Buffalo, N.Y. is a bustling commercial center, dating from the days of early westward migration. Today Nickel Plate personnel have won a firm position for our Road in the city which is our eastern terminus.

The first permanent settlement was established there 200 years ago - in 1758 - when a French trading post was set up on Lake Erie at the mouth of Buffalo Creek. The French called the post "Beau Fleuve," meaning beautiful river. The Indians pronounced it "Bouf-flo," and Iater, when the English came, they mistook the name and called it "Buffalo."

Early emigrants who traveled difficult roads to the lake traded at Buffalo before continuing west by boat.

The Erie Canal, opened in 1825, brought expanded trade and prosperity, and the coming of the railroads, beginning in 1836, further strengthened Buffalo's position.

Today the city is the hub of the prosperous Niagara Region. It is the No. 1 flour and feed-milling center of the world, the second largest city in New York state and the ninth largest in the country.

Ideal geographic location, abundant water, excellent transportation and cheap electric power from nearby Niagara Falls have permitted Buffalo to become a city of diversified industries, including steel, chemicals, grain, aircraft, automobiles and lumber.

Buffalo's location also makes it an ideal gateway for the Nickel Plate. Our Road connects there with 10 other major