Stately it stood, majestic, landmark for the locality through more than half of its recorded history. Great boughs shading both land and water, The Big Elm towered above the west
bank of the Canaseraga Creek near what would one day become the principal artery of the village. It held sway against the sky before the white man came, a link between ancient ways
and the new. Legend has it that an aboriginal princess of the valley used to swing her hammock from one of its branches, chanting lullabies to a drowsy papoose while the proud warrior
father fished in the creek or basked in the sun nearby.
War
came between Redcoats and Colonials. Westernmost tribe of the Iroquois Confederacythe greatest coalition of Indian tribes ever put together in North Americaand lords of the
Canaseraga and far beyond, the Seneca cast their lot with the British. Banishment was ultimately the price they paid. When the Seneca withdrew white men came. But The Big Elm
remained.
And
grew. By 1885, 80 years after the first log cabins were erected in the valley, the Sacred Elm of the Canaseraga measured 14 feet 5 inches in girth at a point a few feet above ground
and 16 feet at the base. All life and history are flux and change, even as the creek is never the same one ripple to the next. The year before the bough from which the Indian
princess rocked her papoose in the lazy afternoon hours was removed when men spanned the creek with a new iron bridge.
Shortly thereafter The Big Elm yielded all to the vagaries of change. Full of years, more than 100, and of memories beyond measure the giant tree was felled on July 21, 1900. Still
the waters wend where the elm once stood and with them time, and there is yet a larger story to be told.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
The
writing of history is a most hazardous undertaking, subject to error and misinterpretation. This is particularly true with regard to local history of the kind attempted here.
Every effort has been made to make this story of our past as accurate and fair as humanly possible in the limited time available for its preparation. Nevertheless, that there are
errors of fact seems certain. It is obvious there are as well significant omissions. Some of these are due to the lack of source material, others to the need to be selective in order
to make the text manageable. As to errors and omissions, we most sincerely regret any which may materially misrepresent the record or inadvertently slight the individual contributions
to the development of this community.
The
material available to us is exceedingly thin. Official records are altogether missing for most the nineteenth century particularly, due probably to the 1895 fire. Members of the
staff therefore earnestly appeal to individuals who have material relevant to the history of this locality to make it available to the Canaseraga Historical Societynewspaper
clippings, photos, family biographies and the like. Your assistance in this regard will make possible a fuller and more accurate summation at some future date.
We
take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to all those who freely contributed their time, money and personal memorabilia to the effort this booklet represents. We deeply
appreciate your help and the spirit in which it was generously given.
Without the generosity of the organizations and individuals who have purchased advertising and complimentary space in the booklet, its publication would have been impossible. We
extend to each and everyone of them our deepest appreciation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This time,
like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
This booklet has
been prepared under the inspiration of the Canaseraga-Town of Burns Sesquicentennial Bicentennial Committee formed September 1975.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chairman
..Francis Kenyon
Secretary,
Publicity
...Zoe Coombs
Treasurer
Sally Willitt
Village
History
..Irene Harvey
Town
History
Marjorie Dieter Mastin
Souvenirs,
Posters
.
.Carolyn Oliver
Dances
....Renee Coombs
Parade
David Mastin
Carnival
..
Lois Phillips
Various
..
..Carl Hubbard, Golda Kenyon
BOOKLET STAFF
Town of Burns
Historian
..
.Marjorie Dieter Mastin
Canaseraga
Historian
.
Irene Harvey
Garwoods and
Businesses
.
Esther Gates Dresser
Churches
.Mrs. Lynn Brownell
Medical
Facilities
....Mrs. Walter Shay
Library
..Marian Wilson & Vera Gould
Writing,
Editing
.Neal Coombs
Consultants:
St.
Clair Gemmell, Richard Harvey,
Ronald S. Kingston, Harry Knights, Graham Scott,
Hugh Spencer, Mrs. David Windsor
Ad
Solicitation
.
.Richard & Irene Harvey
Cover Design and
Artwork
.Irene Harvey, Zoe Coombs,
& Corey Oliver
Photos contributed
by
..
Canaseraga Historical Society
Gordon Willitt & Private Contributors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NAMES ON THE LANDSCAPE
Boylans
Corners: Early name for the hamlet that grew into the village of Canaseraga and so called after Samuel Boylan, one of the earliest settlers. As late as 1856 mail was occasionally
received at Canaseraga addressed to Boylans Corners.
Burns Station:
The railroad hamlet on the Allegany-Steuben line established in the 1850s when the Erie Railroad was built in this locality, now commonly called Burns.
Burns
Village: Principal village of the Town of Burns into the 1850s. Located at the intersections of the Tilden Hill, Arkport-Canaseraga, and Bull Roads. Often in recent times
referred to as Old Burns to distinguish it from the current Burns on the rail line.
Canaseraga:
Name of the principal village of the township since 1853 and by act of the State Legislature since 1859. Also the name of the creek through what was originally called Whitney Valley.
Canaseraga has several spellings and interpretations. Of Indian origin, it has been variously written Canneskraugh and Ganasgago. Interpretations are Among the milkweed and Among
the Elms the latter seemingly having the larger claim to authenticity. There is in the literature at least one reference to the Big Elk Horn as the meaning of Canaseraga.
FIREHALL, E. Main St., Canaseraga, N.Y.
1976 Photo by Gordon E. Willitt
DeWitts
Village: Early name for Burns Village, probably for S. DwWitt Brown who established a hotel in the community in 1826.
Garwoods:
Name of the community after 1865 when James Garwood agreed to build a station there if the Erie would build a switch and name the station after him.
Gas Springs:
Early community in the south-west corner of the township, so named because vapors from the ground could be ignited by tossing a match.
Morraine:
Name for an area in the eastern section of the township extending south from where the Engineers Joint Training Fund is now located.
Whitneys
Crossing: Name for the Post Office at Garwoods, in honor of the Ezra Whitney family.
Whitney
Valley: Earliest widely-accepted name for the valley of the upper Canaseraga Creek extending from the Town of Grove through Garwoods and Canaseraga some two miles into the Town of
Ossian. Named in honor of the Whitneys who arrived here from Vermont in 1817. Also the name down to the 1850s for the Post Office at Boylans Corners Canaseraga.
