1901 Map of Tonawanda

About this map

The Niagara River and the Erie Canal converge at the bustling industrial hub of North Tonawanda, documenting a landscape defined by waterborne commerce and heavy rail. This early 20th-century survey shows the dense network of the New York Central and Hudson River R. R. and the Lehigh Valley R. R. serving the canal towns. To the north, the Tuscarora Indian Reservation occupies the heights above the Niagara and Wheatfield plains, while the planned community of Model City appears in Lewiston. Smaller rural settlements like St. Johnsburg, Bergholtz, and Beach Ridge are connected by a web of electric railways, including the Buffalo and Lockport Electric R. R., illustrating the rapid transit modernization of the Niagara Frontier before the widespread adoption of the automobile.