About 1 1/ 2 yrs ago, Western New York Heritage Magazine had an excellent long article that told the story of an early WNY settler who had traveled across the state from Vermont to Westrn NY in the first decades of the 19th century - before the canal was built. the article was based on the pioneers own diary account of the trek as well as the authors research into conditions of and locations along the journey. I no longer have the issue nor recall the exact name of the article, but I know that back issues of the magazione are available and I would gues that the publishers would be able to locate it. Publishers are wnyheritagepress.org Ned Schimminger