Editing Caneadea, New York (section)

== History ==
The name Caneadea reportedly originates from a [[Seneca people|Seneca]] phrase meaning "where the heavens rest upon the earth". Following the [[American Revolutionary War|American war for independence]] in which the Seneca aligned with the British, the majority of Seneca territory in western New York was ceded to the new American government with the exception of some small areas of land. One such area was a strip eight miles long and two miles wide in the [[Genesee River]] Valley that became known as the Caneadea Reservation.

The land of the reservation included much of the modern day township. Within the reservation was a small native village located on a bluff above the river. The village contained what is known as the Council House, which many years later was transported to what is now [[Letchworth State Park]] and renovated. [[Moses Van Campen|Moses van Campen]] reportedly ran the "gauntlet" outside the Council House in 1782 while a captive of the Senecas during the American war for independence. The Caneadea Reservation's existence ended in 1826 after the Seneca sold the land to speculators.

The Caneadea township was officially formed in 1806, but included large portions of land that are no longer part of it. During the 1800s, much of the forested land was converted to farmland, including highly fertile land near the river.

Caneadea contained a route of the [[Underground Railroad|underground railroad]], helping individuals escape slavery from the south. The [[American Civil War|Civil War]]'s need for soldiers took a heavy human toll on the town.

Starting in 1851, the [[Genesee Valley Canal]] passed through Caneadea. While overall the canal was massively unprofitable for the state of New York, it did contribute significantly to the culture and economy of Caneadea and its hamlets Houghton and Oramel. Many businesses sprung up catering to canal traffic. Oramel became especially prosperous. Houghton was popular for horse racing and reportedly quite rowdy. New York finally decommissioned the boondoggle canal in 1878. In 1882 railroad tracks replaced much of the canal's old towpath. Trains stopped traveling through Caneadea in 1969, and the tracks removed in 1977. Today, much of the old railroad bed pathway is part of a [[Genesee Valley Greenway|recreational pathway]].

In 1883, a seminary that was to eventually become today's [[Houghton University]] was founded by a farmer. The seminary eventually formed into a college that became accredited in 1923. Houghton changed dramatically from a wild canal port commonly known as Jockey Street (due to popular horse racing) into a more tranquil community strongly associated with the college and its sponsoring Wesleyan denomination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Caneadea Here and There |url=https://towncaneadea.digitaltowpath.org:10139/content/History}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, a New York State committee was formed to find potential nuclear waste disposal sites. Caneadea, along with some other towns in Allegany County, was proposed as a potential site.There was significant disapproval by many area residents over this, and organizers committed to fight the state legally, politically and with civil disobedience. In 1990, protestors prevented the proposed site in Caneadea from being accessed by individuals from the siting commission. On January 16, protestors used their bodies and farm equipment to block roads. State police made eight arrests, but the site was still not accessed. On April 5, a larger effort was made to access the site and was met by a larger resistance. Six elderly individuals chained themselves to a bridge, resulting in their arrests and the chain being cut by state police. Farm equipment was again used for road blocking. Large amounts of protestors blocked the road and wore paper masks to hide help their identities. Horse riders blocking the road frustrated state police and played a major role in finally thwarting the unsuccessful attempt to access the site. Shortly after the second failed attempt in Caneadea, the governor of New York ordered the siting commission to discontinue its attempts to assess sites in Allegany County.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Allegany County resists nuclear dumping, 1989-1990 {{!}} Global Nonviolent Action Database |url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/allegany-county-resists-nuclear-dumping-1989-1990 |access-date=March 14, 2024 |website=nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu}}</ref>

A significant event occurred in 1995 when a massive cannabis raid at a farm along Caneadea's main road discovered an estimated $100,000 (not adjusted for inflation) worth of the substance hidden in various areas including cornfields, hay bales, and a pigpen. Over 100 plants and about 50 pounds of harvested cannabis were reportedly seized.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=September 9, 1995 |title=$100,000 WORTH OF POT FOUND |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/100-000-worth-of-pot-found/article_1fc6a1bd-ff9c-5ae2-a48e-32da00fae144.html |access-date=March 14, 2024 |website=Buffalo News |language=en}}</ref>