Editing Buffalo, New York (section)

=== Erie Canal, grain and commerce ===
[[File:Buffalo 1813 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|alt=Sketch of a harbor in the early 1800s|Buffalo in 1813]]
The village of Buffalo was named for [[Buffalo River (New York)|Buffalo Creek]].{{Efn|Sources disagree on the creek's etymology.<ref name = "Beautiful">{{cite news |last1=Stefaniuk |first1=Walter |title=You asked us: the 868-3900 line to your desk at The Star: how Buffalo got its name |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/436693160 |url-access=subscription |access-date=27 May 2021 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=September 24, 1992 |location=Toronto, Ont. |page=A7 |language=en |id={{ProQuest|436693160}} }}</ref><ref name = "River">{{cite news |last1=Okun |first1=Janice |title=Worldy setting, sophisticated choices, atmosphere at Beau Fleuve |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/380815267 |url-access=subscription |access-date=27 May 2021 |work=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=March 19, 1993 |page=G32 |language=en |id={{ProQuest|380815267}} }}</ref><ref name="Bison">{{cite news |author=Staff |title='Beau Fleuve' story doesn't wash |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/381587989 |url-access=subscription |work=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=July 21, 1993 |page=B9 |access-date=May 29, 2021 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527025137/https://www.proquest.com/docview/381587989 |id={{ProQuest|381587989}} |url-status=live }}</ref> Although its name possibly originated from French fur traders and Native Americans calling the creek ''Beau Fleuve'' ([[French language|French]] for "beautiful river"),<ref name="Beautiful"/><ref name="River"/> Buffalo Creek may have been named after the [[American bison|American buffalo]] (whose range may have extended into Western New York).<ref name="Bison"/><ref name="Bison_range">{{cite book |last1=Hornaday |first1=William T. |author-link=William Temple Hornaday |title=[[The Extermination of the American Bison]] |date=1889 |publisher=[[Government Printing Office]] |location=Washington D.C. |pages=385–386 |chapter-url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17748/17748-h/17748-h.htm#ii_geographical_distribution |access-date=August 20, 2015 |chapter=Geographic Distribution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924203028/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17748/17748-h/17748-h.htm#ii_geographical_distribution |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Sprague1882" />}}<ref name = "Ketchum1865">{{cite book |last1=Ketchum |first1=William |author-link=William Ketchum (mayor) |title=An Authentic and Comprehensive History of Buffalo, with Some Account of Its Early Inhabitants, Both Savage and Civilized, Comprising Historic Notices of the Six Nations, Or Iroquois Indians, Vol. II |pages=63–65, 141 |chapter=Origin of the Name of Buffalo |date=1865 |publisher=Rockwell, Baker & Hill |location=Buffalo, N.Y. |isbn=9780665514968 |oclc=49073883}}</ref> British military engineer [[John Montresor]] referred to "Buffalo Creek" in his 1764 journal, the earliest recorded appearance of the name.<ref name="google">{{cite book |title=Buffalo Historical Society Publications |chapter=The Achievements of Captain John Montresor |author=Severance, Frank H. |author-link=Frank Severance |editor=[[Buffalo Historical Society]] |location=Buffalo, NY |date=1902 |publisher=Bigelow Brothers |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBs8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA15 |page=15 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916180643/https://books.google.com/books?id=pBs8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA15 |archive-date=September 16, 2015}}</ref> A road to [[Pennsylvania]] from Buffalo was built in 1802 for migrants traveling to the [[Connecticut Western Reserve]] in Ohio.<ref name="French&Place1860 208-217">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/gazetteerofstate04fren |title=Gazetteer of the State of New York |chapter=Chautauque County |pages=208–217 |last1=French |first1=J. H. |last2=Place |first2=Frank |publisher=R. Pearsall Smith |year=1860 |location=Syracuse, N.Y. |oclc=682410715}}
</ref> Before an east–west turnpike across the state was completed, traveling from Albany to Buffalo would take a week; a trip from nearby [[Williamsville, New York|Williamsville]] to Batavia could take over three days.<ref name="Turner1849">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/pioneerhistoryof1849inturn |title=Pioneer history of the Holland Purchase of western New York |pages=401, 439, 494–495, 498 |last=Turner |first=Orsamus |publisher=Jewett, Thomas & Co. |year=1849 |location=Buffalo, N.Y. |oclc=14246512}}</ref>{{Efn|When traveling with an ox and wagon team.}}

British forces [[Battle of Buffalo|burned Buffalo]] and the northwestern village of [[Black Rock, Buffalo|Black Rock]] in 1813.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The U.S. Army in the War of 1812: An Operational and Command Study |last=Quimby |first=Robert |publisher=[[Michigan State University Press]] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-87013-441-8 |oclc=868964185 |location=East Lansing, MI |pages=355}}</ref> The battle and subsequent fire was in response to the destruction of [[Niagara-on-the-Lake]] by American forces and other skirmishes during the [[War of 1812]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hammill |first=Luke |url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/11/29/the-buffalo-of-yesteryear-chictawauga-scajaquady-and-other-oddities-of-the-year-1860/ |url-access=limited |title=The Buffalo of Yesteryear: Chictawauga, Scajaquady and the 'morass' that was Buffalo |date=November 29, 2017 |work=[[The Buffalo News]] |access-date=November 29, 2017 |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129200743/http://buffalonews.com/2017/11/29/the-buffalo-of-yesteryear-chictawauga-scajaquady-and-other-oddities-of-the-year-1860/ |archive-date=November 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name = "Becker1906 118-132">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sketchesofearlyb00beck |title=Sketches of early Buffalo and the Niagara region |chapter=The Burning of Buffalo |pages=118–132 |last=Becker |first=Sophie C. |publisher=McLaughlin Press |year=1906 |location=Buffalo, N.Y. |oclc=12629461}}</ref><ref name="Rundell1962 57-96" /> Rebuilding was swift, completed in 1815.<ref name="Severance1879">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/publicationsofbu09seve |title=Publications of the Buffalo Historical Society |last=Severance |first=Frank H. |author-link=Frank Severance |location=Buffalo |publisher=Bigelow Bros. |others=Harold B. Lee Library |year=1879 |pages=334–356 |chapter=Papers relating to the Burning of Buffalo}}</ref><ref name = "Becker1906 118-132"/> As a remote outpost, village residents hoped that the proposed [[Erie Canal]] would bring prosperity to the area.<ref name="Goldman1983 21-56" /> To accomplish this, Buffalo's harbor was expanded with the help of [[Samuel Wilkeson]]; it was selected as the canal's terminus over the rival Black Rock.<ref name="Rundell1962 57-96" /> It opened in 1825, ushering in commerce, manufacturing and [[hydropower]].<ref name="Goldman1983 21-56" /> By the following year, the {{cvt|130|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} Buffalo Creek Reservation (at the western border of the village) was transferred to Buffalo.<ref name="Brush1901" /> Buffalo was incorporated as a city in 1832.<ref name="NPSBuffaloTimeline">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/thri/buffalotimeline.htm |title=A Brief Chronology of the Development of the City of Buffalo |access-date = October 29, 2014 |website=[[National Park Service]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141104091901/http://www.nps.gov/thri/buffalotimeline.htm |archive-date = November 4, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> During the 1830s, businessman [[Benjamin Rathbun]] significantly expanded its business district.<ref name="Goldman1983 21-56">{{Cite book |title=High hopes: the rise and decline of Buffalo, New York |chapter=Ups and Downs during the Early Years of the Nineteenth Century |pages=21–56 |last=Goldman |first=Mark |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1983a |isbn=9780873957342 |location=Albany, N.Y. |oclc=09110713}}</ref> The city doubled in size from 1845 to 1855. Almost two-thirds of the city's population was foreign-born, largely a mix of unskilled (or educated) [[Irish Americans|Irish]] and [[German Americans|German]] [[Catholic Church|Catholics]].<ref name="Goldman1983 72-97" /><ref name="Rundell1962 97-125">{{cite book |last1=Rundell |first1=Edwin F. |last2=Stein |first2=Charles W. |title=Buffalo: your city |chapter=Buffalo Becomes a Great City |pages=97–125 |date=1962 |publisher=Henry Stewart, Incorporated |edition=4th |oclc=3023258 |location=[[Buffalo and Erie County Public Library]]}}</ref>

[[Fugitive slaves in the United States|Fugitive slaves]] made their way north to Buffalo during the 1840s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wesley |first1=Charles H. |author-link=Charles H. Wesley |title=The Participation of Negroes in Anti-Slavery Political Parties |journal=[[The Journal of Negro History]] |date=Jan 1944 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=43–44, 51–52, 55, 65 |jstor=2714753 |doi=10.2307/2714753 |s2cid=149675414}}</ref> Buffalo was a terminus of the [[Underground Railroad]], with many free Black people crossing the [[Niagara River]] to [[Fort Erie, Ontario]];<ref>{{Cite book |title=Underground Railroad in New York and New Jersey |publisher=[[Stackpole Books]] |date=May 14, 2014 |isbn=9780811746298 |first=William J. |last=Switala |page=126}}</ref> others remained in Buffalo.<ref name="Goldman1983 72-97">{{Cite book |title=High hopes: the rise and decline of Buffalo, New York |chapter=Ethnics: Germans, Irish and Blacks |pages=72–97 |last=Goldman |first=Mark |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1983 |isbn=9780873957342 |location=Albany, N.Y. |oclc=09110713}}</ref> During this time, Buffalo's port continued to develop. Passenger and commercial traffic expanded, leading to the creation of feeder canals and the expansion of the city's harbor.<ref name="Goldman1983 56-71" /> Unloading grain in Buffalo was a laborious job, and grain handlers working on [[lake freighter]]s would make $1.50 a day ({{Inflation|US|1.50|1845|fmt=eq}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) in a six-day work week.<ref name="Goldman1983 56-71" /> Local inventor [[Joseph Dart]] and engineer [[Robert Dunbar]] created the [[grain elevator]] in 1843, adapting the steam-powered elevator. [[Dart's Elevator]] initially processed one thousand [[bushel]]s per hour, speeding global distribution to consumers.<ref name="Goldman1983 56-71">{{Cite book |title=High hopes: the rise and decline of Buffalo, New York |chapter=The Impact of Commerce and Manufacturing on Mid-Nineteenth Century Buffalo |pages=56–71 |last=Goldman |first=Mark |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1983 |isbn=9780873957342 |location=Albany, N.Y. |oclc=09110713}}</ref> Buffalo was the transshipment hub of the Great Lakes, and weather, maritime and political events in other Great Lakes cities had a direct impact on the city's economy.<ref name="Goldman1983 56-71" /> In addition to grain, Buffalo's primary imports included agricultural products from the Midwest (meat, whiskey, lumber and tobacco), and its exports included leather, ships and iron products. The mid-19th century saw the rise of new manufacturing capabilities, particularly with iron.<ref name="Goldman1983 56-71" />

By the 1860s, many railroads terminated in Buffalo; they included the [[Buffalo, Bradford and Pittsburgh Railroad]], [[Buffalo and Erie Railroad]], the [[New York Central Railroad]], and the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]].<ref name="French&Place1860 279-294">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/gazetteerofstate04fren |title=Gazetteer of the State of New York |chapter=Erie County |pages=279–294 |last1=French |first1=J. H. |last2=Place |first2=Frank |publisher=R. Pearsall Smith |year=1860 |location=Syracuse, N.Y. |oclc=682410715}}</ref> During this time, Buffalo controlled one-quarter of all shipping traffic on Lake Erie.<ref name="French&Place1860 279-294"/> After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], canal traffic began to drop as railroads expanded into Buffalo.<ref name="Goldman1983 124-142">{{Cite book |title=High hopes: the rise and decline of Buffalo, New York |chapter=The Coming of Industry |pages=124–142 |last=Goldman |first=Mark |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1983 |isbn=9780873957342 |location=Albany, N.Y. |oclc=09110713}}</ref> Unionization began to take hold in the late 19th century, highlighted by [[Great Railroad Strike of 1877|the Great Railroad Strike of 1877]] and [[Buffalo switchmen's strike|1892 Buffalo switchmen's strike]].<ref name="Goldman1983 143-175">{{Cite book |title=High hopes: the rise and decline of Buffalo, New York |chapter=The Response to Industrialization: Life and Labor, Values and Beliefs |pages=143–175 |last=Goldman |first=Mark |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1983 |isbn=9780873957342 |location=Albany, N.Y. |oclc=09110713}}</ref>