BEFORE THE BUFFALO (BILLS) ROAMED...
Erie County, New York
ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET
The early days of Erie County in the State of
New York, and its various towns and townships, are recalled through a mixture
of colorful tales and factual data in this NEW
46 Page Booklet, reprinted primarily from two hard-to-find
books: the 1841 edition of Historical Collections of the State of New
York by John Warner Barber and Henry Howe, and 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: Alden,
Amherst, Boston, Black Rock, Buffalo, Brant, Cattaraugus Indian Reservation,
Cheektowaga, Clarence, Colden, Collins, Concord, Cowlesville, Depew, East
Aurora, Eden, Evans, Folsomdale, Forestville, Gowanda, Hamburg, Holland,
Lackawanna, Lancaster, Newstead, North Collins, Orchard Park, Sardenia,
Springville, Tonawanda, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, Town Line, Wales,
and Williamsville.
Among the many and diverse topics in the
booklet are: War of 1812 battles; the Burning of Buffalo; the Seneca Church
on the Indian Reservation; the Life and Death of Indian Chief Red Jacket;
Grand Island Boundary Dispute; Plan for a Jewish City; Efforts to Remove
Indians from County; Inscriptions from an Indian Burial Ground; The Roycroft
Shops founded by Elbert Hubbard; Father Baker's Colony; Little Poland; Buffalo
Harbor;and the Rapid Development of Buffalo, including a 1940 street map.
Names mentioned include: Joseph Ellicott,
Gen. Jacob Brown, Gen. Peter Porter, Samuel Wilkeson, Edwin P. Christy,
Pres. Millard Fillmore, Henry Huntington Sizer, the Rev. Wright, Jones, White,
Major Noah, "Frankie" Folsom and Pres. Grover Cleveland, Rudolph Wurlitzer,
Ahaz Allen, Ellen Beach Yaw, David Leroy, George Abbott, Charles E. Burchfield,
Samuel Clemens,John Joseph Albright, Francis and Agnes Tracy, Frank Lloyd
Wright, and others.
ILLUSTRATIONS depict
the House of Red Jacket, the Seneca Mission House, a view of Buffalo and
a distant view of the Black Rock area.
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 area from a 1948 booklet printed by the New York
Telephone Company.
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