Flat boats made from locally cut timber carried goods from Chautauqua Lake to the country's interior. The Bemus Point-Stow Ferry began operating in 1811 and was the only transport across Chautauqua Lake until the bridge opened in 1982. In 1828 the steamboat "Chautauque" entered the waters of Chautauqua Lake, and during their heyday, 15 large steamboats transported passengers to all points along the lakeshore. Steamboats also brought goods and passengers from Buffalo to the Lake Erie ports of Barcelona and Dunkirk, relying on lighthouses to navigate. The Barcelona lighthouse, built in 1829, was the first to be lit with natural gas and is the oldest original lighthouse in the Great Lakes, and both the Barcelona and Dunkirk lighthouses still stand. In 1856 the first railroad into Chautauqua County opened from Buffalo to Dunkirk, and soon after it became possible to travel around Chautauqua Lake and across the county by rail and trolley. Railroads, trolleys, and steamboats were key in developing Chautauqua County as a recreational destination in the late 19th century, and today several former railbeds are used for hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowmobile trails.