From careless drivers and fake sirens to charity scams, from an emergency landing on Route 219 to concerns over online cigarette sales from the reservation, here’s a look back on the week that was 125, 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago in this edition of Turning Back the Clock.

1900

June 18 — Olean has a problem on its hands — careless wagon drivers and bicyclists. The Evening Herald reports numerous complaints of bicycle ordinance violations. The “cheerful idiot” who insists on riding his wheel or driving his horse on the left hand side of the street is still in evidence in Olean. Inconsiderate driving — by bicycle, horse and later automobile — would soon lead to the creation of specialized police patrols on motorcycles to “pull over” bad drivers and riders.

June 22 — A resolution approved by the Common Council for street lighting is expected to cost the city $500 a month just for bulbs — adjusted for inflation, that’s more than $19,000 a month. “This newspaper believes that rate is higher than it ought to be; that a municipal plant could furnish the same service at less expense,” The Herald said. By comparison, the entire city street lighting program — including street lights, traffic signals and after-dark lighting in city parks — comes out to about $17,400 a month in 2025.

1925

June 18 — It’s not all bootleggers and houses of ill repute causing headaches for city police. Olean Police Chief John C. Dempsey is warning youths against using sirens in the South Union Street area. The child pranksters are using sirens for the fun of it, but they are similar to those used by firefighters — causing confusion among the public and traffic congestion as cars pull over to let imaginary fire trucks go by.

June 21 — A former Olean resident is expected to recover after falling four stories at a construction site in Rochester. The man, who was not named, was on his first day of a construction job when the scaffolding plank he was standing on snapped, sending him to the ground. The federal Bureau of Labor Standards — predecessor to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — was still nine years in the future, and limited thought went into worker safety at the time.

1950

June 19 — Ellicottville’s old courthouse square is now home to a monument and plaque honoring the veterans of the world wars thanks to Ellicottville Memorial American Legion Post No. 65. Those noted for making the ultimate sacrifice include Egbert L. Barnhard, William N. Burton, Douglass D. Dineen, Alton G. Eastman, Irvin T. Ebert, Daniel W. Lowry, Joseph M. O’Connor, Robert J. Quinn, and Henry D. Smith. The sandblasting work was done by Collins Brothers of Allegany. The monument stands today.

June 20 — Charity scammers aren’t a new phenomena. Police were warned today of a group seeking to raise funds to fight polio. But it’s a scam, officials said, as the group does not have authorization from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis — the operators of the March of Dimes campaign. The group is using the foundation’s name and is working across Western New York, trying to lure the good-hearted into losing their money.

1975

June 16 — With several airports closed due to weather and running low on fuel, a Dunkirk pilot set down his plane on Route 219 near Limestone. The Cessna 182 flown by flight instructor Glen Akam and carrying three passengers was coming home from an outing at Cape Hatteras, N.C., when thunder and lighting made landing impossible at the Jamestown and Dunkirk airports. Making for Bradford, turbulence and heavy rains compounded with low fuel to make the emergency landing a necessity. All on board were OK, and a motorist stopped to turn on his flashers and warn oncoming traffic.

June 19 — The first woman to practice law in Allegany County is Patricia J. Fogarty of Belmont. A graduate of Columbus Law School, Catholic University, she became associated with the Belmont law office of Wesley J. Serra of Cuba last October. She was first listed as a member of the Allegany County Bar in April. She would later serve as president of the bar association and an assistant public defender for 40 years. Fogarty passed away in 2023.

2000

June 20 — Of all the places. A site near the under-construction regional headquarters of the state Department of Environmental Conservation has been found to contain traces of chromium contamination. The site, owned by St. Bonaventure University, has been roped off and piles of dirt that may contain the toxic element have been covered near the Allegheny River Valley Trail. The site, officials said, contains the foundation of a former Van der Horst plant that was used up until 1956 by Holcrome for chrome plating. The offices are set to open in late summer.

June 21 — Threats of tire fire protests along the New York State Thruway and Southern Tier Expressway are surfacing among Seneca Nation of Indians members as Gov. George Pataki signaled he would sign a measure penalizing common carriers for delivering untaxed cigarettes. The Senecas have more than three dozen websites selling tobacco products on the internet —  the most of any tribe or private corporation selling tobacco online. “Our people are very upset that Gov. Pataki is going back on the promises he made to us in 1997,” said SNI President Jum Ray. At that time, following a confrontation including tire-burning on highways through the SNI’s territories, Pataki announced the state would stop trying to collect taxes from Seneca sales.