Editing Chautauqua, New York (section)

==History==
===19th century===
Chautauqua was formed on April 11, 1805, from the town of [[Batavia (town), New York|Batavia]], while still part of [[Genesee County, New York|Genesee County]]. The first settler arrived the year before, near the current village of [[Mayville, New York|Mayville]]. When Chautauqua County was created on March 11, 1808, the town's territory was increased to include the eastern tier of townships, so that the town and the new county were coextensive. The town is the "mother of towns" in Chautauqua County since all other towns in the county towns were once part of it. The town is still one of the largest in the county.<ref>[http://history.rays-place.com/ny/chau-chau.htm History of Chautauqua, NY<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The meaning of the name Chautauqua remains unknown and a source of speculation, with two longstanding [[Folk etymology|folk translations]] being “bag tied in the middle” and “place where fish are taken out,”<ref name="Names">{{cite web|date=February 7, 2016|title=Stories behind names of many familiar places|url=http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/state-and-union-stories-behind-names-of-many-familiar-places/article_cd071cee-cd48-11e5-8153-67db9ca5a039.html|newspaper=Olean Times Herald|accessdate=August 29, 2016}}</ref> the latter having some support based on similar words in other [[Iroquoian languages]].<ref name="chq_history">{{cite book|author=John Phillips Downs|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofchautau02downs|title=History of Chautauqua County, New York, and Its People|author2=Fenwick Y Hedley|publisher=American Historical Society|year=1921|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofchautau02downs/page/11 11]|accessdate=March 4, 2013}}</ref> In [[Seneca language|Seneca]] it is known as Dza’dáhgwëh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://senecalanguage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/SENECA-DICTIONARY-FINAL.pdf|title=English-Seneca Dictionary|publisher=Seneca Language Department}}</ref>

===20th century===
In the years of the [[Chautauqua Institution]]'s heyday, rail transport was the chief mechanism by which long distance travelers accessed the town. To 1926, the Chautauqua Traction [[interurban]] operated several interurbans a day from Chautauqua to Mayville, and then to Westfield; to the opposite direction the interurban went to Lakewood and Jamestown.<ref>"Jamestown / Olean interurbans," http://www.vizettes.com/kt/ne-interurbans/ny/jw.htm</ref><ref>Helen G. Ebersole, "Lakeside Ledger," July 4, 2018, "The Chautauqua Traction, First Year-Round Navigable Land Route from Jmst. to CHQ."</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Chautauqua Traction Company |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=54 |issue=1 |date=June 1921}}</ref> To the latter 1940s, Pennsylvania Railroad offered service at nearby Mayville, on a Pittsburgh-Buffalo route.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 160 |journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=78 |issue=12 |date=May 1946}}</ref> From prior to the interurbans to the waning years of interurbans, steamboats provided access to different parts of the lake from Mayville and Jamestown.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://jamestowntrolley.org/steamer/larges/lsteamb.html | title=The Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car #93 Restoration Project }}</ref>

The [[Lewis Miller Cottage]] of the Chautauqua Institution was listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and as a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1966.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>  The [[Chautauqua Institution Historic District]] was listed in 1974.<ref name="nris"/>