The Next Hundred Years 159 Stinking waters Canawaugus, or “stinking waters,” described the strong smell of the Avon sulfur springs. For much of the two decades following the Treaty of Big Tree, the population of Canawaugus averaged 100. In addition to hunting, fshing, and foraging, traditional Seneca life included extensive agriculture, with crop felds, gardens, and orchards. Historical accounts note that smallpox hit the Canawaugus population at some point, though the year is unknown. Residents gradually moved west to other Western New York reservations, and the Canawaugus Reservation was dissolved by treaty in 1826. In every new endeavor involving the land, P&CG consults the Seneca Nation of Indians. The region of Western New York that P&CG calls home is the ancestral homeland of the Seneca Nation and holds great historical signifcance to the present day. Our Scottsville and Avon locations sit on land that Gaiänt’wakê, or Chief Cornplanter, a Seneca leader, sold to Thomas Newbold in 1820. Newbold sold the mine land to Nathaniel Mosier, a Civil War veteran, in 1846. Subsequent owners were: John T. Marshall, Theodore Zornow, Ted Zornow Jr., Richard Ash, and Livingston Associates. A little history By about the 1600s, the area around the Genesee River, between northern Avon and Caledonia, was a bustling community of hundreds of Seneca. This was an important location along a main east-west path that later became Routes 5 and 20. This vibrant area, occupied for hundreds of years, became the site of the Canawaugus Reservation after the Treaty of Big Tree in 1797. Cornplanter—who was born around 1750 in Canawaugus and grew up there—led negotiations for this and several other treaties. The Seneca reserved a small portion of their original territory to encompass their main farmland and village, and the 2-square-mile area became Canawaugus Reservation. A historical marker noting Cornplanter's birth is located at 4339 Caledonia Avon Road, less than a mile from the Valley Avon site. Another important fgure who was born at Canawaugus is Handsome Lake, Cornplanter’s half-brother, who was a spiritual leader of the Seneca. His teachings on traditional Seneca religion are still recognized and relevant to Seneca people today. The Seneca Connection
