The Lumber City

The Lumber City. . , The constant flow of ships and materials in and out of the area created business and employment opportunities for men and boys. A visitor to the area reported that "nine out of every twelve men one meets depends directly and immediately upon the lumber trade for his livelihood!", With miles of open shoreline caressed by westerly breezes, the Tonawandas were an ideal location for stacking, drying and processing lumber. By 1890 huge piles of lumber dominated six miles of riverfront from Two Mile Creek in Tonawanda to here where you are standing. For decades the area remained the second largest lumber handling center in the world., A multitude of local facilities produced a wide range of products - all the materials builders and manufacturers needed to supply a rapidly growing nation., Living with Lumber , In the late 1800s, Tonawandans literally lived and breathed lumber. It overwhelmed all the senses from the inescapable sight of lumber piles to the pervasive smell and taste of sawdust to the constant humming sound of the saw and planing mills., For a few, lumber meant great wealth. These lumber barons such as Timanus J. Wilson, Alexander G. Kent and William G. Palmer enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in huge mansions like those still found on Goundry Street today., But for the vast majority of Tonawandans, the lumber industry meant hard dangerous work, long tedious hours and very few indulgences., It was reported in jest that Tonawandans feat sawdust for breakfast, lumber for dinner and shingles and lath for supper."