History of Allegany, Chautauqua & Cattaraugus Counties New York County NY

Description

New York's Tri-County Southwest Gateway
ALLEGANY~CHAUTAUQUA~CATTARAUGUS
ILLUSTRATED
The early days of Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties in Southwest New York, and their various towns and townships, are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this
NEW
34-page book primarily reprinted from two sources: the 1841 edition of
Historical Collections of the State of New York
by John Warner Barber and Henry Howe, and the 1940 edition of
New York, a Guide to the Empire State
, a WPA project.
The comb-bound book
is printed on 8.5" x 11" paper, with the print enlarged for easier reading. A clear vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover
.
The communities mentioned include:
ALLEGANY COUNTY
: Alfred, Allen, Almond, Amity, Andover, Angelica, Belfast, Birdsall, Bolivar, Burns, Caneadea, Centreville, Clarksville, Cuba, Eagle, Friendship, Genesee, Granger, Grove, New Hudson, Hume, Independence, Nunda, Ossian, Pike, Portage, Rushford, Scio, West Almond, Vandemark, Baker's Bridge, Phillipsburg, Hobbieville, Phillipsville, Orrinsburg, Summer's Valley, Rockville, Hunt's Hollow, Oakland and Nonda Valley.
CATTARAUGUS COUNTY
: Ashford, Burton, Allegany City, Cold Spring, Connewango, Dayton, Ellicottville, Farmersville, Franklinville, Cadiz, Freedom, Great Valley, Hinsdale, Humphrey, Leon, Little Valley, Lyndon, Machias, Mansfield, Napoli, New Albion, Olean, Otto, Perrysburg, Persia, Portville, Randolph, Yorkshire, Salamanca and Gowanda.
CHATAUQUA (formerly Chataque) COUNTY
:
Awkwright, Busti, Carroll, Frewsburgh, Charlotte, Sinclairville, Chataque, Maysville, Chevry Creek, Clymer, Ellery, Ellicott, Jamestown, Ellington, French Creek, Gerry, Hanover, Silver Creek, Forestville, Harmony, Mina, Poland, Pomfret, Fredonia, Dunkirk, Portland, Ripley, Sheridan, Sherman, Stockton, Villenova, and Westfield.
Among the many fascinating topics in the booklet are: the Rochester & Olean Canal; a detailed description of the Tornato of 1838; the Seneca Oil Spring; Tunnel construction for the canal; the Devil's Oven Cave; Pass of the Genesse at Portage Falls; a Lodge in the wilderness, "Hornby Lodge" and "Tunnel Park"; Indian Town of Tunes-Assah; Chief "Cornplanter; an Indian called "Big Kettle"; Chataque Lake, the Remarkable Walnut Tree that became a grocery store; Chataque Gas Springs; and a gulf known as Hog's Back.
Surnames mentioned include: Wright, Church, Rawson, Heath, Swain, Basset, Burgess, Johnson, Hurlburt, Pitcher, Hoops, Aldrich, Waterman, Farnsworth, Allen, Bemas, Pendergrast, Fenton, Edson and McMahan.
ILLUSTRATIONS
depict the Public Buildings at Angelica, Numda Valley Village, the Pass of the Genesee at Portage Falls, Hornby Lodge at Portage Falls, Public Buildings at Ellicottville, Mayville, Jamestown, Fredonia, Dunkirk Harbor and Westfield Village.
The Howe/Barber history covers the development of this area until about 1841, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic glympse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes, especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities. There's also a small map of the Southwest Gateway from a 1948 booklet printed by the New York Telephone Company.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift?