The name "Elko" was suggested by F. M.
Blackwell, and agent of the Amasa Stone estate.
The first settlers in Elko were three Quakers.
They established an Indian mission on the Allegany, on the reservation,
in May, 1798. These pioneers were Joel Swayne, Halliday
Jackson and Henly Simmons. In 1803, they purchased from
the Holland Land Company, 692 acres on the east side of the Allegany River,
two miles above their first location. This purchase was known as
"Friends" tract. They sold acres off this which left them with 464
acres. This then became known as the Quaker Mission Farm.
In 1804, the Quakers built a saw mill and a grist mill. In
the years to come, some of the other settlers to this area were, Elzi
Flagg, Leonard Barton, Eveline Barton, James S., Elizabeth
D., Frank M., Charles M., Edgar A., Ella V., Calrinda and Celestia, LaFayette
L., Loretta E., Norman Brown, Zabin Wright, Jesse
Hotchkiss, Mr. Bovee and William Kent.
In the early days most of the saw mills were steam
and were owned by Robert Kane, Elzi Flagg, Charles Fuller,
Abbott
& Company, A. S. Prather, M. D. Holt, Uriah Willman,
Gideon
Marsh, Bemis & Ostrander, L. Barton,
O. P. Nichols,
Gideon
Claskey, Lewis Bishop, Walter Curtis,
William Crater,
DeLoss
Graham, George Carnahan, and
Michael Quinn.
In 1882 the Western N.Y. & Pa. R. R. along
the east bank of the Allegany was completed, giving the town two stations;
Quaker Bridge and Wolf Run. The post office designations were Tunesassa
and Elko.
The first religious services were conducted by
the Quakers. Other denominations were Presbyterian, Methodist and
Wesleyan Methodist.
The first town meeting was held February 24, 1891.
Elected officers were: Austin J. Morrison - Supervisor; D.
A. Sullivan - Town Clerk; David Flagg, Jr., H. A. Carnahan,
Peter
Durning, and Harry Johnson - Justices of the Peace; T. A.
Hill, F. M. Barton and Asa Flagg - Assessors; J. W.
Campbell - Commissioner of Highways; George Brown - Overseer
of the Poor; DeLoss Carnahan - Collector; J. W. Potter,
M.
D. Holt - Inspectors of Elections; J. A. Flagg,
DeLoss
Carnahan, Henry French and R. W. Potter - Constables;
M. D. Holt - Game Constable; Zabin Wright, Myron Carnahan
and E. A. Barton - Excise Commissioners.
In 1892, the population of Elko was 492.
It had three school districts. The first school teacher was Amanda
Caswell. The other instructors were Nellie Saunders and
Mattie
Flagg.
Taken from Historical
Gazetteer Cattaraugus County - Adams 1893
Transcribed by Jacqueline (Evens)
Allen.