Buffalo, NY: Erie Basin

(Satellite, it has been converted from a harbor to a marina)

See Erie Canal Western Terminus for more information.

Joseph Rennie posted
Old Postcard Erie Basin early 20th century quite different. Most likely 1907-08 Lower right there is a man and a boy, center two women having a conversation. I suppose when the boats were tied up or were waiting their turn at the locks there would be visits back and forth.
Leo C. Straight: During the heyday of the canals!
Joseph Rennie: still using the old mule drawn boats looks almost idyllic.
Joseph Rennie shared
Early 20th century postcard Erie Basin
Susan Eck: This reminded me to put up my story about families that wintered in their canal boats in Erie Basin. http://www.wnyhistory.org/.../winter_canal/winter_canal.htm

 

1950 Buffalo NW Quad @ 24,000

Cari Willson posted
Buffalo 1875
 The Harbor, Erie Basin, Coit Slip, Slip No. 1 and the Erie Canal.
Louis C Carl shared
Daniel Mcmenamin: What year were the break walls built?
Mike Casella: Daniel Mcmenamin the break wall in the distance beyond the 1833 lighthouse was built 1868-1870. If this photo is 1875 out of the picture to the right you would see the 1872 lighthouse. Which became the leaning lighthouse after the Frontenac struck it in 1958.

Adrian Brisee posted
The Erie Basin terminal at Buffalo, from the 1937 book, NY the Canal State.
Brian R. Wroblewski shared
[The comments talk about two smokestacks, one of which is faint. They are both pumping stations. The faint one must be really faint because I see just the Colonel Ward Pumping Station. The other was the Massachusetts Avenue Pumping Station.]

also note the freight houses

Brian R. Wroblewski posted
Floating marine leg with lake schooner. I’m guessing at the Erie Basin.

Gene Thompson posted two photos with the comment:

Erie Basin and the mouth of Buffalo Creek… circa 1870 & today.

The foot of Erie St. is on the left… where we can see the steeples of St. Joseph’s & St. Paul’s off in the distance, and the long NY Central Railroad shed & depot below them.

From LoC - restored by yours truly.

[In the comments is information about the Ohio Basin.]

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Brian R. Wroblewski posted
Original layout of slips & piers at the Erie Basin. The Erie, Coit & Peacock slips still remain there today, although heavily altered.

Bubba Dubs commented on Brian's post

Antonia Medina posted
Erie Basin, Buffalo NY 1890. Shot off the top of the Reading RR coal wharf. Thank you Brian R. Wroblewski for location.

Comments on Antonia Medina's post

Brian R. Wroblewski posted
This one is for Marisa. It shows the old Erie Basin & the 1970s "Buffalo" design that can be seen today. Back in the olden days the marina was a detached breakwall protecting a series of slips & piers. This area was once a major transshipment point between lake vessels & the Erie Canal. As traffic thru the basin dwindled, a major redevelopment took place during the "Urban Renewal" phase of the early 70s. Everything canal & shipping related was clear cut from the area, steel sheet pile walls were driven to create the new landforms along the shore, & a large fill was placed to cut the basin off from the Buffalo River. This fill now connects the old breakwall to land & forms the basis for the parking lot, roadway, & walking path along the lakefront. The lakeward side of the old canal slips can still be seen, although in a truncated form. From the left to the right are the Coit, Peacock, & Erie slips. The two finger piers that the condo developments sit on today were originally a New York State Erie Canal terminal. This was the key that started the private to public transition of the downtown Buffalo waterfront & this development is what allowed all the spin offs like the Naval Park, Condos, & now Canalside.

Gene Thompson posted via Dennis DeBruler

 

Gene Thompson posted
Buffalo Harbor, circa 1925... basically the area now occupied by Erie Basin Marina. With the Railroad interchange and massive coal chutes at the foot of Erie St., and many landmark buildings in the background that still exist today. This is a very large image... be sure to zoom in to see all the details!
Source image from Library of Congress. All restoration by yours truly.
Jarrett Zerkowski shared

Jim Cavanaugh posted
From my Archive. A 2004 view of the Erie Basin Marina and Downtown Buffalo. The "spoke and wheel" layout of the main roads leading into the city, laid out by Joseph Ellicott, are clearly visible. The Kensington Expressway is visible to the left. Also visible in the upper left in the distance is Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

 

Paul Bauer posted
In 21 years on the Erie Basin, I never have seen two ships pass like this - one entering - Manitoulin, and the other - Capri, departing. Normally one would have waited for the other to clear. A guess would be that the tug NJ was late in coming out to assist Manitoulin and that Capri had a time slot for the Welland Canal it didn’t want to miss. (Probably wrong!!!)

Allen Murphy posted the comment:

Here's a little help for the members of the group not well versed in the boat movements in Buffalo. go to the Erie Basin & park there. They'll come right up the river past the lighthouse, Naval Park, & under the Skyway. The American Mariner & H.Lee White bear right and head to the frontier elevator at General Mills, Defiance/Ashtabula & Calumet go past General Mills to Canadian Cilica to unload sand

The Manitoulin and the NACC Capri &Argonaut go left around the old DL&W terminal, under the Michigan St. bridge, the NACC boats to LaFarge & the Manitoulin continues under the Ohio St. bridge to ADM's standard elevator.

Boats like the Algomas & CSL boats like the Niagara, Laurentien and the salties bringing sugar all enter thru the south channel and unload at Gateway Metroport on the old Bethlehem steel sight.

Hope this helps.

This is south of Erie Basin, but it is part of the Buffalo harbor scene.

Brian R. Wroblewski posted three images with the comment:

I've been doing some research on the different passenger lines & lake steamers that once called here in Buffalo. Here's a list I've compiled so far of the larger steamship lines, their more modern steamers, & the docks that they used to use along the Buffalo River.

  I'm not really sure what happened when the DL&W terminal was built because it would have displaced a few of them you see listed here. I'm also not sure about the green question marked location. 

 Passenger liner docks in Buffalo:

Buffalo River-

1 - C&B - Long Wharf near fire boat slip, Stmrs. City of Buffalo, City of Erie, SeeandBee

2 - Georgian Bay Lines - DL&W dock, Stmrs. Alabama, N. American, S. American

3 - Northern Steamship Co. - Long Wharf East of Main St., Stmrs. Northland, Northwest

4 - D&C - Central Wharf West of Main St., Stmrs. Greater Buffalo, Greater Detroit, City of Cleveland III, City of Detroit III, Western States, Eastern States

5- Crystal Beach Line - North of Commercial Slip, Stmrs. Americana, Canadiana

6- Anchor Line/GLTCo. - North end Central Wharf, Stmrs. Tionesta, Juniata, Octorora

?- I've seen pics of passenger ships like these in the Coit slip at the Erie Basin but I'm not really sure if they were docked there for passenger operations or for lay up. If anyone knows, put it in the comments.

Update: that Coit slip dock was GLT Co's the later 30s & C&BT Co's in the later 40s.

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Brad Smith commented on Brian's post
Sign stating the DL&W terminal is also home to the Georgian Bay Lines. Not sure of the photo source, suspect it might be from the strong collection.

Jim Cavanagh posted
From my Archive. Another from the November 2004 series of Buffalo's Waterfront. This view from above the Erie Basin Marina looking south-south east towards the Buffalo River and the Outer Harbor to the right.

Note the grain elevators in the background.

Digitally Zoomed