Olean had its origin in the historic need for a convenient route to the Ohio country and the West. It was founded in 1804, when Ohio had just been admitted to the Union, and the West was the symbol of challenge and adventure to hundreds of pioneers eager to build a new nation. The natural advantages of a navigation headquarters at the headwaters of the Allegheny River were readily apparent to at least one early surveyor, Major Adam Hoops. Hoops, a Revolutionary army officer and a man of considerable political influence, had covered much of western New York, then known as the Genesee Country, as a surveyor for Robert Morris. Morris had vast land holdings acquired in the post-Revolutionary period when government policy encouraged speculation by selling new lands for a few cents an acre to pay its staggering war debts. Millions of acres were purchased, but by 1800 bankruptcy had overtaken many speculators and the lands were being divided into smaller blocks and surveyed for sale to enterprising pioneers. Morris, best known as the "financier of the Revolution", was one of those whose private speculation led to bankruptcy, and his western New York holdings were acquired by the Holland Land Company, from whom Maj or Hoops got 20,000 acres in 1803, including the site at the headwaters of the Allegheny. As a special favor, because of his close acquaintance with Alexander Hamilton and others of political prominence, Hoops obtained a deed to the tract, instead of the usual contract, for little more than his signature. The site which Major Hoops envisioned as a navigation headquarters for the westward migration was a point of land formed by the junction of a creek with the Allegheny. In a letter dated April 15, 1804, Hoops wrote to Joseph Ellicott (surveyor for the Holland Land Co.) giving him instructions regarding the survey of his land and said, "It is proposed to me at New York to drop the Indian name Ischue or Ischua…(and) I have concluded to do as proposed. The neighborhood of Oil Spring (source of the first petroleum discovery in North America) suggests a name, different in sound tho’ perhaps not of different meaning, which I wish to adopt. It is Olean. You will do me a favor by assisting me to establish this name… "…To begin, you will greatly oblige me by addressing the first letter you may have occasion to write me, after I receive the surveys to the Mouth of Olean". The name that was ‘different in sound tho’ not in meaning’ was derived from the Latin word oleum, meaning oil. A map of the Village, prepared in 1808 by E. Johnson for Hoops, showed a public square, a site for a school, a ‘burying ground’ and several streets. Hoops planned a patriotic memorial in the village square (now Lincoln Park). The central thoroughfares were named Union and State Streets; other streets were named for Revolutionary generals who were his friends. Some of these streets retain their original names: Barry, Putnam, Wayne, Henley, Laurens and Sullivan. As the great westward migration gathered momentum many hundreds of pioneers arrived each spring at Olean Point to await the flood tide to float their rafts and flat-bottomed boats, which they called arks, down the Allegheny to the Ohio. At the peak of the river traffic, around 1818, as many as 3,000 pioneers embarked during the season, and Olean Point was better known than Pittsburgh or Buffalo. It was lumber more than navigation advantages that fostered the growth of a permanent settlement. The area was covered with magnificent stands of white pine, oak, hickory, beech, maple and ash. The Allegheny was a busy avenue of commerce. Huge rafts were constructed of large logs, strung together in barge lines and piloted down the river, usually by Indians. When they reached Pittsburgh, Cincinnati or New Orleans the rafts were taken apart and those logs sold also. higgins_hosp The decline of Olean Point as a navigation headquarters for pioneers going West began around 1825 when the completion of the Erie canal opened a direct route to the Great Lakes and the Northwest. By the mid-1830’s the lumber boom was also tapering off though rafting continued until 1851, when the Erie railroad was completed. For a while there was hope that the Genesee Valley Canal, a branch of the Erie Canal which extended from Rochester to the Allegheny River would revive the lagging commerce. But this project, which was begun in 1836 and completed in 1856, was never profitable and was abandoned in 1878. olean_hotel_1890 Olean was incorporated as a village and granted its first charter by the legislature in 1854. The development of Olean as a city began when the Buffalo and Washington Railroad (the Pennsylvania) was finished in 1872. By 1874 Olean had become the railroad center of petroleum operations in the Bradford territory. The shipment of oil from Olean grew from a few barrels to more than 20,000 barrels a day. By 1878 there were 150 paying wells in the vicinity. Olean was incorporated as a city on April 25, 1893. By the early 1900’s Olean had become an established industrial center. “Olean Point” was the first permanent settlement within the present limits of Cattaraugus County. In 1802 Benjamin Van Campen ventured into the area to survey the land for Adam Hoops. Based on his favorable report, Adam Hoops and David Heuston purchased 20,000 acres from the Holland Land Company. The land was chosen primarily for its timber and its proximity to the Allegheny River. In 1804 Robert Hoops, a brother of Adam, came to the location as an agent for the lands. He erected a double log house on the banks of the river, the first permanent building in the settlement. When the village was first laid out, it was called Hamilton in honor of the popular statesman Alexander Hamilton, but the local designation of Olean Point was generally used. There never was any formal change of names, the substitution of one for the other being made by common custom and consent. The first formal recognition of the name Olean was in 1823 when the name appeared on an official county map. The name of Olean is derived from the Latin word for oil. In the same year of Hoop’s land purchase, Thomas Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the country. Adam Hoops envisioned Olean as the gateway to the west via the Allegheny River. His enterprise did not prosper, however, and he was unable to complete his payments for the land. He lived the remainder of his life in poverty. Unfortunately, he never came to realize that he established a foothold in this wilderness that would eventually flourish. Early settlers came from all walks of life. Some remained in the area while others moved west. Because of its resources, the lumbering, tanning and agricultural enterprises thrived. The Genesee Valley Canal construction began in 1836, connecting cities and villages of western New York to the Allegheny River, fulfilling Adam Hoop’s vision of Olean Point being a hub of navigation. The village was also the crossroads of railroad activity. The New York & Erie; Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia; Pittsburgh, Shawmut & Northern; and Olean, Bradford & Warren Railroads nourished the growing community. Industry was numerous and diverse. Olean Industries Conklin WagonWorks Manufactured every conceivable horse drawn wagon Jewett & KeatingTannery Smith & McClureMachine shop Chamberlin & SonsDitch digging & stump pulling equipment Jacob Cross & SonsWooden handles Brickell Brothers & Co.Planing Mill Charles DotterweichBrewery Isaac H. WoodsPottery F. S. MartinGrist Mill Acme Glass WorksGlass bottles Olean Glass Co.Commercial glass Acme MillsFlour mill Carley Heater Co.Bronze pumps & tanks and other equipment for tanners Clark Brothers Co.Sawmill machinery originally and then oil field equipment Close Cycle Co.Bicycles, automobiles J.R. Droney Lumber Co.Lumber Empire MillsGrinding meal & feed Hall Bros.Sawmill Luther Manufacturing Co.Machinery Kinley & SonsTannery W.C.A. Quirins Co.Tannery Tanners Shoe Stock Co.Shoes Olean Light & Power Co.Electric power J. C. Wilson CompanyInventors & manufacturers of Venetian blinds Olean Tile Co.Tile AVB Co.Clay bricks This is not a complete list of companies. The Oil Excitement Olean’s most celebrated industry was petroleum production. Oil was first discovered in North America in 1627, only 12 miles north of the city. It was originally used for medicinal potions, lubricants and as a replacement for whale oil as a heating fuel. From 1865-1930, Olean and its surrounding oil fields was the largest producer of oil in the world and there wasn’t anyone running a close second. The internal combustion engine in use at the turn of the century created an enormous demand for the refined petroleum product – gasoline. Our surplus oil was transported via the first oil pipeline ever that ran from Olean to Beyonne, New Jersey. Standard oil of New Jersey financially supported the oil enterprise of the area and in return accrued an immense fortune. Though never becoming “Rich as the Rockefellers,” several prominent local entrepreneurs became wealthy in the glory years of the “black gold” boom. One out of four workers was directly or indirectly employed in the petroleum industry. Oil, Olean’s namesake, gradually diminished after 1930, largely due to the discovery and production of the Oklahoma and Texas fields. The western oil was not as good a grade but it was much easier and cheaper to obtain due to the large, shallower pools. New York fields drilled through hundreds of feet of soil and rock to reach the oil sands. The new fields in the west were less than half as deep and weren’t hampered by rock formation. In 1954, the Socony Oil Company moved from Olean to Ferndale, Washington and an era of Olean history was over. There are still a small number of independent leases and there is still oil in the ground, but even the high price of current oil has not resurrected the excitement of another time. “Little Chicago” Prohibition In the middle of the 19th century, a movement began to prohibit the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The concerted efforts of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Anti-Saloon League, the Prohibition Party and many others resulted in congress approving the 18th Amendment. The Valstead Act passed in 1919, put teeth in the legislation by defining the penalties for violations of prohibition. The production and distribution of liquor and beer was transferred from the legitimate tax paying business community to the illegitimate non-tax-paying underworld. While prohibition did little to diminish the consumption of booze, it did have a devastating effect on the economy. Olean, located on a back road route between Chicago and New York City, was often frequented by famous mobsters of the era. Al Capone of Chicago, probably the most famous gang leader of the time, visited Olean in pursuance of his illegal endeavors. Olean, because of its association with mobsters and activities related to prohibition, became known as “Little Chicago”, Jack Dempsey, the Chief of Police, did not condone these thugs or their illegal activities. He did not aggressively pursue arrests, however, unless he had evidence the violator was responsible for a crime committed in his jurisdiction. As long as you kept your nose clean in the Olean City limits, it was a “safe haven”. Local stories relating to this period are numerous. Some are documented and some are legends. Olean Today Olean’s population today is only a fraction of what it was in the 1950s, but it remains the largest city in the county. It serves as the hub of retail and industrial activity and is presently pursuing new areas of growth. Olean celebrated its Bicentennial in 2004 and salutes the endeavors of the County’s Bicentennial in 2008.