Paul's Dictionary of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda and Vicinity, transcribed excerpts (1896).pdf

Tonawanda, the second-greatest lumber market in the world, lies midway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and it has a happy conceit that it will one day annex Buffalo. Be this as it may, it is a remarkable little city, and either way the annexation results, it will add to the extent of Greater Buffalo. From the city line of Buffalo to the city line of Tonawanda is but a space of three miles, so it is plain to be seen that with such a small barrier between two progressive, rapidly growing cities, the time is close at hand when both will virtually be one, even though they maintain distinct municipal governments. Tonawanda, as it is known to outsiders, comprises Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, but between the residents of the two places, there is a friendly rivalry. North Tonawanda considers itself the most prosperous city in the State of New York and sets forth several reasons of high statistical qualities to that end.

Glancing at a comparison in the different periods from 1880 to 1893 inclusive, we find an increase in population of over 720 percent. In 1880 the population was 1,400; in 1892, over 8,000, and in 1893, over 11,000. For the past three years, those who claim to know give the opinion that the increase has been fully as great, if not greater. Besides the increase in population, Tonawanda has added many thousands of dollars in improvements that make a city, and with each new improvement came an increase in population and added industries. Tonawanda has a great harbor and immense dock facilities, or it could not take care of lumber to 422,623,000 feet, as was the case in 1894. But this is not the limit of her capacity. She can handle and store greater amounts than that and ship to the various points expeditiously, and at the same rail or water rate as Buffalo. The harbor can float anything that passes over the lakes, and that, no doubt, has been the principal reason for making it so great a lumber city.

Tonawanda has many fine brick and stone buildings. She has churches, schools, banks, and office buildings, all built on the modern plan. She has an electric light plant and four electric car lines. One leads to the Falls and the others connect with Buffalo. It will take but a few years to come to a time when, if a man should get lost in the suburbs of either Buffalo or Tonawanda, and not knowing his landmarks, he would find it impossible to tell which city he is in. Tonawanda has one of the greatest iron industries in this part of the State—a furnace for the production of the best pig iron to be found in the United States. This furnace has a capacity of 200 gross tons per day. The product, which is a high grade of strong foundry iron, is shipped all over the world. This industry has a capital of $500,000.

Here is located an extensive plant for the manufacture of a machine familiar to thousands of children and called a merry-go-round. At these works are manufactured canal boat supplies, a patent steering wheel, agricultural implements, feed cutters, and iron rollers. Another branch of this industry is a syphon condensing engine for the saving of fuel. A wonderful machine, which will doubtless increase the fame of Tonawanda, is a refrigerating and calorific apparatus for attachment to freight cars. This machine produces cold or heat at the will of the operator and is the result of forty years' study and experiment.