On January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution achieved the necessary three-fourths majority of state ratification. Six months later Prohibition of alcohol production, distribution, storage and consumption all alcoholic beverages began.  The ban was given teeth by the passage, over the veto of then President Woodrow Wilson, of the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919. The Volstead Act provided for the a Federal Prohibition Police Agency within the Treasury Department.  Legitimate and Bootlegger producers of  beer, wine, and distilled spirits were aggressively shut down across the country.

The constitutional amendment that ushered in the era of Prohibition ended 14 years later in 1933.  Over the past 80 years it is obvious beer, wine and distilled spirits are  now  produced in this nation by some of the largest and smallest companies in the world.  Finally after all that time, a distiller has established itself in the City of Buffalo and promises to use locally grown product and water to produce “initially” Rye Whiskey and Vodka.  Prior to prohibition Rye was the undisputed king of American distilled beverages.

Hats off, congratulations and wish for success is extended to Eight Buffalo Spirits LLC  on its receipt, two days ago, of a New York State license to begin production.  Like Flying Bison Brewery, Community Beer Works, and the many local wineries we have another local business that deserves Western New York’s consideration and support.

When you teach local history you teach Buffalo-Niagara Falls history. and its role in the War of 1812, you give mention to Fort Niagara and Fort Schlosser as the guardians of the portage that bypasses the mighty Niagara Falls.  Fort Niagara gets the greatest coverage because it exists and is a tourist attraction.  Fort Schlosser/Fort Petit Niagara) are gone and have been gone for near 200 years.

One month ago I did a piece about my stumbling across an “Old Stone Chimney” which is a surviving remnant of the now gone forts.    This hidden gem led me to this tidbit of information:

Fort Little Niagara: 1750, Niagara County, Niagara Falls.   A small blockhouse and storehouse was first erected in 1745 at a location known   as “Frenchman’s Landing.” In 1751 the upper end of the portage from Fort Niagara  was moved a few hundred yards South and Fort Little Niagara or Fort du Portage   was constructed. Consisted of three good sized blockhouses with palisades between   them and the river. Destroyed when abandoned in 1759 at the approach of the   English. Rebuilt by British as Fort Schlosser in 1760.

Source:  New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center

For a city that is looking for  alternative attractions to the mighty Niagara Falls maybe the  leaders of the City of Niagara Falls should look for a developer and operator of a restored “Fort Petit (Little) Niagara.”  Maybe that operator could be Maid of the Mist Steam Boat Company.   It recently signed a contract with the State of New York to build a facility down in the gorge for its boat trips to the base of the Niagara Falls. Adding a reconstructed 18th century fort with dock above the falls in the upper river could be another tourist attraction and revenue source.

The 6 mile  MetroRail serving the City of Buffalo is called by many detractors as the “train to no-where.”  All you get is a trip from the foot of Main St. along and under it terminating at the City Campus of the State University of New York @ Buffalo.  There is a real love hate relationship with this route.  The users appreciate and flock to it.  I being one.  I have no problem driving to the campus and hopping the train to get downtown for an event.

The detractors who still bash this “train to no-where” are pretty much the same people who were opposed to its construction in the first place.  The next group of detractors represents the younger folk who see a bare-boned 6 mile route and automatically presume the route represents the original intention.  And the last are the people of the suburban communities of Tonawanda and Amherst that opposed and continue to oppose expansion of the route into their neighborhoods.  They represent those among use that drive everywhere.  They will complain about the high cost of gasoline but they will drive 2 miles to a supermarket to save fifty cents on a half-gallon of milk.  Riding urban transit is also below their station in life.

As a result of public opposition, this area does not have an integrated people mover system that can transport people to and from the massive 25,000 student Amherst Campus of SUNY or the City of Lockport.  Nor, can you ride the LaSalle Corridor into the Tonawandas and quite possibly the tourist meccas of Niagara Falls.

Forward thinking cities have taken a completely different approach and prosper as a result.  The original City of Portland, Oregon rail system has been expanded into a 52 mile  city/suburban operation with plans to expand 3 more miles across the Columbia River into the State of Washington.  Salt Lake City completed a rapid transit route only in 1999.  It was a 10 mile route from Salt Lake City to the suburb of Sandy.   Over the past 13 years that single line has been transformed into a Blue, Red, and Green Line system as a result of  West Valley – Jordan Extension, Salt Lake City International Airport Extension, and Draper Extension.  Several other expansions are under consideration.

At this moment Atlanta, Baltimore, Austin, Hamilton (Ontario Canada), Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Edmonton (Alberta Canada), Virginia-Beach/Hampton Roads, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Monterrey Bay, Ottawa (Ontario Canada), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Francisco, San José, Seattle, Toronto (Ontario Canada), Waterloo (Ontario Canada), York (Ontario Canada) all have rapid transit route extensions in the works.

What is Buffalo, NY doing?  Today the train station at the Theater District is being removed to make way for the cars of suburbanites who don’t want rapid transit in their communities, don’t want to ride rapid transit downtown and are adamant the only way they will patronize anything in the city is if they can drive there to park or avoid having to walk a bit by being dropped off directly in front of their venue.

Finally, to prevent expansion into the southern suburbs, a 1000 car parking ramp will be located right at the Buffalo River terminus of the rail route in the heart of the Historic Erie Canal Harbor  District so workers can hop the train to their jobs in the medical campus located 2,000 feet from the Theater District at the Allen-Hospital Station.

Compared to the rest of the nation we don’t get it.  We want others to think we are this major league city while continuing to refuse development of major league infrastructure.  In the end, I don’t think that attitude will serve us well.

The best way to get started is to set the groundwork, namely what is Outdoor Recreation?  Outdoor Recreation obviously encompasses activities taking place outdoors.  It includes,  dirt bikes, quads, snow mobiles, horseback riding, bicycling, bird watching, camping, nature walks, hiking, caving, mountain climbing, camping, canoeing, fresh and saltwater fishing, surfing, para-sailing, boating, sailing, underwater diving, hunting, jet boating, kayaking, skiing, rock climbing, running, rock climbing, etc.  If you choose you could probably even toss in organized team sporting events because groups do travel to partake in tournaments.

All too often people don’t think of these things as opportunities to capitalize on when developing local tourist infrastructure on the Niagara Frontier.  Tourism is more than just seeing things and having a person tell you what you are looking at or just marvel at the  sight of the Niagara Falls and its river gorge.

There are people who travel to DO.  They want to DO things.  We offer things to do and plenty of people around the nation and on a bigger scale the world don’t know what you can DO here.  There are gorge trails to hike on the Niagara and Genesee Rivers.  There are ski resorts in the Boston and Allegheny foothills and Finger Lakes uplands.  There is spectacular fresh water fishing on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Chautauqua Lake, the Niagara, Genesee  Rivers and their tributaries.  If you wish you can row the 400 mile length of the Erie Canal.

Outdoor Recreation is a big jobs and revenue producer.  New York State is one of the nation’s leaders in Outdoor Recreation opportunities for enjoyment and business.  It really would behoove you to give the area a look.

Data Source: Outdoor Industry Association.

Received this as part of an email from Erie Canalway.  It is worth sharing.  Please circulate in support of this national treasure that saw construction begin on July 4,1817 and  its opening for business on October 26, 1825.   The Erie Canal is worth World Heritage status.

Take the Road Less Traveled…
and discover that it makes all the difference! 

Get inspired to explore the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2013! Watch our new video slideshow, and then plan your trip using our online maps and information about things to see and do here!

Watch video >

Plan Your Visit:    www.eriecanalway.org/explore.htm >

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, P.O. Box 219, Waterford, New York 12188
(518) 237-7000

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, established in 2000 by an Act of Congress, spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York. It includes the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments. The Corridor encompasses 4,834 square miles in 23 counties and is home to 2.7 million people.