The Historic Buffalo River Tour and the Buffalo Grain Elevators - 34 Years

The Historic Buffalo River Tour is now in it's 34th season. So much has changed on our waterfront since the day the Industrial Heritage Committee had the then "crazy" notion to shuttle people up and down the Buffalo River on small private boats in 1985 to see the Grain Elevators. Maybe we WERE a little crazy then but our faith in the idea was realized when demand quickly outgrew our meager means of carrying passengers. We took a leap of faith and turned to the "Miss Buffalo" to handle our problem. As demand warranted we sometimes had to run two of their boats on the same trip and probably could have run three but for lack of manpower. We were on to something and very excited! No one before us had done this, taking this mysterious, forgotten part of the city and making it a tourist attraction.  Then Universities mostly from Canada but U.B was involved too, started booking our tour as a regular part of their academic programs. York University was a regular every year along with Carleton University and others that I can't remember right now.

    Back then ships were a common sight at the elevators, oil barges going up to the Mobil refinery, the sand boat, coal barges to the Huntley Station, cement boats to the Huron Cement elevator etc. Some of that is still there but on a far lesser scale. Ohio Street was still a street with remnants of its' industrial heritage still holding on. The Harbor Inn, the centerpiece of Ohio Street, was a thriving "Visitor Center" to travelers from around the world along with truck drivers, sailors, steel, flour mill and RR workers, grain scoopers, downtown office workers, politicians and more, a regular melting pot of occupations. It was doing what it had done for the previous 116 years and doing it well, but new things were in the mix.

  What was new to the Harbor Inn was it becoming the home and meeting place for the many preservation organizations, then in their infancy, beginning to set the stage for the many battles they were anticipating in the future as Buffalo began it's transition from industrial center to who knows what? No one really knew then. But the "planning" meetings and battles were on for the next three decades. 

  The Industrial Heritage Committee, Inc. believed then, as now, the Grain Elevators are the most historically significant architecture in Buffalo with a world wide recognition and importance, suitable for a UNESCO World Heritage Site and documentation by The National Park Service. The latter was achieved in early 1990s. So the Historic Buffalo River Tour continued as our platform to get the word out to the people, politicians and planners to include them in waterfront plans. Even though the tours continuously sold out year after year with people from every corner of the planet(and maybe beyond) it seemed to be falling on deaf ears of the local "powers that be." We had the world coming to Buffalo to see the elevators, but City Hall could not see them from just down the street. As other cities around this country and the world embraced their grain elevators and industrial heritage by making tourist attractions out of them and more, City Hall was intent on demolition and indifference. That's so Buffalo, stepping on it's own face. 

  Only in the last few years has the attitude begun to change. A little. Too late for some of our most significant elevators that were needlessly removed in recent years instead of being repurposed with some very obvious re-uses that would have helped transition some neighborhoods. Some are now in the hands of "developers" which is scary in itself, others are in the hands of the city while a few are up and running as they should. At Silo City we have seen improvements and events there, but the general theme for the area has yet to be defined in my opinion. I know what I'ld like to do with the area but that's a whole other story. 

  So here we are 33 years later still doing our tour among all new waterfront surroundings. It's funny in a way but 33 years ago I was a younger man naive and hopeful, talking passionately about Buffalos' great history and helping plan it's future. Now thinking back, I am part of that history I'm talking about today! There is a lot of pride in this tour I helped create which has endured all these years.  The tour has evolved from just a narrative of the surroundings to a "floating classroom" with old photographs, maps and video.
    Because of the ever changing waterfront the tour is never the same from year to year and even from tour to tour. So if you've been on before come back again and bring a friend.  And If you've been curious about the elevators but haven't been on our tour then now is your chance in this fresh new season. Have a group? Get your tickets well in advance.
    Yes, there are others who have jumped on the bandwagon of late with their own version of a grain elevator tour for which we are often confused with, (a similar name), but quoting some old advertisement, you've tried the rest now try the best.  Experience does count. And please! The Historic Buffalo River Tour boards at Erie Basin Marina, NOT Canalside, don't look for us there.

2019 Dates: 

Thursday July 4,  Sunday July 14, 

Saturday August 3,  
Sunday August 18, 

Monday September 2 Labor Day 

All Tours leave Erie Basin Marina at 12:30p.m. and return at 2:30

Adults $20, 
Children 4-11 $13


Ages 3 and under Free but require a reservation

Refreshments available on board at cost($)

Book Conveniently Online at

Buffaloharborcruises.com

For reservations, boarding passes 

and other information

 Call Buffalo Harbor Cruises at: 
(716) 856-6696

Don't forget to visit our website at:

 Buffaloindustrialheritage.com 

Thank You

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Peace Bridge Dedication, August 7, 1927

"Prince of Wales, Dawes Pledge Abiding Peace"

Vice President Dawes Greeting Edward, Prince of Wales at center of Peace Bridge Just prior to Ribbon Cutting

American End of Bridge June 28, 1926         

Construction at the Bird Island Pier June 28, 1926

Peace Bridge late 1930s

Prince Edward and V. President Dawes Heading to Ceremonies on American Side

Prince Edward and Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin of England, Prince George.  

Prime Minister Baldwin was the first prime minister of Great Britain to visit this country 

during his term of office.

Milton J. Cross and Graham McNamee, announcers of the National Broadcasting Company, introduced the 
speakers, described the scenes and ceremonies which was  transmitted around the world.

RADIO TO CARRY PRINCE'S WORDS FROM BRIDGE CEREMONIES TODAY

   A great ceremony will be broad-cast today in honor of the peaceful relations of the United States and Great Britain, radio again proving its value to thousands who would be in spirit at the International Peace Bridge at Niagara Falls. Another international figure, the Prince of Wales, will be the main speaker today. Twenty-four stations have agreed, thus far, to broadcast the ceremonies in this country, starting at 3 P. M., Daylight Saving Time. WJZ and a great network will carry the voices and the music to the radio audience. 

    In addition to the Prince's speech, addresses will be made by Stanley Baldwin, Premier of Great Britain; Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada; Howard Ferguson, Prime Minister of Ontario; Lieut. Gov. Ross of Ontario, Vice President Charles G. Dawes, Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg and Governor Alfred E. Smith. Music will be furnished by three military bands and a chorus of 200 voices, Graham McNamee and Milton J. Cross, announcers of the National Broadcasting Company, will introduce the speakers and describe the scenes and ceremonies before a microphone which will be connected by land wire to WJZ's transmitter.

  Transmitting simultaneously with WJZ, New York, will be WRC, Washington, D. C.; WEEI and WBZA, Boston; WBZ, Springfield, Mass., WJAR, Providence; WTAG, Worcester; WTIC, Hartford; WGR, Buffalo; WFI, Philadelphia; WCAE, Pittsburgh; WTAM, Cleveland; WWJ, Detroit; WGN and WMAQ, Chicago; KSD, t. Louis; WCCO, St. Paul; WDAF, Kansas City; WGY, Schenectady; WHAS, Louisville; WMC, Memphis; WSM, Nashville; WSB, Atlanta, and WHAM, Rochester. The event will be broadcast in Canada by CFRB and CKNC of Toronto, and other stations. (Ed. This was the first "round the world" radio broadcast ever attempted. It was heard as far away as Australia)

Edward Prince of Wales & brother Prince George

Edward Prince of Wales & brother Prince George

An estimated 100,000 people witnessed the Dedication
of the Peace Bridge. Speakers stand and gallery.

Vice President Dawes, Prince of Wales, Mrs. Dawes,
Prince George in speakers stand.

Vice President Charles Dawes in speakers stand.

  "What has been said of the relations or the English speaking peoples and what I am to say is but the verbal acknowledgement of  a common feeling, shared equally and alike by the Englishmen, Canadians and Americans who are gathered here. We speak the same language, we cherish the same ideals of citizenship, we hold a common principal in government,  of individual liberty under the law. 

  "The foundation of this great peace structure which we dedicate today rests  upon the firm bedrock of the Niagara, and the peace of  the English speaking peoples is as firmly based upon common instincts and ideals. The instinct of self-preservation—The most deep-seated of mankind—binds us together, and in that unbroken tie is that ultimate guarantee of the safety and progress of Western civilization. That bond will never break." (C. Dawes)

Edward, Prince of Wales 

To Seek Peace and Insure It, is First & Highest Duty—Prince 

sees in bridge symbol of maintenance of friendly contacts

between Canada and U. S.

  The address of the, Prince of Wales at the Peace bridge was brief but fitting. The Prince of Wales said:
"It gives me great pleasure to be present on the occasion of the formal dedication of this bridge which commemorates the peace which has happily endured between the British Empire and the United States for more than a century.
  "May this bridge be not only a physical and material link between Canada and the United States", but may it also be symbolical of the maintenance of their friendly contacts by those who live on both sides of this frontier; may it serve also as continual reminder to those who will use it, and to all at us, that to seek peace and insure it is the first and highest duty both of this generation and of those which are yet to come."
   The Prince was accorded an enthusiastic applause both when he arose to speak and when he concluded.  

Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg

   "Dedication of the Peace Bridge marks another link between the United states and Canada which is symbolic of the ties of sympathy and interest between the British empire and Uncle Sam and will promote further intercourse and mutual acquaintance between the two nations." The President has commissioned me to extend to you a cordial welcome to the United States and to express his deep appreciation of your visit... "I consider it a great honor and a keen pleasure to participate in this celebration and to welcome to the United States such distinguished representatives of the British empire as His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the Premier of Canada."

  "This celebration is to dedicate another link between the Dominion of Canada and theUnited States. We believe it symbolic of the many ties of sympathy and interest between the British empire and the United States." (F.B. Kellogg)

Please note: photos and illustrations (except newspaper pages) are all part of The Buffalo History Gazette Collection/Jerry M. Malloy.  Re-use without my permission is strictly prohibited.  Jerry M. Malloy

Following Movie of the Peace Bridge dedication 

is from Youtube 

Film is shot on 16mm by Joseph A. Albrecht Sr.
Music is Jelly Roll Morton - Victor Recordings

Related Story: Mather's Signature Bridge

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The Victory Garden

Rooftop Victory Garden -- Mrs. Frances Malachowski tends to the plants in her 

Victory Garden on the roof of her home at 262 Ohio Street. In boxes and pans of

 all shapes and sizes she has raised carrots, beets, chives, onions, tomatoes, lettuce

 and beans, set off by a colorful array of flowers. (Photo Frank Schifferle C-E)

Courier-Express, September 5, 1943

Gossip About Gardens • • • 

BY JANE W. CHAMBERLAIN 

   Customers at the White Front Restaurant in Ohio Street, have commented enthusiastically on the tasty additions to the fish fries served this summer by Mrs. Frances Malachowski, known lovingly to many Buffalo boys in the service as just "Ma." Parsley potatoes — fresh sliced tomatoes—hamburgers with home grown onions. "How do you do it," they ask. 

Roof Garden Produces 

   "My Victory Garden on our shed roof" is her quiet answer. And it's true. There are long boxes in which tomato plants reach from the floor level to the railing and blend their sturdy sterns into a second tier of boxes. These are gay with marigolds, petunias, balsam and other annuals which form a spot of color against the outlines of neighboring roofs and chimneyed skylines. Boxes, flats and pans of all sizes and shapes are producing their quota of carrots, beets, chives, parsley and onions. Even a squash vine clings to the roof supports and reaches for the ground. A monthly blooming rose bush in a tub was called to the writer's attention as the story was un-folded of the days in early spring when dirt was carried to the roof top and precious seeds planted "because we wanted to do our part, and we also like to grow things. Attention also was called, at the end of the visit, to a row of service flags along the wall behind the bar downstairs and to pictures of the boys in many branches of Uncle Sam's service.

  Victory Gardens were encouraged by the government during World War II to help offset the difficulty in getting produce to markets because of labor & transportation shortages, and to help people have more food for their families than the War rationing allowed. Nearly 20,000,000 Americans participated planting gardens in empty lots, backyards and even rooftops as my Grandmother did above, behind the White Front.

I AM AN AMERICAN!

  In 1917, Buffalo had awaited with keen interest the President's message which was read in Congress on April 2nd. It was generally anticipated that it would be a war message; most of the people, though not anxious, were ready for a declaration of hostilities. 

  The young men especially had caught the enthusiasm of the hour, and the schools rang with patriotic songs and martial airs. Promptly at 12 'clock noon on April 2nd, as Congress was called to order, upwards of 75,000 children and more than 3,000 teachers of the public and parochial schools assembled at their respective schools for patriotic exercises in recognition of the gravity of the situation with which Congress was about to deal. The program was simple. At exactly 12 o'clock the children sang "The Star Spangled Banner." The song concluded, they joined in rousing cheers for the President, for George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Mayor Fuhrmann, and everyone else who in their minds typified the American Government or American institutions. Appropriate resolutions were adopted, and the ceremonies concluded with the singing of "America"and a salute to the flag.

  President Wilsons war message to Congress, the patriotic fervor of the Elmwood Music Hall meeting, and the declaration of war itself served to set the blood of the people a-tingling and fill the city with martial airs. The month of April found bankers and merchants flinging the flag to the breeze. The practice quickly spread to the householders, if it did not originate there. Large industrial plants added something akin to a renewal of allegiance by surrounding the flag raising events with ceremony and song. In many of the plants, workmen purchased and raised the flags themselves. Commissioners Malone and Kreinheder, Mayor Fuhrmann and other city officials were much in demand as speakers at flag raising ceremonies. 

Be Proud You are an American

Children in Buffalo School Yard

   

  Though the practice began in April it lasted through the entire year and at times the number was so large it seemed as though the city would burst out in one great American flag with the entire population cheering. The daily papers were filled with accounts of these jubilees. The first flags raised with ceremony were at the Pierce-Arrow plant in Elmwood Avenue, and at the Niagara Street branch of the Curtiss plant. Peter A. Porter, a former member of Congress, and Colonel Charles Clifton were the speakers at the first named ceremonial, while Mayor Fuhrmann delivered an address of patriotic character at the Curtiss plant. The following day, "Old Glory" was unfolded at the New York Central stockyards in East Buffalo, with Alfred D. Sears as master of ceremonies and Edward L. Jung as the speaker. A squad of fifteen members of the 74th Regiment participated in the observances and fired a salute to the flag.

   In the days intervening between June 1st and 5th, 1917, churches, societies, clubs and like organizations sounded a patriotic call from pulpit and banquet board. Class, creed and color rapidly lost distinction. In those days, from early morn until late we saw only, alone, above every-thing else, a mass of stars, in a field of blue with flaming red and white stripes. Speakers of the hour painted the picture of a thoroughly united America. 

An illuminating schoolhouse incident of that June day tells the whole story: 

Scene at Buffalo Public School #60 

At a meeting of the school children, one boy, 

a descendant of Native Americans, spoke as follows: 

"I am an American. My father belongs to the Sons of the Revolution; my mother belongs to the Colonial Dames. One of my ancestors pitched tea overboard in Boston Harbor; another stood his ground with Warren; another hungered with Washington at Valley Forge. My fore-fathers were American in the making; they spoke in America's council halls; they died on her battlefields; they commanded her ships; they cleared her forests. Dawns reddened and paled. Staunch hearts of mine beat fast at each new star in the Nation's flag. Keen eyes of mine foresaw her greater glory; the sweep of her seas, the plenty of her plains, the man-hives in her billion-wired cities. Every drop of blood in me holds a heritage of patriotism. 

I am proud of my past. I am an American." 

Then a foreign-born boy arose and said: 

"I am an American. My father was an atom of dust; my mother was a straw in the wind to His Serene Majesty. One of my ancestors died in the mines of Siberia; another was crippled for life by twenty blows of the knout; another was killed defending his home during the massacres. The history of my ancestors is a trail of blood to the palace gate of the Great White Czar. But then the dream came—the dream of America. In the light of Liberty's torch the atom of dust became a man and the straw in the wind became a woman for the first time. 'See.' said my father, pointing to the flag that fluttered near, 'That flag of stars and stripes is yours; it is the emblem of the promised land. It means, my son, the hope of humanity. Live for it, die for it'. Under the open sky of my new country I swore to do so; and every drop of blood in me will keep that vow.  I am proud of my future.  I am an American." 

Flag-raising fever ran riot in those days and every factory and shop, every railroad and steamboat line, every club and church and society had its flag and its flag unfolding ceremony. 

Curtiss Aircraft and Motor Co. on Churchill St. Buffalo N.Y.

Two thousand men and women stood in the yard of the Churchill St. plant of the Curtiss

company on June 14th; their bared heads were raised to watch the red, white and blue of the Stars and Stripes run up to the top of the pole.  Over the roof of the shop a lake breeze caught the banner and straightened it out in slapping folds in the warm sunlight.

A rousing cheer rose and fell and grew again in volume from the men and women who had left their benches and desks for the moment to honor the emblem they serve each day in producing the craft that carries the flag higher than the eagle's flight. Eight rifles were fired in salute by a squad of the 74th infantry. A band struck up the Star Spangled Banner and ever voice made the words of the national anthem ring.

The flag-raising was arranged by the foremen of the Curtiss shops. The tingle of patriotism has been an active force in the Curtiss shops ever since the declaration of war. First one department and then another gave the noon hours to flag-raisings, suspending the banner from the girders over their own sections. The flag-raising on June 14th was the common event of all the women and men in office and plant.

  Be proud and happy you are an American

Happy Independence Day!