Genesee Valley Canal

The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, opened a water route between Buffalo and New York City. The settlers in Cuba longed to be linked to this waterway for transportation. Agitation began to connect the Allegany River at Olean to the Erie Canal in Rochester by means of a new canal. The first meeting of officials to plan such a venture was held in Cuba, and the proposal was favored.

Many delays were ahead. Once the work stopped for 7 or 8 years, but in 1851 the canal was finished as far as Oramel, to Belfast in '53, to Rockville the next year, and to Olean in 1856.

There was unbounded rejoicing when the first boat passed the 12-mile level of the Genesee Valley Canal and tied up at the foot of Canal Street (now Genesee Street) in October 1856. Cuba citizens turned out with a brass band, and the shouting, cheering crowd paraded back to The Railroad House at the corner of Main Street. Col. James Spencer, proprieter, set out free whiskey and beer, and the celebration went on for several hours.

Boats continued to make their way along the canal until late fall in 1878 when the canal was ordered closed.

The last boat to come to Cuba was the Cuba Lighter owned by Charles Sykes and Gabriel Bishop. It's cargo was a load of lumber from Olean shipped to S.K. Cutter. Evidently it had been planned to wait for the arrival of that boat, for immediately after it had docked in a slip near what is now the Cuba Cheese and Trading Company, a signal from the boat resulted in raising the gates of the canal. The water was run off, leaving the boat, still loaded, sitting on the canal bottom.