GCTCG2 Buffalo's Grain Elevators (Traditional Cache) in New York, United States created by Phoenix Dreamers

This cache has been archived.

JMiel: Under the circumstances, we feel this cache should be archived. Please say a prayer for Kowat Rual and his family.

GCTCG2 ▼

A cache by Phoenix Dreamers Message this owner

Hidden : 2/9/2006

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Cache is located in a little fisherman's park. If there are muggles around, please try again later. This cache was replaced on 6/26/08 after the first went missing.

THE HISTORY Before there were cars...
Before there were asphalt streets...
Before the railroads reached to all parts, the Grain Elevators along Buffalo's waterfront were built.

With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, the population of Buffalo surged and the city was began in 1832. Buffalo became a major transfer point for the grain shipping industry, with the huge grain boats loading their cargo from the midwest and then bringing it to Buffalo. Here it was unloaded onto smaller canal boats for it's trip through the Erie Canal to it's final destination along the east coast of the United States, or stored in the elevators over the winter.

Within a few years, several businesses had sprung up to process the grain right here. The first grain elevator, built by Joseph Dart in 1842, was made of wood. It looked very much like the concrete and steel elevators that are still standing. He called his building a "grain elevator" because that's what it did. The ships would arrive at the elevator and a conveyor belt with buckets attached and powered by steam would lift (elevate) the grain out of the ship's cargo hold and empty it into the elevator from the top. The grain could be stored in the elevator, kept clean and cool and protected from vermin and insects until it was time to continue it's journey. The smaller canal boats would then dock alongside the grain elevators, or as the design evolved, underneath the elevators, and small doors at the bottom would then allow the grain to empty into the canal boat's cargo hold. The whole process, which used to take up to a week, could now be completed in less than one day.

Manual labor was still needed to get the last of the grain out of the ship's hold, and these laborers were called Scoopers. In the height of the grain shipping industry, more than 500 men earned their living as Scoopers. The expansion of the railroad tracks dealt the first blow to Buffalo's grain industry, when the trains could move the grain faster, and through all kinds of weather. And in 1932 the opening of the Welland Canal sealed it's fate. Wider and deeper than the Erie Canal, it could accommodate the full sized grain boats, bypassing Buffalo completely for shipments to Oswego, NY and eastern Canada.

Today, most of the grain elevators are abandoned, standing in silent testimony to days gone by.

For a real nice map of Buffalo's Grain Elevators, (visit link)
For further information on the grain elevators,(visit link)

We've located our cache in a little fisherman's park on the Buffalo River. It's a quick dash and cache, and from the cache site you can still see several of the grain elevators. There are benches, and on a warm summer evening, it's a nice place to just sit for awhile and watch the boats go by. Cache container is a very small lock 'n lock, only small trade items will fit, and stealth will be required. Dogs are OK, but watch for broken glass and keep small children away from the water's edge. Thanks for stopping by. Peace.

FTF: Congratulations to OutdoorKPN. Cache On!!!!

This is also a great starting point to launch your canoe for "Buffalo's Fantastic Urban Canoe Trail" (GC16A9) by Madmann (visit link)

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