This week our attention was focused on the many creeks and streams in West Seneca. For years the Buffalo Creek has been a blessing and a curse. A great place to swim in the summer, the banks provided the inspiration for many of Charles Burchfield’s work. But in spring the quiet creek turns into a raging torrent. Several folks have lost their lives underestimating the speed and fury at which the creek can run after heavy rains.
I lived most of my life across the street from the creek, and many times have witnessed its rise and run. When I was young, I remember a time that the ice jams were as bad as they were last week. The bridge was totally jammed up, the usual farmland and lowlands were poised for massive flooding. on one occasion, they blasted the ice dams. I always thought they used dynamite, but those were the days when I was still watching Wiley Coyote, and that’s probably where I got that idea. Anyway, they blasted the ice, there was a loud noise that echoed through the creekbed, and then….. the water started to flow.
I suppose that blasting is probably not a good idea these days, but back then, it really worked.
Looking back at the Centennial Magazine, I found a photo of the fellows that built the Ebenezer Dam at a cost of $400 dollars.
