[177] For the authorities mentioned in this paragraph, consult J. Long's Voyages, in our volume ii, p. 28, note 3, and p. 41, note 10; also Nuttall's Journal, our volume xiii, p. 116, note 81. The Tuscarora, not the Mohawk, was the tribe migrating from the South. Concerning this migration, see our volume ii, p. 44, note 12.—Ed.
[178] For the history of Black Rock, see Buttrick's Voyages, in our volume viii, p. 46, note 9.
Tonawanda Creek rises in Wyoming County, New York, flows north through Genesee, and, turning west, forms the boundary between Niagara and Erie counties, entering Niagara River opposite Grand Island. The name in the Seneca language means "rapids," or "riffles." The site of the town of Tonawanda was first settled in 1808; three years later, a block-house was built, in anticipation of an Indian attack, nevertheless, during the War of 1812-15, the hamlet was burned, and little was done to rebuild the place until 1823, when, upon prospect of the near approach of the Erie Canal, the town was platted. The village growth was slow, however, and the place was not incorporated until 1854. It had in 1900 a population of 7,421, and was a manufacturing village of some importance.—Ed.
[179] Grand Island, with a cultivable area of 17,381 acres, was in dispute between the United States and Canada until the boundary commission of 1819 decided that the main current of Niagara River lay west of the island. Previously, however (1815), New York had made the purchase from the Seneca, referred to by Maximilian; the price aggregated about $11,000. In 1819 squatters were driven off by order of the state, and in 1824 the island was surveyed and opened for purchase. A contemplated Jewish settlement, to be called Ararat, came to nought. The island was erected into a separate township of Erie County in 1852.
For a brief notice of the battle of Chippewa, see Evans's Tour, in our volume viii, p. 175, note 33.—Ed.
[180] The first permanent settler on the American side of the falls was Stedman, one of a company of traders whom Sir William Johnson permitted (about 1760) to build a log cabin at the place. This was maintained, chiefly for the portage business, until 1795, when Stedman removed to the Canadian side; after the British evacuation (1796), the land lay unoccupied until 1805, when it was offered for sale, one of the first purchasers being Augustus Porter, a prominent citizen of Niagara village. He removed his family to this place in 1806, and built a mill and blacksmith's shop, obtaining also the portage lease for several years. After the destruction by the British (1813), settlement began again; the village was incorporated in 1847, and in 1892 the city of Niagara Falls, which now has a population of about 20,000.—Ed.
[181] For the American travels of Count Chassebœuf de Volney, consult Flint's Letters, in our volume ix, p. 237, note 121.
François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucault-Liancourt (1747-1827), travelled in America during his exile, which was occasioned by the French Revolution, in whose early stages he had taken a prominent part. He was a friend to republican institutions, and his Travels are replete with just and favorable accounts of American life and customs. His work appeared first in French, in 1798; the English edition was entitled, Travels through the United States, the Country of the Iroquois, and Upper Canada in 1795-97 (London, 1799).
Isaac Weld was an Irishman (1774-1856) whose American travels were undertaken in order to induce the immigration of his people to the United States. His excellent and accurate work, Travels through the States of North America, and the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada (1795-97), (London, 1799), was much quoted and ran through several editions, including a translation into French.—Ed.
[182] For other descriptions of Niagara Falls included in our series, see Evans's Tour, volume viii, pp. 174-179; Flint's Letters, volume ix, pp. 315-321; and Bullock's Sketch, volume xix, pp. 142-149.—Ed.