In this article from William Wilkinson’s scrapbook “One Hundred Great and Near-Great Events, Person and Places in Rochester History” (1947) he selects a description of Rochester in 1829 by a visitor from Philadelphia. He really likes the flour mills that were along the Genesee River. He was impressed with the town itself.

Written by a gentleman Traveler from Philadelphia – 1829

“After breakfast I spent several hours in rambling through and about this town of rapid growth. There is no beauty about it and I consider it a dirty place. All the streets are filled with mud and rubbish. Building is the order of the day, but there are few houses in the place that can be called handsome; and even the best are nothing to what I have seen in other towns. Yet, when its natural advantages are considered, I know no place which can compare with it. It is calculated for as many mills as there are spots to place them, and the water can be used five or six times within the distance of a mile. Water seems to be made to do everything here. There is a flour mill at this place, calculated for sixteen runs of stones, eight of which are now in operation; with many others having six, seven and eight, all in complete operation. Several manufacturers and mills for different purposes are now building and I have no hesitation in saying that although Rochester can never be a handsome town owing primarily to its row situation, yet I believe it will see the time, perhaps very soon, when no place in the Union will exceed it, in point of variety of manufactures.”