1950 Map of Tonawanda East

About this map

Tonawanda Creek serves as the dividing line between Niagara Co and Erie Co, defining the industrial and transit character of this region during the mid-century. The twin cities of North Tonawanda and Tonawanda are depicted as major hubs, where the Erie RR and New York Central RR converge near the waterway. The landscape transitions from dense urban development and municipal infrastructure like Ellicott Creek Park and Memorial Hospital to rural agricultural lands dotted with numbered schoolhouses and small settlements. Local history and genealogy interest is concentrated in the numerous burial grounds, including the large White Chapel Memorial Cemetery and the more secluded Bear Ridge Cem. North of the creek, the International Railway cuts across the township of Pendleton, marking the path of earlier electric rail transit through hamlets such as Beach Ridge and Wendelville.