The Great Auto Race: Buffalo and The New York to Paris 1908 Auotomobile Race

At a time when the horse and locomotive were seen as the only reliable means of transportation, Le Matin, a Paris newspaper, encouraged The New York Times to join in sponsoring an event to eclipse all other motor car competitions up to that time. They suggested a reace that would practically encircle the earth.

France eagerly entered the three vehicles De Dion-Bouton, Moto Bloc and Sizaire-Naudin. The Italiansd entered the Zust and Germany, viewing the motorcar as having military potential, entered the Protos...The offer of a $1,000.00 prize any Americans to enter. Buffalo auto builder Edwin Ross Thomas and others viewed the race as a foolhardy venture and even predicted that no entry would reach Chicago. Thomas continued to resist even though prompted by a young employee, Montague Roberts, who also had teased fellow employee George N. Schuster about joining him in a great adventure. President Theodore Roosevelt, in an effort to gain an American entry, challenged the fledgling industry to step up. Finally word was sent from Buffalo that a 1907 Thomas Motorcar stock vehicle from inventory was being shipped by train for entry into the race. George Schuster was in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 11, making a new car delivery and giving the owner a thorough explanation of the vehicle when word arrived to take the train for New York. The race was set to begin at noon on Lincoln's Birthday, February 12. Schuster arrived shortly before the start of the race at 11:15 .m. A crowd of 250,000 had gathered in and around Times Square and up Broadway to witness the start of the epic race.

Read the rest of this article by Alan V. Manchester online here.

Hockey Before Helmets: The Bisons and Championship Hockey in Buffalo

Nowadays, nearly 19,000 fans routinely fill the stands at HSBC Arena in Downtown Buffalo for Sabres games. Things didn't get that way overnight, though. For 27 years the Sabres have been the hottest ticket on ice, but before the NFL came to town, the Buffalo Bisons were one of the top franchises in the American Hockey League, winning five Calder Cups during their 30-year run from 1940 to 1970.

While the Bisons weren't playing at the highest level, with only six teams competing in the National Hockey League from 1942-67, the AHL's level of play was top-notch. The late-60s success of the Bisons certainly set the table for the Sabres' entrance into the NHL.

To view the rest of this story by Clarence C. Picard, see page 46 in the Winter 2008 Heritage Magazine. Subscribe now!

The Van Horns


Situated on a gentle knoll. nestled among aged trees, stands a home of quiet dignity, beauty, and a history with a mystery...

The Van Horns, once spelled Van Hoorn and Van Hoorne, were one of the most illustrious families in Europe who intermarried with nobility. They also were among the early Holland families to permanently settle in the New Amsterdam, the New World in 1640. Eventually, several Van Horns migrated to Niagara County, to the hamlet of Burt, the Town of Newfane and the surrounding farmland.

In 1801 James Van Horn signed an agreement with the Holland Land Company to buy the land where the Van Horn Mansion now stands. At that time there were no roads. Indian trails, creek beds and lakes provided a way to travel. Eighteen Mile Creek bed became a viable means of transporting goods and people. The creek flows on the other side of the road from the Van Horn Mansion.

The creek also became the site of James Van Horn's gristmill that played a role in the War of 1812...

To read the rest of Helen R. Lee's story, see page 58 of the Winter 2008 Heritage Magazine.

 

Back to the Winter 2008 Heritage Magazine Contents

Back to WNY Heritage Press home