LibGuides: History Unbound: Westward Expansion

1825, A Pivotal Year on the Niagara Frontier

1825, A Pivotal Year on the Niagara Frontier
This collection features seven images covering 1825, a pivotal year on the Niagara Frontier. This year saw a visit from General Lafayette to the Buffalo area; Major Mordecai Manuel Noah purchasing land on Grand Island, N.Y., to create a city, Ararat (Arrarat), for "Jews of all nations"; the trial of the three Thayer Brothers for the murder of John Love; and a view of Buffalo from that time.
Collection owner: Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Inclined Plane. Ithaca-Owego Railroad 1834

Inclined Plane. Ithaca-Owego Railroad 1834
This autumnal view of Ithaca's South Hill portrays the inclined plane on which railroad cars were drawn by horses up the hill, then to Owego and back. The climb was made in two stages; the lower plane measured 1,733 feet in length, and the upper plane was 2,225 feet long. The second, steeper, section was ascended using power from a windlass as well as horsepower. Via this method, Ithaca's gypsum and salt were transported to Owego and beyond to the Atlantic coast. The Ithaca-Owego Railroad, that ran this feat of engineering, was bankrupt by 1842. Norris sought to give the steep scene a sense of distance and depth by treating the foreground in a steady, exacting manner, while the upper reaches of the incline plan are painted in a looser wash.

Collections & Sets on Westward Expansion in NY

The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
Including The Central New York Farmer and Rural Architecture.

4.6 Westward Movement and Industrialization: b. In orderExisting tos expanded and new towns grew along the canal. New York City became the busiest port in the country. to connect the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, the Erie Canal was built.

Flood gate located south of Mud Lock. Liverpool Public Library Collection; Schuelke Collection

Upstate Transportation

This digital image may be used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. Please cite as: Covered Bridges of New York State Collection, Oxford Memorial Library. Prior written permission is required for any other use of the images from the Oxford Memorial Library.

Covered Bridges - Oxford Memorial Library collection

Persuasive Maps

The PJ Mode Collection
This is a collection of “persuasive” cartography: more than 800 maps intended primarily to influence opinions or beliefs - to send a message - rather than to communicate geographic information. The collection reflects a variety of persuasive tools , including allegorical, satirical and pictorial mapping; selective inclusion; unusual use of projections, color, graphics and text; and intentional deception. Maps in the collection address a wide range of messages: religious, political, military, commercial, moral and social.