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.
Railroads in Syracuse, New York
Amtrak was created on May 1, 1971, as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation to assume the passenger operations of private railroads which had been declining since the 1950s. In Central New York, Amtrak's "Empire Corridor Service" extends from Penn Central Station in New York City up the Hudson River Valley to Albany, and west through Syracuse to Niagara Falls. It also includes the segment from Albany to Montreal along Lake Champlain utilizing the Delaware and Hudson Railroad (CP Rail).