Oramel is a hamlet in the township of Caneadea, Allegany County, New York, United States. It was previously an official village, but after the community underwent significant economic change, this status was abandoned.
In 1812, the earliest non-native settlers arrived in the area, but it was not until 1856 that Oramel was officially founded as a village. Businessman Oramel Griffin had purchased a sizeable portion of land for the formation of the new community, and the village was named after him.
The Genesee Valley Canal was a major factor in the growth of Oramel. Construction of the canal was an arduous process that took many years. The canal reached the Oramel area in 1851, facilitating the growth of a booming economy. A variety of businesses including mercantile stores, hotels, taverns, and even a newspaper sprung up. The area had bountiful timber, and with eleven sawmills, it became Oramel's biggest export. Oramel was dubbed the "Syracuse of Western New York" and was thought to hold a promising future. After the canal reached Olean however, Oramel's importance and prosperity began to decline. The canal overall was very unprofitable for New York State, and was put out of commission in 1878, further contributing to Oramel's decline.
Oramel continued to dwindle. In 1906, most of its timber was gone, and the last sawmill closed. In 1925, its official village status was abandoned (though it is still today considered a "hamlet", a somewhat informal term). In 1937 a devastating fire destroyed many of the buildings in the already humble community. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Oramel is located in the southern portion of the township of Caneadea.
Oramel Fire Department
Oakes Oramel Inn - a small motel
Oakes Automotive - a used car dealership
Genesee River - a river that flows northward to Lake Ontario
Genesee Valley Greenway - a recreational pathway that generally follows the old canal towpath
Allegany County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,456. Its county seat is Belmont. Its name derives from a Lenape word, applied by European-American settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River; they also named the county after this. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.
Belfast is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The town is in what is called the Southern Tier of the state. Its population was 1,656 at the 2020 census. It was named in 1825 after the city of Belfast, Ireland, because it had numerous residents of Scots-Irish ancestry from that area.
Caneadea is a township in Allegany County, New York, United States. It includes the hamlets Caneadea, Houghton, and Oramel.
IschuaISH-way is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 736 at the 2020 census. Ischua is also the name of a hamlet in the town. The town is on the eastern border of the county, north of Olean.
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New York State Route 98 (NY 98) is a state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 219 (US 219) in the town of Great Valley in Cattaraugus County. The northern end is at an interchange with the Lake Ontario State Parkway in the town of Carlton in Orleans County, near the southern shore of Lake Ontario. In between, NY 98 serves the city of Batavia, connects to the New York State Thruway, and passes by the Attica Correctional Facility. Most of the route passes through rural, undeveloped areas; however, in southern Genesee County, it traverses more urbanized areas that lie in and around Batavia.
New York State Route 19 (NY 19) is a north–south state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is the longest state highway in that region, and the only other one besides NY 14 to completely transect the state from the Pennsylvania state line to the shore of Lake Ontario. It continues south into Pennsylvania as Pennsylvania Route 449 (PA 449) and ends at an intersection with the Lake Ontario State Parkway just south of the lakeshore in Hamlin. NY 19 does not serve any major cities or metropolitan areas and remains a two-lane rural road for almost its entire length. However, it follows the Genesee River for much of its lower length, and offers easy access to the gorges of Letchworth State Park midway along its route.
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The Ottawa River timber trade, also known as the Ottawa Valley timber trade or Ottawa River lumber trade, was the nineteenth century production of wood products by Canada on areas of the Ottawa River and the regions of the Ottawa Valley and western Quebec, destined for British and American markets. It was the major industry of the historical colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada and it created an entrepreneur known as a lumber baron. The trade in squared timber and later sawed lumber led to population growth and prosperity to communities in the Ottawa Valley, especially the city of Bytown. The product was chiefly red and white pine.The Ottawa River being conveniently located with access via the St. Lawrence River, was a valuable region due to its great pine forests surpassing any others nearby. The industry lasted until around 1900 as both markets and supplies decreased, it was then reoriented to the production of wood pulp which continued until the late 1990s and early 2000s.