Transportation Bemus Point/Stow Ferry Courtesy: Fenton History Center, Jamestown, N.Y. Flat boats made from locally cut timber carries goods from Chautauqua Lake to the country's interior. the Bemus POint-Stow Ferry began operating in 1811 and was the only transport across Chautauqua Lake until the bridge was opened in 1982. Transportation Steamboats brought goods and passengers from Buffalo to the Lake Erie ports of Barcelona and Dunkirk, relying on lighthouses to navigate. The Bacelona lighthouse, built in 1829, was the first to be lit with natural gas and is the oldest original lighthouse in the Great Lakes. Both the Barcelona and Dunkirk lighthouses stand today. Steamboat. Courtesy: CHautauqua County Historical Society, Westfield, N.Y. In 1856 th efirst railroad into Chautauqua County was opened, and it ran from Buffalo to Dunkirk. Soon after, it was possible to travel around Chautauqua Lake and across the county by rail and trolley. The railroads, trolleys and steamboats were key in developing Chautauqua County as a recreational destination in the late 19th century.
Today, several former railbeds are used for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobile trails. Trolley Car. Courtesy: CHautauqua County Historical Society, Westfield, N.Y.
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