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Preserving and Documenting Allegany Cattaraugus Chautauqua Erie Genesee Niagara Orleans and Wyoming Counties since 1974. Home Programs Publications Resources Projects Get Involved About Us Store Members Main More Image of Buffalo waterfront Source Library of Congress Digital Collections SharedHistory Western New Yorks strategic location on the Great Lakes has made it both a terminus and a gateway of migration. First home to Native American communities the region was later settled primarily by New Englanders following the Revolutionary War. The opening of the Erie Canal provided an easy route west attracting the first of many waves of immigrants from Europe.