History
Olean had its origin in the historic need for a convenient route to the Ohio country and the West. It was founded in 1804, when Ohio had just been admitted to the Union, and the West was the symbol of challenge and adventure to hundreds of pioneers eager to build a new nation.

The natural advantages of a navigation headquarters at the headwaters of the Allegheny River were readily apparent to at least one early surveyor, Major Adam Hoops.

Olean was incorporated as a village and granted its first charter by the legislature in 1854. The development of Olean as a city began when the Buffalo and Washington Railroad (the Pennsylvania) was finished in 1872. By 1874 Olean had become the railroad center of petroleum operations in the Bradford territory. The shipment of oil from Olean grew from a few barrels to more than 20,000 barrels a day. By 1878 there were 150 paying wells in the vicinity. Olean was incorporated as a city on April 25, 1893. By the early 1900's Olean had become an established industrial center.