Jamestown, named for James Prendergast, evolved from the first settlement in 1810 at "The Rapids" on Chautauqua Lake's outlet. His sawmill, erected in 1811, used the available waterpower to help expand the settlement. Continued use of the waterpower and the area's abundant natural resources developed the manufacturing of furniture, textiles, and tools. Lumbering, farming, and industries undertaken by the hardworking settlers transformed Jamestown into an internationally known city with fine homes, successful businesses, and recreation opportunities on the lake and in the surrounding countryside.
The Holland Land Company was a stock corporation formed by six Dutch banking houses for the purpose of buying land in New York. By the year 1797 the Company had purchased some 3.3 million acres of land in western New York, west of the Genesee River. Known as the Holland Land Purchase, all this land was sold off by 1839. This present work is an index to the records, the Land Tables, of the Holland Land Company from their inception in 1804 until the year 1824. Also covered are the land transactions in Morris' Reserve and a tract of land known as the 40,000-Acre Tract, both east of the Purchase. Touching on some 40,000 individual land transactions, the extracts given here provide the purchaser's name, the location of the purchase, the date of the transaction, the type of transaction, and a citation to the original source and microfilm. The area covered in this work extends from Genesee County west to the counties of Erie, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus, covering such towns as Buffalo and Batavia.
Shortly after settlement began along Chautauqua Lake, steamboats furnished transportation and the first hotel catered to visiting hunters and fishermen. Families escaping the summers in the city soon followed to enjoy the cool, healthy air. Chautauqua Institution and Point Chautauqua both began as religious assembly grounds. Celoron Park, often called the Coney Island of the West, and later Midway Park provided entertainment for families and attracted thousands of visitors who traveled by trolley and steamboat in the summer. Local residents and visitors alike enjoyed the parks, picnic groves, and assorted resorts along the lake. A century later, fish are still caught, boats still ply the waters, and families continue to enjoy everything Chautauqua Lake has to offer.
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