After the War of 1812 finally removed
the British military threat from Western New York, the area quickly began filling
up with settlers. The primeval forest fell to the settler's ax, and villages and
cities sprang up in the wilderness.
The opening of the Erie
Canal in 1825 made Rochester America's first boomtown. Many of the new settlers
were foreign-born, immigrants who had borne the brunt of the back-breaking canal
construction and others passing through in search of their fortunes in the newly
opened lands farther west.
Stll, many stayed to power the farms and factories
of the growing industial age. The City of Rochester grew around the High
Falls of the Genesee River, whose water powered early mills. Rochester became
known as the Flour City, with the rich farmland's bounty being floated down river
to be processed for market.
And rich it was. For a time, the Genesee Country
served as the granary of a growing nation. Fruits and vegetables also thrived
in the temperate climates near the Great Lakes. Many nursuries and seed houses
thrived, filling the needs of farms and gardens nationwide. Soon the Flour City
became known as the Flower City. The region remains a prime agricultural