Steamburg, New York facts for kids

Steamburg is a small community, also called a hamlet, located in the Town of Coldspring. It's in Cattaraugus County, in western New York, United States.

Steamburg doesn't have its own official local government, like a city or town. The U.S. Census Bureau doesn't list it as a separate place anymore. However, in 1880, it was known as the "Village of Steamburg." You can see its name on road signs. It shares a phone number area code (716-354) and ZIP code (14783) with the Town of Coldspring and nearby areas.

Steamburg's History and Location

The hamlet of Steamburg was called India Village on a map from 1836. This map was made by the Holland Land Company. Steamburg got its own post office in 1861.

Steamburg is like a western entrance to the Allegany Indian Reservation. This reservation belongs to the Seneca Nation of New York. Because of this, you can find some shops in the area that sell tax-free gasoline and cigarettes. The Seneca Transit Service, which is a bus service, stops just south of Steamburg.

The community is located where New York State Route 394 ends. This is also near Exit 17 of I-86. Other roads that meet in Steamburg include New York State Reference Route 950A, also known as Onoville Road, which comes from the south. Cattaraugus County Route 10, or Lebanon Road, comes from the north.

Community Life in Steamburg

The main office for the government of the Town of Coldspring is in northern Steamburg. The town's only official church was also located here for many years. This northern part of Steamburg is outside the Allegany Indian Reservation.

The southern part of Steamburg was developed in the 1960s. Homes were built there, with each house getting about an acre of land. This area was created to help people from the Seneca Nation. Hundreds of Seneca people had to move from their homes. This happened because the Kinzua Dam was being built. The dam created a large lake called Kinzua Lake. This southern part of Steamburg is located on the Allegany Indian Reservation.

This area is a center for the Coldspring Longhouse, which is a traditional Seneca meeting place. The community has become more traditional since the people moved there in the 1960s. In the 1990s, the Seneca Nation built the only medical clinic on the reservation in this community. Nearby, you can also find the Highbanks Campground and the Faithkeepers School.

Other Seneca people were moved to a new community called Jimerson Town. This community is near Salamanca, New York. Jimerson Town is one of the two main centers for the Seneca Nation. It has more facilities, like schools, a swimming pool, and a fire station.

People from Steamburg

• James Spencer Whipple, who was a New York State Assemblyman and public official, was born in Steamburg.

See also

In Spanish: Steamburg para niños