Its Time To Go To Crystal Beach!

Crystal Beach advertising Jingles

Video compilation by Jerry Malloy

Sound tracks courtesy of  staffannouncer.com

MOONLIGHT ON THE LAKE - To Crystal Beach, the Coney Island of Buffalo. Nothing more delightful. The magnificent stmrs. PEARL and GAZELLE leave the foot of Main Street at 7:00 and 8:00 P.M. arriving at the Beach in time for the entertainments. Returning, last boat arriving at Main Street 11:30 P.M. where street cars connect for all directions. Buffalo Enquirer   August 11, 1892

Boat Landing At Crystal Beach Canada

    The first pier at Crystal Beach was built around 1890. A rush of visitors kept 17 ferry boats busy to the state of New York, beginning with the Dove. Boats other than the Dove that plowed the turbulent waters between Buffalo and Crystal Beach, included the Superior, Premier, State of New York, Cole, Idlewild, Timon, Pilgrim, Puritan, GAZELLE, Argyle, White Star and The Pearl, Later renamed The Crystal.

    These boats differed from the Americana and the Canadiana.  They did not venture out if the weather was bad.  The Idlewild, for example, had her smokestack ripped off by rough seas at Windmill Point. While the Timon, rolled so badly that it was only kept one year.  The GAZELLE was worthy of her name being a particularly frisky boat whenever heavy seas rolled over Lake Erie.  She was safe and easy to handle so she was kept in service for many years.

The Gazelle leaving Buffalo Harbor for Crystal Beach - 1894

CRYSTAL BEACH - Extra trips Sunday, July 26th. Stm. PEARL will leave North Tonawanda at 10:30 A.M., South Tonawanda at 10:45 A.M., Stm. GAZELLE will leave the foot of Austin St., Black Rock at 2P.M., stopping at Ferry St. 30 minutes later.   Buffalo Morning Express  July 26, 1896

Canadiana Leaving the Foot of Main Street

The Crystal Beach Co. has announced the appointments of Capt. James McKarty to the PEARL, and Capt. George Swift to the GAZELLE for the season.  Buffalo Enquirer  April 27, 1894 

The excursion stm. GAZELLE of the Crystal Beach line made her last trip of the season last evening. She arrived from Crystal Beach about 8:00, and, after unloading her passengers at the foot of Main St., went to Black Rock where she will layup for the season. The pleasure resort business has been unusually large this season and a number of lines have made money.  Buf Morn Ex  Oct. 1, 1899 

Steamer Garden City

The excursion stm. GAZELLE came out of winter quarters yesterday afternoon and went to the fuel dock. She will go on the Crystal Beach route this morning. The GARDEN CITY, which has been running to the Beach since Decoration Day, will lay off today, in order to be tested, after which she will go into commission again. The GAZELLE will begin to run regularly as soon as the business warrants it.  Buf Morn Ex  June 5, 1896

 The excursion season here will open on Decoration Day, May 31st. The stm. PURITAN will start the season on the Crystal Beach Run, making 5 trips daily. On June 10th the PEARL and GAZELLE will be put on the run. The RIVERSIDE and the IDLEHOUR will run to Elmwood Beach*. The NIAGARA will go to Woodlawn Beach, while the SILVER SPRAY will go between Ferry St. and the Bedell House. A small yacht, the ADRALEXA will run between Crystal Beach and Pt. Amino this summer.   Buf Morn Ex   May 20, 1900

Editors Note:  *Beaver Island State Park first opened in 1935 with few facilities. It was once a privately owned amusement park known as ELMWOOD BEACH


Editor Suggests:

   Steamers of the Crystal Beach Line

Amusement Insiders

Published on Dec 30, 2018

 

Raptor Alex 

Published on Feb 13, 2018

CRYSTAL BEACH, THE GOOD OLD DAYS by Ernie Rossie

Buffalo's First International Airport - The Outer Harbor!

Buffalo-Toronto Airplane Service to Be Opened  Today.  Giant Passenger Air Liner to Fly From Local Harbor Over Lake, River, Cataract to Canada

Courier Express June 29, 1929

  Inaugurating the first international aerial passenger service out of Buffalo, a giant amphibian air liner of the Colonial Western Airways, will take off from Buffalo Harbor this morning to wing its way to Toronto---another link in the city's chain of air lane contacts. At 9:50 o'clock the big twin motored carrier will glide down the ramp from the new terminal at the foot of Georgia St. with a full load of private passengers and newspapermen...  The take off will be witnessed by prominent city officials and others. Traveling to Niagara Falls, the big ship will circle the cataract before continuing to Lewiston, from where it will fly across Lake Ontario to Toronto Harbor, the trip taking 45 minutes. 

   The service will be a regular travel route with a morning and afternoon trip daily. the schedule is designed to make connections with the important trains out of Buffalo as well as Toronto. The ships that will be in permanent service over the run are two Sikorsky amphibians, which have been Christened Neekah and Nonokas. Ten passenger carriers, they are ultimate in luxurious appointment and safety and capable of being brought down with equal ease on land or water...

Buffalo Evening News   June 29 1929

Air-Minded Watch First 
Buffalo-Toronto Passenger Airline Take Off

BIG AMPHIBIAN PLANE MAKES 

QUICK VOYAGE

Covers distance between two cities in 45 minutes flying time.  Eight passengers carried on first trip are enthusiastic over flight

Courier-Express  June 30 1929

by ANNE MURRAY McILHENNEY

      With a deafening roar and an angry churning of the waters, the Hummingbird, known in the Indian dialect of Tamigani as Nonokas, skimmed over the Niagara River yesterday morning as the clock pointed to 11:05 and took off on the maiden voyage of the passenger air line route of Colonial Western Airways, between Buffalo and Toronto.  Just 45 minutes later the giant Sikorsky amphibian, after an exciting and momentous trip filled chock full of scenic wonders, pointed it's nose down over beautiful Toronto Island, whizzed by the spar of a sailing boat, and taxied up to the Toronto Harbor Dock.....

Crowds  Await  Start      

   In both cities the start of the passenger airline service was an event.  In Buffalo crowds hailed the start of the initial cruise, lining the temporary ramp at the foot of Georgia St. at an early hour and waiting an watching with interest as workers tugged to get the great airfish floated.  Passengers for the first flight arrived at the Buffalo starting place promptly at 9:30 o'clock, and nearly 500 persons attended the start. 

     First Passengers

  Passengers on the maiden trip were: Mr. and Mrs. George N Crouse of Syracuse, veteran air passengers and first-flighters: Cyrus Coffman, John Daniels Jr. of the Hotel Statler; H. Ralph Badger and representatives of the Buffalo press, Stephen B Kane of the Buffalo Times; Charles Mickey of the Buffalo News, and Miss Anne Murray McIlhenney of the Buffalo Courier Express. Piloting the trip was Charles H. Maris, a young flier of the Colonial Western Airways, who has piloted the air mail for quite some time..... The airline inaugurated yesterday will operate daily and holidays on the following schedule:  Leave Buffalo 9:50 a.m., arrive Toronto 10:35 a.m.;  Leave Buffalo 5 p.m., arrive Toronto 5:45 p.m.: Leave Toronto 11:15 a.m., arrive Buffalo 12 noon; Leave Toronto 6:30 p.m., arrive Buffalo 7:15 p.m.

---------------------------------------------

Buffalo Evening News   July 16 1929

FIRST PLANE ARRIVES WITH TORONTO MAIL

---------------------

FORMER SENATORS WIFE CHRISTENS CRAFT ON NEW 

INTERNATIONAL POSTAL ROUTE

---------------------

    When the Sikorsky amphibian, Neekah, rolled up the landing ramp at the foot of Georgia St. Wednesday evening at 7:15 o'clock, she carried 600 lbs of mail matter from Toronto---the first international shipment over the Buffalo-Toronto route of the Colonial Western Airways.....The mail was specially stamped and more than 2000 flight covers were received at the Buffalo Post office commemorating the inauguration of the new line, according to government officials......

 EDITORS NOTE:  Wandering around Lasalle Park did you ever notice that concrete ramp going into the water at the south end of the park, between the park and where the high rise condos begin? Most people assumed it to be a boat launch.   In reality, it was Buffalo's first International Airport!

    

Aerial view of ramp in 1932

Ramp viewed from Lasalle Park

Ramp view looking north

Explorer's Air Yacht: The Sikorsky S-38 Flying Boat 

(Click here)

Passenger Steamers of the Great Lakes

"The twin steamers Eastern States and Western States, owned by the Detroit and Buffalo line, are among the largest, handsomest and fastest passenger ships on the Great Lakes. They are licensed to carry 3,500 passengers, have a speed in mid-lake of 20 miles an hour and make the 290 mile trip over the Buffalo-Detroit run in 14 hours, practically carrying all passengers between these ports during the summer months."