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210 CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY.
Pittsburgh. Their plan was to build a dam across the outlet of the lake and descend the river
upon the flood so created. The party finally returned without attempting the project.
The first settlement in the co. was made at the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek in 1797, by Amos
Sottle.1 Soon after making the first improvements, Sottle left, and returned in 1801, with Mr.
Sidney and Capt. Rosecrantz. At the time of the first exploration of the co. the only Indian
settlement was on Connewango Creek, within the limits of the present town of Carroll. . In 1802,
Gen. Paige, agent for the State of Connecticut, opened a wagon road from Buffalo to Chautauqua
Creek, to enable • emigrants to reach the Conn. Reserve lands in Ohio. This road was soon after
finished to the Penn. line. In 1804 the town ‘of Chautauqua was formed, and embraced the
entire territory now included within the limits of the co. In April of the succeeding year the
first town meeting was held, at which John McMahan was-elected supervisor, and John Mc¬
Mahan, David Eason, and Perry C. Ellsworth were appointed the first justices of the peace.2
In 1806 the first mail route was established between Buffalo and Erie, Penn.3 The lands in the
co. were included in the Holland Purchase. A tract of 60,000 acres in the s. e. part was sold to
Levi Beardsley, James O. Morse, and Alvan Stewart. In 1835 the Holland Land Company sold
their outstanding contracts and unsold lands to Trumbull Cary & Co., of Batavia; and the new
proprietors imposed such conditions upon the extension of contracts that the settlers rose en
tnasse and demolished the land office at Mayville and burned the records in the public high¬
way.1 In 1838 the interests of the co. were transferred to Duer, Morrison & Seward, and the
troubles were satisfactorily settled. , ‘
ARKWRIGHT—was formed from Pomfret and Yillenova, April 30,1829. A part of Pom-
fret was annexed in 1830. It is an interior town, lying n. e. of the center of the co. Its surfao)
is an elevated upland, broken and hilly in the s. w„ and rolling in the n. e. The highest summit- -
near the center, said to be the highest land in the co.—is 1,000 to 1,200 ft. above Lake Erie. The
principal, streams are Canadaway and Walnut Creeks. Mud Lake, on tbe e. border, covers about
10 acres. The soil is a clay and gravelly loam. Upon Canadaway Creek, in the s. w. part, is a fine
cascade with 22 ft. perpendicular fall. Arkwright Summit is a p. o. in the e. part of the
town. Arkwriglit (p.o.) is a hamlet in then. part. The first settlement was made in the
n. w. corner, byAbyramT. Orton, Benj. Perry, and Augustus Burnham, from the eastern part of
the State, in 1807.5 The first religious meeting was held at the house of Aaron Wilcox, in 1810,
by Rev. John Spencer. The first church (Bap.) was organized by Elder Thos. Grennel, in 1820.®
BUSTS7—was formed from Ellicott and Harmony, April 16, 1823. A part was annexed to
Ellicott in 1845. It lies upon the s. border of the co., e. of the center. Its surface is hilly and
broken. It is drained by several small streams flowing into Chautauqua Lake,which lies along the
n. border, and by others flowing e. into Connewango Creek. The soil is a clay and gravelly loam.
Busti Corners (Busti p. o.) contains a church, gristmill, and sawmill. Pop. 201. The first
settlement was made on Lot 61, in 1810, by John L. Frank, from Herkimer co.8 The first church
(Cong.) was formed Aug. 30, 1819; Rev. Lemuel Smith was the first minister.9
5 Aaron Wilcox settled m 1809, Nathan Eaton m i oru, unau
L. Johnson, Jonathan and Benj. Sprague, from Otsego Co., near
the center, in 1811, and Sijpeon Clinton, from Otsego co., at the
center, in 1813. The first child born was Horatio Nelson John¬
son, May 11,1811; the first marriage, that of Asahel Burnham and
Lnania Eaton, May 11,1815; and the first death, that of Augustus
Burnham, in 1813. The first school was taught by Lucy Dewey,
near the center in tbe summer of 1813. Simeon Clinton kept
the first inn, in 1817; and Benj. Orton built tbe first sawmill, in
1818, on the e. branch of Cauadaway Creek.
6 The census reports 3 churches; 2 M. E. and Christian.
7 Named from Paul Busti, of the Holland Land Company.
3 Lawrence Frank settled on Lot 62 in 1810, Heman Bush and
John Frank, from Herkimer bo., and Theron Plumb, from Mass.,
on Lot 60, in 1811. The first marriage was that of Zebriek
Root and Polly Parmiter, in 1813; and the first death, that of
Lawrence Frank, in 1811. Eve Frank, a young lady, was carried
off by the Indians in 1811, and was gone 3 years, when she re¬
turned home and was married. Soon after, her husband was
taken by the Indians and detained about the same length of
time. These incidents are noted upon a tombstone in the grave¬
yard at Busti. The first school was taught by Olive Mai ph. on
Lot 61, in 1813. Capt. Heman Bush kept the first inn and store,
and erected tbe first mill, on Stillwater Creek, in 1815.
9 The census reports 5 churches; Cong., Bap., M. E., Univ.,
and Christian.
1
Elial T. Eoote, (now of New Haven. Conn.,) for 20 years
First Judge Of Chautauqua CO., says that the first settlement in
the co. -was made in 1794, by several persons from Erie, Penn.;
and among them were the brothers Lowry. These persons had
been induced to locate in Penn, by fraudulent representations,
and were afterward obliged to leave their improvements and
commence anew in the wilderness. They settled within the
limits of Chautauqua co.; but the precise place is unknown.
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