Residents of the "Towpath" fished and hunted the Erie Canal from a cluster of weather beaten homes, hunting and fishing clubs, taverns and stores leaning at strange angles, perched on wobbly stilts. Fishing was a popular pastime, as well as an important way to stretch the weekly food budget. When the residents of the towpath were evicted, many of the fishing clubs were disbanded, except for the George Washington Fishing and Camping Club (founded on George Washington's birthday), which moved several times before finding a home at 2805 Niagara Street in the Town of Tonawanda. This land was bought by the club in an effort to relocate their clubhouse. Unable to use the land, they turned it over to the City of Buffalo, who built this park and named it in their honor. The George Washington Club, March 24 1957. Photo courtesy of Frank Plazik. Residents staged a mock funeral the day they were evicted from the Towpath in [sic] April 1, 1957, when the City of Buffalo condemned the land to build the Thruway. The Towpath, born of one great transportation facility - the Erie Canal - was now dead by the hand of another - the New York State Thruway. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society. This view of the Towpath shows the cluster of ramshakle houses and establishments lining the banks of the Erie Canal. Mule teams on the Towpath pulled the boats through the calm waters of the Canal, bypassing the strong currents of the Niagara River. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society. The people who lived and gathered on the Towpath had a deep affection for the Niagara and its changing moods. With their boats moored snugly underneath their homes, they were among the city's most content residents. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society.
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