Editing Allegany Indian Reservation (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the Indian reservation has a total area of 43.7&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup> (113.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>). 36.4&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup> (94.2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of it is land and 7.3&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup> (18.8&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of it (16.65%) is water.

The reservation borders both banks of the [[Allegheny River]] and is partially within several of the Towns in the south part of the county ([[South Valley, New York|South Valley]], [[Coldspring, New York|Cold Spring]], [[Salamanca (town), New York|Salamanca]], [[Great Valley, New York|Great Valley]], [[Red House, New York|Red House]] and [[Carrollton, New York|Carrollton]], with a very small portion in the town of [[Allegany (town), New York|Allegany]]). The [[Salamanca (city), New York|City of Salamanca]], with the exception of a northern spur along [[U.S. Route 219]], is also located within the reservation.

The governmental headquarters for the Allegany Reservation are located in a small community known as [[Jimerson Town, New York|Jimerson Town or ''jo:nya:tih'']], an unincorporated hamlet located west of Salamanca on [[New York State Route 951T|a stretch of dead-end road]] that used to be part of [[New York State Route 17]]. The government rotates every two years, alternating operations in Jimerson Town and [[Irving, New York|Irving]] on the [[Cattaraugus Reservation]]. Jimerson Town's most recent turn began in November 2018.

In addition to Jimerson Town, significant developed communities on the reservation include: Highbanks, a community south of [[Steamburg, New York|Steamburg]] that includes residences, smoke shops, a Faithkeepers School and a campground; Shongo, a sparsely populated hamlet south of Jimerson Town; [[Kill Buck, New York|Kill Buck]], a mixed community of both native and non-native residents; The Junction, a mostly commercial cluster surrounding an exit on [[Interstate 86 (east)|Interstate 86]]; and Vandalia, the easternmost developed site on the reservation. South of Highbanks, the reservation is primarily undeveloped wilderness. Wilderness is also the predominant form between Steamburg and Shongo, where natives often take part in hunting and informal recreation. Each area is also given a name in the [[Seneca language]]: the Coldspring-Steamburg area is known as ''jonegano:h'', Shongo and Red House are known as ''joë:hesta' '', Salamanca is dubbed ''onë:dagö:h'', while everything from Kill Buck eastward is named ''dejódiha:ˀkdö:h''. These names appear on markers on Interstate 86.

The reservation was defined adjacent to the [[Cornplanter Tract]], a 1500-acre perpetual land grant given to Seneca chief [[Cornplanter]] and his descendants that extended into Pennsylvania. The Cornplanter Tract constituted the only reserved native lands in the state of Pennsylvania. By 1957, the year Cornplanter's last direct descendant ([[Jesse Cornplanter]]) died, the Cornplanter Tract was occupied only seasonally by the Seneca.

During the 1930s and the [[Great Depression]], the federal government authorized a major flood control project on the [[Allegheny River]]. Construction did not begin until 1961. The project envisioned construction of a dam and reservoir, to flood much of the Cornplanter Tract and the western portion of the Allegany Reservation. These areas were made uninhabitable during construction of the [[Kinzua Dam]], which was completed in 1965.

The Allegheny Reservoir, also known as Kinzua Lake, reaches into New York and nearly to [[Salamanca, New York|Salamanca]]. The Seneca were compensated primarily by grants of land set aside at Jimerson Town, where numerous houses were constructed, and a handful of other resettlement areas in New York.