Niagara Falls History

The Thunder of Waters In geological terms, today's spectacular cascades of roaring water known as Niagara Falls are relatively young, having been formed a mere 12,000 years ago by the glaciers that created the Niagara River. Coincidentally, it is believed that the first people to settle in and around the area arrived at the same time—and probably witnessed the birth of the Falls! These people, known as the Clovis, were Nomadic hunters who survived by following the herds of giant caribou, mastodons and elk.

About 9,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers replaced the Clovis and lived on nuts, fruits and small animals in the winter and fish in the summer. Those we would recognize as modern native people came upon the scene around 3,000 years ago, and their culture, which was ultimately doomed by the arrival of white explorers, missionaries and settlers, culminated approximately 300-400 years ago in the Iroquois Confederation.

Although some historians argue that Etiènne Brulé may have been the first explorer to look upon the Falls in 1615, that honour usually goes to a Recollet priest by the name of Louis Hennepin. Hennepin came upon the falls in 1678 and recorded the fact in a book that would make him famous across Europe and would come to have his name on numerous parks and streets throughout the Niagara Region, including Hennepin Park in Buffalo.

Thanks to another priest, the Jesuit Gabriel Lalemant, the Falls already had a name: the Iroquois Onguiaahra, meaning "the strait" or more excitingly, "thunder of waters." This quickly devolved into the more easily pronounceable "Niagara."

The Roar of Cannons The roar of the mighty cataract isn't the only one to have been heard down through the years. There have also been cannons and musket fire, in particular during the War of 1812, the last war to be fought between the neighbors. In this war, fought around the Niagara region over a period of two years, Canada (still part of the British Empire, of course) can claim to have battled the Americans to a standstill.

Following a declaration of war by American President James Madison, troops invaded the British side of the Niagara River. Pitched battles were fought from Fort Erie to Queenston Heights Park and from Fort George to Lundy's Lane, which is considered by many historians to have been the pivotal battle in the war. It is memorialised in the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum, built atop the actual battlefield (now part of downtown Niagara Falls). There's also a monument to British commander Sir Isaac Brock, whose troops retook Queenston after the general was felled by a sniper's bullet.

After the war, the area rebuilt and developed rapidly thanks to the unbeatable combination of natural beauty, strategic positioning, cheap transportation and energy, the opening of the Welland and Erie Canals and the lure of industrial development along the border. It was also at around this time that the Falls started to become a destination point for honeymooners and other tourists. In fact, by the 1870's, Niagara Falls' main industry was tourism. Even though the lure of the Falls for newlyweds has waned, an estimated 50,000 couples still celebrate the start of their married lives here each year.

Daredevilry and Tight Spaces The Falls have long served as a lure for another type of tourist—the intrepid daredevil. Over the last 150 years, daring (some would say foolhardy) souls have gone over the Falls by the dozens in every contraption known to humanity. Some have died in the attempt; others like 63-year-old widowed schoolteacher Annie Taylor, the first person to survive a plunge over the Falls in a barrel, made history and gained fame, if not much fortune.

In the summer of 1859, the French tightrope walker known as the Great Blondin put on a display that has never been equalled. In his first crossing on June 30, he walked to the centre of the rope strung across the Whirlpool Rapids just below the Falls and executed a back somersault! Then, on successive crossings, he performed on a bicycle, blindfolded, with his hands and his feet manacled, with a stop at the center to cook an omelets and finally, on August 19, he went across the expanse with his manager on his back! There are several museums and displays where these feats are immortalized, including the Daredevil Hall of Fame and the Daredevil Museum of Niagara Falls.

The list of famous people who have made the trek to the Falls is also impressive and includes Charles Dickens in 1842, Queen Victoria's father in 1891, Sir Winston Churchill in 1943 and the present Queen Elizabeth in 1951, when she was just a princess. On October 23, 1991, Princess Diana and her two sons visited the Canadian side and took the Falls Incline Railway at Table Rock, the Journey Behind The Falls and the Maid of the Mist boat ride before stopping for a spot of lunch at the Victoria Park Restaurant.

While all this human activity has been going on around them, the Falls have also been busy in the last 12,000 years. In fact, the Falls started out where the towns of Queenston on the Canadian side and Lewiston on the American side are located today. That's about 11 kilometers from the Falls' present position. Until the early 1950's, the rate of erosion was about one meter per year; now, thanks to water flow control and hydroelectric generating stations, the erosion is down to about three centimeters per year. That's good news for those who want to continue to enjoy the Falls for many centuries to come!