Buffalo New York History

Today’s city of Buffalo began as a settlement called the Village of Buffalo in 1804 on a site purchased by the Holland Land Company in Western New York. It grew slowly until 1812 when it became a military post. In 1813 the village was raided by the British and the Indians and burned to the ground. In 1821 Erie County was carved out of Niagara County and Buffalo became the county seat. Lack of convenient transportation made it slow and difficult to rebuild the city. The Erie Canal development brought growth to the area and Buffalo began to prosper with the Buffalo Harbor, much needed for commercial enterprise. With the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie traffic, the city became the “Gateway to the West” as the largest grain handling port in the world. Brewing had also become a major commodity in Buffalo which remains to this day. During the 1830s, architect Benjamin Rathburn is credited with the construction of the city’s buildings. By 1840 the harbor was overcrowded, and an 1844 storm destroyed much of the waterfront and seawall. Reconstruction brought more development, but within 10 years, the new Attica & Buffalo Railroad took away much of the harbor commerce and passenger trade. During the 1920s, the St. Lawrence Seaway diverted business away from Buffalo, but the city reinvented itself as a cultural, educational, and medical center. Today, Buffalo is New York’s second largest city nicknamed “City with a Heart”, receiving an All American City award.