On this day, April 19, 1997, the City of Buffalo gathered in Niagara Square to commemorate its 165th birthday, which dated back to 1832. The weather was April's roughest, the crowd was small, and the vendors were unhappily serving the wind-worn gatherers. Something of the mists of history must have been pouring through to remind us of just what a tough time it was back in Buffalo in 1832. And as for Niagara Square - go and plan something there in early April and know that you’ll be taking a chance.
If you've ever assembled in Niagara Square in early spring, say for a St Pat's parade, you know what wind and cold means – the square is close to the very epicenter of Buffalo's lake driven winds. And yet, somehow, it was a poignant reminder (back in April ’97) of that fiercely harsh first year of Buffalo, in 1832, when the city was faced with an unwelcome visit by the deadly disease, cholera.
The newly incorporated city coined its name from a creek that ran through it. The land was actually settled by Europeans who called Buffalo their home – the settlers also lived amongst roughly 2400-strong native Indians of the Ongiara tribe. Then, deadly cholera took hold that year and severely afflicted the new city. The treatment of the disease was mostly experimental - its nature not being understood, so the epidemic at times seemed to have full sway without any check. One might be in apparent good health in the morning and in his or her grave the same night. People were often taken away from their night's deathbed and brought to quick burial within hours.
Death carts constantly patrolled Buffalo's streets, and when there was an indication of a death in a house, the driver would shout, “Bring out your dead!” Bodies were not permitted to remain unburied over an hour or two, and as long as it was possible to obtain carriers, or a sexton to bury them, the job was handled expeditiously.
Buffalonians were wont to wear a little bag of ‘gum camphor’ that would hang from the neck. There were few who did not feel that life was dear (as well as uncertain) at the time when the reported cases of cholera in Buffalo exceeded one hundred in a day.
The first reported case of cholera in Buffalo was on July 16th - "an Irish laborer, an habitual drunkard," being the victim. He died within eight hours of being seized. The Buffalo Board of Health labored heroically, not only directing remedial measures, but also bravely coming into contact with the disease-stricken people.
The disease was temporarily stemmed, but not eradicated. 1833 seemed okay, but recurrence of the epidemic occurred again in 1834; one of the fatalities was the mayor, Major A. Andrews. Another epidemic developed in 1849, and again in 1854, but the worst and most memorable was the first occurrence when people knew not how to combat the scourge, only witnessing much of its virulence.
Of course cholera is no longer a scourge here, and Buffalo is constantly redefining and refining itself as a cultural, banking, educational, and medical center. The city was named by Reader's Digest as the third cleanest city (environmentally) in the United States in 2005. In 2001 USA Today named Buffalo the winner of its "City with a Heart" contest, proclaiming it the nation's "friendliest city." Also, in 1996 and 2002, Buffalo won the All-America City Award.
Happy 175th Birthday Buffalo! Remember that 2007 is the centennial of Buffalo Old Home Week. Let's give Niagara Square another try for the 175th, shall we? Just not in April.