New York State Office of the Division Engineer Historical Abstracts Concerning Lands of Western Division, Erie Canal

These typewritten documents are stated to be copies from an "old manuscript record book on file in Office of Division Engineer of the Western Division, (Erie Canal)," made in February 1919.

The documents consist of transcripts or abstracts of deeds, printed legislative documents, petitions to the Canal Board, resolution of the Board, statutes, etc. There are also blueprint copies of maps. The original documents appear to have been compiled in the 1880s, since there are no documents dated later than that. The identity and exact purpose of the compiler are unknown.

The titles of the nine numbered documents are as follows: Description of Lands belonging to Western Division, Genesee Valley Canal; History of the Tonawanda and Oak Orchard Creek Feeder, and Tonawanda Swamps; Memoranda, Oak Orchard Creek Feeder; History of the Clark and Skinner Canal in the city of Buffalo; History of the Erie Basin, Buffalo; Report of the Canal Commissioners, relative to the construction of the wharves, docks and piers in Erie Basin, on the Erie Canal in the City of Buffalo, 1860 (Senate Doc. no. 15); History of the Main and Hamburgh Street Canal in the City of Buffalo; History of the Ohio Basin, in the City of Buffalo; and History of the Ohio Canal or slip in the City of Buffalo.

The four maps in the series are all blueprint copies (one of which is annotated in ink) of parts of larger maps. They carry no title or preparer information, and the origin of the base maps is not known. The maps show lands adjacent to canals appropriated for canal use, with property owners' names and acreage or lot numbers. Lands along the Genesee Valley Canal and the Main and Hamburg Street Canal in Buffalo are represented. Sizes range from 31 x 17 cm to 28 x 85 cm.

B0211Series B0211, History of the Main and Hamburgh Street Canal in the City of Buffalo, contains information incorporated in the typescript found in this series.

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