Dodge's rich history starts in 1870s
Dodge has a rich heritage, steeped in Bohemian and German traditions and is a small town in an agricultural community.
Situated in the northwest corner of the county that shares its name, it is just 35 miles northwest of Fremont. The town actually was named after the county which, in turn, gets its name from Sen. A.G. Dodge of Iowa.
The town was settled in the 1870s, states information from the Dodge 125 cookbook.
In 1886, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad's line from Scribner to Lindsay was finished on land that Joseph Walter homesteaded. That year, the town was platted. A hotel, drug store, hardware store, blacksmith shop and lumberyard would be opened.
A bank and newspaper opened in 1888. Sokol Hall, which served as the spot for many community activities, was built that year, too.
A year later, St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church was established 2 1/2 miles northeast of Dodge. The current brick church was built in 1956.
The Dodge Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 - today known as the Dodge Fire Department - was organized in 1891. Just four years later, a blaze swept through the town, destroying much of the business district and many residences. The town soon was rebuilt, however, with many of those buildings still standing today.
The original town hall was built in 1896. Many years later, in 1939, an auditorium was dedicated on an 18-acre park. That August, a fire destroyed Sokol Hall.
Dodge would see more hardship, when in 1944, a flash flood swept through the lower part of town, destroying four homes and wiping out railroad tracks.
As years passed, the community saw various improvements, however. In 1953, the John Rogers Memorial Library was built. The town's swimming pool doubled in size in 1959 and the park did so a year thereafter. The Dodge Fire Station was dedicated in 1964.
More strange weather hit Dodge in 1980 when a storm dropped softball-size hail on the town.
And more progress would occur in subsequent years.
The town celebrated its centennial in 1986. A new post office was dedicated in 1992. A new concession stand was built in 2002 and four years later new playground equipment was installed in North Park.
Local churches would observe milestones. In 1999, Sacred Heart Church at Olean celebrated its 125th anniversary. St. Wenceslaus Church celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2008.
Note: Kathy Kauffold of the Dodge Criterion and Mary Mandel helped compile a brief history for the cookbook.
Author Mason Winfield to Visit Olean Public Library
On Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Olean Public Library, author Mason Winfield will present “The Supernatural Southern Tier: Famous Ghosts, Haunted Sites, and Ghosthunting.”
In a 90 minute power point presentation about ghosts, haunted sites and ghosthunting in the Southern Tier region of New York State, Mason Winfield will introduce some of the patterns he observes in the region’s supernatural folklore, including reflections upon its most powerful haunted sites, its Native American legends, and its famous ghosts.
“Supernatural historian” Mason Winfield studied English and Classics at Denison University, earned a master’s degree in British literature at Boston College, and studied poetry and fiction at SUNY Buffalo with internationally recognized poet and MacArthur grant recipient Irving Feldman. For 13 years he taught English at The Gow School (South Wales, NY). While at Gow he chaired the English department, won a 50K cross-country ski marathon, and was ranked several times among the Buffalo, NY, area’s top ten tennis players. He has published eight books, including the regional sensation Shadows of the Western Door (1997), which has gone into its eighth printing. His seventh and eighth books – Ghosts of 1812 and Supernatural Saratoga – were published in August 2009. His ninth book (written with co author Michael Bastine) The Iroquois Supernatural will be published in the fall of 2011 by Inner Traditions International.
A journalist who writes articles on a wide range of subjects, Mason is also a fiction writer whose short story “The Hunters” won the year 2000 JobsinHell/Feoamante.Com contest for Horror Fiction and received honorable mention in the year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. A popular lecturer and frequent media guest, Mason has given talks sponsored by Poets & Writers, The Big Read, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Mason designed and hosted “The Phantom Tour,” a two hour TV program/DVD on haunted history in Western New York. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and stars in “Myths of the Iroquois,” an episode of the summer 2006 Travel Channel program Legend Hunters. Known for his fondness for Celtic and Iroquois supernatural tradition, Mason is the founder of Haunted History Ghost Walks, Inc., a company that designs and develops various forms of “haunted” tourism, including walking and carriage tours, conferences, and performances. Cultural, historic, and architectural preservation are vital issues to Mason, and Haunted History Ghost Walks, Inc., is proud to support these causes through their partnerships with local organizations.
North Olean History - Bookshelf
Annual report of the regents
... Mexico, Millville, Munro, New4York CS, North Hebron, Ogdensburgh, Olean, ... Johnstown, Lan4 singburgh, Mayville, Moriah, North Salem, North Hebron, ...Genealogical and family history of western New York, a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation
While a resident of the village of North Olean he served on the board of health; was village trustee and assessor, resigning the latter office to accept ...New York supplement
(2) Failure to stop the extra north-bound train in time to prevent the ... have no a volved in this case In accordance wi bound train went north of Olean, ...Annual report
At least no municipal sewerage systems discharge into it above North Olean, according to information obtained from the superintendent of the water ...Documents of the Senate of the State of New York
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NORTH OLEAN HISTORY
History of Olean! History Stories, History News and Photos of Olean, New York, by Eileen McCartan Smith. The Most Information about Olean, NY History!
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GANGLAND MURDERS
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History of the City of Olean Fire Department
Department History. Department Chiefs. 1854 – Olean was incorporated as a Village. ... the Acme, in North Olean; the Luther, on North Union Street; the ...