Tri-County: Southwest
Gateway of NY

ALLEGANY~CHAUTAUQUA~CATTARAUGUS

ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET

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 Booklet primarily reprinted from two books: 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 spiral-bound booklet, sold exclusively on eBay, is printed one-sided on 60# 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.