Steamburg Band Circa 1900
Front LR: Unknown, Fred Johnson, Brace Reeves, Frank Staples, Wallace Woodford
Back L-R: Unknown, Eugene May, Luther Story, Newman May, Earl Jaquay
Coldspring was formed from Little Valley in 1823. Coldspring renamed Napoli in 1828. Coldspring was formed from Napoli in 1837. In 1847 and again in 1848, portions of the Town were annexed to South Valley. The Town of EIko, formerly a part of the Town of South Valley, was annexed to Coldspring and South Valley in 1965, leaving Coldspring with an area of 40,819 acres.
The Allegany Indian Reservation, whose entire boundary is marked by iron posts, encompasses a portion of the Town, while Allegany State Park accounts for 12,210 acres of the Town.
The Town was originally covered by the finest growth of timber (pine and hemlock) of any town in the County. The Holland Land Company’s first sale in Colspring took place in 1819. The streams within the Town afforded excellent water – power for milling and transportation to market. The first sawmill in the Town was built by the federal government for the Indians on Saw Mill Run. This lumber town saw the erection of a large number of mills (i.e. Morse & Wyman’s, Price & Culver). The first grist mill, Quaker Mill, was located in what was known as Elko. The first steam sawmill in Cattarauugs County was erected at Coldspring by Nye & White (1846) .
Following the exhaustion of the timber supply, agricultural activity followed which included dairying with staple products of hay, grain and potatoes.
Built under the name of Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, in 1860, the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio (Nypano) railroad ran east to west through Coldspring with a station at Steamburg (Steamburgh). In 1872, at the Steamburg depot a passenger and freight train collided killing 3. The Steamburg depot burnt in 1881, with a new structure being built in 1882. In 1888, an eastbound train rear – ended a stationary freight train, at the depot, killing 3, injuring 4.
The Western New York & Pennsylvania crosses the southeast corner of the Town, but has no station.
Cold Spring Railroad Company was incorporated in 1839 with intentions of building a wooden railway which would employ “steam, animal or mechanical power” to transport “persons or property”. This railroad was never built.
One of the various communities within the Township of Coldspring was the hamlet of Cold Spring. Famous as a lumbering center, Cold Spring saw the diversion of its principal business interests to Steamburg, with the coming of the railroad. The hamlet of Cold Spring was left to the Indians. The hamlet saw 3 hotels, sawmills, a store, 3 taverns, and a doctor. Mail was received weekly by horseback with the post office once officially designated as “Ten Mile Spring”.
The Village of Steamburg derived its name from the number of steam mills located in this area. The development is attributed to the coming of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad/station. At one point in time, Steamburg contained 3 general stores (the first in 1856), two hotels (first in 1863 – A. & G. W. House as known as the Travelers’ Home and the Steamburgh House), a saw and planning mill, a shoe shop, a post office (1861), 2 blacksmith shops, a meat market, a Union church, town hall, school (1873), a physician’s office and several grocery stores.
Other communities within the Town were “Hardscrabble” (high hills and deep valleys), “Lebanon” (fertile valley bounded on all sides by high elevations), “Price Corners” in honor of the Price families, and “Bunker Hill” which received its name as a result of a comment made by an individual following a tavern fight “Gosh! That was a regular battle of Bunker Hill!”
Annin Fish Hatchery started in 1868 as Trout Grove Fishery containing a large number of pure soft water springs which never freeze, some twenty ponds. Brook trout are principally bred along with brown, German, and California mountain trout.
In the 1800 ‘ s, the Town of Coldspring saw the development of shingle mill, school house (1835), a spoke and hub factory (1873) , creamery (Price Creamery 1874), town hall (1891), tavern, 3 hotels, sawmills, store (1837), and churches, in addition to the various developments/businesses as previously mentioned within the various hamlets/villages.
Cattaraugus County Book 1808-1995/96