182 Agricultural Manual 



domination in the valley, although a few Indians remained there 

 for many years. The battlefield, which lies in the towns of Elmira 

 and Ashland, has been given to the state. 



The first permanent settlement by white men was made in the 

 spring of 1786 by eight men who came up the Susquehanna and 

 Chemung rivers and located from Wynkoops Creek westward. 

 Other settlers who had accompanied Sullivan on his expedition 

 came from the New England states during the following year. 

 Several families also migrated from southern New York, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and New Jersey. The New York Legislature having passed 

 laws favorable to settlers, newcomers arrived at a rapid rate 

 during the next twenty years. This was largely due to reports 

 concerning the fertile soil of the valley and the large yields to 

 be obtained, often, history states, as much as fifty bushels of wheat 

 per acre, with an average yield of twenty-five bushels. Other 

 important products were maple sugar, fat cattle, and apples. 

 Development followed rapidly, and in 1S03 from 40,000 bushels to 

 50,000 bushels of wheat were annually sent down the Susque- 

 hanna to market. These shipments were entirely checked during 

 the War of 1812, and a period of great business depression 

 followed. 



DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY 



About 1820 the lumber business became important, and it 

 received great impetus on the completion of the Chemung Canal 

 in 1832. The lumber was of such good quality that Chemung 

 lumber commanded the highest market price in New York and 

 Philadelphia. 



The opening of the uplands to agriculture brought about the 

 development of the live stock industry, and this has ever since 

 been an important source of income in the county. 



The completion of the Erie Railroad between New York and 

 Buffalo in 1851 gave a second impetus to agriculture, and 

 gradually brought about a change in the type of farming in 

 Chemung County. The quick transportation facilities afforded by 

 the railroads made it possible to market butter and cheese to 

 advantage, and dairying soon became the leading branch of agri- 

 culture in the county. 



