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Written by: Ronald Taylor

Parent Category: Culture

Category: Transportation

Transportation in Allegany County

Stagecoaches Roadways Railroads  Waterways

Until the arrival in 1795/6 of Nathaniel Dike (Dyke) as the first white settler in Allegany County the only transportation was the paths made by Native Americans through the forests.  The Genesee River was widely used by the Indians prior to this time, but, was not a stable enough waterway to connect long distance transportation because of the falls in several locations.

By the early days of the 1800s man had started roadways through the forests connecting Allegany County to the East via the Turnpike road and westward to (now) Olean by extending the Turnpike.  Much of today's I-86 travels across the county parallel to the original route.

We will find many railroads criss-crossed the county both north & south and east and west.  During the 1800s the Genesee Canal connected Olean at the west to the north through Cuba and across Allegany County and then replaced on it's right-of-way by a railroad.

On the pages of the Transportation section you can choose to learn about Stagecoaches, Roadways, Railroads and Waterways....the means of transportation through the years in Allegany County NY.