Onondaga Creek
The settlement that became Syracuse arose in a forested swampy area at the creek outlet in the early 1800s as a result of the state of NY constructing the Erie Canal and developing salt production on the shores of Onondaga Lake. From this time forward, the natural meandering flood plain of the creek was periodically channelized and straightened to facilitate uncontrolled development of the creek-side and flood plain upstream towards the Onondaga Nation Reservation. A "progress"-based economic cycle involved land developers purchasing farmland and building in the adjacent rural towns, followed by flooding, sewage, water supply, and school crises. The city of Syracuse would then respond to petitions by the new homeowners and businesses to formally ask the state legislature to annex these lands. By the turn of the twentieth century, this cycle accelerated due to the city acquiring water rights to Skaneatles lake, and the development of street car lines.
Syracuse Telephonic Exchange
In 1909, the New York Telephone Company was formed from the Empire State Telephone Company, the New York & Pennsylvania Telephone Company, the Hudson River Telephone Company and the Central New York Telephone and Telegraph Company. Syracuse became division headquarters for the new organization and W. W. Nicholson was named general manager. The New York Telephone Company had moved into offices in Montgomery Street, formerly owned by the Central New York Telephone and Telegraph Company, which at the time were "the largest central office in the world" and were still in use in 1939. The "spacious headquarters" resulted in the company's choice of Syracuse as auditing center and divisional headquarters.