mstafford@observertoday.com
OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford
This historic monument is targeted for a move closer to the city pier.
In May 1851, Dunkirk was largely isolated from the world. The only way to get out of town was on a boat at the harbor, or on dirt roads almost impassable with mud in wet weather and full of ankle- and axle- breaking buggy ruts in dry times.
Then the railroad came, and everything changed. On May 15, 1851, a train of the New York and Erie Railroad inaugurated the local rail line, ushering in decades of industrial growth.
A monument for that event sits almost unnoticed in a small lot at the corner of Main and Ruggles streets. Now, the Dunkirk Historical Society wants it at a much more visible location: In the median next to the Boardwalk sign on the pier, facing Lake Shore Drive.
John Whittaker
Pictured are some police officers and municipal leaders in Chautauqua County giving their support to Sheriff James Quattrone and his efforts to address on Executive Order 203 â Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.
Editor’s Note: Today, the OBSERVER continues its look back at the top stories of 2020 and the way they will shape the coming year. Today, 20 for 2020 looks at the municipal matters that were among the most-read stories in the newspaper this year.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office is working on its New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative plan due to the state by April 1.