Olean

History

The first European in the area was possibly Joseph de La Roche Daillon, a missionary and explorer from Canada. La Roche reported on the presence of oil near Cuba, New York; the first petroleum sighting in North America. At that time the area was a part of the territory of the Wenrohronon or Wenro Indians, an Iroquoian-speaking people. In 1643, the Wenro tribes became the first victims of a series of brutal conflicts known as the Second Beaver War. The area was first settled by Europeans around 1765, called by the Indian name "Ischua". Officially, this was illegal, as the British had declared the land in the Allegheny River watershed to be part of the Indian Reserve after conquering the territory in the French and Indian War two years prior. The surface is a hilly upland, separated into two distinct parts by the valley of the Allegheny. The highest points are above the valley. During the American Revolutionary War, the 1779 Sullivan Expedition established the first road to what would become Olean, blazing a trail to what is now Kittanning, Pennsylvania along the path of what is now New York State Route 16. Originally the entire territory of the county of Cattaraugus was called the Town of Olean, formed March 11, 1808. As population allowed, the county was split in half and the top half was called "Hebe", and was taken off in 1812, a part of Perrysburgh in 1814, then Great Valley in 1818. Hinsdale formed in 1820, and Portville in 1837, leaving the current boundary of Olean that lies upon the south line of the county, near the southeast corner. The area remained sparsely populated until 1804, when Major Adam Hoops acquired the land and gave it its modern name. Hoops was a surveyor and Revolutionary Warveteran, and was politically connected with Robert Morris, the…

Geography

Olean is located in southeastern Cattaraugus County at (42.08264, -78.430965). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.19%, is water. The city is located where Olean Creek flows into the Allegheny River and by the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 and New York State Route 17). New York State Route 417 passes east–west through the city and intersects New York State Route 16, a north–south highway. As a result of its higher elevation, Olean has a cooler humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) than the larger western New York cities with hot-summer humid continental climates (Dfa).

Race & ethnicity