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.
Industry in Syracuse, New York
The Syracuse Heater Company was in operation in 1903 in the town of DeWitt, New York, a suburb of Syracuse. The company purchased six acres of land where they intended to erect a manufacturing plant. The property was located between the New York Central and the West Shore Railroad tracks, affording both companies excellent facilities for shipping. The first building erected was the foundry building which was 100 feet square "so arranged that additions to the plant can be readily made." Several other buildings were constructed for the assembling and mounting of the castings and for the storing goods and material. The enterprise was under the management of the president, Charles D. Howard, and the office was located at 517 South Clinton Street "where the Syracuse heaters are displayed so that their peculiar features of merit may be readily seen and understood." By January 1912, the company was located at 225 Walton Street and were advertising the "Onondaga Furnace" that year.