Buffalo New York

Buffalo, New York, at the east end of Lake Erie, at the mouth of Buffalo river and at the head of Niagara river, is the capital of Erie county, in the state of New York, ranking third among the cities of New York, and the third city in the Union for its trade in live stock. But its great importance is as a centre of the corn trade, and it has a magnificent installation of elevators, while it has extensive iron and steel works, blast furnaces, rolling mills, machine shops, shipyards, tanneries, and breweries, and is a great coal depot.

The city, which is about 290 miles direct from New York, and 539 miles from Chicago, has a frontage of about 5 miles to the lake and river, and has a large harbour, capable of accommodating vessels of 17 feet draught, with an outer breakwater of 4,000 feet, besides other extensive conveniences for trade and navigation. The formation of the Erie canal in 1825 gave.the first great impetus to the trade of Buffalo, a trade which has been greatly developed by the great extension of the railway system. The Grand Trunk Railway crosses the Niagara by a fine iron bridge at a short distance from the city. Buffalo is well paved, and is well provided with boulevards and avenues, and a fine park, and has many imposing buildings both public and private. The city was founded by the Holland Land Company in 1801. After being burnt in 1813 by the English, it was rebuilt, and from a population of 15,000 in 1832 had arisen to about 203,000 in 1885.