The Buffalo Basketball Bisons and Leo Ferris: A Team and a Leader that Changed the Game
By Greg D. Tranter
In the age of smart phones and Google Maps, it isn’t hard to get a bird’s eye view of our local communities. However, accessing aerial images over the last hundred years is more of a challenge. So for this installment of the Old Photo Album, join us on an aerial tour of all eight counties of Western New York.
This aerial view of Buffalo’s west side shows Niagara Street where it meets Front Avenue (now Busti Avenue), as well as the Erie Canal, the Old City Waterworks and Terminal B of the Buffalo General Electric Company. Note the streetcars on Niagara Street.
Credit: Western New York Heritage Collection
This image shows the intersection of North Main Street and Commercial Street in the village of Angola in Erie County. While the west side the street remains largely intact, the east side has had many fires, which took much of the buildings.
Credit: Private Collection
Another shot of the Twin Cities, this time overlooking the downtown area of North Tonawanda where Tonawanda’s Main Street meets Webster Street at the bridge.
Credit: Historical Society of the Tonawandas
Looking north at the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1924 with the Niagara River at the bottom of the image.
Credit: Washburn & Ronne’s “Buffalo & Niagara Frontier from the Air” 1924, courtesy of William H. Loos
This view of “the Bridges” near Point Breeze shows where Route 18 (left), Oak Orchard River Road (center) and Route 98 (right) cross the water.
Credit: Private Collection
This image shows downtown Batavia in the early stage of its urban renewal in the late 1960s. Note that most of the buildings along Ellicott Street at the bottom of the image have already been cleared.
Credit: Genesee County History Department
This image, taken circa-1960, shows the Perry Knitting Mill on the east side of the Wyoming County village. At the height of its success, the Mill had more than six buildings, fulfilled production orders for Champion, Nitey Nite and the government. Today, the bottom left building in the image is the only remnant of the mill and it will soon be redeveloped into housing.
Credit: Clark Rice Collection
Looking north in Perry in 1956. This photograph, taken by Henry DeWolf, shows the former Perry High School on Leicester Street with the nearly-completed Perry Central High School in the background.
Credit: Clark Rice Collection
This circa 1950 aerial shot looks north along Union Street at the intersection with State Street in downtown Olean.
Credit: Private Collection
Looking southeast at the Allegany County village of Wellsville. This photo was taken in 1955, when the community reached its peak population.
Credit: Allegany County Historical Society
