "Because he's from Upstate New York, and many people didn't think he'd be able to make it. He's like a role model to me."