Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
M
Buffalo and Erie County Navy and Military Park:
Experience the dramatic
stories of war vets while touring decommissioned Navy vessels moored in the na-
tion's largest inland naval park (
click here
).
M
Lockport Locks:
These timeless gateways take you on a gentle journey back to
the time when the Erie Canal was the world's first superhighway (
click here
).
M
Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride:
Explore subterranean industrial
history while enjoying the longest underground boat ride in the United States (
click
AtthestartoftheWarof1812,Buffalowasavillageofapproximately500people.Dur-
ing the war, it grew due to its proximity to Canada. The United States sent troops to the
regiontofightalongtheNiagarafrontier.InDecember1813,BritishtroopsandtheirIndian
allies burned Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York, to the ground as the violence escalated
to include attacks on civilians. Following the end of hostilities in 1814, Buffalo was rebuilt
and enjoyed moderate growth.
Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal was merely 40 feet wide, four feet deep, and had a
speed limit of four miles per hour. This was the country's first superhighway. The terminus
of this highway, Buffalo became the crossroads of the nation. Immigrants heading west and
natural resources being sent east stopped in Buffalo. Some immigrants stayed, swelling the
German, Irish, Polish, and Italian working-class communities that fed the city's insatiable
demand for labor. Ships had to be loaded and grain mills filled. Manufacturers needed men
with strong backs and even stronger constitutions to meet the requirements of a growing
country.
