Lecture on 'Tourist Cabins and Motels of LaSalle'

LaSalle PRIDE Inc., in conjunction with the LaSalle Library, will present a lecture on the Tourist Cabins and Motels of Historic LaSalle at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the second floor meeting room of the LaSalle Library, 8728 Buffalo Ave.

Teresa Lasher Winslow, an authority on the history of the former Village of LaSalle, will present a PowerPoint presentation of this phenomena during the introduction of automotive usage in America.

LaSalle, once a part of the Town of Niagara, became an official village in 1897, until it was annexed into the City of Niagara Falls in 1927. The main travel route between Buffalo and Niagara Falls was through the Village of LaSalle. LaSalle grew from a rural farming community to a suburban development during the first half of the 20th century.

With the introduction of the automobile into American society, travel increased for the American family. With travel came the need for gas stations and accommodations for the traveler. In LaSalle, the main routes of travel were the River Road/Buffalo Avenue and the Niagara Falls Boulevard/Pine Avenue/Cayuga Drive corridors. To increase their income and provide a service, farms along these corridors installed gas pumps, refreshment stands and finally cabins to accommodate the traveling public.

In 1941, on Pine Avenue, there were 12 tourist cabin camps in LaSalle. By 1951, only two of these camps remained, but they were replaced by 61 motels. Today, hotels are slowly replacing these motels.

The public and former residents of LaSalle are encouraged to attend and bring photographs and other memorabilia of this unique style of architecture and business. These items will be scanned and returned to the owners that night.

For more information, call 716-283-3295 or 716-425-4005.