168 OCEAN TO OCEAN ON HORSEBACK. 



the metropolis of the Genesee Valley : for with that 

 first mill-wheel set into the stream by old " Indian 

 Allen," the faithful waters have kept up a continual 

 flow of good fortune. 



Her characteristic enterprise, milling, begun by 

 this same Allen, has been an unfailing source of 

 wealth ; the golden grain with almost magic trans* 

 formation filling the coffers of her merchants and 

 giving her the security that a healthy financial condi- 

 tion brings. Besides this, she owes much to that 

 liberal-minded gentleman. Colonel Nathaniel Roches- 

 ter, who came with his family from Maryland 

 when the settlement was in its infancy, and made his 

 home in '' the pleasant valley." It is amusing to 

 fancy the unique procession, headed by the Colonel 

 and his sons on horseback, that started out towards 

 *^ the wild west" in the summer of 1802. There 

 were carriages for the ladies and servants, and wagons 

 for provisions and household goods, stretched out in 

 formidable array ; for railroads were out of the ques- 

 tion then. 



We hear that the travellers met with cordial hospi- 

 tality at the villages and towns along their route, and 

 that their arrival created quite a sensation. In fact it 

 was an historical event. Two friends of the Koches- 

 ters, William Fitzhugh and Charles Carroll, cast in 

 their fortunes with them, and in 1802 bought together 

 the three hundred acres at the Upper Falls, which 

 were laid out for a settlement ten years later. In 

 those times the prestige of a name went far towards 

 establishing a reputation, and the one chosen by the 

 people of the settlement was afterward proudly placed 

 upon the municipal banner. Soon after the advent 



