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.
James Geddes (engineer)
The Village of Geddes was founded by James Geddes in 1807, and incorporated in 1832, with 20 lots on either side of West Genesee St. This "Old Geddes Village" was annexed into the City of Syracuse on May 20, 1886. The Town of Geddes was founded in 1848 and made to include "...all that part of the town of Salina west of the [Onondaga] lake not embraced in the City of Syracuse"