USA > New York > A geographical history of the state of New York: embracing its history, government, physical features, climate, geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, education, internal improvements, &c., with a separate map of each county > Part 33
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By the enterprise and good management of General Whitney, the agent of Mr. Bingham, the settlements flourished and in- creased rapidly in population. In 1806, Broome county was set off from Tioga, as a separate county, and named in honor of John Broome, at that time Lieutenant Governor of the state.
A large proportion of the emigrants were from New England, and probably a majority from Connecticut.
VILLAGES. BINGHAMTON, formerly Chenango Point, is the shire town of the county. It is rapidly increasing in business, and has become already an important inland town. It is much engaged in manufactures, and furnishes a ready market for the produce of the surrounding country, which is mostly shipped by canal to the Hudson, and by the Susquehanna to Philadelphia.
The New York and Erie railroad will soon be opened to this place, and contribute still farther to its prosperity. Toll bridges constructed of wood, cross the Chenango and Susquehanna rivers, from this village. Population, nearly 4000.
Chenango Forks, Windsor and Harpersville are villages of some importance.
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XXXVIII. MADISON COUNTY.
Square miles, 582. Organized, 1806.
Population, 40,987. Valuation, 1845, $6,490,881.
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TOWNS.
1. Brookfield, 1795.
2. Cazenovia, 1795.
3. De Ruyter, 1798.
4. Hamilton, 1801.
5. Sullivan, 1803.
6. Eaton, 1807.
7. Lebanon, 1807.
8. Madison, 1807.
9. Nelson, 1807.
10. Smithfield, 1807.
11. Lenox, 1809.
12. Georgetown, 1815.
13. Fenner, 1823.
14. Stockbridge, 1839.
Rivers, &c. CC. Chenango river. II. Unadilla. k. Oriskany Creek.
a. Cowasalon. b. Canaseraga. d. Chittenango. j. Oneida.
Lakes. Z. Oneida. e. Cazenovia, or Linklaen.
Marshes. f. Great Swamp.
Universities. Madison University.
Villages. MORRISVILLE. Hamilton. Cazenovia. Canastota. Chit- tenango.
BOUNDARIES. North by Oneida Lake; East by Oneida and Otsego counties; South by Chenango county, and West by Onondaga and Cortland counties,
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MADISON COUNTY.
SURFACE. Diversified, and generally hilly, except where the great swamp extends for a distance of eight or ten miles, along the borders of Oneida Lake.
The elevated ridge or watershed, which divides the waters of the Susquehanna from those flowing north, crosses this county near its centre. The hills are, however, generally rounded, and susceptible of cultivation. This ridge is about 1500 feet above tide water.
RIVERS. On the south, the county is drained by the Chenan- go, Otselic and Unadilla rivers. On the north by the Oriskany, Oneida, Cowasalon, Chittenango, and Canaseraga creeks. The Erie and Chenango canals pass through the county.
LA ES. Oneida Lake forms the northern boundary of the county ; Cazenovia, or Linklaen lake, called by the natives Haugena, is a beautiful sheet of water, four miles long by one broad, surrounded by a fine waving country. There are several small ponds on the dividing ridge.
CLIMATE. Healthful, but cool, and very subject to untimely frosts.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. Slate is the basis rock of the coun- ty. It is, however, overlaid for the most part with limestone, of that formation denominated the Onondaga salt group. Along the Oneida Lake, sandstone appears, and is found in bould- ers throughout the county. Fresh water limestone, containing fresh water shells, is found near the great swamp.
Argillaceous iron ore occurs in large quantities, in Lenox. and is used for castings ; water lime and gypsum are abundant in Sullivan and Lenox ; sulphur and brine springs are found in the same towns, and in the former is a magnesian spring. and several others so highly charged with carbonate of lime as to form incrustations on whatever is cast into them. Marl exists in large quantities, in the northern part of the county.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is generally fertile; in the valleys highly so : adapted to grain in the north, and to grazing in the south.
The timber is similar to that of the adjacent counties, consisting principally of hemlock, maple and beech. The sugar maple is abundant, and yields large quan- tities of sugar. In the great swamp, cedar, tamarack, &c. are the principal trees.
PURSUITS. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhabit- ants, whose attention is divided between the culture of grain and the rearing of stock.
Hops, oats, corn and barley, are more largely cultivated than wheat.
Manufactures are considerably extensive, for which the fine water power of the Chittenango and other streams, furnishes ample facilities. Flour, lumber, woollen goods, distilled liquors, leather, iron and potash, are the principal articles manufactured.
The commerce of the county is confined to the transportation
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of its produce and manufactures, upon the Erie and Chenango canals.
STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. Hops, cheese, butter, wool, oats, sugar and potash.
SCHOOLS. There are in the county 234 district school houses. The schools were taught in 1846 an average period of eight months ; 13,523 children received instruction at an expense of $15,721. There were 26,456 volumes in the district libraries.
There were, also, in the county, forty-three private schools, with 1072 pupils, and four academies, with 198 pupils. There is one University in the county, chartered in 1846, and called Madison University. It has in all its departments 209 students.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Baptists, Methodists, Congrega- tionalists, Presbyterians, Universalists, Friends, Dutch Reform- ed, and Episcopalians.
There are eighty-one churches, and ninety-four clergymen, of all denominations, in the county.
HISTORY. Madison county originally formed a part of Che- nango county, from which it was taken in 1806. The first set- tlement in the county was made at the village of Eaton, in the town of the same name, by Mr. Joseph Morse, in 1790.
In 1793, Colonel John Linklaen, agent for a company in Hol- land, settled in Cazenovia. This Holland Company owned a large portion of the county, and their agent sold most of it to New England settlers. The growth of the county was not rapid until the completion of the Erie and Chenango canals by which a market was opened for its produce.
VILLAGES. MORRISVILLE, in the town of Eaton, is the seat of justice for the county. It is situated on the Cherry Valley turn- pike. It was settled principally by emigrants from Connecticut, and has some manufactories. Population, about 800.
Eaton, another village in the same town, has a number of manufactories. Population, about 700.
Cazenovia village, in the town of the same name, is pleasantly situated on the south-eastern margin of Linklaen lake. It is well laid out, and has some manufactures and considerable trade. The Oneida Conference Seminary, located here, is under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a flourishing and well conducted institution. Here is also a high school and a seminary for young ladies. The village contains nearly 2000 inhabitants.
Hamilton village, in the town of the same name, is principally noted as the seat of Madison University, formerly the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution. This institution was in- corporated in 1819, and commenced operations in 1820. It received a charter as an University in 1846. It is well endow-
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ed, has an able corps of professors, and is in a highly prosper- . ous condition.
There is also an academy of some distinction, in the village. Population, about 1600.
Chittenango, in the town of Sullivan, is largely engaged in the manufacture of water-lime, or hydraulic cement. It has also other manufactures. There is a sulphur spring of some note, one mile south of the village. It has also other springs, charged with carbonate of lime, and celebrated for their petri- fying quality.
In this village is an academy, under the patronage of the Dutch Reformed Church. Population, 1000.
Canastota, in the town of Lenox, is a thriving and busy vil- lage, on the canal and railroad. It derives its name from the Indian appellation, given to a cluster of pines, which united their branches over the creek, which passes through the village. In this village is a high school of some celebrity. Population, about 1300.
De Ruyter is a small but pleasant village, in the town of the same name. Here is located the "De Ruyter Institute," a flourishing literary institution, under the direction of the Sev- enth Day Baptists. Population, 500.
Madison, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village. Population, 600.
Clockville, in the town of Lenox, and Bridgeport, in the town of Sullivan, are villages of some importance.
XXXIX. CATTARAUGUS COUNTY.
Square miles, 1232. Organized, 1808.
Population, 30,369. Valuation, 1845, $3,035,315.
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TOWNS.
1. Olean, 1808.
2. Farmersville, 1812.
3. Franklinville, 1812.
4. Perrysburgh, 1814.
5. Great Valley, 1818.
6. Little Valley, 1818.
7. Ellicottville, 1820.
8. Yorkshire, 1820.
9. Freedom, 1820.
10. Hinsdale, 1820.
11. Connewango, 1823.
12. Otto, 1823.
13. Ashford, 1824.
14. Randolph, 1826.
15. Machias, 1827.
16. Napoli, 1828.
17. Lyndon, 1829.
18. New Albion, 1830.
19. Mansfield, 1830.
20. Burton, 1831.
21. Leon, 1832.
22. Dayton, 1835.
23. Persia, 1835.
24. Cold Spring, 1837.
25. Humphrey, 1837.
26. Portville, 1838.
27. Carrollton, 1842.
28. Rice, 1846.
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CATTARAUGUS COUNTY.
Rivers. K. Allegany. s. Connewango Creek. b. Oil. c. Great Valley. e. Cold Spring. f. Cattaraugus. g. South Branch.
n. Ischua.
Lakes. 1. Lime. m. Ischua Creek Reservoir.
Villages. ELLICOTTVILLE. Olean. Hinsdale. Lodi.
BOUNDARIES. North by the counties of Erie and Wyoming ; East by Allegany county ; South by the state of Pennsylvania, and West by Chautauque county.
SURFACE. The surface of the county is elevated and much broken. The high grounds in its centre divide the waters of the Allegany from those of the Chautauque Creek. The valley of the Allegany river is from one to two miles in breadth, and has a depression of 700 or 800 feet below the general surface of the county. North of this river, the land rises for fifteen or twenty miles, and attains the summit of the very irregular ridge which commences at Perrysburgh, on the north-west, and ter- minates at Farmersville, on the east.
RIVERS. The Allegany river, Cattaraugus, Oil, Great Val- ley, Cold Spring, South Branch, Connewango and Ischua creeks, are the principal streams of the county.
LAKES. Its lakes are Lime lake and Ischua creek reservoir.
RAILROADS. The line of the New York and Erie railroad crosses the southern part of the county.
CLIMATE. From the elevation of the surface, the climate is cold but healthful.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. This county is wholly within the Erie group. In the northern part, the Ludlowville slate is the surface rock, with occasional alternations of limestone. In the central and southern portions, the Chemung sandstone predom- inates. On the highest points in the county, the conglomerate of the Catskill group is occasionally found.
The Rock City, situated seven miles from Ellicottville, and near the line between Great and Little valley, is a remarkable natural curiosity.
The rock here is conglomerate, and by the removal and disin- tegration of portions of it, large masses from fifteen to thirty-five feet high, have been left standing isolated, and are separated by alleys and passages of various widths. The whole area covered by these blocks is over one hundred acres. The scene is in the highest degree imposing, and impresses upon the beholder the conviction that the name has not been improperly chosen.
The minerals are not numerous; the most valuable are, peat. marl, bog iron ore and manganese. There are also some saline and sulphur springs ; petroleum or mineral oil, similar to the Seneca oil, found in Cuba, Allegany county, has been discovered at Freedos.
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SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is well adapted to grazing. Grain thrives better in the northern section than in the southern.
Probably no region of equal extent in the United States has produced more valuable timber. The forest trees consist chiefly of pine, oak, hickory, ash, elm, linden, chestnut, walnut, beech, maple and hemlock. The maple is abundant, and affords large quantities of sugar.
PURSUITS. The people of this county are an agricultural community, paying more attention however, to the productions of the dairy, and the rearing of cattle, than to the raising of grain.
Manufactures. These are in their infancy, and chiefly con- fined to lumber, flour, fulled cloths, and leather.
The manufacture of lumber is prosecuted to a greater extent than in any other county in the state, 200 million feet being exported from the county annually.
Commerce. The Allegany is navigable for arks and small steamboats, at high water, to Olean; large quantities of lumber are exported from this county to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, by this channel.
Its STAPLES are lumber, potatoes, oats, butter and cheese.
SCHOOLS. The county had, in 1846, 234 district schools, which were in session an average period of six months each. The number of children taught was 11,914; the amount paid for tuition $10,870, and the number of volumes in the district libra- ries, 16,087.
There were twelve select schools, with 264 scholars.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- rians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Unitarians. The number of churches of all denominations, is thirty ; of clergymen, sixty-seven.
HISTORY. This county belonged originally to the Holland Land Company's purchase, and the titles of most of the inhabit- ants are derived from that Company. The first settlement in the county was made early in the present century, at Olean, by Major Hoops, of Albany, who named it after General Hamilton, " Hamilton on the Allegany."
The next settlement was in the present town of Persia, in 1813. The growth of the county has been quite rapid. Corn- planter and Big Kettle or Ganoth-jowaneh, two of the most dis- tinguished of the Seneca chief's, resided in this county.
A tract along the Allegany river, extending through the towns of Cold Spring, Little Valley, Great Valley and Carroll- ton, is still held as a reservation by the Indians.
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CATTARAUGUS COUNTY.
The Society of Friends in Philadelphia, have taken great pains to instruct the Indians of this county, in the arts of civili- zation, sending instructors among them, and establishing settle- ments in the vicinity. Some of the Indians are now quite wealthy, owning well stocked farms, and large saw mills.
VILLAGES. ELLICOTTVILLE, the county seat, is situated in the town of the same name. It was incorporated in 1837, and con- tains besides the county buildings two extensive land offices. The scenery around the village is beautiful. The town receiv- ed its name from Joseph Ellicott, late principal agent of the Holland Land Company. Population, S00.
Lodi is a thriving manufacturing village on Cattaraugus creek, in the towns of Persia and Collins, in Cattaraugus and Erie counties. The water power is abundant, and only in part occupied. Population, 900.
At Hinsdale, is to be the junction of the New York and Erie railroad, and the Genesee Valley canal. The state is construct- ing a large basin here. An incorporated academy is located in this village. Population, 600.
Olean is advantageously situated on the north side of the Al- legany river, in the town of the same name. Large quantities of lumber and other produce are annually exported from this place. It is to be the terminus of the Genesee Valley canal. Population, 500.
Franklinville, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village, and has some manufactories. Population, 600.
Cadiz, in the same town, is a village of some importance.
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XL. CHAUTAUQUE COUNTY.
Square Miles, 1017. Organized, 1808.
Population, 46,548. Valuation, 1845, $4,586,982.
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1. Chautauque, 1804.
2. Pomfret, 1808.
3. Ellicott, 1812.
15. Ellington, 1825.
4. Gerry, 1812.
16. Carroll, 1825.
5. Hanover, 1812.
17. Sheridan, 1827.
18. French Creek, 1829.
19. Charlotte, 1829.
20. Westfield, 1829.
21. Cherry Creek, 1829.
22. Arkwright, 1829.
23. Poland, 1832.
12. Busti, 1823.
13. Villenova, 1823.
14. Mina, 1824.
6. Portland, 1813.
7. Harmony, 1816.
8. Ripley, 1817.
9. Clymer, 1821.
10. Ellery, 1821.
11. Stockton, 1821.
24. Sherman, 1832.
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CHAUTAUQUE COUNTY.
Rivers. a. Twenty Mile Creek. b. Chautauque. c. Canadawa. d. Walnut. e. Silver. f. Cattaraugus. g Chautauque Outlet. h. Casadaga Creek. j. French. k.Connewango.
Lakes. L. Eric. o. Chautauque. p. Casadaga. q. Bear. r. Finley. Villages. MAYVILLE. Jamestown. Westfield. Dunkirk. Fre- donia. Fayette. · Van Buren.
BOUNDARIES. North by Lake Erie and Erie county ; East by Cattaraugus county ; South and West by Pennsylvania.
SURFACE. The surface is hilly and elevated. Through its central portion, at a distance of from three to six miles from Lake Erie, and nearly parallel with it, runs the dividing ridge which separates the waters of the lakes from those discharging into the Gulf of Mexico. This ridge is elevated from 800 to 1400 feet above tide water. From this altitude it declines to the northwest, toward the lake, and on the southeast toward the Connewango creek and the Allegany river. The land lying on Lake Erie is a rich and fertile alluvium. The hills throughout the county are nowhere precipitous, but capable of cultivation to their summits.
RIVERS AND CREEKS. The principal streams are the Conne- wango creek, which drains the eastern and southeastern por- tions of the county, and uniting with the waters of the Chau- tauque outlet, in Poland, forms the Connewango river ; Catta- raugus creek, which separates this county from Erie; Silver, Walnut, Canadawa, Chautauque, Twenty Mile, North and South branches of French creek, Great and Little Broken Straw and Casadaga creeks. Most of these streams furnish valuable mill privileges.
LAKES. Lake Erie forms the northwestern boundary of the county. Chautauque lake, which gives its name to the county, was so called by the Indians from its form ; the Indian name Chautauqua signifying a pack tied in the middle.
It is a beautiful sheet of water, eighteen miles long, and from one to five in width. It is 726 feet above Lake Erie, and 1291 above tide water. Its waters are remarkable for their clear- ness and purity, and are abundantly stocked with fish. Two steamers ply upon it. It is probably the highest body of water in the world, navigated by steam.
The Casadaga lakes, three in number, each about a mile in extent ; Bear lake, and Finley's lake, are the only other lakes in the county.
RAILROADS. The New York and Erie Railroad will pass through this county, and terminate at Dunkirk. Several other railroads have been chartered, but have not been constructed.
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CLIMATE. The county has a high reputation for the salu- brity of its climate. Fruits thrive well here, and attain great perfection both of size and flavor. From the elevation of its surface, the winters are long, but the cold is somewhat mode- rated by the proximity of the lake.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. This county belongs entirely to the Chemung sandstone group. The rocks of the county consist of alternate layers of sandstone and slaty rocks. In Harmony, Carroll, and some other sections, this sandstone furnishes a fine building material. The crest of the dividing ridge is occasion- ally crowned with the conglomerate of the Catskill group.
Bog iron ore has been found in several localities, but in no great quantity. Shell marl is abundant in the vicinity of the Casadaga lakes. Alum and copperas are spontaneously formed in the town of Sheridan.
Mineral Springs. Sulphur springs are quite numerous in the neighborhood of Lake Erie. One in Mina is considerably visited. The inflammable springs, or those containing carburetted hydrogen gas, are worthy of notice. There are a number of these along the shores of Lake Erie. The village of Fredonia, in the town of Pomfret, is lighted by this natural gas. It also furnishes material for the light house at Barcelona, and might be employed in the same way at numerous other points along the shores of the lake. It is entirely free from any unpleasant odor.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is generally very good. The section on the shores of Lake Erie, extending back for a distance of three or four miles, is a rich alluvium, highly fertile, and well adapted to grains and fruit. The up- lands are better fitted for grass, and yield abundant crops.
The timber of the county is oak, maple, beech, black walnut, butternut, hickory, with some pine and hemlock.
On Walnut creek, about a mile from its mouth, formerly stood a black walnut tree, 150 feet in height, thirty-six feet in circumference at its base, and tapering regularly eighty feet, to the first limb. This enormous tree was blown down in 1822. It was supposed to be more than 500 years old. The butt, nine feet in length was excavated, and used for a grocery, at Buffalo. When the Erie canal was opened, it was transported to New York and exhibited to thousands.
PURSUITS. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the inhabitants. More attention is paid to the rearing of stock and the produce of the dairy, than to the culture of grain. The principal grains cultivated are corn, oats, wheat, and some barley and buckwheat. Large quantities of flax and potatoes, are also raised. In the latter crop it occupied a high rank among the counties of the state.
Manufactures. The county is not very largely engaged in manufactures. Flour, lumber, leather and iron, are the princi- pal articles, and their entire value is between $700,000 and $800,000.
Commerce. The county has some commerce. Van Buren, Dunkirk, Barcelona and Portland are its principal harbors.
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CHAUTAUQUE COUNTY.
STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. Butter, cheese, wool, pork, potatoes, flax, corn and oats.
SCHOOLS. There are in the county 30S public schools. In 1846, schools were taught an average period of seven months- 18,376 children received instruction, at a cost of $17,581. The district libraries contained 30,010 volumes.
There are in the county thirty-one unincorporated schools, with 562 pupils ; and five academies, attended by 326 students.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Baptists, Methodists, Congrega- tionalists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Episcopalians, Universal- ists and Friends. There are seventy-three churches, and 106 clergymen, of all denominations.
HISTORY. Tradition relates that the French early established a post at Portland, in this county ; but at what time is not cer- tainly known. The only Indian settlement within the limits of' the county, when first explored, was in the present town of Carroll, on the Connewango creek.
In 1782, a party, consisting of about 800 British and Indians, with a train of artillery and other munitions of war, spent the months of June and July around Chautauque lake, constructing canoes, and making other preparations to descend the Allegany river and attack Fort Pitt, now Pittsburgh. For this purpose they obstructed the channel of the Chautauque outlet, in order to raise the waters of the lake.
The first purchase of lands made in this county, for the pur- pose of settlement, was in 1801, in the town of Ripley, by Gen. John McMahan. No settlement was effected, however, till 1802, when Col. James McMahan, brother of the general, loca- ted himself in the town of Westfield. The same year Edward McHenry settled in the same neighborhood.
In 1796 one Amos Sottle had located in Hanover, but re- moved in 1800 from the county, and did not return for several years. John McHenry, born in 1802, was the first child of white parents born in the county.
The privations of the early settlers were very great. Often they were compelled to subsist upon the precarious products of the chase, for months, without tasting bread or other provisions.
In 1804, the first town was constituted, and embraced the whole of the present county. In 1808 the county was provis- ionally organized ; but not having a sufficient number of inhabit- ants to entitle it to a separate organization, it remained attached to Genesee county till 1811.
The whole of this county was included in the Holland Land Company's purchase, and from that company and its successors, the titles to the property were derived.
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During the war of 1812, the lake coast was several times in- vaded by small parties of the enemy, who, however, never ac- complished any feats of valor in the county. A party of British landed at Dunkirk, in 1813, to deposite some property which they had plundered from the coast above. Twelve of the boat's crew deserted, immediately on landing, leaving only the officer who commanded the boat, and a single sailor, whom the militia soon compelled to return to their vessel.
In 1814, an armed schooner pursued some lake boats into Canadawa creek, and attempted to capture them, but was re- pulsed by the militia. About 200 of the Chautauque militia were called out by Governor Tompkins, for the defence of Buf- falo ; undisciplined and unaccustomed to withstand regular troops, they fled early in the action, but were pursued, and a number killed and scalped by the Indians. Ten or twelve of the citizens of the county fell in this retreat, and others were se- verely wounded. After the close of the war, the growth of the county was extraordinarily rapid.
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