WHERE BUFFALO ROAM: It turns out that Max Spindler’s recollection of some buffalo roaming on Interstate Parkway in the early 1930s was right on target. We now have confirmation from two more sources and a bit more information since we mentioned Max’s story in Tuesday’s RTS.

First, we got a call from Jane Grassi who has lived on Interstate Parkway all of her 81 years. Jane not only knew about the buffalo, but provided an exact date — March 1, 1932 — which happens to be her birthday.

She said her father, Don Farrell, told her about seeing the three buffalo amble down Interstate Parkway, which was an unpaved road back then, from the direction of Allegany State Park.

“I have no idea where they came from,” Jane said.

Soon after Jane’s call we got an email from Sally Costik of the Bradford Landmark Society who solved that mystery for us.

With one small difference — a date of March 2, 1932 instead of March 1 — Sally confirmed the buffalo sighting on Willard Avenue near Interstate Parkway. 

They had escaped from the dude ranch of Gordon Thompson near Red House a month earlier, Sally wrote. “We aren’t sure what happened after that — I would imagine that buffalo don’t take too kindly to be rounded up — and how would you even do that in 1932, on Interstate Parkway, anyway?”

HUMMINGBIRD RATIONS: We got several calls about a recipe for hummingbird sugar water that we mentioned on Tuesday. We quoted Lee Tyler as saying he mixes a half cup of sugar to a cup of water.  

Hummingbird lovers let us know that’s twice the amount of sugar that should be used. To be fair, Lee went on to say he uses the stronger version only early in the spring and gradually reduces the amount of sugar to that one part sugar to four parts water ratio.

We also put an extra “A” into Lee’s last name, erroneously making him Taylor instead of Tyler. (We probably had too much sugar for breakfast.)