[xzmattzx]

Tonawanda is a city in Erie County, north of Buffalo, where Tonawanda Creek and the Erie Canal meet the Niagara River. Tonawanda is known as the "Gateway to the Erie Canal", since it is the western terminus of the Canal. Tonawanda's population is around 16,000. Tonawanda was first settled in 1808, and began seeing growth in 1825 when the Erie Canal opened.

In the late 1870s, as the terminus of the Erie Canal, wood and lumber was shipped down the Great Lakes from the vast woodlands of Michigan and Minnesota, and then transferred over from lake barges to canal boats. The lumber industry earned Tonawanda the nickname "Lumber City". By the 1890s, Tonawanda had become the largest lumber port in the world, surpassing Chicago.


Houses on Niagara Street near Douglas Street in the Gastown neighborhood.

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/5862/img0527taj4.jpg

The R. Garrity canal boat, Barge Boat 122, at Delaware & Niagara Streets.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/7351/img0528tnp2.jpg

North Tonawanda from Gateway Park, along Tonawanda Creek.

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/6515/img0529tpj4.jpg

Buildings in North Tonawanda along Tonawanda Creek.

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5715/img0530tzr2.jpg

The Long Homestead, in Gateway Park. The house was built by Benjamin Long and his family in 1829. It housed the first Sunday School in the Tonawandas. The property was owned by the Long family until the early 1900s.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/2166/img0531thh4.jpg

Buildings on Main Street next to Tonawanda Creek and the Main Street Bridge.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9817/img0532tlf6.jpg

Looking at the Long Homestead from North Tonawanda. Tonawanda Creek is in the foreground, Ellicott Creek is on the right with the pedestrain bridge crossing over it, and the Delaware Street Bridge is on the left.

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/9687/img0533tzr2.jpg

The Tonawanda Towers on Main Street at Niagara Street.

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/4051/img0539tbg5.jpg

Businesses on Main Street.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9128/img0540tuv4.jpg

Buildings on Main Street.

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/51/img0541tot9.jpg

Clinton Park, a diamond-shaped park in the main part of the city, at the intersection of Broad & Clinton Streets.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9034/img0542taa3.jpg

Houses on Broad Street.

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1006/img0543tmr9.jpg

More houses on Broad Street.

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/1212/img0544txj8.jpg

A house on Kohler Street.

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/7836/img0545toy1.jpg

St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church, on Broad Street. The parish was founded in 1858.

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/1915/img0546twf4.jpg

Houses on Fletcher Street.

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/7497/img0547trb5.jpg

Houses on Bouck Street.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2259/img0548tad4.jpg

Houses on Clinton Street.

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/6038/img0549tzg0.jpg

The Tonawanda Railroad Station on Main Street near Grove Street. The station was built by the New York Central Railroad in 1886, and was used until 1922.

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6348/img0550tvd7.jpg

[Top Of The Park]

one more of the good ol' small towns of America

[BUFFALOVE!!]

you were in buffalo and you took pictures of tonawanda?!

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Matt loves the small towns (as do I). Nice set Matt, and the city looks better than I thought it would. Thanks.

[flar]

Looks a lot like the Niagara area of Ontario.

[Thundertubs]

Nice pics!

I'm reading a book about Niagara Falls, and last night the chapter was about how the region played a huge role in the production of atomic bombs in the 40's and 50's. The hurry to produce a bomb during the war, in addition to the secrecy and lax health regulations led to some really awful health and environmental violations (most people remember Love Canal, which was kind of the tip of the iceburg).
The part I found eeriest was how workers who were dealing hands-on with uranium-rich ore had to go through a radiation detector before leaving a Tonawanda factory, and if they failed they had to go back to the shower, scrub down, and try again. They were never told what they were dealing with. Even the foremen didn't know.
So it's a little coincidence that you posted Tonawanda pics this morning.

Something like 85% of downtown Niagara Falls, NY is brownfields.
The Manhattan Project used $2 Billion in taxpayer money without Congress being aware of it.

[BUFFALOVE!!]

^ Matt loves the small towns (as do I). Nice set Matt, and the city looks better than I thought it would. Thanks.

then you should check out jamestown, ny or warren, pa then. both are 1 million times cooler that tonawanda

[kcexpress69]

Looks like a peaceful little town. For some reason I thought it would be a little bigger than that!! I guess at one time it probably was!! Nice pics!! :)

[Ex-Ithacan]

then you should check out jamestown, ny or warren, pa then. both are 1 million times cooler that tonawanda

Been to Jamestown (posted some photos ages ago), but I still have to hit up Warren. :yes:

[the pope]

Been to Jamestown (posted some photos ages ago), but I still have to hit up Warren. :yes:

its no Warren, OH!

Nice job.

[Evergrey]

Looks like a peaceful little town. For some reason I thought it would be a little bigger than that!! I guess at one time it probably was!! Nice pics!! :)

perhaps you're thinking of North Tonawanda... which is 33k (Tonawanda is only 16k)... the cities split in 1897 over gravel fill rights

[xzmattzx]

you were in buffalo and you took pictures of tonawanda?!

I've done a few Buffalo neighborhood tours. My favorite of my tours was of the First Ward (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=134055), but I have also done Black Rock (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=139953) (you were actually the only one to reply), and Riverside (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=130944). There are a couple other neighborhoods that I took pictures of, but I haven't gotten around to posting those yet.

I really took pictures of Tonawanda because thats where my mom is from. I think the place looks pretty nice, and the setting along the Niagara with the big creek and the canal and everything is pretty cool. Lastly, I now have bragging rights: a Delawarean did a photo thread on Tonawanda before any Buffalonian did. Is this Delawarean going to cover the Buffalo/Niagara region more than any local will?;)

then you should check out jamestown, ny or warren, pa then. both are 1 million times cooler that tonawanda

Jamestown (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=148971)

[Evergrey]

Is this Delawarean going to cover the Buffalo/Niagara region more than any local will?;)

Yes.


Btw, you'd really like Warren PA. I think you'd find Bradford PA interesting too.

[BuffaloSam]

nice!

[theWatusi]

sweet

[jomaled]

Nice to see pics of Tonawaaaahnduh. I used to live in Amherst and would bike along Ellicott Creek through the city and end up along the Niagara River facing Grand Island. Awesome! I am looking forward to a visit to the Bflo. area in 2 weeks. After 10 years, I wonder what's changed?

[WIGS]

perhaps you're thinking of North Tonawanda... which is 33k (Tonawanda is only 16k)... the cities split in 1897 over gravel fill rights

or he might be thinking of the Town of Tonawanda (directly south) which has approximately 75k people.
-----------------------------
thanks for the photos, btw.

[Ex-Ithacan]

its no Warren, OH!
Nice job.

well, I should hope not!!!


;)

[Wheelingman04]

Looks like a quaint place to live.

[xzmattzx]

BONUS 1 OF 2

Town of Tonawanda

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8853/img0551ttns2.jpg

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/3200/img0552ttbr4.jpg

[jdcamb]

I lived on Morgan street from 1971-74. I used to eat at Bedells on Niagara with my dad. Remember shopping at the old Grants department store and going to the movies at the Riviera theatre. Now there are some nuggets....

[xzmattzx]

BONUS 2 OF 2

North Tonawanda

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/5730/img0534ntif2.jpg

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/5272/img0535ntmx2.jpg

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1167/img0536ntho1.jpg

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6426/img0537ntet9.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4260/img0538ntic6.jpg

[denveraztec]

Looks like a peaceful place.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I like those shots of North Tonawanda, thanks Matt.