New York City / State Timeline from Eagles Byte by David Minor
Year-by-year tracing the growth of the early days of the
Republic In June, 1818, Robert Fulton's steamship Fulton I was
temporarily taken out of moth-balls and its brasswork was buffed
up. The occasion was a New York City visit by President Madison
with ceremonies including a harbor excursion to Staten Island.
New York State waterways were as busy as ever this year. At the
other end of the state, surveyor William Peacock began a survey
of Buffalo's harbor, while construction got under way on the
city's South Pier. On August 23rd, the first steamboat on the
Great Lakes, Walk-in-the-Water, left the city on its maiden
voyage, stopping at Dunkirk, and continuing on west to Cleveland
and Detroit. Peacock's conclusions would soon put an end to the
rivalry between Black Rock and Buffalo for location of the port.
His boss, Joseph Ellicott, was able to report to his superiors
at the Holland Land Company that all of their best land had now
been sold. The ci