BUFFALO 



982 



BUFFALO 



Formerly these animals were found by the 

 thousands in all that portion of North Amer- 

 ica between the Appalachians and the Rocky 

 Mountains and from Texas to the Peace River 

 in Canada. The Indians used their flesh for 

 food and their skins for clothing. The value 

 of the skins soon became known to white men, 

 who used them for robes and coats. The 

 slaughter of the buffalo, which began soon after 

 the coming of the whites, continued until they 

 have practically disappeared, and are no longer 



found in the wild state. There are a few small 

 private herds, and some of these are found in 

 city parks. Several hundred are protected by 

 the American government in Yellowstone Park, 

 and over 2,000 by the Canadian government in 

 Buffalo Park. An attempt has been made to 

 produce a new, useful, domestic animal by 

 crossing the bison and the domestic cattle. 

 The product, called the "cattalo," has not, how- 

 ever, proved very satisfactory, and interest in 

 the experiment is lessening. V.L.K. 



HEART OF 



r UFFALO, N.Y., the county seat of 

 Erie County, next to New York City the 

 largest city of the state, and one of the most 

 important cities in the United States. It is 

 situated at the eastern end of Lake Erie and 

 at the head of Niagara River, twenty miles 

 southeast of Niagara Falls. New York is 439 

 miles southeast, and Chicago is 523 miles 

 slightly southwest. Buffalo is one of the most 

 rapidly-growing cities of the Union; in 1900 

 the population was 352,387; in 1910 it was 423,- 

 715, and during the next five years it increased 

 over 37,000, reaching 461,335 in 1915. Thirty 

 per cent of the inhabitants are foreign-born, 

 and among these Germans, Poles and Italians 

 are found in greater numbers. 



Buffalo is connected with the Hudson River 

 by the Erie Canal, which, together with sev- 

 eral other existing canals, has been enlarged 

 and improved, forming the New York State 

 Barge Canal, a waterway accommodating boats 

 of 1,500 to 3,000 tons capacity (see NEW YORK 

 STATE BARGE CANAL; ERIE CANAL). Through 

 the Welland Canal the city has direct boat 

 connection with the ports of Lake Ontario and 

 the Saint Lawrence River. Buffalo is the home 

 port of more than a dozen steamship lines, has 

 several lines of ferries to the Canadian side, 

 and many independent boats ply between this 

 and other lake ports. Among the twelve trunk 



lines entering the city are the Buffalo, Roches- 

 ter & Pittsburgh; Delaware, Lackawanna & 

 Western; Grand Trunk; New York Central 

 Lines; West Shore; Lehigh Valley; Michigan 

 Central; New York, Chicago & Saint Louis; 

 Pennsylvania, and the Wabash railroads. Two 

 belt lines operate within the city, connecting 

 the trunk lines with the various industries. 

 The street car service is extended by inter- 

 urban electric lines. 



Location and Description. The early city 

 was at the mouth of Buffalo Creek. It has 

 grown northward and now covers an area of 

 forty square miles, on a gradual slope of land 

 which rises from fifty to eighty feet above the 

 lake and 600 feet above sea level. The streets, 

 with few exceptions, are broad, well-shaded 

 and paved for more than half of their total 

 extent, 750 miles. The business section is on 

 or near the lake front, and from here the prin- 

 cipal business thoroughfares radiate north and 

 northeast; Main Street extends north and 

 northeast to the city limits; Delaware Avenue, 

 a parallel street, is crossed about a mile from 

 the business center by North, Summer and 

 Ferry streets, and by Lincoln Parkway. These 

 streets are in the chief residence section. Niag- 

 ara Street, branching from the foot of Main, 

 follows the lake and river to Tonawanda, a 

 suburb north of the city. From Niagara and 



