1758 French fur traders set up fur trading posts here, and whites began to settle here. The Dutch built the city here in 1790, and it was formally established in 1803. 1825 The Erie Canal was opened, which became the intersection of the Lake District and the Erie Canal, and Buffalo gradually prospered. After the opening of 1959, saint lawrence seaway has further developed into a world port (also a land and air transportation hub). The waterfront is 37 miles long and there are many huge warehouses along the coast. It is the main transshipment port of wheat in the United States and Canada, and is also a world-famous flour industry center. It has always been the export place of Mesabi iron mine, and heavy industries such as steel, smelting, automobile and machinery are very developed. The industrial zone is mainly located on the east bank of Niagara River and the south bank of Lake Erie. Buffalo is the gateway from the Atlantic coast to the western inland. There are six railway trunk lines, which are the railway freight centers between the United States and Canada. The road network is dense, including the New York State Expressway and Kensington Expressway. There is a modern international airport in the east of the city.