Gowanda

History

The area was first inhabited during the Stone Age by nomadic Algonquian peoples. An Algonquian earthwork mound from the first or second Stone Age is located on a farm in the area of Rosenberg along Zoar Valley near Gowanda. He and his family of three sons and three daughters traveled up Cattaraugus Creek from Connecticut, taking of land, comprising a large portion of what is Gowanda today. The first tannery in Gowanda was begun by Samuel T. Munger in 1829, The historic Hollywood Theatre is also located in Gowanda.

Geography

Gowanda is located at (42.463197, -78.936350). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which , or 1.00%, is covered by water. The village is split by Cattaraugus Creek, the dividing boundary between Erie and Cattaraugus Counties, with the northern part of the village in Erie County and the southern in Cattaraugus. The village is located on US 62, Broadway Road (County Road 4), NY 39, and NY 438. The NFTA provided bus service in the area until it abandoned the route in 2011. The Seneca Transit System began serving the village in 2013. The New York & Lake Erie Railroad has a depot in Gowanda, from which it runs both freight and occasional passenger rail service. The Cattaraugus Reservation is located to the northwest of the village.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,914
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,774
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,735
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  1,556
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,539
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,527
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,448
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,380

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-02-06
  1 km NE of West Seneca, New York
• M 2.6 — 2022-03-15
  5 km SSW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.91 — 2009-06-05
  4 km SSE of Attica, New York
• M 2.71 — 2008-03-08
  5 km ENE of Clarence Center, New York
• M 2.6 — 2007-12-13
  7 km NW of Warsaw, New York
• M 2.78 — 2005-03-28
  16 km NW of Virgil, Canada