Archive - WNY Heritage

"Queen of the Clouds:" Olean's "Adopted in Death" Balloon-Jumping Daughter

A tragic accident leads to an outpouring of kindness for a stranger in a Southern Tier city.

Typhoid in Western New York, 1843: Going Beyond the Roadside Marker

One of Western New York's ubiquitous historical markers provide the impetus for a unique student investigation.

Endnotes: Old Probabilities and the Beginnings of the National Weather Service

The tragic blizzard of 2022 provides an opportunity to recall the early days of weather forecasting.

Looking for Love: A Utopian Legacy Turned Toxic

The 1893 Model City prospectus described a “green city” powered by clean energy and centered around nature and beauty.

Death by Fire and Water: The Steamship Erie Disaster

The Erie Canal opened the West-- but getting there could be a deadly gamble, as this 1841 tragedy demonstrated.

Eighty Years From Infamy: A Western New Yorker Remembers Pearl Harbor

Though living in Western New York since 1956, Alberta Deinhart still vividly remembers that Sunday morning in December 1941.

Mister Buffalo River— The Environmental Advocacy of Stan Spisiak

We examine the environmental efforts of this unassuming Buffalo jeweler to reclaim the waterfront of the city he loved.

Endnotes: Snowstorms – Past and Present

Buffalo and Western New York are known for wintry weather and the recent lake effect event the area witnessed in November was only the latest addition to the region’s snowy heritage.

Western New York Heritage

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