Decades before the term ‘Buffalo Wings’ evoked the image of a plate of fried chicken parts covered in hot sauce, the wings produced in Buffalo were covered in fabric and aluminum. Buffalo Wings flew in defense of freedom in two world wars. Machines built in Buffalo broke the sound barrier, pioneered vertical flight, lifted astronauts off the surface of the Moon, and trained others to fly the Space Shuttle. For More information about these images, go to post: “Four Aviation Milestones Produced in Buffalo.”
The Road to the Interior of the Continent Passes Through Buffalo
Buffalo’s steady population growth through the 19th century was fueled by many who fled the congestion of places like New York in search of opportunities and – relatively – open spaces.
It should be remembered that to 19th century residents of places like New York, Boston, or Philadelphia, Buffalo was the wild west. In fact, the wildness of Buffalo’s Canal District was said to rival that of any waterfront anywhere in the world. There were fights and even killings between the canal boat workers and the lake boat workers. The number of saloons and brothels in the Canal District exceeded the number of clothing stores, barber shops, and restaurants combined. This is according to a map known as the “map of ill repute,” produced in 1893 by a group called the Christian Homestead Association. We are remembering the industrial history of Buffalo with this blog – with an emphasis on aviation and space. We don’t intend to say much more, if anything, about the ‘oldest’ profession.
Dock workers sit on the edge of an open cargo hold. The rope is used to control the “marine leg,” the mechanical device that scoops up the grain and carries it to the top of the elevator for weighing and storage. (Library of Congress)
Many of the passengers that arrived in Buffalo by canal boat continued westward. Some were looking to begin new lives on the inexpensive and plentiful land that was available. Others sought jobs in growing industries like lumber and mining. In 1833 alone, some 50,000 people left Buffalo by boat for points west. It is not overstated to say that the Erie Canal and Great Lakes allowed access to the heart of the continent.
New York State’s national prestige grew as the state became more important to the growth of the country, and was rewarded financially as the tolls collected on the canal rolled in. More than $3 million were collected each year in 1848, 1849, and 1850. Collections for these three years alone surpassed the $9 million cost of the original construction.
The 1846 toll schedule for the Erie Canal, issued by the Canal Board. Anyone who has used the New York Thruway will recognize the format. Tolls are based on the distance traveled from the starting point. (Library of Congress – Printed Ephemera Collection)
To satisfy the demand for passenger transport, shipbuilding became another prominent industry in Buffalo in the mid-19th century. Eventually the railroads participated in the westward-bound migration by operating ships that connected rail passengers arriving in Buffalo with the eastern terminus of trans-continental rail lines at the western side of the Great Lakes. Eventually, rails connected eastern and western lake ports, which shortened the journey – and lowered the cost – for freight and passengers alike.
As tonnage grew, more and more ships were needed to carry grain, lumber, livestock, coal, and the myriad other cargoes that moved between source and markets via the lakes and canal. To illustrate that point, consider these statistics: Tonnage of grain arriving at New York (“at Tide Water” was the term used in those days) was more than 130 million bushels in 1886. This was a 4% increase over the previous year, and a huge increase over the 6.9 million bushels that made the trip in 1850. Other categories of cargo increased similarly.
Those people who decided to stay in Buffalo found a fast-growing city with plenty of work to do and land to settle on. Neighborhoods, especially on the east side of the city, filled in quickly – thanks to the beltline trains that made getting around the city easy. (See previous post.) When Buffalo hosted the Western Hemisphere for the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, its population of 350,000 made it the eighth largest city in the United States.
It was this perfect combination of plentiful labor, plentiful land, plentiful water, and – by the early 20th century – plentiful and cheap electricity, that led so many industries to locate in Buffalo and western New York.