Elko, New York facts for kids

Elko was a small town in Cattaraugus County, New York. It existed from 1890 until 1965. The town was emptied in 1965 because of the building of the Kinzua Dam. This dam was built on the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the biggest dams east of the Mississippi River.

The United States Congress approved the dam to help control floods. This was decided in the Flood Control Acts of 1936 and 1938. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers started building it in 1960. The dam also helps with dry spells, makes electricity, and offers fun activities. In 1950, 95 people lived in Elko.

History of Elko

Elko was one of the first places in Cattaraugus County where Europeans settled. The Quakers started a mission on the Allegany Indian Reservation in 1798. This was done with the help of Seneca diplomat Cornplanter. The first permanent homes were built in 1803. A famous bridge called Quaker Bridge was built in 1867.

How Elko Became a Town

The Town of Elko was created in 1890. It was formed from land that used to be part of South Valley. Elko was the 33rd and last town made in Cattaraugus County. Some people say it was a political move. The goal was to shift power in the county. They wanted to move the county seat to Salamanca. This idea was approved by county leaders but rejected by public vote. The county seat stayed in Little Valley.

A rich oil man named Amasa Stone owned a lot of land in Elko. One of his workers suggested the town's name. Elko was formed when the lumber business was booming. In 1890, over 2,000 people lived in Elko, South Valley, and Red House. This was ten times more than in 2010. Most of Elko's useful land was on the Allegany Indian Reservation. This made it harder for the town to grow. Many creeks like Quaker Run helped power sawmills. This was important for the economy until steam power became popular.

Elko as a Tourist Spot

In 1921, Allegany State Park opened. Elko then became a "gateway town" for tourists. Visitors would pass through Elko on their way to the park.

Life in Elko in 1941

In 1941, a newspaper called the Buffalo Courier-Express wrote about Elko. It said Elko was the smallest town in Western New York. It was too small to pay off debts. The town still had one-room schools. There was one in each of its three areas: Hotchkiss Hollow, Quaker Bridge, and Wolf Run. However, no children lived in Hotchkiss Hollow who were old enough for school.

Elko had no churches. Residents had to go to Steamburg to attend church. The town's businesses included a creamery, a general store (which was also the post office), a garage, and a gas station. There were also several family farms. Many community groups met in the town hall. These included the Farm Bureau, 4-H, and Home Bureau.

The End of Elko

Elko was forced to leave in the spring of 1965. This was because of the Kinzua Dam project. In August of that year, the remaining residents voted 13 to 1 to close the town. They gave its leftover equipment and land to the nearby town of Coldspring. Coldspring then voted 45 to 0 to take over Elko.

The old Quaker Bridge was torn down. A new one was built several miles upstream near Steamburg. This happened when the Southern Tier Expressway was built. The roads in Elko were changed to remove most of the town's old roads. After the dam was built, Elko only had one road left to maintain, Hotchkiss Hollow Road.

William Smallback was the town's last leader, called a supervisor. He served from 1960 to 1965. His wife was the town clerk. Smallback's son thought that arguments between his father and the state might have affected how Elko was evacuated. Smallback even went back to Elko with his family to vote on closing the town.

Geography of Elko

Elko was located in the southern part of Cattaraugus County. It shared borders with Coldspring to the north, South Valley to the west, Corydon, Pennsylvania to the south, and Red House to the east.

Elko was located along the Allegheny River and the Allegany Indian Reservation. Most of the town's land was southeast of the river. However, most people lived northwest of the river. Elko covered about 14,393 acres of land. Quaker Run met the Allegheny River south of where the Quaker Bridge used to be. Mount Tuscarora was in the middle of Elko.

New York State Route 280 was the main road through the town's populated areas. Before this, the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad (WNY&P) served Elko.

People of Elko

In 1940, 125 white people lived in Elko. This number did not include those living on the reservation. A count by the Seneca Nation of Indians showed 110 people on the reservation part of Elko. There were about 30 families in the town. Five families lived in Hotchkiss Hollow, 24 in Quaker Bridge, and one on Wolf Run. There were 13 children old enough for school. Ten of them were in Quaker Bridge and three in Wolf Run.

Elko had 75 registered voters. Among those who belonged to a political party, there were about twice as many Republicans as Democrats.

Communities and Locations in Elko

Quaker Bridge

Quaker Bridge was the main center of government and the most populated place in Elko. Many people knew the area as "Quaker Bridge" instead of "Elko." It had a large bridge over the Allegheny River. There was also a Quaker school there that started in 1816. By 1941, the Quakers still ran the school, but only as a summer school.

Before 1921, the United States Postal Service called the town Tunesassa. This was the location's Seneca language name. The town residents asked the Postal Service to change the name to Quaker Bridge. They wanted it to match the Quaker Bridge rail station.

The Kinzua Dam project affected Quaker Bridge the most. The flooding made it impossible to live there. Today, the Friends Boat Launch is near where the hamlet used to be. Private campsites are across the reservoir from the boat launch. The Quaker Bridge post office closed on September 30, 1964.

Wolf Run

Wolf Run or Fishbasket was a smaller community in the central and southern part of Elko. It was mainly a road for lumber along Wolf Run. It had a rail station and a small hotel. At the start of the 1900s, several families and farms were in Wolf Run. But by 1941, only one family remained. Others had moved away, partly because of many venomous timber rattlesnakes. That last family was gone by the time the Kinzua Dam was built. The dam also helped get rid of the rattlesnakes. The Wolf Run area is now a wild part of Allegany State Park. It is said to have gotten its name from a hunter who found a den of wolf cubs there.

Hotchkiss Hollow

Hotchkiss Hollow was in the northwestern corner of the town. It is the only part of Elko that was not on the reservation or in the state park. It is now part of the town of Coldspring.

Frecks

Before 1921, Frecks was a community that crossed the border between Red House and Elko. To honor the Quakers who settled the area, the former hamlet of Frecks is now the center of the Quaker area of Allegany State Park.