The Neutral Nation of Indians, an Iroquoian group affiliated with the Eries, were early inhabitants of this area. About 1650 they were conquered by the Senecas of the Five Nations Confederacy. French explorers and traders crossed this area and English expeditions along the lake shore entered the small streams, but extensive swamps deterred settlement. After the Revolution a few settlers came from Canada but development awaited the formation of speculative land companies. The Pulteney Purchase and that of the Holland Land Company divided the area into tracts for settlement. Inhabitants fled the area for a time after the fall of Fort Niagara in the War of 1812. Then came the building of highways, some of which ran along old Indian trails. The Ridge Road, opened in 1809, became a principal east-west route. Completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 spurred the building of towns along its route and the growth of commerce. Here early settlers built unique cobblestone houses, many of which are still standing. Geography and climate have favored fruit culture and made packing and canning a principal industry.