THREE DAYS AT BUFFALO.
An hour's ride from Lancaster, on the morning of the nineteenth, brought
to view the motley array of chimneys and towers that overtop the "Queen
City of the Lakes." While making my way towards them, and receiving
first impressions, my attention was attracted by a brigade drill on the
parade ground, which I halted to witness. This was the first instance
during my journey in which I had encountered any considerable body of
military men, with the exception of the Grand Army procession at Utica,
on Memorial Day. The marching and manoeuvres evinced close attention to
tactics and excellent discipline, and the equipment of officers and men
reflected much credit upon the Empire State, which has every reason to
be proud of these her citizen-soldiers.
Drill over, I rode on into Buffalo, and, soon after registering at the
Tift House, had the pleasure of meeting Major John M. Farquhar, who
introduced me to my audience at St. James Hall in the evening.
Major Farquhar is a comrade, prominent in G. A. R. circles, and was then
commander of the leading post of the city. From him I learned something
of the changes which had taken place since my last visit here, and which
I was desirous to see as much of as circumstances would allow. Buffalo
has a peculiarly rich history, and, like the old towns of the Mohawk
Valley, the romantic view which Indian life and love have given.
Near here the arrogant Eries held their councils, and deliberated upon
the downfall of their powerful neighbors of the Five Nations; who, in
turn, ruined and almost exterminated them. The chronicles tell us that
the Iroquois, coming by invitation to engage in friendly contest on the
hunting-ground of the Eries, soon discovered the real intent of the wily
"Cats," who were jealous of the renown of their red brothers. Failing in
the games they had themselves proposed, and blind with rage, they saw
their tolerant guests depart with the trophies of victory. No sooner
were they out of sight than a council of war was held, and a decision to
conquer them agreed upon. The war bonnets were donned, the dog
sacrificed, and every preparation made for a raid into the enemy's
country; but a Seneca woman who had been taken prisoner by the Eries
some years before, apprised the great chiefs of her nation of the
intended attack.
In this way the Eries were in turn surprised and defeated in their last
game with their rivals. Only a few of their warriors were left to bear
the hateful news to the women and old men who were waiting in the
wigwams: and these with their allies, terribly punished as they had been
in the encounter, were driven by their infuriated enemies beyond the
Mississippi. The Senecas, who proudly called themselves the western
gate-keepers of the "Long House," made a settlement near Buffalo, to
which they gave the musical name of Te-you-seo-wa, the place of
basswood, having found there huts covered with basswood bark, the
remnants of some lately abandoned village. This settlement was not as
near the lake-front as the city now is, but was cautiously laid out
farther back from shore to prevent surprise. Here the young braves found
a favorite hunting-ground, and were wont to conceal themselves near the
salt springs that bubble up from the border of the creek, to await the
buffaloes, which came there in herds. There has been some dispute as to
the naming of the city, and the possibility of the American bison having
frequented this part of the country, but it is generally believed that
herds of these herbivorous animals did graze on Eastern soil, and that
the attacks of carnivorous beasts and the constant warfare waged against
them by the Indians drove them to the Western plains.
Nearly two centuries ago, when the site of the present city was still a
wilderness through whose tangled labyrinths Indian eyes peered out over
the gleaming waters of the lake, La Hontan penetrated these western
wilds, and suggested to his sovereign the building of a fort here, as a
safeguard against the Iroquois.
We see almost instinctively the scenes which he saw as we follow him
through lake and stream--the great falls sparkling beneath an August
sun, their wild surroundings unmarred and untrodden save by moccasined
feet; the rapids and then the river, to whose current, farther up, he
trusted his boat. But it was not until long after this that the sound
of the woodman's axe was heard in the forests at the foot of Lake Erie,
when the pioneer had come to make his home, and to lay the foundation of
a future city.
One after another crude cabins were raised, and in turn were replaced by
more comfortable houses, so that in 1813 the settlement was large enough
to make quite a bonfire for the British and their dusky allies. The
events which took place at Buffalo, connected with this war, were
singularly exciting; and, although there were brave hearts and stout
arms ready to defend their country, we cannot but regret the peculiar
circumstances which led to the general havoc here.
Historians have gleaned such glowing descriptions from those who were
either witnesses or participants in these stirring scenes, that we
cannot fail to be moved by them.
The night surprise, in the woods, near Black Rock, when the American
troops were suddenly greeted by ambushed Britons: the rout which
followed when the terrified horsemen dashed back in retreat through the
ranks of the infantry, demoralizing them in turn, is so vividly drawn
that it has the reality of later times. Afterwards when the alarmed
people heard the cry that the British were coming, and we see them in
confused masses trying to escape with their household goods, we
sympathize with their terror as they saw in the distance the dreaded
Indian jogging towards them with club and hatchet.
It was then that Job Hoysington, who was with one of the retreating
parties, lingered behind his companions, saying that he would have "one
more shot at the Red Skins." He evidently did have the coveted chance,
and so did the enemy, for when the snow melted in the spring the brave
fellow was found with his empty musket at his side, and a bullet through
his brain. The work of vengeance had been completed with the
scalping-knife. At the corner of Main and Niagara streets an old
twelve-pounder stood. As the imposing column of British infantry were
advancing upon the town, a patriotic citizen had the gun mounted and two
shots fired into the ranks. He afterwards met the enemy with a flag of
truce--a handkerchief tied to his cane--and requested a halt.
This was granted, and a parley begun, while the townspeople were
escaping.
The firing of the houses and the plundering of them by the Indians
followed. Buffalo rose, however, from her ashes full of new life and
ambition, and much improved in appearance. Her firesides were again the
scene of happy security, and her women, lately fugitives, fleeing in
terror from fire and sword, were again the social inspirations of a
thriving community. More than this, they were contributing to the
enterprises of the city, for in 1821 between three and four thousand
yards of cloth were woven in the homes of Buffalo!
The Erie Canal being completed in 1822, and commerce beginning in
earnest, no doubt took away from the importance of the spinning-wheel
and loom, for these busy little machines of the past have been stored
away in the garrets long enough to make them well-seasoned relics.
Housewifely attention at this time had to be turned to the management of
larger establishments, for Buffalo had far outgrown her infancy, and
was assuming certain new conceits in architecture, although she has
never equalled the splendor of other large cities in her public
buildings. The new City and County Hall approaches more nearly to the
modern idea, and is very attractive within and without. It is built of
Maine granite in the form of a double Roman cross, and is surmounted by
a lofty tower bearing four symbolic figures. With the increase of canal
and railroad traffic, the building of the immense grain elevators, which
are a striking feature of Buffalo, was commenced.
Their number and size have been increased to such an extent that they
almost make a town in themselves and are capable of accommodating eight
million bushels of grain. The incessant work of storing and transferring
is carried on about these wooden giants day after day, sometimes to the
extent of more than three million bushels, while, at their feet, boats
come and go in the great commercial game of "give and take." There is
every facility for carrying on a trade of this kind, for Buffalo River
is navigable for more than two miles from its mouth, which is protected
by breakwaters which form an excellent harbor, while there is a
water-front on the lake and the Niagara River five miles long. In 1869,
the United States Government began the construction of an outside
harbor, by building a breakwater 4000 feet long fronting the entrance of
the Buffalo River.
Overlooking Buffalo River stand the office buildings whence come the
calculating and controlling influences that keep in "clock work" order
this mart where grain is "received, transferred, stored and forwarded
with greater dispatch than in any other port of the country." Beyond
these, in the heart of the city, are the retail and wholesale stores,
where not only Buffalo finds her wants supplied, but numberless sister
towns; and owing to her close proximity to the great coal region of
Pennsylvania, she has very cheap fuel, which, no doubt, is a convenient
item when a "cold wave" comes across the lake. Her iron works, reputed
to be the largest in the country, add to her general good fortune by
putting within easy access the necessary stoves.
Besides all this material comfort, the climate is extremely healthful,
and the location of the city such as to make clean, wide streets a
possibility.
There are several of these lined with handsome residences, and adorned
with parks, which are wisely thought to be an indispensable luxury.
In the midst of the business hurry there are several quiet corners where
one may quench his thirst for knowledge, and where master-thinkers lend
their potent influence. One of these is the Grosvenor Library, the
munificent gift of one of Buffalo's pioneers. It is admirably arranged
for convenience and comfort, and has a pleasant outlook over a little
park between Washington and Main streets. The Library of the Young Men's
Association, although containing nearly twice as many volumes as the
Grosvenor, is not so largely frequented, but is, nevertheless, a great
resort for readers. There are also a number of smaller libraries, where
eager minds may have their fill of books.
Here and there about the city one finds the familiar evidences of
Christian thought and work in the beautiful tower-capped churches, each
with its own varied attractions. St. Paul's Cathedral--Episcopalian--a
handsome structure of brownstone, ivy-grown and picturesque, from whose
walls in summer comes the sound of birds, lies almost centrally among a
hundred others, and not far away is the Roman Catholic house of worship,
the dignified bit of Gothic architecture which they have named St.
Joseph's.
One of my favorite haunts here is the quiet, carpetless "Historical
Rooms," from whose walls the Indian warriors who helped make Buffalo's
history look down in unchanging stolidity. Not least among these is Red
Jacket, who forms such a striking figure in the city's traditions. An
amusing incident which his picture recalls is that of Lafayette on his
return from his Western tour in 1824. Among the preparations that were
being made for his reception was the guarding, by an especial committee,
of their "aboriginal lion," who was a trifle too fond of his "firewater"
and who was to be the leading orator of the day. When the appointed time
arrived, so the story goes, the sachem was led upon the platform in all
his conscious dignity. A long conversation between him and the great
Frenchman followed, through an interpreter, whom Red Jacket employed
upon formal occasions; in the course of which the Indian complimented
the General upon his youthful appearance. "Time has left you a fresh
countenance, and hair to cover your head," said he, "while as for
me--see!" and he took off the scarf that was wound about his own bald
crown. This provoked a laugh among the spectators who knew that
Lafayette wore a wig. When Red Jacket was made aware of the fact, he
added with ready wit that he too might supply himself with a new head
of hair by the aid of a scalping-knife!
Everything upon the walls and in the cases has been donated by private
individuals, as the society has not yet been able to make valuable
purchases, but there is enough already to make this treasure-house of
the past interesting. Relics from pioneer times figure largely; among
the rest, arrow-heads and tomahawks, pipes and belts of wampum, adding
to the odd collection, and suggesting all manner of horrors to those who
delight in Indian history.
"Forest Lawn," the place which Buffalo has selected for her dead, is a
most lovely spot, the loveliest of its kind between Brooklyn's Greenwood
and Chicago. Everything that art could do in the arrangement of shrub
and flower has been added, and stands as a tribute to those who are
"lying low" and as a witness to the faithful thought of the living. It
is only one of the beautiful tokens of devotion which one sees, from the
simple epitaph in a country graveyard in the East to the solitary
resting-place, high in some tree-top of the West, where our Red Brother
"sleeps his last sleep."
Adjoining the Cemetery are a few acres of woodland that have been set
aside for a kind of park. On warm summer days those seeking rest and
pleasure, come to pay their respects to Dame Nature, who makes herself
very attractive here. But this is only one, and a comparatively small
one, of the various resorts where tired humanity may drop its burden,
and roam at will. So Buffalo has her grave and her gay side, and her
business side, which is neither grave nor gay, making their different
impressions on the traveller's eye, and combining, as a whole, in a
very pleasing effect. She has made and will make some very striking
changes, as all cities of consequence do; but changes worthy of the
"Queen City of the Lakes," who, although she may have to relinquish her
title to some outstripping sister, may always hold her head high with
conscious importance. She is still the third city in the State of New
York in point of population.