Olean, New York

The first European in the area was possibly Joseph de La Roche Daillon, a missionary and explorer from Canada. La Roche reported on the presence of oil near Cuba, the first petroleum sighting in North America. At that time the area was a part of the territory of the Wenrohronon or Wenro Indians, an Iroquois speaking people. In 1643, the Wenro tribes became the first victims of a series of brutal conflicts known as the Second Beaver War.

The area was first settled by Europeans around 1765, called by the Indian name Ischua. Officially, this was illegal, as the British had declared the land in the Allegheny River watershed to be part of the Indian Reserve after conquering the territory in the French and Indian War two years prior. The surface is a hilly upland, separated into two distinct parts by the valley of the Allegheny. The highest points are 500 to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) above the valley. During the American Revolutionary War, the 1779 Sullivan Expedition established the first road to what would become Olean, blazing a trail to what is now Kittanning, Pennsylvania along the path of what is now New York State Route 16.

Originally the entire territory of the county of Cattaraugus was called the Town of Olean, formed March 11, 1808. As population allowed, the county was split in half and the top half was called "Hebe", and was taken off in 1812, a part of Perrysburgh in 1814, then Great Valley in 1818. Hinsdale formed in 1820, and Portville in 1837, leaving the current boundary of Olean that lies upon the south line of the county, near the southeast corner. The area remained sparsely populated until 1804, when Major Adam Hoops acquired the land and gave it its modern name. Hoops was a surveyor and Revolutionary War veteran, and was politically connected with Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution. Along with Morris, Hoops became involved with the Holland Land Company, which was settling western New York.

This was a time of great western expansion into places like Ohio and Indiana. Since neither canals nor railroads had become widespread by this point, the main means of travel were either by cart or by small-boat travel. The Allegheny River was a major transportation route. Hoops believed that a great city could be created at the confluence of the Allegany and one of its tributaries, and went looking for the right spot. In 1804, he found one where Olean Creek meets the river; the confluence was important, as it was the farthest point downstream in the state before hitting the Seneca Reservation that surrounded most of New York's piece of the river. Hoops received title to 20,000 acres (81 km²) from the Holland Land Company in 1804. Hoops' brother Robert came to the site and built the first permanent structure near today's Forness Park, calling the area Hamilton in honor of Alexander Hamilton.

In a letter to Joseph Ellicott in 1804, Hoops discusses the name Olean from the local Oil Springs and the Latin word oleum:

Canandaigua, N.Y., April 15, 1804 "To Joseph ELLICOTT, Esq., Batavia, New York. Dear Sir,―It was proposed to me at New York to drop the Indian name of Ischue or Ischua (it is also spelt other ways). Confusion might arise from the various spellings, of which to obviate all risk I have concluded so to do as proposed. The neighborhood of the oil spring suggests a name different in sound, though perhaps not different in meaning, which I wish to adopt,―it is "Olean." You will do me a favor by assisting me to establish this name. It may easily be done now by your concurrence. The purpose will be most effectually answered by employing the term, when occasion requires, without saying anything of an intended change of name. To begin, you will greatly oblige me by addressing the first letter you may have occasion to write to me, after I receive the survey, to the Mouth of Olean. The bearer being properly instructed, there will be thereafter no difficulty. Your co-operation in the matter (the effect of which, though not important in itself, may be so on account of precision) will oblige. Your servant, A. HOOPS

The Post Office recognized the new town as "Olean Point". The site was surveyed by 1808, and a map from that year shows a basic street pattern that still survives, along with most of the modern street names. In 1823, the city is called Olean, without the "Point", on county maps.

In 1854 Olean was formally incorporated by the New York State Legislature, and the trustees elected at the first subsequent town meeting were Dr. Lambert Thithney, C.B.B. Barse, Charles Thing, and John K. Comstock. Enos C. Brooks, descendant of Judge James Brooks and of Cornelius Brooks (one of the earliest settlers of Olean (1808)), was appointed Clerk of Olean.[4]

Olean is located in southeastern Cattaraugus County at 42°4′57″N 78°25′51″W (42.08264, -78.430965).[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.0 km²), of which 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km²), or 4.19%, is water.[3]

The city is located where Olean Creek flows into the Allegheny River and by the Southern Tier Expressway (Interstate 86 and New York State Route 17). New York State Route 417 passes east–west through the city and intersects New York State Route 16, a north–south highway.

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 15,347 people, 6,446 households, and 3,803 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,588.0 people per square mile (999.2/km²). There were 7,121 housing units at an average density of 1,200.8 per square mile (463.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.31% White, 3.47% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.

There were 6,446 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,400, and the median income for a family was $38,355. Males had a median income of $32,341 versus $22,469 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,169. About 13.9% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

• Cutco Cutlery Corp. is headquartered in Olean and manufactures all of its knives in the city.
• Dresser-Rand Group's North American headquarters was in Olean.
• Hysol Corporation, later bought by Dexter Corporation and then Henkel was one of Olean's largest employers. Henkel sold the company to SolEpoxy in 2010.
• Colonial Radio Group, which owns radio stations in the region and previously owned stations in the Carolinas, was headquartered in Olean from 2009 to 2018.
• Olean General Hospital, is part of Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), which includes Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) in Bradford, PA. UAHS provides care to a service area with more than 160,000 individuals in Southwestern New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania.
• Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative, a regional grocery wholesaler, was located just east of the city. It was bought out by C&S Wholesale Grocers with intent to close the facility in 2019.

• The city hosted the Miss New York pageant during the 1960s and '70s and held a parade with the reigning 1976 Miss America, Tawny Godin, who was crowned Miss New York in Olean.
• Part of the movie Unstoppable was filmed near the Olean Middle School.
• Olean was the first city in the country to install CCTV cameras along its main business street in September 1968.

Olean has two elementary schools — East View Elementary and Washington West Elementary; a middle school — Olean Intermediate Middle School; and Olean High School is the city's public high school. It was the site of the Olean High School shooting in 1974.

Archbishop Walsh Academy is Olean's Roman Catholic school for grades K-12.

A branch of Jamestown Community College is within the city. St. Bonaventure University is a few miles to the west in the town of Allegany.

Olean is the home of the Southern Tier Diesel adult amateur football team.[11]

Bradner Stadium, originally built in the 1920s, is a multi-purpose stadium which was once the home to the minor-league baseball teams the Olean Oilers, who played in the short-season Pony League, and the Olean Yankees, an earlier team. In the summer, the stadium hosts the collegiate team that has revived the Olean Oilers,[12] and in the fall is the home for the Olean High School football team. A team representing Olean also plays in the local Town Team Baseball circuit.

Olean High School is known statewide for the Huskies powerhouse basketball program. Olean has won State titles in 2008 and 2016, and have reached the NYSPHSAA Final Four in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019. Olean has won Section Six titles eleven out of the last thirteen seasons. The Huskies play all of their home games at Olean High School's gymnasium, where from 2011 to 2019 the Huskies won 80 consecutive home games. The huskies were coached by New York State Hall of Fame head coach Jeff Anastasia from 1987 to 2019, accumulating a Western New York record 602 victories and fourteen sectional championships. The Huskies are currently coached by Tim Kolasinski.

The following are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Beardsley-Oliver House, Conklin Mountain House, Oak Hill Park Historic District, Olean Armory, Olean Public Library, Olean School No. 10, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Complex, Temple B'Nai Israel, Union and State Streets Historic District, and the United States Post Office.[13][14][15] The Church of St Mary of the Angels on Henley Street was built in 1915 and was designated by Pope Francis as a basilica in 2017.

Interstate 86 spans east-west and is to the northern edge of Olean. New York Route 16 heads north from Olean to Buffalo. New York Route 417 heads east from Olean.

Until 1968 the Pennsylvania Railroad operated the Buffalo Day Express heading north from Washington, D.C. through Olean to Buffalo (the Baltimore Day Express operated on the southbound version of the route).[16] The Penn Central railroad operated an unnamed successor train through Olean from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Buffalo until 1971 when passenger train service in the region ended.[17][18]

Until 1970 the Erie Lackawanna Railroad operated through Olean the Chicago - Hoboken, New Jersey Lake Cities that was the last passenger train to span through the entire Southern Tier.[19]

The nearest general commercial airports with scheduled flights for the public are in Erie, Buffalo and the Elmira area.

Sports

• Claude Allen, Olympic athlete
• George Capwell, soccer manager
• Eddie Donovan, New York Knicks head coach (1961–1965), head coach, St. Bonaventure University, 1954–1961
• Bob Lanier, Basketball Hall of Fame player, St. Bonaventure University player (1967–1970), Detroit Pistons player (1970–1980), Milwaukee Bucks (1980–1984)
• John McGraw, Baseball Hall of Fame player and manager
• John Wojcik, former MLB player
• Louis Zamperini, World War II prisoner of war survivor, inspirational speaker, and former American competitor in the Olympics.

Media

• Peter Tomarken, host of the game show Press Your Luck

Arts

• Sorrell Booke, actor
• Beverly Bower, opera singer
• Bill Easley, saxophonist
• JG Faherty, science fiction author
• Jeff Fahey, actor
• Donald Innis, architect who invented the floating airport
• Bobby Johnston, film composer, musician
• Robert Lax, poet
• Grace Marra, musician
• Thomas Merton, religious writer
• Meg Saligman, muralist
• Jon Serl, folk artist
• Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo), remix artist
• Clifford Ulp, art professor

Politics

• Augustus Barrows, Wisconsin lumberman and legislator
• Chauncey J. Fox, New York State Senator
• Edward M. Gabriel, United States Ambassador to Morocco
• James F. Hastings, Republican U.S. congressman, 1969–1976
• Frank W. Higgins, 35th Governor of New York from 1905-1906
• Frederick S. Martin, early Republican congressman
• Timothy H. Porter, congressman
• James C. Willson, 12th Mayor of Flint, Michigan
• Catharine Young, New York state senator

Other notables

• Arthur Harkins, futurist, professor
• George G. Lundberg, pilot
• Joe Mayer, founder of the town of Mayer, Arizona
• JD Marra, founder of Gay Rights Movement

• Radio stations in the Olean market
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cattaraugus County, New York

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Olean.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olean, New York.

• City of Olean official website
• Olean at Curlie
• Olean Airport
• Olean on Rootsweb