ERIE COUNTY 



This county lies in the western part of the state, and is 

 bordered on the west by Lake Erie and the Niagara River. It 

 has an area of 6-01,760 acres. The extent from north to south is 

 approximately 40 miles, and from east to west 25 miles. 



The population is shown in the following table: 



Buffalo (city)* .. 

 Lackawanna (citj 

 Tonawanda (citj ) 



Alden 



Amherst 



Aurora 



Boston 



Brant 



C'heektowaga 



Clarence 



Colden 



Collins 



Concord 



East Hamburgh . 



Eden 



Elmz 



PoriLATION DY ClTIES AM) TOWNSHIPS 



(Census of 1015) 

 454,330 Evans 



15,737 



9.147 

 2.866 

 5,389 

 5,446 

 1,489 

 2,854 

 9,405 

 3.082 

 1,390 

 2,653 

 4,570 

 3.004 

 2,616 

 2,282 



(.irand Island 

 Hamburgh . . 



Holland 



Lancaster . . . 



Marilla 



Xewstead . . . 

 North Collins 

 »Sardinia .... 

 Tonawanda . 



Wales 



West Seneca 



Total . . . 



3,644 

 964 

 7,374 

 1,584 

 11,730 

 1,409 

 4.023 

 2.705 

 1,661 

 3,062 

 1,197 

 5,926 



571.897 



* Buffalo is the county seat. 



Xote: The present population of Buffalo is 506.700: cf Lackawanna, 

 17,900: of Tonawanda. 10.000. 



HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS 



Erie County was formed from Niagara in 1821. The name 

 comes from a Huron word said to mean " at the place of the 

 panther." With the exception of the Indian reservation in the 

 southwestern part and the " mile strip " along Niagara River, 

 Erie County was included in the grant to the Holland Land 

 Company. 



When LaSalle built his little vessel in the Niagara River he 

 found this section occupied by the Seneca Indians. The French 

 erected a fort at Niagara, which the Indians destroyed. After 

 the English constructed a fort at Oswego, fortifications at Niagara 

 became especially important to the French. Each nation realized 

 that the people in possession of both forts would hold absolute 



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