Spring-Summer 2007

About this Issue

Note from the Editors

This Spring/Summer issue of The Crooked Lake Review begins with many items collected by Richard Palmer about the 1880s oil boom in Allegany County, New York. It begins with an overview of the oil boom written by John P. Herrick and continues with newspaper stories of the Richburg and Bolivar strikes that attracted many seekers for sudden wealth. Included are reminiscences of the wild days and descriptions of the drilling operations and railroad development.

Judith Wellman and Stephen Lewandowski write about the Quakers and their meetinghouses in Farmington, and their connections with other Quaker meetings. They describe the Quaker efforts to support Native American rights, women's rights and the abolitionist movement. A history of the meetinghouses in Farmington is included and a history of the Society of Friends and their beliefs and attitudes.

David Minor concludes his series about the Clan Colquhoun and particularly Patrick Colquhoun who arranged the purchase by the Pulteney group of British investors of a large tract of land in western New York from Robert Morris. Patrick Colquhoun involved himself in numerous business and social improvement ventures and was a magistrate in London. David broadcasts regularly on WXXI-FM every Saturday morning at

Paul Worboys' Hello Girls' and Party Lines: Telephone History in the Vicinity of Honoeye Falls, NY relates the beginning of local telephone service growing to include rural homes and neighboring towns. Soon came long distance conections to Rochester and beyond. Eventually "Hello Girls" manually plugging lines together at switchboards were replaced by automatic switching equipment and dial phones.

CLR Blog | Site Map | Contact CLR