USA > New York > Cattaraugus County > Historical review of Cattaraugus County > Part 10
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Production on a large scale was limited to the towns of Allegany and Carrollton, although a few successful wells have resulted in other districts. The Chipmunk field, along the Allegany-Carrollton town line, enjoyed a boom period near the turn of the century. The im- mediate vicinity of Olean was also the scene of a number of successful wells. The town of Humphrey has developed as an oil-producing re- gion in more recent years.
The area which has produced successful gas wells is more ex- tensive.
Gas has been produced not only in the oil-producing regions but also in other sections of the town of Carrollton, in various sections of the Cattaraugus valley, and in the town of Leon.
Both Bradford and Olean capitalized on their proximity to the oil regions. In 1875 an oil refinery was established in Olean by Wing, Wilbur and Co. It was located between the Pennsylvania and Erie railroads, communication with all important points in the East thus being afforded. About one year after its opening it passed into the hands of the Standard Oil Co.
The development of Olean as a railroad center was the natural result of the absorbtion of the W. N. Y. & P. railroad by the Pennsyl- vania lines. Olean became a point of operation for trains running in five directions : toward Buffalo, Rochester, Emporium, Oil City and Brad- ford. Trains of the Pennsylvania system traveled from Riverside Junc- tion to Bradford by use of the B. R. & P. track. Large sections of the northern and central parts of the city have become occupied by the yards and shops of the Pennsylvania system.
Both the Erie and Shawmut lines join the Pennsylvania in giving Olean prominence as a railroad center. The advent of the Erie had been accompanied with local dissatisfaction over its route, which passed Olean north of what was then its village line. The result has been a tendency toward developing that section.
The Shawmut railroad has transported a considerable volume of coal and coke from the mining regions of Pennsylvania at times, and Olean became the dividing point between the northern division, running to Wayland and Hornell, and the division running southward to St. Mary's, Pa.
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The tanning industry, operated on a small scale in the early days in several villages of the county, grew into one of Olean's leading in- dustries. The first tannery in Olean appears to have been one op- erated by Walter Wood. In 1859 a tannery was built by Kelly and Lin- ham, of Boston. Later it became the property of Mr. Barett, who operated it successfully for several years.
Price's tannery, built in 1887, grew into a flourishing business. Other tanneries, some supervising the erection of a large block of "tan- nery houses," were instrumental in the city's growth.
Machine shops and textile mills also aided in giving Olean a city- like atmosphere. Olean received its city charter in 1893.
The early effort at planning a city made by Hoops brothers and others proved its benefits. Instead of being crowded into a narrow val- ley, in which traffic, housing, proper playgrounds, etc., would consti- tute problems, the area occupied by Olean is so vast that many of these phases of city life have become easily manageable. For many years whole areas within the confines of Olean were covered with forests. Several of these were cleared during the middle and closing years of the nineteenth century. The fact that the city has not been crowded for living space gave some of the leading families a chance to occupy areas close to the heart of the city with huge family mansions.
The growth of Salamanca is closely interwoven with the steps made toward legalizing leases of Indian lands. The passage of the Erie Railroad through the Allegany Reservation was made possible by an enactment, passed in 1836, permitting the railroads to lease reserva- tion lands. The completion of the A. & G. W. railroad to its meeting place with the Erie resulted in a thriving village developing at Buck- tooth. This village, occupying the bottom land at the meeting of the hollow drained by Little Valley Creek and the Allegany River val- ley, appeared as an ideal location for the enlargement of railroad ac- tivity.
One drawback, however, prevented Bucktooth from maintaining its early position. The railroad officials were unable to complete ar- rangements for leasing a satisfactory amount of land, and according- ly in the center of activity was transferred about two miles eastward, to the location of the present Erie Yards.
Both the Erie and the A. & G. W. built round-houses at this point, the latter located directly south of the former.
Previous to the removal of the Erie yards to Salamanca a settle- ment known as Hemlock had been located in this section, owing its existence to activity in marketing the forests of hemlock and pine.
A mill on the south side of the Allegany was operated by Howe and Green for a number of years, afterwards passing into the hands of Hall and Whitmore of Warren. This mill, manufacturing shingles, molding, etc., was operated by waterpower in its early days; later
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steam was made its running power. A number of mill-houses oc- cupied land near the present Fancher residence, at Broad St. and Front Ave.
Other early industrial efforts at Hemlock included Patterson's mill, located north of the river, near the western end of River St., and a cooperage manufacturing oil barrels, operated by Sampson and Ballard.
Much of the territory which the village of Salamanca occupied had been made up of marshland, a condition which was gradually al- leviated, partly by clearing the land, partly by artificial effort.
The Erie Railroad found it expedient to haul many carloads of filling to the area occupied by its shops and yards. Previous to its pavement, parts of Main Street were almost impassable during some of the year.
West Salamanca (Bucktooth) suffered a general decline after the center of railroad activity had been transferred to Salamanca (Hem- lock). The two villages became closely associated, although West Salamanca did not become a part of the corporation of Salamanca until the city charter was received.
Curtis and Demming established a tannery in 1863 on Wildwood Ave., which operated for a number of years, after which the build- ings were removed, and in 1880 another tannery on the same sight began operations. Later it passed into the hands of the Union Tan- ning Co.
The establishment of the tanning industry, destined to grow into one of the community's most valuable assets, gave Salamanca a stimu- lus to expand in that part of the village. The company promoted the erection of a large number of dwellinghouses along Wildwood Avenue.
Bridges spanned the Allegany at both Salamanca and West Sala- manca, the one at the latter village being a two-span bridge interrupt- ed by an island, over which the road passed on a trestle-like structure. This island became a center for outings, and in the latter years of the nineteenth century a skating rink flourished there. East of the bridge at Salamanca, another island became the scene of a similar recreation- al park operated by the country club.
The state courts handed down a decision which held that the au- thority for permitting Reservation leases was vested in Congress, a decision which caused some confusion. The early settlements made at Bucktooth and Hemlock had been largely the result of arrangements made with individual Indians who claimed jurisdiction over the lands. According to one authority, the individual Indian was not always care- ful at seeing that lands granted in these leases did not overlap, thus bringing another unhealthy angle to the situation.
In 1875 Congress passed an act authorizing the president to estab- lish certain areas called villages at strategic points along the Allegany
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Reservation, in which the. Senecas might grant leases to white people. Six "villages" were established: Vandalia, Carrollton, Great Valley, Salamanca, West Salamanca and Red House. The areas of these "vil- lages" varied from 15 acres in Red House to 2,000 acres in Salamanca and 2,200 in Carrollton. The area at Red House was located near the north end of the present river bridge. The area called "Great Valley" was located along the Erie Railroad at Killbuck. Within these areas the Senecas were permitted to grant leases for five years; at the ex- piration of this period they might be renewed for twelve years. Leases granted previously were approved of by Congress.
The effect of the act of 1875 was a stimulus for Salamanca to grow, and its incorporation took place in 1878. However, the fact that the status of reservation-leased lands was left in uncertainty as to the period after the expiration of the twelve year renewal proved to be a serious handicap. A considerable number of two-family dwellings and frame business blocks was the result. The only brick building in Salamanca for several years was the Erie shop building, destroyed by fire in recent times. The "village fathers" were deeply anxious that the leases be granted for a longer period than twelve years in order that plans for building Salamanca into the thriving village its re- sources would seem to be leading it might be carried out. Accordingly, an effort to obtain leases for a ninety-nine year period was pressed.
In 1890 Congress authorized the granting of ninety-nine year leases at the expiration of the twelve year period, which would be in 1892.
Seneca spokesmen, however, were reluctant to grant leases for such a period. The Seneca delegation pointed out that a considerable number of leases in some of the "villages" had been abandoned, re- sulting in a loss of revenue from that source. This was admitted by white spokesmen, and largely as an allowance for this point an offer was made to the Seneca delegates that rents in Salamanca should be doubled, providing a ninety-nine year period were agreed to. After some discussion the Seneca delegates agreed to this offer and a ninety- nine year lease period came into existence. Leases which were in exist- ence at the time were doubled in annual rental due.
The granting of the ninety-nine year period resulted in Sala- manca expanding, both in population and commerce. Several large brick buildings were subsequently built on Main Street and the area south of the river, practically on out-post in the early days, began ex- panding into a beautiful residential district. The possession of a ninety-nine year lease was regarded as conveying virtually all the privileges of a deed.
The village received a severe jolt in 1880 when a fire destroyed a large number of business blocks on Main Street. In one sense, how-
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ever, it was a blessing, as a number of substantial brick blocks re- placed the frame buildings.
Other industries, including an iron works, a mattress factory, textile mills and furniture factories were to join with railroading and tanning in enlivening the community.
The railroad strike of 1877, affecting the Erie perhaps more than any other railroad, resulted in a company of militia being stationed at Salamanca. By this time Salamanca had become one of the major points on the Erie Railroad, both in volume of shop and yard work and in point of changing views.
Another strike affected the Erie system in 1892.
Changes in policy on the part of the B., R. & P. Railway resulted in a considerable increase in employment in the Salamanca section. While the dividing point between the Buffalo and Rochester divisions is Ashford Junction, the actual business which results from this junc- tion has become largely carried on at the East Salamanca yards. The B., R. & P., destined to become a part of the Baltimore & Ohio system in 1932, was chiefly instrumental in developing East Salamanca, a portion of which was outside the village and off the Indian reservation. Like the "down-town" section of Salamanca, it had been largely occu- pied by swamp lands in the early days.
Various sections of what were to become the City of Salamanca were linked together by a trolley line in the early part of the century. At Olean, horse cars had been first used in 1880; electric power had been substituted about 1892.
The Western New York and Pennsylvania Traction Co. in time included lines from Olean to Bradford and Salamanca, with Seneca Junction as a meeting place; from Olean to Bolivar and Shinglehouse; from Olean to Bradford via Rock City; and from Salamanca to Little Valley, as well as local lines in Olean and Salamanca. The Little Valley line was constructed about 1908.
In 1913 the two villages of Salamanca and West Salamanca, to- gether with the recently built-up area northeast of the old village line, were joined, forming the city of Salamanca. Thus it came about that the river flats between the mouths of the Little Valley and Great Valley Creeks, a century earlier occupied by so much swamp land that the Indians themselves left it a practically uninhabited region, became the center of a city, over 90% of which consisted of reservation land. If Jamestown, the metropolis of southwestern New York, can be said to resemble ancient Rome with its seven hills, then Salamanca, with its areas of reclaimed swamp land, can be compared with the city which Peter the Great founded in the marshes at the mouth of the Neva River, called St. Petersburg by that monarch, but changed to the less-becoming name of Leningrad in recent times.
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For many years the railroads were destined to setbacks which are common among any new mechanical device before its operation is perfected. The policy of hiring "track-walkers"-watchmen whose duty it was to check the tracks for any sign of weakness-was made in an attempt to avoid disaster. Improvements in both the construc- tion of the lines and in the system of railroad signals went a long way towards reducing danger. One improvement which was highly beneficial was the automatic coupler, a device which did away with the danger of the switchman having his hand mangled in coupling cars.
A series of railroad disasters occurred between Red House and Steamburgh, the first in 1870, the last, the "Red House Wreck," a catastrophe acclaimed as one of the major disasters of the times, in 1903. In December, 1870, a group of young people were returning from a dance, and as the "sleigh-ride party" approached the Robinson Run crossing, just west of the Red House station, the sight of the approaching train was obscured by a heavy fog. The sleigh was struck by the locomotive, resulting in the death of two or three and the injury of several others.
Less than two years later (October 27, 1872), a passenger train collided with a freight train near the Steamburgh depot, resulting in the death of three people.
On February 5, 1888, an eastbound passenger train was wrecked as a result of a broken frog along the tracks. Two deaths resulted.
The "Red House Wreck" (April 20, 1903) was a tragedy which was widely publicized, not only because of the number killed and in- jured, but also because of the manner in which some of the suffering took place. Scalding and cremation were the lot of some of the victims, and the effects of shock likewise caused suffering. The Randolph Register of that day has described the tragedy as follows:
"An extra westbound freight, consisting of about forty-five cars, was being hauled along the grade of Red House station. The so-called station is little more than an ordinary tower, and has a kind of observ- atory on the second floor, where the telegraph operator has a con- venient position for watching the approach or departure of trains. On Monday night James Vail, nineteen-year-old son of agent John Vail, was in charge of the tower and he was ordered to signal the freight train to take the siding to allow the New York Limited from Chicago, commonly known as No. 4, to pass. No. 4 was nearly due, and Vail at once set the proper signal for the freight. In making up the freight train, two engines had been employed, the second having several cars in front of it. When the train took the switch, the coupling in front of the second engine broke and the forward section ran onto the siding leaving the longer part of the train stalled on the main track.
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"The engineer sent the flagman to warn the passenger train to stop. In the meantime the front engine succeeded in hauling its heavy load up to a point east of the intersection of the siding, but could get no farther.
"Vail said he had heard the first section rumble past the tower and failed to notice the train had broken in two. Looking backward, he saw a light and thought it was the light of the caboose, but it was really the head light of the second engine. He represented the main track as clear, and received orders to show No. 4 the white light, which told engineer Samuel Cook that the road was unobstructed.
"Just then the limited came down the track sixty-five miles per hour, missed the red lamp of the fireman, missed the red light at the open switch, and the head light of the engine across its path.
"The engineer sat supinely at his post while the huge machine he controlled went crashing to destruction, carrying to a terrible death half a score of human lives. The two iron monsters came together with a shock that shriveled the earth, awakening people long over a mile away. The passenger engine jumped the rails and turned partly over, plowing a great furrow in the earth until it struck the small school-house standing close to the track. Such was the momentum that the tender was thrown high in the air and went bodily over the locomotive in front and broke down telegraph and telephone wires in its aerial flight. The school-house was reduced to kindling wood in an instant, and within five minutes it was consumed with a mass of flames.
"The passenger train consisted of a baggage car, smoking car, a day-coach, four sleepers and two handsome cars occupied by officials of the A. & C. and Clover Leaf routes. Nearly all left the track and piled up, fires broke out, screams of the imprisoned passengers and the groans of the injured mingled with the sounds of escaping steam and cracking flames.
"Burgett's house was turned into a temporary hospital. A relief train came from Salamanca to aid in the work of rescue ...
"Three charred bodies, burned beyond recognition, were soon after pulled from the blazing cars with a rake, and later in the day the searching party found three more bodies burned so terribly that they could not be identified."
There appears to be no general agreement at present as to the exact number of lives lost. The figure has been placed at about twenty- one, but some are of the opinion that the number was somewhat greater than that.
Quick-thinking by Bob Bell, a fireman on the freight train, may have been instrumental in saving a large number of lives. Sensing the lay-out of the tragic scene, Bell ran the engine to the western end of the passenger train and pulled several occupied cars away from the
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flames to a place of safety. This probably prevented it from becoming a much greater holocaust, and Bell was presented with a watch in commemoration of this and other timely actions.
In recent years the progress made in both technique and policy has greatly reduced the danger of fatality in travel by railroad. The Red House disaster was the last major wreck in this section. *
The industrial expansion which featured the latter decades of the nineteenth century resulted in other nationalities locating in the county. The most numerous of these were the Poles. The Poles set- tled chiefly in industrial centers, especially in communities which con- tained tanneries. Salamanca probably received the largest number of these immigrants, and the growth of that community from a railroad- lumbering settlement into a forward-looking village which in time as- sumed the rank of a city was greatly aided by the number of Polish people who settled there. Several streets on the south side of the river were largely opened up by people of this race. In Olean the Polish people were largely concentrated in the northern section of the city, while the employment afforded by the tanning and glue-manufactur- ing industries attracted a large number to Gowanda. A number of Polish families settled on farms throughout the county, especially in the neighborhood of Franklinville. Polish immigration to this section was especially heavy during the closing decades of the nineteenth century. It was a common practice for the earlier settlers to assist their relatives who came at a later date in finding employment. In addition to the tanning industry, both the railroads and furniture factories absorbed a large amount of this labor supply.
The Poles showed a distinct fondness and a display of natural talent in athletics, resulting in reports from contests being noted for the frequent occurrence of Polish names. At Salamanca the "Driving Park Association," formed with the obvious intent of promoting horse- races, resulted in little else than the construction of a race track which was found to be unsuitable for that sport because of the nature of that soil. A baseball field occupied the area inside the track, and a team consisting of players of Polish extraction, known as the "Tigers," played their home games there for many years. Sunday afternoons from May to September, presented many a colorful and spectacular game at Driving Park, the local aggregation being backed by an at- tendance which reflected the prominent place which athletics held in the life of Polish-Americans.
Settling beside the Poles, and in the minds of their non-Polish neighbors often confused with them, were people of other races which dwelt in the old Austrian and Russian Empires. These included Slo- vanians, Ruthanians, Czechs and others. The languages of some of
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these people resembled the Polish language so closely that conversa- , tion between them was possible.
Italian migration to this county had its origin in the demand for labor on the railroads. Much of the construction and section work on the railroads during the closing years of the nineteenth century, as well as in the pre-war era, were the result of labor supply of Italian immigrants. Other industries in Olean or Salamanca, including tan- ning, foundry work and furniture manufacturing, have come to absorb a considerable number of Italians. A few have established themselves in small grocery or fruit stores, or in shoe repair shops, but no con- siderable number of them have settled on farms in this county. Like the Poles, the Italian immigrants were often aided by their kinsmen already residing here in the process of securing employment.
Both the Poles and Italians were influential in the social life of the communities in which they settled. Weddings, christenings and . other occasions were frequently events of merry-making and pageantry. Both nationalities taught their native language to their children, thus aiding in bringing about a better cultural background. Among the Italians, a native talent for music and singing has been fostered and developed; the fondness of the Poles for athletics has already been mentioned. In recent times the Poles have risen to influ- ential positions with the police and fire departments in Salamanca and Olean.
Unlike Chautauqua County, Cattaraugus has become the home of only a small number of Swedish people. A few have been employed by the furniture industry in Salamanca, and a limited number are engaged in dairying and other occupations throughout the county.
In Olean, a colony of Syrians have located, also a number of Armenians. Jews, operating haberdashery shops, salvage yards and other business establishments, have located in both Olean and Sala- manca in a limited number. Greeks, operating or working in candy stores, restaurants and shoe-shine parlors, have located in a few con- venient spots, chiefly in Olean or Salamanca. In recent years both Jews and Greeks have taken prominent places in the alcoholic beverage trade. The county is almost wholly without a Negro population except in Olean; even in that city their number is comparatively small.
New York City, noted for its cosmopolitanism, has a reproduc- tion on a smaller scale in many cities throughout the country. For the most part, people of various racial strains have dwelt together in harmony in Cattaraugus County. As a matter of fact, evidence seems to indicate that friction or bloodshed has more quickly resulted in con- flicts between people of the same nationality than between one na- tionality and another.
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SECTION SEVENTEEN REVOLUTIONARY CHANGES
The "turn of the century" and the years that have followed it saw a number of changes, for the most part progressive, in rural, village and city life. Automobiles, tractors, the extension of electric power, the advent of new forms of entertainment, particularly the moving picture and the radio, caused changes which were not only revolutionary but in some cases produced results wholly unforeseen in their early stages of development.
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